Wednesday, June 22 - Good-bye to Northern Ireland

We started our day today with The Best Breakfast EVER! Peter McErlean is well-known in the area for his culinary skills and he didn’t fail us! In addition to the delicious breakfast, we were treated to the wit and wisdom of Colman Rooney – the angel in disguise who let us into the inn the evening before. When we came into the dining room for breakfast, Colman had an American flag on our table. He said he likes to do that for visitors from abroad. It’s those little touches that have made our stay at the Cuan so memorable. Colman is the official greeter, entertainer, and jack-of-all-trades of the inn. He has many interesting stories and anecdotes to share. Today, everyone was all abuzz with the recent Masters win by local favorite son, Rory McElroy. Rory is well-known in these parts and lives just a short distance away. Colman shared lots of information about the history of the inn and local area with us. When he heard we were headed to Downpatrick after breakfast, he told us to be sure to visit St. Patrick’s gravesite. Then he told us that his great-grandfather was buried not more than a meter from St. Patrick. It seems that when efforts were being made to emphasize St. Patrick’s gravesite, they did not want to move any of the people already buried in the vicinity. Consequently, Colman’s great-grandfather’s gravesite was incorporated as part of the St. Patrick memorial. Although he has no special connection to St. Patrick, it appears so since the gravesite is part of the memorial. It’s one of those wonderful idiosyncrasies that happen from time to time in Ireland.

As we were checking out and saying our good-byes to Colman, Peter, Caroline, and the rest of the staff who made us feel so welcome - Good News! Meghan happened to find our missing room key in her purse! This was a BIG surprise to all of us since none of us remembered handing the key off to Meghan. I was glad that we didn’t have to put the Cuan staff through the inconvenience of copying another key for the room.

Next, we headed off to Downpatrick, about 25 km up narrow, winding, but scenic roads to meet Tim Campbell for a tour of the St. Patrick Centre. It was great to see Tim again and the center was most impressive. It has a world-class interpretative exhibit, interactive displays, and an I-Max presentation which tells the story of St. Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The center also has art galleries showing artwork and metalwork from local schools and artists. Aside from promoting the mission of St. Patrick, the center also has a strong focus on peace initiatives and education of young people. The PR material for the center states “The goal of the St. Patrick Centre is to educate people of Saint Patrick’s vision for reconciliation and familiarize them with the unspoiled beauty and preserved culture of Northern Ireland introducing the history and truth of a legend.” As part of the center’s community relations and education program, St. Patrick and symbolism is used to explore themes of difference, diversity, and stereotypes. The center and its permanent exhibit is the only one of its kind to detail the life and journey of St. Patrick and use his example as a starting point for developing positive community relations and reconciliation work in Northern Ireland. There is a Minnesota Chapter of the Friends of St. Patrick which is very active. It was through this organization that Meghan was selected to participate in the St. Patrick Centre Young Ambassador program two years ago where she spent three weeks in Downpatrick and Northern Ireland learning about the culture, history, traditions, gifts, and reconciliation work of the St. Patrick Centre and other organizations. What a blessing to be able to see this wonderful center in person and learn more about its mission of reconciliation and inclusivity. It is initiatives like this which will be the impetus for positive change not only in Ireland, but around the world.

The Centre also has beautiful gardens and a wooded pathway leading up to the grave of St. Patrick. The gardens were in full bloom and a sight to behold!

St. Patrick’s grave was simple, but beautiful . . . and true to his word, Colman’s great-grandfather’s grave was right at the foot of St. Patrick’s – part of the marked off gravesite. It was fun to know the story behind the small grave next to St. Patrick!

 
                           

After our good-byes to Tim and the Centre, we began our drive south along the coast to Dublin. Will could hardly wait to turn the car over to Dan Dooley Rentals! Most of our journey to Dublin was on the M1 Motorway – a double lane high speed road, much like our freeways. The drive was much easier than the country lanes, but not nearly as scenic. All was going well until we discovered we really didn’t know how to get to Dan Dooley’s car rental. As we got closer to the airport, we pulled over. Will rummaged through the luggage trying to find the rental paperwork and I searched maps and books for directions. I finally found a phone number and we got detailed directions to the rental agency. I’ve never seen a happier guy than William W. Davy as he pulled into the dealership with the car all in one piece and turned over the keys! As he was completing the paperwork and ordering a cab for our journey to the hotel, I said a prayer of thanksgiving to Blessed Mary for safe travels the past few weeks. I figure over the course of the past two weeks or so, I’ve said at least 15 decades of the rosary with all the silent prayers I’ve offered up!
 
                           

  Our cab driver Tommy arrived and drove us from the car rental site to our hotel in downtown Dublin. The Central Hotel lives up to its name – it is located in the heart of Dublin just a few blocks from Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, and Grafton Street with lots of shopping, restaurants, and pubs. The hotel itself dates back to 1887 and has been beautifully updated and lovingly cared for. The hotel is also home to the popular Library Bar which is tucked away on the second floor of the hotel. The bar has an old-fashioned feel to it and is furnished in a traditional style with sofas and wing backed chairs. The fireplaces and large windows looking out onto the street give it a bit of a feeling of being in the comfortable home of a good friend - a great place to meet and visit. 

Once we unpacked and settled in, it was time for dinner. With all of the great restaurants and cafes near us it was tough deciding which to try. After some discussion, we unanimously decided on - - McDonalds! We were all hankering for some plain old American fast food. There was a McDonalds located a few blocks away and man – did those hamburger and fries taste good! We’ve been so spoiled with all the delicious sea food and Irish cuisine, that we hadn’t had a fast food fix since we arrived. It was a treat to have something familiar, but we’ll continue to take advantage of local cuisine. We returned to the hotel and met up with Tom and Molly in the Library Bar. Tom and Molly traveled from Tralee earlier in the day to meet us and spend the last few days in Ireland with us. A bit later in the evening Mary and Ann joined us – it was great to see them again and everyone had a wonderful time catching up with one another.

As much as I don’t want to think about it, our departure day is drawing near. This leaves me wondering about our luggage and how much our suitcases will be able to hold without going over the weight limit. Seeing as how I was already 3 pounds over the limit before we arrived, I’m a bit concerned that I am really going to be in trouble for the trip back home. I fall asleep thinking about suitcases . . . how much they can hold/weigh, and what I can leave behind and/or wear on the plane (insert mental picture of each of us wearing two pairs of pants, shirt, two sweaters, and a jacket) . . .