I wake up as if I've just come out of a coma. Today is going to be a struggle. Last night was the first I'd really drank. I pack up my things and head to the bus stop. I realize my camera is still charging so I run back to Richards and grab it. I also use the phone to call Ann, Richards mum, to tell her I had made it to Bundoran the night before so I'd be in Derry at 10:20 in the morning. She's delighted. Both because I saw Richard and because I'll be there soon. She agrees to collect me in Derry.
She's a saint.
The bus leaves at 8:25. I board the bus and immediately a wave of exhaustion comes over me. I can't fight it. I wake up at the stop just before Derry. (Derry being my stop, as well as the bus' last stop).
We pull into Derry and I can't believe I was originally supposed to have been here 26hrs ago.
Maybe if I hadn't spent 17hrs in the airport.
I step down from the bus and look around for the Doherty's light blue Peugot. It's not there.
Oh boy.
Not even a second later, Ann comes running around the corner and I throw up my arms to give her a hug. She's parked around the corner and we hop in the car (me in the front left seat where the passenger sits) and of we go to get me coffee and water. We go to the hotel nearby since everything else is closed on a Sunday. We eat breakfast there as well. After breakfast we get back in the car and off we go to Carndonagh.
What a sensation. Yesterday James told me that when I eventually sat in the front seat of a car I'd be in for a wild ride. He was absolutely right. Everything is backwards. At least Ann's driving is calm and ordinary compared to the ride i had from James yesterday. Yesterday we were passing cars on 2 lane roads, bombing down winding streets, etc. Today I'm only just in the front seat of a car that seems to be heading down the road into oncoming traffic. But this is Ireland, so it's right to be on the left.
We get to Carndonagh in 30 minutes and we walk into the house. Adam (Ann's son and Richard's older brother) is in the house waiting for us. He says it's good I've gotten here so early since now I've got a full day of drinking ahead of me. I understood what he said, but later I'd find out I really didn't understand what he meant.
A few minutes after we'd arrived at the house, I decided I'd stay a while longer. I was scheduled to be in Dublin Monday, but since I only just got to Carn today, Sunday, (and I'd driven through the whole of Ireland by now anyways) I booked a flight from Belfast, Northern Ireland to Paris on Thursday. I won't be taking anymore rides through the whole of the country again.
After I change flights, Adam and I drive up to Malin where Neil, his dad, owns Lily's Bar and Tea Room. Neil is Ann's husband and my mum's cousin, which is how I am related to the Carndonagh Dohertys.
Years ago, my grandmother Frances was born in Carndonagh and lived here until she left for San Francisco where she met my grandfather. My mum has a lot of cousins in Carndonagh which means I have a lot of second cousins here. Neil, or Neily Paul as they call him here, being one of them. Here there are so many families that all have the same last name (eg Doherty) that they've all been given nicknames to distinguish themselves from others. Neily, Ann, Adam, and Richard are the Pauls.
I digress.
Adam and I pull up to Lily's Bar and we walk in. Neily comes out from behind the bar to greet me and gives me a hard time about the crack I've had getting from Stansted Airport to Carndonagh. It's noon, and at the bar at the moment are a few of Adam's mates having pints. We join them and I have a Guinness. It's the best I've ever had.
There must be something in the water that they use to make the Guinness.
I sit around, telling the boys the time I had getting up to Carn from Stansted. We have a few more pints then head out front to sit down in the sun as we pint. Pinting is an activity in itself.
It's a lovely day for a Guinness.
Most of the boys are drinking Smithwick's, an old Irish ale so eventually I switch to that. It's delicious: much lighter than the Guinness, yet without compromise. I'll never drink an American ale again. We sit about Lily's, pinting away when Neily comes out front and suggests that Adam take me up to watch Gaelic Football, Ireland's national sport. We walk up to the field to watch Malin's team, which is one of the country's best. The sport is a mixture of rugby and soccer and it's brutally amazing to watch. Three points for scoring in the net, one for kicking it over the bar. We watched the rest of the game and Malin won by two points with two brilliant scores over the bar from a difficult angle at the very end of the match.
We walked back to Lily's and sat down outside with the boys for another pint. Im starting to get hungry so I head back to the kitchen area to see about having some food with these pints. Gemma is about my age. She's a lovely girl, very pretty, and works about the bar and tea room for Neily. On Sunday she was preparing the sandwiches. I ask for chicken salad and she does one up for me. We chat a little while. She will be graduating from college in September. I thank her for the sandwich and bring it out front to sit down and eat.
It's delicious. The best I've ever had.
Back outside, one of the boys keeps trying to pour a shamrock in the head of the Guinness but he keeps failing. Neily tells us you can only do it when the Guinness is poor quality. And his is the best. Another guy is in the dog house since his girl is flying from Liverpool to Derry and expects him to be waiting with the car. But he's at the bar. He'll stay and have another pint.
