Set dance is not River Dance!

When most Americans hear about my plan to come to Ireland to take Set Dance instruction, they think either of "River Dance" or their childhood experience taking "Irish dance" instruction. That is "Step Dance," characterized by young girls and, less frequently, boys dancing alone on a stage in elaborate costume, hair and, in the soft shoe, high on the toe or in hard shoe tap.  My father called this "jumpin and leapin." Set dance is much more informal.

Set dance is likely a precursor of square dance, although there is no caller and the footwork is more complex. It, like square dance, is influenced by French quadrilles arriving in Ireland in the 17th century.  Like most cultural evolution, the Irish added their own flourishes and regional influences. Early on, dances were taught by an itinerant "dance master" who usually stayed in a town for several weeks, teaching new dances and learning the local steps.  Dances are usually named for a particular town or region, but all involve a combination of swings, advance/retire and dance around movements.  This short video (2 min) shows a "figure" of a dance from the Connemara region.  Dances are made up of 4-7 figures and this is the first one of the Connemara dance, it will give you an idea of how much more informal set is as compared to step:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmkaWZ9ieGU

During the late 19th and early 20th century, this type of dance fell out of favor with the Catholic church in Ireland, which called it "lewd, licentious, immoral and unbecoming to it's flock." Dance was condemned. This attitude contributed to the decline of dancing at crossroads or in country homes throughout Ireland. This gradually changed, along with the Church's decline in influence and set dance has experienced a real resurgence since the 1980's.

My set dance classes start next week.  I am taking from the great teacher, Pat O'Reilly who teaches at The Glenside Pub in Dublin (picture).  I am so looking forward to beginning. See Pat's website at: www.ceili.ie.  

 

Meeting Mary

One of the best things about Ireland for me was my great luck in meeting good people who have become fast friends, in addition to the family friends already made.  I met Mary during my first week in Dublin in 2012 and it seems I've known her all my life.  We have a lot in common: married the same Summer, fathers born and raised in Westmeath, a midlands county, mothers died in 2007, and a love for walking, We met on the walking tour that is offered weekly by the Dublin City Council starting in Sandymount and ending in Black Rock, all along the sea. Here's a picture of Mary taken just Thursday when we met for the first time since returning here last Wednesday. It's taken in Marlay Park, a beautiful park that was originally the home of the Taylor family of French Huguenots built in 1764.  See the link here:  http://curiousireland.ie/marlay-house-marlay-park-co-dublin-1764/

We've had lots of experiences together, in addition to walking sections of the Camino de Santiago ending in Compostela, Spain twice, we've done many Dublin-based walks along the sea to both Bray and Howth, along the Dodder River and, further out, on the River Barrow to the southwest.  The first time walking the Barrow was in 2015 when we did Sections 5 and 6.  We're planning another walk on October 7 and 8 on Sections 3 and 4: http://riverbarrow.net/barrow-way.html.  This adventure, like the one in 2015 will include a dozen other old and new friends and an overnight stay in Carlow.  Mary and I will take a road trip next Friday, Sept 8, to scope out accommodation for the group.  I have aspirations of organizing walking trips and this is a good exercise in how to do it.

It hasn't been a week yet, but I'm all settled in and eagerly awaiting the start of the set dance season next Tuesday (Sept 12). 

I'll be leaving for Dublin in less than a week!

I will return to blogging weekly from Dublin. My plan now is to organize my posts on set dance as that's the reason I'm going to be in Ireland for three whole months. I'll take a class twice a week Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings with the great set dance teacher Pat O'Reilly

www.ceili.ie. 

Since I don't have a Facebook account of my own, I will be posting to Alan's account. However you read this I hope you enjoy. If you'd like to follow my blog outside Facebook, just click 'Follow' in the panel to the right.

This is my last post from Ireland. We have just 18 days to go. It's all very sad. We went to a play on Saturday (Brendan Behan's Borstal Boy) and they had a sing song (what Americans call a sing-along) at the end that left me in tears. Who knew that a song about being in prison would move me to tears. I think it was just the sing song, a very common occurrence in Ireland and another of the things I'll miss a lot.

