Wicklow Mountains

I don’t know about you, but my phone and laptop know me better than I know myself. It seems every time I even think a thought (let alone speak a word), there the topic appears on my screen... with details I didn't know I needed to know. I wish my devices could be my lovers. I’d never have to ask for anything again. They would just know. 

Whenever I’m admiring pix of your grandkids on Facebook, seductive things pop up in my view… like megalithic tombs or sandy beaches. I always fall prey and abandon your grands for further Google searches to satisfy my lust for more Irish adventures. 

A couple of weeks ago an ad appeared for The Ballinastoe Woods Walk in County Wicklow. I believe Tolkien’s name was invoked to dazzle people like me into packing up the AvantBard (our rv) and heading east. We had just returned from a long weekend in the southwest (see post last week), but Siobhan, the weather lady, was calling for sunshine and I was feeling the spirit.  So what could we do?

Because we do have some commitments here at home, we planned to just be gone for one night. The Wicklow Mountains are about a two hour drive away.

Siobhan didn’t let us down. It was a gorgeous Thursday and a beautiful drive. A camping friend of ours had recommended a B&B in the area which turned out to be more like a lodge. They were happy to let us park up for the night in their lot… but not before we had rambled through a nearby woods beside a river to find a really pretty triple waterfall. A group of four young people were getting ready to go swimming there. As we scuffled away from them, we heard blood curdling screams. Guess the water was COLD!

When we returned to the lodge we were famished and they were serving dinner. We took a table by the fire and I had the first steak I’ve had in a very long time. And, like God, I saw that it was GOOD…VERY GOOD… and inexpensive. And morning and evening were the first day.

But not until this: It just so happened that a trad session was scheduled to take place at the lodge later that night. Imagine… on a Thursday night! We were assured we’d be welcome and of course we had guitar and fiddle in tow because you just never know. 

It was a small group that had disbanded before the holidays and were reconvening for the first time in the new year. The first guy to arrive looked vaguely familiar.

We introduced ourselves and he asked where we were from. “You’ve probably never heard of it,” says Dixie. “Thurles in Tipperary.” The guy’s eyes popped open and his face lit up. He was from Loughmore which is a village of Thurles. His brother (who looks just like him) plays music with us at the Monk’s Pub every Wednesday night. Just shaking my head. It was a really nice evening.

The next morning we set out to find the spot I saw on Facebook that looked like Middle Earth. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. It was a glorious little hike over the mountains. There’s a boardwalk path we followed and honestly, I never found the spot that was publicized although I know we were in the right place. But that didn’t matter at all because it was just so perfect of a day. The views did not disappoint! 

As we were driving away from the mountains, I asked Dixie to pull into a scenic overlook so I could take a few shots. As I was walking uphill and about to cross the road back to the Bard, something happened. I don’t know what. Did I trip? I was instantly on the ground… feeling a fierce pain shoot up my arm and hearing an alarming crunch. 

“Please God, let that sound be my wrist and not my iPhone!" Sad to say, I would be lost without my phone. It was, in fact, the edge of my iPhone case. What a relief! The phone and my hand were still intact, although the hand did swell and bleed a little but thank God it still works (to play Wordle and see pix of your grands).

I’ll be flying to Florida at the end of the month (first class and non-stop for a change). Can’t wait to see all my family. Thirteen of us gathering together, if no one gets Covid or breaks a hip. In the mean time Dixie and I will start preparing the garden for spring flowers, feed the birds, practice our music, watch as little news as possible and hope to see or hear from you soon.