July 2, 2001
A special hello to Jim McKinney, a friend at the University. I thought of him in
Dublin yesterday when I was assigned some personal responsibility on our trip.
Jim is married to Fran and is generally clueless when it comes to knowing how to
manage the details of family affairs. I can't tell you how many times I have
asked him a question and he has told me that he must check with his wife first.
(I, on the other hand, am a prince and generally need not worry about the more
routine aspects of life). However, Edith put me in charge of the key card to the
room. We went to the room; I slipped the card in the door lock and pulled the
handle, but it wouldn't open. I went down six flights, explained the problem,
and they created new key cards. Back upstairs, I repeated the process and pulled
the door really hard thinking that it was stuck – Edith calmly told me that a
heavy hand usually doesn't help. I went back down and this time a hotel employee
came upstairs, inserted the card and PUSHED the door open (Edith and I exchanged
glances but not a word was spoken). The moral of the story as it applies to Jim
and most men: be good to your woman because you are not able to handle many of
life's problems on your own (even though you may think of yourself as a prince).
Today we headed back to the West and stopped at Shannon Bridge for a light
lunch. The bar had the lowest price in Ireland for a pint of Guinness, one pound
90 pence (it was 3.40 in Dublin). Edith had an Irish coffee and got a gleam in
her eye. She learned to drink coffees from Ed Jung and promises to make them a
new part of our existence,
Bruce seems to talk to everyone he meets (I guess that it's the "McBreen"
in him). He started asking questions about fishing from some poor guy hanging
from a ladder painting the side of the building (we were near the Shannon river,
and the same bar that sold us beer also sold worms and other bait). Bruce then
explained to me how we could really catch some big ones if we only had time
(like most fishermen, it's mainly talk and few fish). It seems that the fishing
is good in Ireland, but it's expensive to go after game fish since the rights-of-way are privately owned and command high
access fees.
We took a tour of the peat bogs nearby and were shuttled out onto the bogs by a
small train. It took us on a looped path through the field. When the glaciers
melted after the last ice age 12,000 years ago, water filled the low spots and
fens formed. They filled with plants that became bogs that are 90% water. It
takes a long time to prepare, dry and harvest the fields, and there is a huge
amount of bog acreage. This particular bog is being harvested to supply
fuel to the large local power plant for the generation of electricity (it
produces four percent of the total electricity used in Ireland).
Tonight we are staying in the Kinnitty Castle in Birr County. They served a
terrific meal at a long table for the 18 persons on the tour. It's really a very
nice group of people and is small enough so that we are able to feel close to
everyone. There are a variety of rooms in the castle. We have one of the smaller
rooms and also a small bed, which will only add to our sense of togetherness
(fortunately, there are few pillows). The bathroom is kind of funny - the
backside of the toilet is eight feet high and shaped like a throne (get it?)
Tomorrow we will stay at Galway for two nights and then Kilkenny for two nights
and then we head home.
Ireland Main