March 23 – Friday – Sunny again as we get up. Easy day today, catching up on laundry, spending a bit of time on my blog, pictures, journal, etc. Make my way to the I-café to check email and update my blog and pictures, might be the last time until I get home as we don’t have much else planned now. We try the Shack for supper tonight, and really enjoyed the meal and atmosphere. It is on Main St, just opened for the season. I had the “Catch of the Day” which was haddock on creamed potatoes, and Lisa had the Chilli Chicken on Penne Pasta. Both were delicious! And reasonably priced, about 12 euro each. After supper we made our way to Muddy’s to listen to the new group that John had playing there called The Gavin Ryan Band. Basically just a bar band, not what we cared for, so we tried the Banjo Twins at the White House. More to our style, a banjo and a bouzouki with both on vocals, playing traditional Irish but at a breakneck speed. We stayed for a bit, then called it a night.
March 24 – Saturday – Our luck continues, wake up to sunny skies again. Some clouds floating around, but mostly sunny, and temps in the low 50s. We take a walk over to Scilly this morning, investigating the Man Friday and Spinnaker restaurants. They don’t open til later in the day, we might stop at one next week. Pick up a few groceries on the way back to the house for lunch. Lazy afternoon, I think Lisa is coming down with my cold. After a supper of Nachos, I drove us to the Bulman to listen to the group playing there. Billed as Bobby Lee, the quartet played some originals, along with classic rock covers. Now this is what I call good music! Really enjoyed listening to the group, probably the best band we have heard here yet. They said they are in the process of making a CD, so I will have to check out the website when I get a chance, www.bobbyleemusic.com.
Took Lisa home just after midnight, the cold is wearing her down, I stayed up and watched the Podge and Rodge show. To imagine this show, think of the Tonight show without Jay Leno, the hosts are two puppets instead! They occasionally use the F word, and there was a segment called “Sham Rock” that featured “AC DShe”, a 4 piece female rock band. They have also had “The Red Hot Chili Peckers” on the show. Some really weird late night stuff around here!
March 25 – Sunday – Mostly cloudy, the breeze is cool today, I’m up about 8:00, bowl of cereal and a shower and I go to get the Sunday paper. After Lisa gets up and around, we take a little walk. Lunch today finds us at the Spinnaker, it’s in Scilly, usually open at 5, but on Sundays it opens at 2 for lunch. I had the Oak Smoked Salmon plate, Lisa just a salad and veggies. Took our time walking home, I even picked up a “99”, a ice cream cone with a “flake” in it. Flake being a flaky chocolate stick. Over to the Spaniard tonight, they have listed “Skellig” in the guide for music at 7:00. When we get there, everything is already rolling, and when I ask later, I find out that daylight savings time began today! Now I know why everything seemed just a little off today, we have been an hour late for everything!
There are 5 musicians playing here tonight on banjos, guitars, flutes and a bodhran. The place is jammed, we have to stand in the doorway to listen, but when the bodhran player passes us on the way out for a smoke, Lisa asks him about the tipper he is using, he asks if she plays and lets her sit in on a couple songs. Of course, that put her in seventh heaven! She did great, keeping up with the group and amazing a few listeners as well. Great craic! They called it a night about 9:00, so we walked back to the Lord Kinsale to listen to the music there. Sat next to Margaret and Sam again, (yes we found out there names tonight, Margaret is Irish, Sam is Scottish), and had a nice finish to the night with some singing and more of what I call “Irish Karaoke”. The performer invites any and all to come to the mic and sing anything they want to. Makes for some interesting songs. Call it a night about 11:00.
March 26 – Monday – Bright and sunny again this morning. Quick breakfast and we are off to Cork to visit the Cork City Gaol. An impressive exhibit, the gaol hasn’t been used since 1923, it shows life in Cork in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As bad as it was in the gaol (jail) people would commit crimes to get in just to get a meal and a bed as Cork was full of poverty at the time. We spend the afternoon wandering Oliver Plunkett and St Patrick streets, buy some items at the English Market, and head home for supper.
We try the New World Chinese restaurant tonight, ends up being another one that I can highly recommend! Lisa had the vegetable fried rice, I had the Lamb in mushroom and black bean sauce. Both were excellent, and the price wasn’t too bad, in the 10-12 euro range for most menu items. We walked to the Spaniard to listen to Michael and Jimmy, met a nice couple from Denver that are over here to see his family. He emigrated to the states about 20 years ago, but before he did, he was involved in the music scene as an electrician-soundman. He talked about doing sound for the Furey Brothers among others. Now he is a Harley riding, bagpipe playing electrician in Denver. We left early as we had told Sam and Margaret that we would meet them at the Lord Kinsale tonight.
It will be the last time we can see them, they are leaving midweek for holiday, and we are leaving at the end of the week. Kevin was playing again, he brought up the locals again for more “Irish Karaoke”, Lisa and Margaret danced a couple songs, and we had a little more excitement than we wanted when one of the local girls came in bombed out of her head. She was singing along with everyone, you couldn’t understand her at all, and she fell on the table next to us knocking it over, and later fell off a bar stool. This is not something we have seen very much of though, an occasional drunk walking the street late at night. The “distraction” not withstanding, we had a great time there tonight. Said our goodbyes and was home about midnight.
March 27 – Tuesday – I actually slept in til 8:30! Wow! We headed out to the Farmers Market this morning, will be our last chance to see it. The weather is perfect for it, a little cool, but nice and sunny. Have one more coffee from the Cork Coffee Roasters, pick up a few things to try, even have a strawberry crepe for lunch. The market is one of those little things around here that I will really miss. This afternoon looks promising for a round of golf, so I call the Kinsale Golf Club about openings.
I am told the tee box is open after 12:00, so we drive over there. At the club house we find out that denim jeans are not allowed, so after a quick trip back home, we find ourselves on the #1 tee enjoying the finest weather that Ireland can provide this time of year! 60 degrees, sunny, calm an on a golf course, you can’t ask for more! We had a great afternoon.
After a supper of pizza, I make my way down to Oscar Madison’s for a pint. Owen has the night off and plans on throwing darts with a mate, and invited me to join them. Had a lot of fun, once in a while I lose some of the conversation in the Cork accent, and Owen beats his mate 4 games to 3. At 11:00 we walk next door to the Lord Kinsale for last call, and Sam and Margaret are there, having meet their two sons for a bit before they all fly off for their holidays. Noreen was bartender, she can be a bit brash, but she’s really nice. At the end of the night, what I find out is the owner walks in. She talks to Sam and Margaret, but not much to Owen or Noreen, I don’t think they are very fond of their boss. Goodbyes are said all around as I leave, maybe for the last time, and I head home about 12:45.
March 28 – Wednesday – It’s 9:30 before I roll out this morning. Very overcast, the breeze has picked up, suppose to bring a storm in today. Down at the Kinsale Brewing Co, I pick up a poster of the “Pubs of Kinsale”. A couple of them on the poster are no longer here, but we have seen most of them. After lunch it is still dry and partly sunny so we go for a walk, finding the Kinsale Cemetery, some of the headstones date to the 1800’s. Nice afternoon for a stroll. Pizza for supper, and at 7:00 I turn on the Ireland vs. Slovakia soccer match. It’s a Euro 2008 qualifier, and Ireland wins 1-0, at the half we drive to the Bulman, I get to watch the end of the game and when it’s done, the folk-bluegrass session begins. We enjoy the music for an hour or so before it’s time to get Lisa home to bed, she’s still a little tired because of her cold. Home about midnight, Lisa goes to bed and I watch a bad movie on TV for a while before calling it a night.
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