Westport, Ireland & Galway

The past couple days have made me fall in love with Ireland: the people, the music, the landscape, the culture, all of it. It has something to do with our wonderful hosts, I'm sure. My very good friend Jessica was kind enough to get me in touch with her Aunt Shari who welcomed us into her home in Aghagower, a small town just outside Westport. When Shari picked us up from the train station, she assured us she would be a terrible host. This was, quite simply, not the case. She made every attempt to make us feel at home in her home, and it worked marvelously. Overall, Ireland has a very casual attitude. Nothing is to be taken too seriously. This is exactly what it is like at Shari & her husband, Olcan's, home. No pressure, no stress, and no worries. Brilliant! We were not their only house guests as their friends from Texas, the Campbells, were also in town. They are regular visitors here and also assisted as wonderful hosts and helped show us the ropes.

On our first day in Westport, Shari showed us around the lovely town and gave us some of the history of the area. We also stopped in the town of Murrisk to see Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick, the site of a famous pilgrimage up a mountain. We, unfortunately, did not have the time nor necessities to complete the climb on this visit, but I can assure you we will return as this is now on our "bucket list."

After we relaxed a bit and Shari made us a wonderful meal (oh how I missed home cooked meals), we were invited to head back into town to listen to a session with the Campbells. Now this was an experience! Here is how the session works - or at least as I understand it: a pub will contract a musician or two to play live music. That lead musician will then let a couple of their friends know, and maybe a couple of their friends will be invited as well. There ends up being an eclectic group of musicians and instruments all playing together. On our first night there must have been about 12 people in and out of the circle. One musician would start and play a few bars, and then slowly the other musicians would join until the whole group was playing a beautiful Irish folk tune together. It was amazing! Sometimes during breaks in the music an Irishman in the pub would sing a tune without the instruments. The entire pub would be silent to listen. Some songs were sad, others nostalgic, and of course there were some that were quite humorous.

For our second day, Shari had suggested we take a bus to Galway. This was well worth a day trip! Galway is a vibrant college town with lots of history, shopping, and pubs. We started out by taking a open top bus tour to see the different sites. The driver pointed out important landmarks and took us above the city for a beautiful aerial-like view. My favorite part of this tour was the Claddagh. I have known a lot of people who have worn Claddagh rings and I have heard facing the crown up or down signifies relationship status, but I did not know where the tradition had started. Here is my extremely brief synopsis of the story: A man who left the Claddagh, a small fishing village, was captured by pirates and when he returned his fiancé was still waiting for him. He then settled in Claddagh and crafted the very first Claddagh ring to symbolize love, friendship, and loyalty.

When we returned from our trip to Galway we had a wonderful dinner with Shari & Olcan before heading to a pub to watch Olcan play with a couple other local musicians. Olcan is amazingly talented and you can feel the passion in his music. When you think it can't get better, it does! Not only can you witness his talent, you can also feel his warmth towards his audience. He is very inviting and encouraging to anyone who would like to participate in the session. After the session we returned home for some great conversation before heading to bed.

Before heading out late this afternoon we did a lap around Westport with the Campbells. We enjoyed another lovely meal and took a few pictures before heading back to the house for some (much needed) relax time. Olcan and Shari brought us to the train station and assured us we have a place to stay if we ever return. I have no doubt we will one day come back here, and who could resist with such wonderful people welcoming us!