#miltownmalbay

[whatodoo-ireland]

Dan McCabe - MiltownMalbay, Ireland | 5 Aug, 2023.

Find out more / Get your Tickets here.

5 Aug, 2023

[whatodoo-ireland]

Dan McCabe - MiltownMalbay, Ireland | 5 Aug, 2023.

Find out more / Find Tickets.

5 Aug, 2023

[whatodoo-ireland]

Dan McCabe - MiltownMalbay, Ireland | 5 Aug, 2023.

Find out more / Find Tickets.

5 Aug, 2023

[fionafaulkes]

White Strand Triptych

Oil on canvas

View On WordPress

[fionafaulkes]

‘White Strand Triptych’ (right canvas)

[garycollinsphotography]

A shot from my recent #exhibition for #fleadh2016 in #aib #ennis. #culture in the #Clare #landscape. This is #willieclancy in #miltownmalbay, a famous #piper and local #musician who now has a week long #traditionalirishmusic #festival named after him #statue #wildatlanticway @thewildatlanticway #instadaily #dailygram #gcphoto365 (at Miltown Malbay)

[thisispossible2]

Ireland

We've spent the last 10 days in the beautiful and undeniably magical country of Ireland, and now I completely understand the tug this land can have on one's heartstrings. Ireland is a truly magical place. From the witty, sociable people and breathtaking countryside to the lively pub culture and traditional music, Ireland has a way of crawling into your soul and hunkering down for the long haul. We haven't even left yet, and I'm already thinking about when and how we can come back again soon. Over the past week and a half, we traveled around with David's sister Hilary and my friend Kimmy. We met up with Kimmy in Dublin and rang in Hilary's birthday with our first night out at the pubs. We then headed to the coastal town of Galway, where we had one of the most mind-blowing meals of our lives at an utterly charming restaurant called Ard Bia. (Side note: Their gluten-free bread was BEYOND delicious. The best we've ever had.) After Galway, we took the ferry out to the Aran Islands, where we stayed on the middle island of Inis Meain for five days. Inis Meain is the most remote of the three Aran Islands, with a population of roughly 200 permanent residents. There are only two B&B's, one large boutique hotel, a few historical sites, one pub and a lovely knitting factory where you can get luscious Aran sweaters in the age-old tradition of the island knit style. I had heard about Inis Meain through my friend Kate, and it was amazing to find her note from seven years ago in the guestbook of the cottage we both rented. On our last night on the island, the four of us walked to what we liked to call 'the ends of the earth,' which is the rocky cliffside on the south side of the island, where there is nothing between Ireland and America except for the Atlantic Ocean. David played music there, and we sat together and reflected on our time on the island, watching dusk envelope the Irish landscape. We then made our way south a bit, to the musical town of Miltown Malbay in County Clare. David and Hilary have family in the area, and we stayed with their cousins Jim and Nell Gleeson. Jim and Nell are truly the essence of salt-of-the-earth Irish people. They have been married for 52 years, raised eight happy and healthy children, tended a farm with cattle and ran a traditional Irish music pub for many, many years. And somewhere in between all these things, Nell has read more books than I can count. She has shelves and shelves of books throughout their house. They are pretty much the most inspiring people ever. In the mornings, Nell would stuff us to the brim with a full Irish breakfast, then we'd go off to explore the coastal countryside before returning in the evening for an equally filling Irish dinner. After the evening meal and after-dinner socializing, we would head out for the night to our favorite traditional music pubs in Miltown Malby: Friels and Clearys. We were lucky to be in Miltown Malby at the beginning of the famous Willie Clancy music festival, so we were able to get our fill of traditional Irish music the few nights we were there. Friels in particular has the most amazing atmosphere, with white-washed wood-beamed walls, shelves, nooks and crannies delightfully cluttered with all sorts of interesting objects and knick-knacks and old posters of traditional Irish musicians covering the walls. You feel as if you're in someone's living room, but they just so happen to have Guinness on tap and a collection of friends who are incredibly talented musicians. At Friels we met a photographer named Tony Kearns, and he put it well when he said that traditional Irish music nourishes your soul and feels like a gift. It's very true. There is something undeniably satisfying about it. Now David and I have bid farewell (for the time being) to Hilary and Kimmy and are getting ready to head to Yorkshire and Scotland, where we will visit some friends we met during our travels. Time is going faster now, particularly as we have a little less than three months left in the trip. It's reminding us of how much of a gift this trip has been, and continues to be, and the memories we've made during our time in Ireland are just a piece of the beautiful quilt of memories this trip is making.