My introduction to Ireland came about because my friend Gerry whom I met on the Camino said "if you\'re ever in Ireland, come and stay with us"! It seemed like he meant it, so I emailed him and his lovely wife Martha and arranged a short visit. I also managed to convince Arlene to join us and we had a good camino reunion. Unfortunately, I had the flu but once on antibiotics, seemed to improve hourly.
Gerry most kindly picked us up in Dublin and we drove the short distance to the little village where he lives - Coothill. I just want to say that everything I ever imagined about Ireland is true! It is indeed a magical place and everyone treated us like royalty. There should be a new word for the colour green as there is nothing quite like it. Impossible to describe the lush, verdant, earthiness of it....I couldn\'t stop exclaiming how beautiful it was. When one thinks of Irish people, you immediately think of friendly, rosy-cheeked people with a twinkle in their eye. There is a sign in the local pub that says: "There are no strangers here...only friends who haven\'t met". Doesn\'t that just say it all? It is in this pub that I partook of my first (of rather too many) Guiness\'. I ordered a glass first, trying to be ladylike and by the next night, just ordered a pint. The great thing about the Irish is that nobody\'s counting and nobody cares! They just want you to be happy and have a great time. And we did! There was a good turnout of locals, all who wanted to greet us and I can honestly say I made some new friends that night. They didn\'t disappoint and we sang pub songs and laughed until very late. It was exactly how I imagined it would be, everybody knew one another and I found myself sitting with a farmer, a dentist, a butcher and the local judge.
Just to be clear, I did not spend the entire time drinking Guiness. Gerry and I went for a long walk one afternoon in the forest near a small lake. It was a bit wet, but I didn\'t care because it gave us a chance to talk and catch up and philosophise about life. He told me all about Coothill and the surrounding area, the history, the people and the changes and challenges they face today. I think Ireland is one of the hardest recession-hit countries in the EU but somehow, you get the feeling it will all be okay. It\'s just how they are. We all reminisced about our time on the camino and then in Santiago where Martha joined Gerry and we got to know her too.
The next morning I decided I wanted to go to Mass and everyone decided to go with me. We went to the little country parish church which was quaint, old, and very charming. I loved it. I especially love looking at graveyards with their moss covered headstones and the names and dates of the families from many years ago.
We decided to spend the last day in Dublin but to be honest, I enjoyed the countryside so much more. We just didn\'t have enough time to do anything there but it was nice to wander the busy streets and enjoy our last few hours in Ireland. It is a place I know I must go to again, but next time it will be in the spring or summer!
