Only in Ireland

"Alive alive oh! Alive alive oh!..." These were the lyrics that were the soundtrack of our trip in Ireland. At the beginning of our adventure, I taught Franci this classic Irish tune entitled "Molly Malone". She picked up on it right away and everywhere we went in Ireland she was compelled to sing the song. "In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty..." She belted the tune wherever we were and had a rather good Irish brogue singing it too! I think she was actually mistaken for a genuine Irish lass! On one occasion, while coming out of the bathroom at the pub, Franci was swaying (only because she never quite can walk straight - that would be too boring!) and singing without shame. An old Irish man with rosy cheeks looked down at her and then looked up at me and said, "Looks like the wee one's had a little too much to drink."

In Clane, the village outside Dublin where we did a house swap and called home for two weeks, we soon became the loud but lovable town guests. (I think we were the only tourists in this little town). There was a sign on the main street of the town that read: "Clane. A good place to live." Ahh, and wasn't that the truth. There were many sayings like this that we noted throughout our stay that were so simple, but so true. Frequently we saw the saying, "A good day for a Guiness." And no matter how many days we saw that sign, the idea never got old.

We went to Ireland with Jane's friend Caterina and her two sons, Edo and Georgio, and their nanny. (Their father Mario joined us the second week). The first week we were in Clane, Ali, Franci, Edo, and Georgio were signed up for a horse riding camp. We were, as it was, in County Kildare, the most well-known horse country in the Emerald Isle. Everyday the kids were in pony camp from 10 am until 4 pm. They loved it and came home happy campers at the end of each day. Georgio, however, had a bit of a harder time understanding their trainer and usually would ask Ali to translate when he had no idea what was going on. One day we went to watch and Georgio, who is six years old, but looks like he is nine years old, seemed to be clueless while the others were fiercely paying attention to their teacher. The young and extremely friendly teacher with pretty black hair and green eyes noticed that Georgio was lying almost all the way back on his horse and not paying a bit of attention and said "George-eee-oh!" It sounded almost like she was singing Old MacDonald with the ee-i-ee-i-ohs. She asked him to take the reigns and sit up. He looked around clueless. This was a funny sight. Finally, he got the picture, realized it was his turn to trot, and went around the ring bobbing up and down on his horse happily and the teacher said, "Well done Georgio" in her thick Irish accent. I'm sure he had no idea what she was saying. Georgio and Franci were the best of friends during the trip, as were Ali and Edo. It was so cute. Caterina, who is half American constantly speaks to her boys in English, but Georgio who I'm sure will grow up to be the classic Italian stallion, had no interest in even trying to speak English. One time he became so upset that the other kids wanted to watch Harry Potter in English and not in Italian that he stormed out of the room crying. He fitfully asked me, in his dramatic Italian accent,"Wherrre iz da mya maaaamaaaa?"

Ireland was simply beautiful. We drove through Kildare and down to Cork and Kerry. For miles we saw the most gorgeous scenery. Everything was so lush and verdant. We went to Wicklow National Park, where we kept our eyes peeled for leprechauns and fairies, but no such luck. We even tried looking for a handsome feller --this was the place in the movie P.S. I love you that the main character finds her husband. But again, no luck. That isn't to say, we didn't get lucky in Ireland! We did see a rainbow, but the pot of gold came in other forms. We had the most enjoyable journey from beginning to end. We even had a few fun nights out on the town! One night, the other nanny, Anna, and myself were invited to an Irish wedding! I never in my life thought I would be able to call myself a wedding crasher, but a few lads we met in the pub insisted we go and said that their best friend, Sham, who was the groom, would love it. The party apparently had been going on since one o'clock in the afternoon and and it did not stop until after four in the morning! We had an Irish good time and hung out with the bride and groom and danced the Irish Step dance and sang along to "Come On Eileen" (Mom, you would be proud) and to "Galway Girl". And of course, we felt perfectly safe getting home in Clane, since we were, "just at the top of the road!" Two nights later, I had another gallivanting good time with Jane and Caterina. We went to the Village Inn where we ended up closing the bar sitting around the outside tables with our new friends singing classic Irish tunes and famous American ones too. One of our new friends sang to me Bruce Springsteen's "Jersey Girl" and wooed everyone with his melodious voice. I never did realize how similar Springsteen is to classic Irish singing....and "Galway Girl" (a song you might recognize that was in P.S. I love you) was actually written by a U.S. country singer. I might have just been converted to country music....just a wee bit.

We saw castles, graveyards, forts, stables, and thoroughbred horses. We even went seal watching in the Ring of Kerry. Our trip was just wonderful. We ate Irish soda bread each day, and frequented the carvery at local pubs where we indulged in a classic meal of "meat and three (pronounced 'tree') veg." And believe me, from the looks of it, there won't be another Great Irish Potato Famine any time soon, for there certainly was no shortage of the kind while we were there! We simply accepted soon into our trip that we just might return to Italy feeling like we had turned into giant Irish potatoes. That prediction certainly came true. And usually, for dessert, to top off our already full bellies, there was plenty of rhubard crisp to go 'round!

We also went into Dublin and saw all the sights, including what all the tourists seem to flock to, the Guinness factory. At at the top level of the factory there is the Gravity Bar where you receive a complementary Guinness, and, of course, we made friends with the bartender and received an extra beer on the house! We went down the famous shopping district of Grafton Street, where we saw a red-headed guitarist, which seemed so familiar because it was the exact scene we had just watched in the recent Oscar-winning Irish film Once. We also saw the funky Temple Bar district, just before catching our Bus Éireann from Connolly Station, which took us back to Clane in 40 minutes. Surprisingly, we had the same bus driver twice in one day, and, of course, we managed to make friends with him too! All in all, it was certain that we had the luck of the Irish on our side! I felt proud to be there, after all my life claiming my Irish descent, and yet only having been in the 'motherland', I'm told, when I was a baby. We saw the Coffey (my last name) Family crest in tourist shops, on key chains, mugs and magnets, and I beamed with Irish pride at the sight of it. None of the children wanted to leave when it was time to go, but, along with their luggage filled with souvenirs, they all (even Georgio!) seemed to carry with them a newfound Irish spirit. All left with the knowledge that in our hearts we would always hold a bit of Erin go Bragh (Ireland Forever)!