Ireland, Part Three

A few weeks before our visit to Ireland, President Obama visited Moneygall, Ireland to reconnect with his Irish roots. As it turned out, Moneygall was only a few miles from Portumna, so naturally we had to visit and have a pint (or two) in Ollie Hayes' pub, the pub President and Mrs. Obama stopped in when they went to Moneygall. My husband Drew collects political memorabilia, so he gave me some posters and buttons to give the owners of the pub. The pub was quite charming, freshly cleaned and painted (as was the whole town, thanks to a donation of paint from Ireland's largest paint distributor). There was a tour bus parked outside, but the tourists were mostly Irish folk. We were regaled with stories of the event by two brothers who had been drinking in that pub for the past 50 years (so they said). We met the owner, Ollie Hayes, his lovely wife, and Henry Healy, who is President Obama's eighth cousin. The locals have dubbed him "Henry the Eighth." We presented them with the Obama poster from a campaign event held in Austin, and also handed out buttons to all the patrons in the pub. The town of Moneygall may not have been on the tour maps before, but it sure is now!

Ireland, Part Two

Portumna is only about 40 miles from Galway, so we made it a point to visit the gHotel in Galway City. The interiors were designed by Phillip Treacy, the same designer responsible for those fantastic hats worn by many women at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. We were not disappointed....the place was gorgeous. We had a drink in what I called "The Blue Lounge". The walls were blue, but the furnishings were a mix of deep purple and burnt orange. There was also a bright pink lounge with gold and white accents and a black and white op art carpet on the floor. It was a lovely place to have a nice cocktail. They also serve high tea there in the afternoons. Tres chic!

Ireland, Part One

I recently returned from a two-week trip to Ireland. I am more in love with that country than ever. We booked a cottage in the tiny hamlet of Ballycrissane, just outside of Portumna, County Galway. The cottage used to be the post office, and the building is 500 years old, located on a working sheep farm. It is so quiet there, you can hear the bees buzzing in the garden! The town of Portumna is so very quaint and charming...a real Irish town. This is my second visit to Portumna, and we've made friends there who look forward to our visits. One great friend in particular is Seamus Hayes, owner of Hayes Pub. Every evening, you can find Seamus pouring the perfect Guinness pint and holding court with the local gentry in the pub.
Some evenings, a rousing card game will go on into the wee hours. But the main attraction is the conversation going on around you. The rhythm of the voices, the Irish accents, the sounds of the glasses clinking...you get transported back in time. The pub has been in business since the early 1900's (it was a pharmacy prior to that), and aside from a few modern conveniences, nothing much has changed. It's a lovely place to drink a pint and pass the time.