Ireland

After picking up the rental car (and a moment of near panic when we thought our TomTom app only covered the UK - whatever did we do before GPS?) we drove around Dublin for a while. It's not my favourite city by any means. But we managed to get to Chris's cousin Clayton's address. There was a sold sign on the house and nobody there (does that say something if your hosts move without telling you??) But we tracked them down by asking the next door neighbour, who said they had moved around the corner. So they didn't escape so lightly, haha. It was lovely to see Clayton and Dee and their two gorgeous girls, Jorgia and Casey. They took us out to a local restaurant and the next day we walked in the park donated by the Guinness family (the site of their large mansion, which had burnt down).

Onwards to Cork via the Rock of Cashel. It's amazing to see the castle, monastery and fortress ruins everywhere in Ireland, crumbling picturesquely in green paddocks, and mostly ignored and unrestored. This was in stark contrast with Scotland, where every castle and historic place is documented and cared for. I guess this is the legacy of poverty and occupation in Ireland, and also of the Viking invasions, but it seems sad that there is so much deterioration. The Rock of Cashel is the largest of these and it once must have been an awe-inspiring (though bone-chillingly cold) abbey with wall frescoes and carved tombs, it's fallen to pieces over the centuries.

We took a horse and buggy ride through the village with a quintessentially Irish character called Mick and his horse Jessie.

Onwards to Ballymacoda on the south coast near Cork - a lovely warm and homely B and B to stay in, and a cold walk on the beach. It was hard to believe that if you crossed the sea here, you'd land in Portugal or West Africa.

The next morning we found our way to church in Cork. We felt very much at home - met the nicest people and enjoyed feeling spiritually uplifted again. After church we drove in the rain up through Kerry and out to the coast on what they call the Ring of Kerry - with spectacular views on a nice day, but just a very long and wet road on a day like that. I was intrigued to discover that at one point we were driving through rainforest. A lot of Ireland was once like this. They felled a lot of the forests to meet the needs of agriculture and an expanding population between the 1600s and 1800s, and bears and wolves became extinct in Ireland. It would be a very different country today if the forest had persisted.

There's a tune name or two for every town, so I played (quietly) the tunes as we passed through - the Lads of Laois, the Maids of Mitchelstown, Trip to Durrow, Glens of Aherlow, Road to Lisdoonvarna and so on. Interesting to see the places that inspired the tunes. And I played every polka I could think of and even a couple of slides as we drove through the Cork-Kerry border - this region is the home of polkas and slides. Luckily Chris has developed a fine tuned ability to switch off from my playing and just drive! He is very tolerant.

Kinvara was our next stop. A little town on the border of Clare and Galway, it's close to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands and the cities of Galway and Ennis. It has a wonderful coastal setting and was a fantastic place to spend a few days. We walked on the Burren and scrambled high up the rocks, like a rocky coastline except you're up a mountain. We visited the Cliffs of Moher (there's a tune for that, too), their sheer 214 metre drop looming over the waves. The winds were gale force and we were being blown off our feet, which was both hilarious and terrifying. It was funny to watch adults and children alike playing in the wind, leaning into it, letting it roll them over on the grass, shrieking and laughing. Luckily there is now a stone barrier and safe paths, as we saw (soberingly) a monument to all the people who have fallen off the cliffs.

The next day Hannah and I went horse trekking in the lovely countryside of Connemara, on real Connemara ponies. It was lovely and Hannah did very well, as we rode for 2 1/2 hours on roads and bridle paths, and even splashed in a lake.

In the afternoon we caught the ferry to the Aran Islands, so remote and rocky it's hard to believe people can live on them. We hired bikes and rode all over Inis Mor, the Big Island. The weather was sunny and the beaches white and sandy with crystal clear water. It was a lovely afternoon out.

I was brave enough to get myself along to one of the local pubs, Connolly's, where there was a great session. The most incredible music happens in these tiny out-of-the-way places, and you meet the most amazing people. I introduced myself to the accordion player, who said his name was Dermot - it was Dermot Byrne, one of my accordion heroes. At the end of the night he gave me a copy of his new CD. It was great to be able to play even a few tunes with that calibre of musician. The next night I got to listen to Buttons and Bows practising. These guys are all musical legends and they were practising in a back room of the bar. The next night I got to play in a session with Charlie Harris and Seamus McGuire. It puts a whole different spin on the music. They are all so kind and welcoming and have good things to say about my playing (or maybe it's just my enthusiasm!) And met a very kind flute player, Mark Priestley, who has been more than welcoming and is a great source of philosophy about the music and particularly the musical style of East Clare. Hannah and I visited him in his pretty little renovated thatched cottage just outside Kinvara - what stories those walls could tell about generations of families and the potato famine that had such enormous impact on Ireland.

And here I am in Ennis. Chris and Hannah left to go home a few days ago. I've been finding my way around the town and even ventured to a session at Brogan's, which is nice but very noisy. I met Murty Ryan, another amazing box player, whose album I happen to have on my phone. It was fantastic to play tunes with him and the others, a bouzouki and mandolin player, and they asked me to start a couple of sets. Once musicians realise you can play, they are so friendly.

My friends Ruth and Andrew have arrived and it's been great to see them and have people to talk to.

Yesterday I got myself all the way to Limerick on the bus, and went to church. I met lovely people including a couple of New Zealanders who are living in Ireland. It was worth the effort to get there.

Off to the festival tomorrow in a little town near here. Should be fun. Some other friends from Raglan, Lynne and Michael, are arriving on Wednesday so it'll be good to catch up with them. All's well at home, which makes it possible for me to be here and not to worry. It's been such an amazing trip - this may be my last entry, so if you've read this far, congratulations for wading through my wordy prose. It's been fun writing about it. I appreciate you all as my much loved family and friends. Take care. XO Kara