I had a very nice break in County Wexford at Rosslare and Mt. Usher with my friends Mary and Dierdre on Thursday and Friday. Dierdre and I took the train there on Thursday morning and met Mary, who was visiting friends there earlier in the week. We had rooms booked in Kelly's Hotel in Rosslare, a really nice old spa on the sea. In addition to two lovely walks on the sea, we had Irish Peat treatments in the spa and a really great dinner. I would definitely recommend a stay at Kelly's to anyone visiting Ireland.

Next week Alan and I are going to Powerscourt, another place I've wanted to visit before leaving. This is another spa in the Wicklow Mountains. Alan's booked a massage and I'm going to have a facial.We are looking forward to another bus adventure, similar to one we took when we first got to Dublin. Some of the bus routes are very long, and this one goes from Dublin City Center and ends at Powerscourt. Assuming it doesn't make every stop, we can expect a ride of over an hour. If it's busy it will be longer than that. Since April, I've had a free ride card for all busses and trains in Ireland, so this will be another benefit of that card. Another thing to be missed when we leave.

We've had several farewell meals and have several more planned, including one at The Rustic Stone with friends Sarah and David tomorrow night. They are friends we made during our trip to Majorca where we met Sarah on that walking vacation. We've had several very nice outings with them both. Last night, Mary and Leo, friends from my book club, came for dinner, and next Sunday we will see John and Mary, our old family friends and the only people we knew in Dublin before we arrived. (There are a lot of Marys in Ireland.)

We took a quick trip to Donegal earlier this month where we paid our last visit to my mother's grave in Frosses and saw our family, the Flynns for dinner. Again, there were tears on departing. I think that was the hardest because I will so miss visiting my Mom regularly.

We are pretty much packed with 3 of our 4 50-pound case allotment already full. Each one is so close to the maximum weight that I hope we leave on a dry day because if anything takes on any additional moisture we will be pulling things out at the airport. I know that moisture can add weight from my days doing mail surveys. If the mail piece was right on the edge of a second stamp I prayed for a dry day because a wet one would mean double the mailing cost! One of the bags weighs in at 49 pounds on our bathroom scale, so that's cutting it close. They really are sticklers for that maximum weight, and we have to do it twice since we have a connection in Chicago for our final destination of Indianapolis.

There is one big plus, returning to friends in America. It will be so nice to be closer to people with whom we have a long history. I don't want to minimize that great benefit of coming back. It's the one thing that has sustained me and kept me from utter despair. That's the silver lining.

We are just back from our final trip to Donegal. We left on Saturday the 4th and returned on Monday (yesterday), so it was a quick trip. We did see most of the people we wanted to see, visited my mother's grave every day and had two very nice side trips. I was sorry to miss my cousin Mary Boyle but we saw the extended Flynn (Burke) family during a lovely dinner at Teresa and Seamus Flynn's house. They are such a delight, I'm so happy to have gotten to know them better.

Our two side trips included one to Lissadel in Sligo, a grand house that I'd wanted to visit during our trip to County Clare last month but proved too far a drive then. The second was to the Glenveigh National Park, and castle in Donegal. The former was the home of the Gore-Booth family, a large ruling class family before independence. The most famous member of the family was Constance, the Countess Markevitz, a commander in the Irish Republican Army during the Easter Rebellion of 1916. She was quite an interesting person, uncommon for her class in sympathy with the aims of the Irish struggle for independence. She was also great friends with both Yeats brothers, the poet William and the painter Jack B. and the exhibition at the house covered all those connections, as well as the eccentric Gore-Booth family in detail. The house is just ugly, although situated in a beautiful setting on the Atlantic with a great view of Ben Bulben, a noted tabletop mountain in Sligo. Glenveigh on the other hand, was amazingly beautiful. Situated in the northern part of Donegal, it's the last inhabited place in Ireland. It was purchased after the famine by a rich man from County Laios (pronounced Leash) who apparently evicted everyone and build a castle for himself for the summer. He seemed like a real rat, but after several owners in the early part of the century, the land and castle were given to the Irish government and they made it a national park. Except for the castle, it's just miles and miles of beautiful mountains with not a structure of any sort in sight. Just fabulous.

