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.
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