Good Craic. Welcome to Éire.

"Camán" & Amanda.

2009-11-05T20:14:00.001-06:00

"Camán" means "hurling stick" in Gaelic. Gavin down at The Local Bar in Ardfinnan got me this used hurling stick and Amanda (below), who barkeeps at The Local Bar, just so happens to be a hurler...so she signed the stick for me. Hurling's the national sport of Ireland. After watching the boys play Gaelic football (and seeing the bruises on Amanda), I'm not sure I'd be interested in partaking in a sport where they use this stick. Ouch.

There's Amanda...serving me up a Guinness!

Perfect poster girl for Guinness. To Arthur! And Amanda!

"Ná sacar".

2009-10-25T20:56:00.008-05:00

"Ná sacar" or "Not soccer". As I mentioned in my last post, don't ever call this a soccer ball. The Irish will kill you. It's a football in Gaelic football terminology. Gavin at The Local Bar in Ardfinnan got the Ardfinnan minor Gaelic football players to sign this authentic Gaelic football for me.

I will display it proudly...for the South A Champions in minor league play. Congratulations!! "ABU"!

"Peil ghaelach".

2009-10-25T19:33:00.007-05:00

"Peil ghaelach" means "Gaelic football". It's played with a ball that looks like a soccer ball...but don't EVER call it a "soccer ball". They will kill you.

Ardifinnan, the town we stayed in, is a member of the GAA - Gaelic Athletic Association. These pictures and video are from the semifinals match - Ardfinnan versus Arravale (minors) - which they won. Found out via the Internet that Ardfinnan minor team beat Loughmore-Castleiney in the finals two weeks later and were crowned South A Champions - first time since 1998.

Just watch the video through the two-minute mark. What's really a hoot is listening to the crowd behind me and to my right. You think American fans go a little berserk? And click on READ MORE! for more shots of the game.

"ARDFHIONAIN ABU!" That means, "Hurray, Ardfinnan!".

Ardfinnan Minors - South A Champions - 2009.

"An bia uile".

2009-10-21T20:06:00.002-05:00

"An bia uile" means "all the food". Ireland's cuisine, as in 2006, was excellent. My chicken kiev (above) was probably the best I've ever eaten. Click on READ MORE! for a few more pics of Ireland's sumptuous menu.

Michael made dinner a couple nights at the cottage. Tonite...baked chicken, potatoes, carrots and - not sure what that is toward the front of the plate. Delicious!

Even Ireland's taters are pretty tasty.

Something Michael ordered. Forgot what is was but he said it was delicious. He knows food.

Ireland's version of cheese mozzarella sticks. And a Guinness to wash it all down with.

"Mé".

2009-10-18T09:32:00.013-05:00

"Mé" means "me". Click on READ MORE! for a few more shots of me traipsing around Ireland.

"Madra".

2009-10-16T16:18:00.011-05:00

"Madra" means "dog" in Gaelic. Lord Michael and I exchanged pictures last night and this set of shots from Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, site of St. Kevin's monastic settlement dating back to the 6th Century. My friend Justyna and I visited this place back in 2006. It looks the same.

Michael wanted to take a series of pictures of me walking through this arch. He likes to take series of pictures of people walking. Here I'm waiting for that boxer to get its ass out of the shot. (If you click on any picture in this blog or others, you should be able to see a larger version of it. Sometimes it works - sometimes not.)

Resolved to the fact that the dog ain't goin' anywhere, I start walking. Said boxer turns to eyeball me.

I sort of turn to eyeball said boxer. Not sure who was vying for their Cecil B. DeMille moment - me, the boxer or Lord Michael.

"Scannán caillte".

2009-10-16T10:20:00.010-05:00

"Scannán caillte" is very, very, very loosely translated as "lost film" (or maybe it's "caillte scannán"). Found this video I took of the inside of the Monroe Cottage in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary where we stayed for a week. (Pause the jukebox up top - it's the two vertical lines between the arrows).

"Pobal na hÉirean".

