Familiarity

     The fun of being in Trim Ireland in County Meath was seeing it with Willie and Kay who live in the historic village on the river Boyne. 

    Trim is also the largest Norman castle in Ireland.

    And it was in County Meath where Patrick came and met the pagan kings. There is a St. Patricks Cathedral in Trim.

   Trim, with some 9 thousand residents, is picturesque

      and hospitable. 

   When settling in for a Guiness in this pub I found a copy of runners and riders, the daily form chart for horse racing. 

   I urged my pal Griff to get to Ireland to meet his kin, some of whom have great pubs!

   This 12th century Norman castle may look familiar. 

    The castle was featured in the 1995 Academy Award Winning BRAVEHEART, the story of the Guardian of  Scotland, hero William Wallace. The film employed hundreds of Trim residents. Scenes were also shot at nearby Irish locations. 

  History is in the land around Trim in County Meath. A subsequent post explores how and why it is so prominent in Irish history, folklore and myth. 

    About a third larger than our Cambria on the California central coast, it has a familiarity. About the partial self portrait below, the scene in the window looked so homey, it needed to be shared. 

   It's a great spot for a hike or stroll, enhanced by history
and the wonderful green beauty.

  "An entry place to the other world" and "a place of great prospect" as we wonder County Meath and a mystical capitol in an upcoming post.  

   See you down the trail.

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

          "When you have nothing more to say, just drive 
       for a day around the peninsula.
       The sky is tall as over a runway,
       The land without marks, so you will not arrive."
                   Seamus Heaney from The Peninsula    

      If it was only the land and sea, Ireland would provide this globe with a bounty of lyrical word and prose and a beauty beyond beauty. But the soul of those words and the guardians of the beauty are a people, unique perhaps, but certainly abundant of wit, spirit, explorers of the heart and resolutely independent.  

    It was our good fortune to see the Irish Republic with Irish friends, Kay, Willie, Kay and Jack.

     An almost constant companion was beauty and personality. 

     The presence of history and scenic nature are powerful, but this is a nation of a great people, sociable people. 

    Wit is a near constant companion. Consider the scene below...

    Glendalough in County Wicklow is a beautiful setting and the location of an ancient abbey, the home of a venerated Saint, Kevin. 
    Kevin was a pious man and lived as a hermit, shunning social contact, especially women. 
    While he is a canonized Saint and held with regard, there is a popular cultural remembrance of him as well. It is a tale  about drowning a woman who tempted him. 
     In a Song by the Dubliners are the lines

       "One evening he landed a trout, sir
         He landed a big trout.
         When young Kathleen from over the way
         Came to see what the old monk was about...
         
         fol di do fol di do day

         "Well get out o me way, said the Saint
          For I am a man of great piety
          and me good manners I wouldn't taint
          not be mixing with female society."

           fol di do fol di do day

           Oh but Kitty she wouldn't give in
           And when he got home to his rockery
          He found she was seated therein
          A-polishin' up his old crockery

           fol di do fol di do day

           Well he gave the poor creature a shake
           And I wish that the Garda had caught him!
           For he threw her right into the lake
           And, be Jaysus, she sank to the bottom

    A closer look at Ireland is onboard in coming posts.

     There is an Irish castle in the charming County Meath village of Trim, and chances are you have seen it, on the big screen, but not "where" you might expect. 

       We'll see how the land of writers celebrates the word and the wordsmiths. 

        There is an Irish social current I wish US citizens could take upon themselves. I can only assume it is born of a desire for Independence, not unlike that of our ancestors 245 years ago.
      Ireland declared their independence from the United Kingdom in 1919, following the Easter Uprising of 1916. There was struggle and bloodshed. Today the Republic is a place of pride and the history is close of mind. And in the North, there are still troubles.

            "And drive back home, still with nothing to say

        Except that now you will uncode all landscapes

        By this: things founded clean on their own shapes,

        Water and ground in their extremity."

                             Seamus Heaney

         

        Come along for an Irish journey.

        See you down the trail.

KELVINGROVE

   A highlight of Glasgow is the magnificent Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the West End on the banks of the Kelvin River and bounded by a beautiful park.

   My friend Frank, a frequent visitor, said not to miss it, if only because of the architecture. 

      It is built of red sandstone from Locharbriggs Scotland.

  It was built from 1888 to 1901 and is near the University of Glasgow. 

   The center piece of the Centre Hall is the concert pipe organ. 

   The building reverberates when the organ master is at the keyboard.

   The Kelvingrove is an apt mixture of art, artifacts, taxidermy and oddities. 

     When viewing the battle ribbons it struck me how frequently and how far flung brave Scots were sent to battle by the King or Queen of England.

   A fine cafe afforded an ideal place for a cup of tea, a snack and place to watch the verdant green, get greener. 

    Admission to this Art Gallery and Museum is free, as are most museums in Scotland. 

   Ireland is on the horizon. Stay tuned.

   See you down the trail.