The Claremorris Festival was really great.  Alan's play won for Best Actress and Best Director. Unfortunately he didn't win for best script, but the judging for that wasn't based on the perform-ability of the play, and the winner was someone from California with connections to the actress Tippi Hedren, so we didn't feel the script judging was particularly fair. Anyway, it was received really, really well and that's what counts. He's been encouraged to expand the one-act submission into a full-length play. Right now he's focused on finishing a book he's been writing so I don't know how it will all work out. I taped it using his mobile phone but the quality is very poor and you can barely hear a word so I won't post it here after all.

Also, in the face of the ever increasing exhange rate, which has only gone up since we arrived here and now stands at 1.40 Dollar per Euro, we have decided that it's time to plan our return to the USA. Things here cost about the same as in DC (food, rent, utilities, etc.) so we are essentially paying an additional 40 cents for every dollar we spend and that has really taken a toll. We can't continue to do it so we have to go back.

Alan is more OK with our leaving here than I am, although it has been extended from the one-year commitment he made when we came to two and a half years, so I really can't complain (too much). It will be very, very sad to leave.  Right now we are planning for that to be in late October or early November. Not the best time to relocate to Indiana, but it should mean that there will be better housing options available. As a college town, Bloomington real estate is at it's most stressed in the summer and fall and least in the winter and spring, so this should work out OK for us.

We have a busy summer planned, starting next week with a four-day visit to Copenhagen. We are also planning a short trip to Donegal mid-May, then a month in Amsterdam where we have arranged for an apartment in the city center. Immediately after we return to Dublin I'm going to do the Willie Clancy festival in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, again this year. That starts the first Saturday in July. My friend Mary and I will go this year for the weeklong set dancing workshop. Then in early September I will do another week walking on the Camino de Santiago, this time walking in Portugal. Following that, our friends Linda and Bob will come again this year and we will take a house for a week near Galway to do more exploring of antiquities.

So there are more adventures ahead, but all tinged with sadness. I'm going to work hard to NOT say "this the the last time I will do ..." but I'm already feeling very, very sad. Maybe we will win the lottery!

A red letter day! I just had to post today to commemorate the historic visit of Ireland's President Higgins to England, the first state visit between the two countries ever. It is so wonderful.

Tomorrow we leave for Claremorris in advance of the performance of Alan's play at the festival there on Thursday.  On a personal level this is pretty poignant because this play is based on a conversation with my sister Pat.  Also this week, her son, Joseph's murderer finally has come to justice.  On Monday, he was sentenced to 18 years, 22 years after he shot Joseph dead in a home invasion robbery.  I hope Alan wins the competition but regardless it will be great to see the play.  I hope we can tape it. If so, I'll post it here.

All in all, a good few days.

Well the month of March wasn't boring at all. We didn't travel outside Ireland but lots of activities here have been occupying our time.

First, Alan's play at the Claremorris Fringe Festival (In County Mayo). He has both a director and an actress. Now he's been told to "sit back and relax" by the producer. This really means "don't interfere with the director". So he's a little anxious about the creative interpretation but there's not much he can do but take that advice. We leave for Claremorris on April 9, the day before the performance. We will stay there until Sunday the 12th. The awards are announced on Saturday evening. He's also learned that the winners are already decided. Since it's a writing award the performance doesn't count, so really getting it performed is a win in itself. If we can tape it, I will post here. I'm so, so happy for him, and also for my late sister Pat whose voice will be heard in Ireland. It's a story based on a conversation Alan had with her years ago. She would be happy to be heard.

Second, I did another dance performance with Cois Ceim Dance Company. This was a curtain raiser in advance of a fully coreographed dance performance in a proper theater and everything. It was great fun and both performances were sell outs so there was a big audience. It really went well. I know that one was taped and once I have the link, will attach it to this blog. It was a group performance and my good friend Deirdre was a feature, so that was nice as well.

My volunteering at OneFamily proceeds well. I've just finished working on an assessment of their evaluation processes. That took a while but was quite interesting, since I will help them establish their evaluation procedures going forward. I really enjoy that type of work. My next activity will be to try and help them get monthly reports from the data they currently collect. I'm learning a lot.

Finally, I've made my final preparations for Willie Clancy week in Miltown Malby (County Clare) where I will do a weeklong set dance workshop. I am really getting better at set dancing and look forward to finding a group in the States when I return so that I will continue with that regardless of where we live.

All in all, a good month, with the happy anticipation of starting Social Security soon.