2009-10-13T19:30:00.005-05:00

Guitar and fiddle player in Tig Coili's (Chee Coli) in Galway. "Pobal na hÉirean" means "people of Ireland". It's the people of Ireland that make it a wonderful place to visit. Always kind. Always helpful. Out-of-their-way helpful, as a matter of fact. I wish I had some shots of Gavin and Thomas at The Local Bar in Ardfinnan (the night we were going to take shots they weren't working - our last night). I think Michael has some shots of Amanda, one of the bartenders.

Anyway, "thank you" - the people of Ireland, for welcoming us into your country. Click on READ MORE! and see some of the folks that made our visit a pleasant one.

School girls in Kinsale.

Lord Michael in a pub. Actually it was a smoker's lounge in the back of a pub. And the best smoker's lounge we - smoked in. Somewhere on the way to Ardfinnan in Co. Tipperary.

Me - same smoker's lounge.

A boy with a hurling stick in Cahir.

Lord Michael, Jackie Murphy and myself at the Ardfinnan Under 18 men's semi-final Gaelic football game. Ardfinnan won. Jackie and his wife, Monica, own the cottage we stayed at in Ardfinnan.

Me being a guinness. New usage for the word. Need to contact Urban Dictionary.

One of the prettiest Irish lasses we ran into. She works at a pub - somewhere. They all run together. The pubs, that is.

Lord Michael and I atop Ferns Castle in Ferns, Co. Wexford.

Me at The Old Boro Public House in Swords, Co. Dublin. Nice bar.

Johnnie Fox's, the highest pub in Ireland, in Glencullen, Co. Dublin. More on this pub later. By far the best pub/bar I've ever been in - EVER. The banjo player was my favorite.

Tig Coili's (Chee Coli), Galway's home of traditional Irish music.

"Ceol".

2009-10-13T08:50:00.012-05:00

"Ceol" means "music". When my friend Justyna and I were in Ireland in 2006, we didn't get to see any traditional Irish music performed in pubs as it was April (off-season) AND we weren't on the west coast, where the traditional music is more prevalent. This first video is of Alec Finn, one of Celtic music's most influential musicians and a founding member of DeDanaan. Finn's debut solo album, Blue Shamrock received critical lauds, described by Hot Press as "a beautifully crafted, highly satisfying, collection of Irish airs". You might wanna pause the Celtic jukebox at the top of the blog before listening to this.

I had the pleasure of meeting Alec and his wife, Leonie, at their home, Oranmore Castle in Oranmore, Co. Galway, on a recent trip to Ireland. Oranmore Castle is Lord Michael's (my friend) ancestral castle and the purpose of our visit was to spread Michael's father's ashes over the sides of the castle turret. They graciously invited Michael and I into their home/castle and we had a wonderful time. Really...a high point of the trip. More on that later.

The Irish bouzouki is a derivative of the Greek bouzouki, adopted into and adapted for Irish music from the late 1960s onward. Not sure which bouzouki Alec is playing, but I assume it's the Greek version, as he is known for playing that instrument.

This second video is of a group at Tig Coili (pronounced, "Chee Coli") in Galway. Tig Coili is known as the home of traditional Irish music in Galway.

"Teach ceann tuí ".

2009-10-11T21:07:00.012-05:00

"Teach ceann tuí " means "thatched cottage" . The picture above isn't the main house - but it was the only artsy shot I took on the property. The Monroe Cottage (farmhouse) in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary, where Lord Michael and I stayed for 7 days, dates back to the 1700's and used to be a thatched cottage up until about 10 years ago. Thatched roofs are labor intensive and expensive to upkeep so the owners, Jackie and Monica Murphy, opted to go sans thatched.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the inside so use your imagination. Click on READ MORE! to see the cottage and additional pictures of this gorgeous property.

The main house stretches all the way to the right where that gap is. The far left is the formal sitting room, to the right of the doorway is the kitchen/dining room with a tiny sitting area in front of a fireplace, followed by two bedrooms and the bathroom. Pretty simple layout. Just watch those low ceilings.

