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Published: January 13th 2007
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Xmas Dinner
far too much to explain in one caption. Well maybe it’s time to oil my log’s engine and give an idea of where the hell I am, and I just don’t mean the location.
First off, I am still in at my Camphill Community in Dingle, Ireland doing our usual things working with the special needs which is going smoothly(even if I had my hair assaulted at length this morning).
The past month has been like every month full of twists and turns, though it was considered to be mainly holidays. Mr. Quinn Shanahan from Fairfield dropped by to visit me around Christmas who stayed at a friend of mine’s home for a few days and participated in the local events. We had our Camphill Christmas play on the 23rd where I played the part of a Jew in Bethlehem(one day!) named Joseph who ended up being the godfather of a well known fellow. Quite a dry and boring part but the play went on nonetheless shepherds, angels, and all. Ask Quinn for reviews. Following few days we had our Christmas Eve evening where we did some weird stuff including singing for the cows and sheep in our fields, who I am sure would have gone deaf instantly
had the choice been plausible. On the 25th we had our Christmas dinner attended by everyone and many of the relatives and families of our special needs people. We did our present giving and opening stuff which I am still quite an amateur at(and always will be). The day of Christmas had the annual swim, where a good portion of the locals show up at the nearby beach to all run headfirst into the ocean screaming at noon for no particular reason than tradition. On the 26th I joined The Wren playing drums for a local marching group for fund raising on a crazy day where everyone in town goes in crazy costumes and drinks Guinness from morning till late into the night where many a chaotic fight stages as the night becomes late. Taking a break on the 27th, I prepared Quinn and I for our flight(ride) out of Dingle Peninsula on the 28th to see southern Ireland. With little plans and less expectations, we moved.
Our first day broke with us leaving fairly early and heading out towards Killarney stopping by Anascaul Lake and then taking a 9-hour lost detour into the fogs and mist of the
Lost and Confused
Whichever way the wind blew. largest southern peninsula, The Ring of Kerry. We made it finally to Killarney(normally an hour’s ride) and were welcomed to stay at Damien’s house, a friendly Polish man who surprised us the next morning by leaving us oranges and other consumables in our bags without informing us. Leaving Killarney the next morning fairly exhausted still we moved inland towards Cork but only made it halfway there before we hit backcountry roads to see the Sheehy mountains and moorlands wrapped in mist and stunning us. Near the end of that scenic road we managed to find an old castle built for a certain Cromwell from England, and took a break there. Moving on we made it to a smaller and more southernly peninsula called Mizen Head where the weather changed from glorious spring to wet winter every 5 minutes strictly. Not finding a hostel(only Bed and Breakfasts) in a fishing(tourist) town Scull, we backtracked to quieter Ballydehob which had a cheap hostel with better accommodation then I could have hoped for in the best part of India. We managed to make some spaghetti, and found ourselves content watching probably the best comedy sitcom in Ireland known as Father Ted (I’ll be
Lost and Happy
better then an out of body experience; seeing a sign in the middle of no where. bringing DVDs home if Quinn doesn’t).
The final day of furthering ourselves we reached Kinsale on the southeast corner of Ireland, another remarkably tourist location. And more than luckily the woman who Quinn housed with near Dingle also had an empty apartment in Kinsale which we made full use of, it being conveniently located near the downtown and damn comfortable I must say. We spent our New Years there and even ventured once to the pubs though I had no energy or money (€4 for a pint!) to enjoy the conviviality that New Years normally is packed with. To top it all off we had a small firework display at midnight and a strange sombre procession of these 100s of floating candles in the sky that first lead one to think the US was finally going postal and sending missiles over.
Over our period at Kinsale, Quinn continued to fanagle with his laptop doing a number of necessary things (checking messages on myspace/facebook/email, purusing Wikipedia, and occasionally web designing). I had quite enough of sitting around, reading Ivanhoe, and watching Quinn playing Sonic the Hedgehog which was being disgraced on a TV screen, and decided I would head back to
Lost and Daring
or as Quinn would say, Bridge of Destiny. Dingle. Quinn remembered he left some things in Dingle and decided to hitch back with me, and leaving his things in Kinsale decided he would return and stay there until he left Ireland. I can’t help but smirk when I remember sadly asking him if he would like me to hold on to some extraneous things he packed in his 36KG bag which I had yet to look in, and then see him walk down the stairs with a $300 19” flat screen monitor which I am using currently, along with a multitude of guidebooks for Ireland and a poncho. God speed to any airlines that accept his goliath bag and manage to take off.
We had a long daytrip home and witnessed the snow capped MacGillycuddy Reeks on the Ring of Kerry as we slowly wound up in Dingle late that night after crossing a windy and moon filled stretch from Connor’s Pass. Thus ended our dangle away from Dingle, bo-jangling off into the southern jungles of the Irish New Year’s spangle.
Quinn last I heard flew into London and I last I knew will continue my time here through spring, learning, fleeing, and maybe someday
Lost the castle
those damn heathens never knew how to build a fort anyhow. really working out something ahead. In the meantime,
Slan!
Davey
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