Ulster

We woke up greeted with a sunny morning and we enjoyed our last breakfast on the MVP Popcorn Polaris.

Today's final destination was Donegal, and we decided to take a more direct route to the town of Sligo before moving back to the Wild Atlantic Way along the coast to Donegal.

Just outside the town of Sligo is the resting place of W.B. Yeats. I make no pretense about being a Yeats scholar although I'm familiar with a few of his poems. I didn't know that he was an Irish statesmen as well.

We wandered the church graveyard and we noticed many people caring for the plots of departed loved ones amidst very old markers that were in significant disrepair. I appreciated the love and care that these people were taking to beautify those lost to them.

We made our way to the remaining hour's drive to Donegal, and we arrived at our Bed & Breskfast, the Ard Na Breatha (height of the breath) House. The home is beautiful in a bucolic setting with horses and sheep grazing nearby. We were greeted by Theresa who helped us check in and she gave us directions to Donegal City.

After a short nap, we decided to walk to the town center. We noticed a center stage in the town square, and a line-up of scheduled performers. It was fun to watch families with their toddlers dancing, and it reminded us of Olive dancing to Bruce Springsteen when she was about a year and a half.

We walked along the Donegal Bay and we arrived at the ruins of the Donegal Abbey surrounded by a cemetery. It was a really beautiful walk through the grounds along the bay.

We headed back to town for dinner, and we stopped by Quay West for an Italian meal overlooking the bay. After dinner we followed Theresa's recommendation, and we dropped by a local pub,The Reel Inn, which is heralded for its live entertainment.

The performers weren't slated to begin until about 9:30 so we used the time to sample Irish coffee and beer. We had great seats to see the singers, and we struck up a conversation with a young man and his father. The younger man was at most in his early 20's. He told us that he had Irish family in Boston, and we talked about life in the States.

When the two guitarists and vocalists started up, the atmosphere really perked up. The sense of community really matched my romanticized version of Irish pubs, and I enjoyed watching the people as much as I enjoyed the performers.

At one point, I took a trip to the bathroom. In the washroom, I moved to get out of the way of another man with an accompanying "Excuse Me". I'm assuming that he noticed my accent because he immediately inquired "Where are ye from?" I replied the U.S., Portland, Oregon. He was quite animated and he told me that he had worked in the Midwest-Arizona. I smiled and told him that we considered that the Southwestern part of the States. He shared with me that he had suggested to his wife that they take a honeymoon on Route 66 and apparently she retorted that it would be her own version of Hell. I laughed and shook the hand of my new found friend who wished me safe travels.

I returned to my seat, and we enjoyed some more songs. Offerings varied from Irish and Scottish songs to songs by the Dixie Chick's and Bob Marley. When the performers started singing Don McLean's "American Pie" every single person in the pub joined in with a very heighten sense of festive community. The young man next to us also belted it out. I asked him if he knew that the song was fifty years old, and I confessed that I was 13 when it was first released. He replied with a simple shrug, "It's a good song "

The performers took an intermission break, and we decided that this was good timing to hear back home. We walked the path back home with light drizzle dampening the air.

It was a magical first night in the village of Donegal City. We shared a sense of community and that continues to be the gift of Ireland.

I'm thinking of my father who would have been 85 next Saturday. He personified the Yeats sentiment that I'll close with tonight:

"There are no strangers here-only friends you haven't yet met "Lue lisää