Not sure what this building was used for.

Storage.

From the main road looking down the driveway.

From the house looking down the long driveway to the road.

From the driveway looking over at the owner's property.

Down the driveway to the road.

Evening. At the Monroe Cottage. In Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary.

"Teach tábhairne".

2009-10-10T11:36:00.021-05:00

"Teach tábhairne" means "pub" in Gaelic. I think half the trip was spent in pubs. Click on READ MORE! to see me standing in more Irish pub doorways. And no we didn't have a drink in every pub whose doorway I stood. But no doubt there were plenty o'pubs we drank in that we didn't snap a shot either. Slan!

West Clare, Co. Clare

Swords, Co. Dublin. And no, it wasn't a gay bar. That was back in Galway.

Kinsale.

Kinsale.

Cahir, Co. Tipperary

Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare

Cashel, Co. Tipperary

Cahir, Co. Tipperary

These last two are blurry but I included them as they were, I felt, important pubs on our travels. Tig Coili in Galway, Co. Galway is the home of traditional Irish music in Galway. We spend a few hours there.

The other pub is The Local Bar in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary, where our cottage was. It's run by Thomas and Gavin and their father and we spent many evenings here with the boys. More on Ardfinnan later.

"Fear Faiche".

2009-10-09T22:58:00.006-05:00

"Fear Faiche" loosely means, "green man". The figure above is on an archway at Lady's Abbey in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary. Lady's Abbey was a Carmelite Friary and the church is a 14th/15th Century building. Though it's not technically a "green man", the carving reminded me of what the "green man" legend is all about. "A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings." (Wikipedia)

Click on READ MORE! to read a poem by William Anderson that was sent to me by my friend, Tamra. It is accompanied by pictures I took in Ireland - most of them in Co. Tipperary where we stayed for a week. Enjoy.

William Anderson's "The Green Man"

Like antlers, like veins of the brain the birches

Mark patterns of mind on the red winter sky;

'I am thought of all plants,' says the Green Man,

'I am thought of all plants,' says he.

Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary

The hungry birds harry the last berries of rowan

But white is her bark in the darkness of rain;

'I rise with the sap,' says the Green Man,

'I rise with the sap,' says he.

The ashes are clashing their boughs like sword-dancers,

Their black buds are tracing wild faces in the clouds;

'I come with the wind,' says the Green Man,

'I come with the wind,' says he.

Luggala in Roundwood, Co. Wicklow

The alders are rattling as though ready for battle

Guarding the grove where she waits for her lover;

'I burn with desire,' says the Green Man,

'I burn with desire,' says he.

In and out of the yellowing wands of the willow

The pollen bright bees are plundering the catkins;

'I am honey of love,' says the Green Man,

'I am honey of love,' says he.

The Vee, Co. Tipperary

The hedges of quick are thick with May blossom

As the dancers advance on the leaf-covered King;

'It's off with my head,' says the Green Man,

'It's off with my head,' says he.

Green Man becomes grown man in flames of the oak

As its crown forms his mask and its leafage his features;

'I speak through the oak,' says the Green Man,

'I speak through the oak,' says he.

Suir River, Co. Tipperary

The holly is flowering as hayfields are rolling

Their gleaming long grasses like waves of the sea;

'I shine with the sun,' says the Green Man,

'I shine with the sun,' says he.

The hazels are rocking the cups of their nuts

As the harvesters shout when the last sheaf is cut;

'I swim with the salmon,' says the Green Man,

'I swim with the salmon,' says he.

Helen Keller Goat Path, Co. Tipperary

The globes of the grapes are robing with bloom

Like the hazes of autumn, like the Milky Way's star
'I am crushed for your drink,' says the Green Man,

'I am crushed for your drink,' says he.

The aspen drops silver of leaves on earth's salver

And the poplars shed gold on the young ivy flowerheads;

'I have paid for your pleasure,' says the Green Man,

'I have paid for your pleasure,' says he.

Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary

The reedbeds are flanking in silence the islands

Where meditates Wisdom as she waits and waits;

'I have kept her secret,' says the Green Man,

'I have kept her secret,' says he.