Our trip to Ballyvaughn and subsequent sightseeing around Dublin with friends Linda and Bob was all we expected. We did several good walking tours in Dublin with them before we left for our weeklong stay in County Clare. I learned some new things about the wonderful city we've adopted during our time here. I really tried hard not to feel sad and note "this is the last time..."at every turn.

Ballyvaughn is just outside the Burren, an area of stone mountains in the west. We toured every day and saw quite a number of ring forts and other antiquities. We also visited the Father Ted house for tea. Father Ted is a television series that was filmed in Ireland from 1997-1999 but still plays regularly in reruns. Alan and I really enjoy it and we showed Linda and Bob several youtube episodes before we went to the tea. It was fun. We had some great meals, including a nice lunch in yet another great house (now hotel) Gregans Castle Hotel. We all enjoyed the meal but were shocked to learn that a glass of wine was 14 euro. Good thing we didn't have two! Still, it was a very nice place to spend a few hours. We had two more days in Dublin before our guests left and I was happy to introduce my good friends here (Mary and Deirdre) to Linda on a very nice walk from Greystones to Bray on a warm Sunday afternoon. On the last evening I took Linda to set dancing (the men didn't go). She dispatched herself really well, I was impressed and hope she's caught the bug and will find a set dance group in Virginia.

The next few weeks will be devoted to tying up loose ends here and saying our goodbyes. I will take an overnight trip with Mary and Deirdre to Rosslare and Mt. Usher next week and will have lunch with another friend Mary this week. We are hoping to see our other friends Sarah and David for dinner sometime next week and have someting in the works planned with John and Mary, friends we've known for many years predating our sojourn here in Ireland. I'm still working on not being depressed about our departure. Although there's not much to do in preparation for the move, since the shipment is gone, we have our return flights booked and a place to stay in Bloomington, I continue to keep busy with dance, bridge and walking.

I'm going to start really thinking about that book now...

Returned from the Camino trip last Tuesday. While my walking was very strong, I was disappointed with the trip overall. The first two days of walking were through an industrial area so there was a lot of walking very near busy highways. The first day included 3 KM through an industrial park, with warehouses on either side as far as the eye could see. The second day was not as dreary but much the same. The following three days were just beautiful and I enjoyed the terrain very much. I was generally tired at the end of the day, but found the walking very satisfying.

Unfortunately, the first day I got a taste of the issue that would make the trip much less enjoyable than the one we did last year.One big factor was the addition of three more people, last year we were 11 and this year 14. But more to my dismay was the change in the group dynamic.

The woman who organized the trip this year and last traveled both times with her husband, the only man last year and just one of two this year. This year he didn't have a cell phone and he tends always to walk far out in front. I guess I didn't notice it last year because she would call him periodically and they made their plans as they walked along. Since he was without a phone, he just kept walking. The man doesn't "like" to eat and seems to want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible and definitely first. She wouldn't stop if he was ahead without letting him know, impossible under the circumstances. So on day one, despite passing several nice places for lunch once we got into the town, we persevered until one of our group caught up with him and forced a stop. We all descended on a too small cafe, pulled many tables together, made a lot of noise and fuss and asked for a menu. It was siesta in a small town in Spain, so while there was one staff member working, there was no English and not much food. It was insane. One of our group fancied herself a Spanish speaker and so while there were three others, including me, who could get along in Spanish, she insisted that all orders go through her. This made some sense because the server was completely overwhelmed, but her Spanish was not that great and there was much toing and froing while all of us put in our orders. I was embarrassed to be with such a loud group. We really made a spectacle. This was my first inkling that this trip was going to be very different from the last.

