We drove about 8 km out of Ennis today through Quin, a small village, and on to Ballyhannon Castle where the wedding party is staying. The Irish roads are SO NARROW and everyone drives very FAST! It makes for a hair-raising trip. Will is doing a great job and we all work together to remember how to manage the round abouts and which lane we should be in after turning. Still confusing - but we're getting the hang of it! When we dropped Meg off for rehearsal practice we got a tour of the castle. WOW! It was just fantastic. The castle dates back to the 1200s and is complete with a suit of armor in the dining room. We went to the very top of the tower on stone steps that spiraled up. Along the way the steps would give way to a passage for a bedroom or bathroom. The bedrooms were decorated in Jacobean style - very beautiful. The bedroom at the top was the honeymoon suite. Because it was a castle, the only windows were the slits carved into the stone (big enough to get a crossbow through in the Middle Ages). When we arrived, there was a problem with one of the breakers, so the castle was lit by candles - all very authentic and appropriately dark. The castle is owned by a young family which lives just down the lane. They are very proud of the castle and have done the renovations and redecorating themselves - trying to stay as true to the castle as possible while adding in 21st century comforts (space heaters, modernized kithen, indoor plumbing and showers). The groom and his family are staying across the courtyard in an equally charming, though more modern country house. It is SUCH a treat to be here with Mary and David and their families. They are such great people and we are all looking forward to the wedding tomorrow.
After dropping Meghan off, Will and I headed back to Ennis and did some sightseeing. Ennis is a very historic town dating back to the time of Brian Boru. The town is also known for it's many political connections including Daniel O'Connell, Eamon de Valera, and Daniel Parnell. In fact, the word "boycott" comes from a local English lord in the mid-1800s named James Boycott. He treated the Irish very unfairly and in retaliation the Irish workers launched a non-violent rebellion in which they refused to work his fields or buy any products from his farm. Eventually, he lost his farm due to inability to make a go of it and the word "boycott" came to mean a non-violent protest - refusing to buy a particular product. I also found out that Ennis is the birthplace of ancestors of the boxer Muhammad Ali. His great-great-great Irish grandfather emigrated to America and married an African-American woman around 1867. Muhammad Ali came to Ennis a few years ago to visit the town and locate his roots. It's a similar story to Barack Obama and his visit to Moneygall a few weeks ago. Ennis is located about 20 minutes or so from Moneygall and is a charming town - I'm so glad this is where we've landed for a few days. We chose it due to its location for the wedding, not knowing just how much we would enjoy it here. There is an abundance of shops, pubs, coffee spots, B&Bs, and restaurants of all kinds. The narrow streets dating back to the middle ages give the town a historic feel.
We attended Mass today at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Mass began promptly at 10:30 and ended 35 minutes later! No singing, no extras - just the Mass. It was interesting to see some of the Irish Mass traditions. One thing we noticed right away as we walked in was a large contingent of men standing in the back of the church - there was plenty of seating available, but they chose to stand . . . and took advantage of a quick get-away at the end of Mass! Responses and prayers were very quickly mumbled by the congregation and Communion was an every man for himself scramble towards the priest. It was a bit like a rugby scrum, but much more reverent. The other striking differences were the pews and kneelers. The kneelers were quite uncomfortable and rarely, if ever, placed in the "up" position. The pew backs were at a 90 degree angle - so sitting wasn't comfortable at all. Obviously, the church dates back to a time when being comfortable in church was not a priority!
A busy, eventful day! Tomorrow - the wedding!
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