We think this trip is looking to become our best trip ever! It’s not always the big events but the small, random moments that are often what become memorable. We left Inchydory yesterday and drove Southwest to Skibereen, then Northwest toward Ballydehob. Morgan had met a young woman at a music camp last summer, her name is Hannah Collins and she plays piano and concertina. We love the sound of the concertina, it has a clear, simple sound that adds a sweet purity to a tune. Hannah sent Morgan the Google map coordinates for the farm where her family live. The numbers didn’t mislead us and took us to the farm without a hitch.
Hannah greeted us at the door and invited us in. Her mother, Margaret, greeted us and we chatted for a bit. Margaret offered us tea and oh so much more. The Irish generosity is second to none. Fresh made bread, farm made goat cheese, fresh pesto made of basil, walnuts and wild garlic and pot after pot of tea.
Great treats and conversation and then we played some tunes. Hannah is a very good player and of course she knows Macdara and Victoria, it’s a small island and despite its diversity and geographical regionalism we are always struck by the interconnectedness of musicians and families.
We reluctantly said goodbye to Hannah and Margaret and drove northwest toward Durrus and then we went southwest to Ahakista where our rental is. We unpacked and headed to a small restaurant, Arundels where we had a steaming bowl of fresh mussels in a delicious broth with fresh herbs.
The remains. We were too desirous to take a before picture.
You may or may not recall that during out first trip to KIlcrohane in 2016 we stopped in at Eileens Pub, where we played a few tunes. Through that we met Wayne Sheehy and Frank O’Mahony (pronounced O’Manny) who invited us to play the next morning for his friend Siobhan’s birthday. We decided to check in at Eileens. She was behind the bar, remembered us when we mentioned having played before with Wayne Sheehy and she invited us to bring our instruments in if we liked. The pub was as I remembered it and as we started to play more and more people came in. Wayne warned us that a large group of walkers and hikers were in the village and he was correct. We’re playing tunes and the pub is quickly filling to capacity. The hikers are in a walking/hiking club that are hiking the Sheepshead peninsula. They were quite enthusiastic, clapping and hooting. A young woman and older man came in carrying instruments, it seemed they were scheduled to play for the evening and here we were. We told them we were just finishing and would happily pack up so they could get to it. Unbeknownst to us there was some tension between them and Eileen. Eileen said something to Jemima, that’s the young woman, about not wanting them tonight, and that she wasn’t going to take care of them (read no free pints or money), we weren’t clear what the issue was, but instantly you could cut the tension with a knife. Eileen had given us free pints, that’s how publicans say thanks for the music, which we offered to Jemima and her partner which made Eileen angry “where’d ya get those pints” Jemima protesting loudly that we’d offered them and, oh shit! What have we stepped into? One of the hikers astutely started to sing Wild Mountain Thyme, which eased the tension and the entire pub joined in. As Morgan and I escaped to the outside, scratching our heads, the woman who started the song said to me when I thanked her. For her diplomacy, “I grew up in a large family”. Ah the Irish.
Jemima has the bodhran (frame drum).
Outside, Jemima and her friend, I’m going to try and get his name, explained that they have a difficult relationship with Eileen. Jemima was born in England and her family bought a holiday home in Kilcrohane when she was small. She more or less grew up in the village and now chooses to call it home. She and he have a little farm and it sounds like they’re eking out a living. He said “Eileen, she’s tender, like an Irish summer”, which had me laughing. They both look like hippies. He, a pretty crusty fellow, scaggly beard, head scarf, cigaret dangling from his lower lip while he sings with a voice that sounds like broken bottles. There seems to be a grudge of sorts between them and Eileen and I didn’t ask for details.
We felt poorly about the scene with Eileen and Morgan stepped over and gave Jemima 20 Euro so they had something for the nights outing. As we walked away Jemima shouted to us “thank ye, ye’s gentlemen and scholars”. I remarked to Morgan, “where else could you have an experience like this”? And so ends the evening of the third day in Ireland.