Last year, we walked in fluid dyads and tryads and stopped along the way as we wanted. This year, there was much herding up after the first day. Apparently there'd been words between the couple causing him to stop quite a lot and pressure everyone to assemble periodically, so it was very hard to keep going along once he'd decided that an assembly was in order. I didn't want to stop that much, so after day two I just ignored that, but getting out in front caused him to break his neck to catch up and pass. There was never time to just walk along at my own pace. I really began to resent it. My friend Dierdre began to walk with me and we walked ahead and mostly alone for days 3-5. It wasn't until the end of day 5 that I discovered that she really didn't want to do that. She didn't want me to walk alone. Despite my many protests to her over the three days that I didn't mind being alone and that I'd stop along the way when I was tired and surely connect with one or more of the group that way. This really disappointed me, and made me feel that I was keeping her from fully enjoying her trip, so I decided to pass on walking the last day. I just couldn't in good conscience cause her to go against her more social nature by continuing my quest for some solitude and quiet and I knew that I also couldn't supress my frustration with the continual herding up. So, while my walking was very strong; much stronger than last year, I opted to take the train to our final destination on the last day. I didn't care so much about not "finishing," that seldom bothers me, but the knowledge that I would not be happy doing another Camino with this group was a sore realization. The others really enjoyed walking as a big group. Several have said how that aspect of this trip was better for them, so I know that I'm the odd woman on that score. The story of my life!

I'm glad that I stopped though, it made the last day much more fun and, although I felt a little alienated from the group, we had a good final reunion in Santiago, a nice dinner and good return trip home. Had I walked that last day, I'm sure my frustration would have shown and that would have caused tension during our farewells. This way, I had a chance to relax and calm myself and explore the great city of Santiago at leisure. It's a really beautiful place. I would highly recommend a trip there even without the walking.

So, back to Dublin. Our shipment has gone, our return arrangements are made and we have just 8 more weeks to go. Our friends, Linda and Bob, will come on Wednesday, and we are looking forward to showing them the best of Dublin during the week they are here bracketing a week we will spend together in a house in Ballyvaughn, County Clare in the West of Ireland. We've also planned our last trip to Donegal for October 6-8 when I will say farewell to my family there. We are already planning our return for another extended stay in the coming years. As long as I can travel, I'm hoping to have a month or so a year here.

It's been a long haitus, but I'm back to the blog. I left off midsummer just after the Willie Clancy Festival of set dancing and our 37th anniversary on July 2. As I expected we have stayed pretty close to home in Dublin most of the time since then, although we took a quick trip to Wales this week from Tuesday to Thursday.

I've spent a lot of time in preparation for walking The Camino, with two long walks of about 16 km each with the group of people that will make the trip this year. Both were in the area north of Dublin called Howth. Dublin is situated in about the center of Dublin Bay sheltered on both sides by two headlands, Bray to the sourth and Howth to the north. There are good, scenic walks on both heads, although the Howth head is higher and the walking route is longer. I've done both walks and while I like the Bray walk, it's mostly coastline, just 8 km and fairly flat so there's not a lot of challenge. Howth is quite different, with a lot of climbing, higher elevation and twice the distance to get around the promontory. I organized the first walk there on July 27th and the group was so pleased with it that we decided to do the same walk in the other direction on August 17th. The second was equally successful, although we did have a little rain and the summit was quite blustery. The group is a very nice one and we've gotten to know one another better during these delightful rambles. I'm looking forward to the trip, which starts in two weeks, on September 2. Seven days of walking and 125 km on the Portuguese Way, which approaches Santiago de Compostella from the south.  Last year we did the same distance approaching from the west. I'm still a little concerned about the two days we have to walk over 25 km, particularly the first day, which also looks like there's a pretty significant elevation from the start to the finish. At least this year I'm sure of my shoes and don't expect a repeat of blistering under my toenails (which I didn't even know could happen) and ultimately losing one of the nails months later in while Aruba in February.

Alan won't make that trip. Aside from his lack of interest in walking for days on end, he's had an MRI on his knee and there's a complex tear of the medial meniscus. That's doc talk for you need knee surgery. He's going to wait on that until we get back to the USA and our health insurance.

