Please excuse the delay- we’ve managed to pack a lot into just a few days!
Cork was so wonderful. When the show was up on its feet comfortably, some of the company took the opportunity for some touristy adventures. Larissa’s husband Ed, who caught up with us the Sunday after we arrived, has been such a joy to have around! Not only did he and Larissa rent a car for some of our farther day trips, he also attended every performance, bought celebratory rounds at the pubs for everyone AND helped us strike the set! Thanks, Ed!
We all took a trip to Blarney Castle, walked the beautiful grounds, kissed the stone and enjoyed some super-special Blarney moments. If you haven’t kissed the Blarney stone, or heard how it’s done, you may be in for a surprise- you really have to work for that “gift of gab” that it promises!! You must walk to the tippity-top of the castle (about 6 stories up), lean backwards into a hole with nothing but air between you and the ground, steady yourself against the opposite wall, and while upside down and dangling at a great height- lay a good, old wet-one on some ancient rock. Winston Churchill and Cary Grant have both kissed the Blarney stone- and if you take out the rock we all totally kissed them both. How’s that for variety!
Ed and Larissa toured the Ring of Bereagh in a long car trip and saw some wonderful countryside. They will also happily recommend where NOT to stop for lunch. We made it out to Midleton to the Jameson Distillery and saw the work that went into that lovely, amber liquor Kevin loves so much and, of course, some good old triple distilled Irish Whisky. KJ was even handpicked to be a whisky taster! He’s very proud of his recently acquired diploma. Then we were off to Cobh, also known and Cove, also known as Queenstown when the Titanic left there for its maiden voyage oh-so-many years ago. It ended up being a short trip, as the story goes- it left Queenstown on April 11th and sparred with an iceberg on the 14th. (Iceberg won that round, didn’t he love?) The Titanic was not the only ship that sailed out of Queenstown- ships that carried prisoners to Australia and emigrants to America and Canada from Ireland left port there as well. During the Great Potato Famine, American ships docked there to supply whatever food they could to the starving Irish.
In the town of Cork, we made a trip to the Cork County Gaol (jail) and witnessed firsthand all of the bleak, barren comforts it had to offer and took in some of the rich history of its inhabitants- faces you may not see in your history books and stories you would never hear. Poor, political and (mostly) female- Cork County Gaol housed them all.
We enjoyed so many pubs in Cork, but none treated us as well as Phillip and his staff at The Shelbourne. They were so warm, welcoming and wonderful in so many ways! We were their loyal patrons and they were ours- Phillip and his wife, and most of the bar staff came to enjoy Fool For Love.
However- no one treated us better than the gents at The Everyman Palace Theatre. Mark, the technical director, Brian, Sean, Colin and Joe were all so fantastic to work with. They truly made our first stop on this tour one to remember fondly. We hope to see them all next year! Just to give you an example of how great they are; Colin and Joe even surprised the stage manager with a gift! A lovely, green-striped polo with a shamrock emblem- which she immediately put on and showed-off to everyone.
We did not all leave Cork unscathed. KJ dislocated his shoulder during load out, trying to lift a too heavy door/flat- the same shoulder he dislocated during the Cuckoo’s Nest tour. He’s just fine, in a sling with plenty of meds and we’re taking good care of him just as much as we’re giving him s#*t.
We were all sad to leave Cork but enthusiastic for our next stop: Listowel. A Keegan Ireland Tour first!!! The theater is a converted church in the center of this quaint-and-country small town, known as St John’s Theatre and Cultural center. It is a much smaller venue than the Everyman Palace, but we were excited to bring this gripping piece of drama front and center. The real treat here was John B Keane’s Pub. Yes- THE John B Keane, the late playwright extraordinaire who penned such marvelous works as The Field, Big Maggie and The Sive (to name a few). He wrote all of his plays in his home above the pub, which still belongs to his family. His wife and his son Billy, who is also a writer in his own right, still keep the place lively. We were so delighted to be able to spend time with them and they happily spread the word about the show-which they also attended!!! John B Keane’s wife invited us back to the pub after the show and made us all egg salad and ham sandwiches and shared lovely stories about their life and John’s work as a playwright. We heard other fantastic tales from their patrons as well on the topics of the IRA, prison escapes, Getaway Cabs and “Bog Snorkeling”- if you want to hear more about these all you have to do is ask!!!
Listowel was a quick stop- Arrive, PUB, load in, show, load out, PUB- but we enjoyed it immensely. Many thanks to Joe and Trish at St John’s, and special thanks to Mrs John B Keane and Billy Keane for their hospitality and support.
We were off on the 4.5 hour drive to Monaghan at 11:30 and arrived to fantastic 4 star accommodations. Hillgrove Hotel. Holy-Wow.
***There will be a picture update on this blog SOON- it's difficult to find a strong wireless signal in Ireland- I'll find a leprechaun first, I'm sure...***
This is a blog, not a book so- until next time- Cheers!
Love,
Meg
