Sit still and imagine.
Imagine a smiling storyteller of a man standing in the middle of the rocky moonscape. You are in the Burren. Standing with a circle of people around. Watching expectantly, as he closes his eyes and starts singing.
With an comedic introduction in exaggerated Irish, his well aged tenor voice vibrates to the song "My Get Up And Go."
The sun catches his silver hair as we lean in, and listen to his song. That October hike in Clare is a fond memory that regularly brings warmth to us here in Castletroy, Limerick.
The winter here has been long. It feels like most weeks have had a total of a half-day when the sun breaks through the clouds, wind, and hail-rain. We don't know if the Inuit actually have 100 words for snow but the Irish definitely have at least 100 phrases for a rainy day!
We have stayed dry and warm with good conversation, music and the occasional TV show (Father Ted). Get Up And Go, along with, Knocking on Heaven's Door, Brown-Eyed Girl, Cecilia, Ye Rambling Boys of Pleasure and Feet of a Dancer, and more recently, Freedom is Coming (in anticipation of spring!) have been our bread and butter - along with actual sourdough bread and scrumptiously creamy Irish butter, of course.
Every week, Laura brings home a song or two from her Traditional Irish Singing lessons, and many more from her workshops and studies this term. But spring is coming, and with it, the Sun will return and change will be upon us at 86 Bru na Gruadan.
Soon Joshua will leave the Green Isle to volunteer at the Camas Centre with the Iona community - hiking, climbing, kayaking, making food and fires, leading self discovery, trust building and nature immersion activities and exploring a whole new island - for the craic! Soon Laura will be putting the finishing touches on her community music business plan - so. Dreaming about creating a localized Mennonite watershed hymnal and traveling across Scottish isles collecting tunes, stories, sights and sounds until she starts her volunteer contract with the Iona Community. Waving distance across the bay from Joshua, she will be facilitating music at the Abbey built by Columba, himself!
--- post script ---
See if you can spot the Irishisms in the paragraph above... Also, two experiences in Dublin over the winter that you'll have to ask us about next time you see us:
2. Mother Kelly's Pub and Joshua's mysterious disappearance
Imagine a smiling storyteller of a man standing in the middle of the rocky moonscape. You are in the Burren. Standing with a circle of people around. Watching expectantly, as he closes his eyes and starts singing.
With an comedic introduction in exaggerated Irish, his well aged tenor voice vibrates to the song "My Get Up And Go."
The sun catches his silver hair as we lean in, and listen to his song. That October hike in Clare is a fond memory that regularly brings warmth to us here in Castletroy, Limerick.
The winter here has been long. It feels like most weeks have had a total of a half-day when the sun breaks through the clouds, wind, and hail-rain. We don't know if the Inuit actually have 100 words for snow but the Irish definitely have at least 100 phrases for a rainy day!
 |
| A typical week's forecast for Limerick. If we are lucky, we get "A Thunderstorm in Spots," or the rare "Abundant Sunshine" |
Soon Joshua will leave the Green Isle to volunteer at the Camas Centre with the Iona community - hiking, climbing, kayaking, making food and fires, leading self discovery, trust building and nature immersion activities and exploring a whole new island - for the craic! Soon Laura will be putting the finishing touches on her community music business plan - so. Dreaming about creating a localized Mennonite watershed hymnal and traveling across Scottish isles collecting tunes, stories, sights and sounds until she starts her volunteer contract with the Iona Community. Waving distance across the bay from Joshua, she will be facilitating music at the Abbey built by Columba, himself!
--- post script ---
See if you can spot the Irishisms in the paragraph above... Also, two experiences in Dublin over the winter that you'll have to ask us about next time you see us:
1. Puddin' Night
2. Mother Kelly's Pub and Joshua's mysterious disappearance
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