The bark of the elder makes whistles for children

To call to the deer as they rove over the snow;
'I am born in the dark,' says the Green Man,

'I am born in the dark,' says he.

"Daor".

2009-10-08T16:29:00.014-05:00

Above is a picture of a $2 Euro...the Irish version (see the harp?). "Daor" is Gaelic for "expensive". I can't even begin to relate to you how fucking (strong word, I know) much it costs to do ANYTHING in Ireland. Click on READ MORE for my diatribe on how Ireland went from famine to feast. If you're interested in going there someday, you'll wanna read this.

Here's a sampling:

1. $100 US dollars to fill up the tank of a Nissan Elantra. Don't ask me how big the tank is - who gives a fuck? It's a $100 bucks to fill it up. Period.

2. Pack of cigarettes = $12 bucks. And all their packs say "I'm killing myself". Thanks for the reminder Ireland.

3. A cheeseburger (McDonald's or otherwise) = $4 bucks. Mmmmm....'tis such a good cheeseburger though.

4. Rent a car for 11 days = $1,000 bucks. Baile Átha Cliath, my ass. My high school friend Justyna and I got screwed over the same way when we went to watch the reading of my play, "Stan's Addiction", in Belfast in 2006. This trip it cost $500 bucks for insurance alone. Ireland, Iceland and Jamaica DO NOT accept your car insurance nor do they accept your credit card insurance coverage. And we didn't even have FULL coverage. The ONLY way you can beat these bastards at their insurance scam is own a Mastercard World or World Elite (one or the other or both, I forgot) card. That will cover you completely.

5. Meals = pretty much all overpriced. The food was consistently EXCELLENT though.

6. Pint of Guinness = about $6 bucks. Pretty standard, though the quality varied from pub to pub. On the whole, the Guinness was excellent and we consumed mass quantities but NEVER got drunk. Must've been all the "food" in the beer. :)

7. Everything else = expensive.

8. The only thing that WAS NOT expensive was the cottage in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary. $250 bucks for 7 days. Cheap. More on the cottage later. Oh - B&B's = $103 for two people/one night. Pretty standard. We did get a B&B that was run by a Californian for $50 bucks for the two of us and two bedrooms. Very nice. Sweet lady.

NOTE: Do NOT tip the bartender in a pub. They will kill you. Standard tipping in a restaurant is 10%. Do NOT over tip. They will kill you.

"Dathannach".

2009-10-07T22:28:00.007-05:00

"Dathannach". Translation: "Colorful" . Besides the obvious 40 shades of green typical of the Irish countryside, the buildings in Ireland - whether homes or commercial buildings - are filled with color.

Cahir. Click on READ MORE! and take a gander.

Galway.

Mmmm...can't remember. :)

Kinsale.

Cashel or Cahir.

Kinsale.

Fern, I think.

Kinsale.

Goatenbridge. "The Greg" , that's how it's pronounced, not spelled. Very famous place (all the locals told us to go there) 15 minutes or so from Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary, where we stayed in a cottage for 7 days. Right off a goat path - literally, the road it was off of resembled a goat path of sorts (more on this goat path later). Thatched roof and all. Teeny tiny place with live music. And some fisherman grilled up his day's catch of mackerel for us and the other patrons. Odd group of Irishmen (and a couple women). Salty, not necessarily unfriendly but not overly talkative. Good time at The Greg.

Good Craic. Welcome to Eire.

2009-10-07T10:29:00.005-05:00

"Craic" means "fun" in Gaelic. Heard that a hundred times over there.

I just discovered that my main blog, PASSION = TRUTH...well, I've passed the limit of blog labels you can have on posts. So, I've started this blog to track my recent trip to Ireland in September/October 2009 (I just got back Oct. 5th).

So check back here regularly as I take you through a visual tour of Ireland - the people, the sounds, the land, the pubs. This was my 3rd visit to Ireland...trust me - it'll be worth it. It'll be "craic"!