Day 3
Monday, August 29
Monday morning we opted for less driving, and just nosed around the shores of Lough Derg, the largest lake on the River Shannon. It seems that all these hills and valleys in western Ireland are full of artists of all mediums. We stopped first in Tuamgraney, the nearest little village, and stepped into the studios of McKernan Handweavers.
I petted all her scarves, and selected one from the sale bin that went with most of the clothing I had brought on this trip. Anke McKernan had few words to say to either of us. Jas and I just kept looking at each other, because she was so atypical of normal handcrafters we meet on such studio visits. After I made my purchase, she suggested we step into the workroom in back where we could see the looms at work.
Bingo! Her husband was monitoring the looms, and was a gem!!! We spoke at length with him. He explained the looms, answered my wool and yarn questions, and spoke about life in Ireland. We asked his name, and the delightful answer we got follows:
Well, it should have been Seamus. But when I was born in the Catholic hospital, Pope Pius XII had just died. All the nuns came around to all the women who had just given birth and said they had to name their sons Eugenio Maria. My father was at home, as fathers didn’t go into the hospital in that time (1958). Imagine his surprise when my mother brought me home. His name was Seamus, and he was expecting little Seamus. He got little Eugenio Maria! So my name is Eugene, but my friends call me Gene.
Jas then offered his hand to shake and said, “I’m James. Seamus.” Gene/Seamus said at the same time, “Seamus.” Laughter.
Jas explained how his ancestors had come from County Tyrone, and they talked for a while about the troubles and how hard life in Tyrone would have been for Jas’s ancestors. As we were leaving, Gene said to Jas, “Welcome home.”
Wow! What a fabulous experience. Gene’s cordiality made up for Anke’s lack thereof.
From Tuamgraney, we went down along Lough Derg to Killaloe (pronounced KILL-a-loo), where we had lunch at Molly’s, then took a boat ride on the Spirit of Killaloe on the River Shannon and into Lough Derg. After the boat ride, we drive counterclockwise around the lake to find the silk and felting studios of Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann, whose business name is Bombyx Mori. We just missed Astrid, but Jas had a wonderful talk with her husband while I admired all her exquisite felted garments and accessories. The husband told how they had lived in Germany, but it became politically untenable to them and the chose Ireland to which to flee. Amazing!
We headed back home to rest before dinner and concert in Tuamgraney.
The restaurant where we had eaten on Saturday night had a special fixed price dinner for concert evenings. This assured we would not miss the beginning of the concert, which was being held a few doors down from the restaurant.
The concert was arranged by Kate Purcell and a number of local musicians who play traditional Irish music. What an absolute treat this concert was. The program, held in St. Cronan’s Church in Tuamgraney, which was reportedly built in the 7th Century, opened with a brother and sister, Gerard and Eimear Coughlan, playing Celtic harps. Both of these young people have many medals to their credit for their exquisite harp playing. Their set was followed by Kate Purcell, who plays acoustic guitar and sings, Chris Droney on concertina, and … (more text to come)