We've also made quite a lot of arrangements for our move. The moving company will come next Monday or Tuesday to take 150 kilos of our stuff. Except for what we take on the plane that is all we will take from Ireland. It was hard deciding what to take and what to leave behind and these last two months are a little sparse. I save odd shaped jars and bottles but Alan has been vigilant and none of them made the cut. I have been able to take a few of the great bowls I bought in charity shops here. The shipment will go by boat and they tell us it will be 60-90 days in getting there. I hope it's the shorter, but it all depends on how long it takes to fill the container in which our small shipment will be included. I've also bought a few things that have been shipped direct from the stores. We know, for example, that our new everyday silverware from Newbridge has already arrived and a set of porcelain dishware is also on the way. I want to be ready to set up housekeeping -- and welcome guests -- as quickly as possible once we arrive in Bloomington. I suspect we won't have as many out-of-town guests in Bloomington as we've had in Dublin, but hope springs eternal. That sure has been one of the many highlights of our stay here.

We've already found a place to live temporarily while we look for a house to buy. It's good to have friends! Once I put the word out that we had a return date, a friend at Indiana University sent an email to her colleagues and we found a small house within hours. There is even some basic furniture so we won't have to sit on hastily bought lawn furniture and a matress on the floor while we await the rest of our stuff from storage in Virginia. The best thing about this place is that the owner is very flexible about timing and we don't have to sign a lease, so we have some time to find the right place. Another friend in Bloomington has put us in touch with a great realtor who has already sent us several listings in the neighborhood in which we are hoping to buy. I have to say, we are both looking forward to reuniting with our stuff, I'm particularly anxious to get my piano back. Still, I'd rather we stayed in Dublin and would happily sacrifice the piano if that were a possibility. It's not and I've adjusted to it.

We had a nice trip to Wales earlier this week after a harrowing first few hours. We took the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead with our bikes in tow. It never ceases to amaze me how optimistic I am about biking. We initially decided that we could get off in Holyhead and bike the 55 km to Caernarfon [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caernarfon] where Alan booked a hotel. Ha, ha. We got about 5 miles on a "dual carriageway," which means highway where you can (legally) ride your bike if you are completely crazy. Unfortunately, one aspect of these roads is that there aren't many exits. We got off at the first opportunity and took the train to Bangor, just 9 km away from our destination. When we got off the train in Bangor we missed the tiny, tiny sign for the bikeway and wound up on another dual carriageway. We didn't realize it until it was too late and we couldn't get off, so when the 18 inch paved siding ended abruptly walking on the grass was the only option for me. Alan continued riding and would wait ahead periodically. He is able to ride on a white line, a talent I don't have at all. It was quite terrifying seeing him up ahead with no margin for error. But, we made it safely, although completly drained and exhausted. The following day was a beautiful, sunny one and we had a lot of fun seeing the sights of Caenarfon, including one of the oldest castles in Europe. It was quite interesting learing a little about the history of Wales and the fierce independence of the people. Fortunately our return ride to Bangor was on the bikeway, a beautiful coastline ride, I was so sorry to have missed it coming out.

Today we are going to see a play by Enda Walsh, one of Ireland's leading contemporary playwrites. It's been characterized is "Waiting for Godot" where Godot arrives. We've seen that play, penned by another of Ireland's great playwrites, Samuel Beckett. I'm hoping this one is better because I just couldn't get it. I was convinced to buy the tickets because it has Stephen Rea and Cilian Murphy [http://ballyturk.com/gallery/] two actors I like very much. (I've provided the link because most of you will know them once you see a picture.) The third guy, who I'm guessing is the arriving Godot is unknown to me yet. I'm hoping I've either matured or the play is more accessible than "Godot," otherwise an afternoon snooze in in my future.

Finally, we are eagerly awaiting our final visitors. Linda and Bob, longtime friends from Washington are coming on September 17. After a few days in Dublin, we have taken a house is Ballyvaughn, County Clare for a week. This is an area in the west of Ireland near The Burren. We spent a nice week with them last year in Clifden in Galway and are looking forward to seeing them again.

I'll likely post more regularly now, until the end of our stay.