It's probably around 7pm now and people are starting to pour into the bar. Young guys, older men, and a few women. Most of the men are impossible to understand. A few guys brought guitars and the singing starts. Bob Dylan, The Beatles...all the best. It's a great time, and at this point, Lily's is the most happening bar in County Donegal.
Right now I'm sitting around the table pondering different things as the pints keep coming and I come to three conclusions:
1. I've been here all day and I've seen people knocked, people bumped, and glasses tipped 45 degrees...but not a single drop spilled. It's amazing. The Irish are quite talented. (Eventually there would have been a broken glass, but not until 10pm.)
2. The people are all so friendly. I've met a million people today and they all have time to listen to ya, to tell ya stories, and to introduce ya to their friends.
3. If you have finished half of your pint there's another one on the way.
Around about 10 or 11pm we hop into a taxi and head over from Lily's in Malin to The Arch in Carndonagh. The Arch has live music and a few people in it. We're the first taxi there, but a few more follow. Now the majority of the group that was at Lily's has arrived at The Arch. I have a few more pints and chat with everyone. This day couldn't be better. The men tell great stories and the women are class. Everybody drinks.
Around about 2:30 we leave the bar and head home in a taxi.
14.5hrs of pure bliss.
Adam reckons I had a great time Saturday night with his wee brother Richard, but I'm drinking with the big boys now.
She's a saint.
The bus leaves at 8:25. I board the bus and immediately a wave of exhaustion comes over me. I can't fight it. I wake up at the stop just before Derry. (Derry being my stop, as well as the bus' last stop).
We pull into Derry and I can't believe I was originally supposed to have been here 26hrs ago.
Maybe if I hadn't spent 17hrs in the airport.
I step down from the bus and look around for the Doherty's light blue Peugot. It's not there.
Oh boy.
Not even a second later, Ann comes running around the corner and I throw up my arms to give her a hug. She's parked around the corner and we hop in the car (me in the front left seat where the passenger sits) and of we go to get me coffee and water. We go to the hotel nearby since everything else is closed on a Sunday. We eat breakfast there as well. After breakfast we get back in the car and off we go to Carndonagh.
What a sensation. Yesterday James told me that when I eventually sat in the front seat of a car I'd be in for a wild ride. He was absolutely right. Everything is backwards. At least Ann's driving is calm and ordinary compared to the ride i had from James yesterday. Yesterday we were passing cars on 2 lane roads, bombing down winding streets, etc. Today I'm only just in the front seat of a car that seems to be heading down the road into oncoming traffic. But this is Ireland, so it's right to be on the left.
We get to Carndonagh in 30 minutes and we walk into the house. Adam (Ann's son and Richard's older brother) is in the house waiting for us. He says it's good I've gotten here so early since now I've got a full day of drinking ahead of me. I understood what he said, but later I'd find out I really didn't understand what he meant.
A few minutes after we'd arrived at the house, I decided I'd stay a while longer. I was scheduled to be in Dublin Monday, but since I only just got to Carn today, Sunday, (and I'd driven through the whole of Ireland by now anyways) I booked a flight from Belfast, Northern Ireland to Paris on Thursday. I won't be taking anymore rides through the whole of the country again.
After I change flights, Adam and I drive up to Malin where Neil, his dad, owns Lily's Bar and Tea Room. Neil is Ann's husband and my mum's cousin, which is how I am related to the Carndonagh Dohertys.
Years ago, my grandmother Frances was born in Carndonagh and lived here until she left for San Francisco where she met my grandfather. My mum has a lot of cousins in Carndonagh which means I have a lot of second cousins here. Neil, or Neily Paul as they call him here, being one of them. Here there are so many families that all have the same last name (eg Doherty) that they've all been given nicknames to distinguish themselves from others. Neily, Ann, Adam, and Richard are the Pauls.
I digress.
Adam and I pull up to Lily's Bar and we walk in. Neily comes out from behind the bar to greet me and gives me a hard time about the crack I've had getting from Stansted Airport to Carndonagh. It's noon, and at the bar at the moment are a few of Adam's mates having pints. We join them and I have a Guinness. It's the best I've ever had.
There must be something in the water that they use to make the Guinness.
I sit around, telling the boys the time I had getting up to Carn from Stansted. We have a few more pints then head out front to sit down in the sun as we pint. Pinting is an activity in itself.
It's a lovely day for a Guinness.
Most of the boys are drinking Smithwick's, an old Irish ale so eventually I switch to that. It's delicious: much lighter than the Guinness, yet without compromise. I'll never drink an American ale again. We sit about Lily's, pinting away when Neily comes out front and suggests that Adam take me up to watch Gaelic Football, Ireland's national sport. We walk up to the field to watch Malin's team, which is one of the country's best. The sport is a mixture of rugby and soccer and it's brutally amazing to watch. Three points for scoring in the net, one for kicking it over the bar. We watched the rest of the game and Malin won by two points with two brilliant scores over the bar from a difficult angle at the very end of the match.
We walked back to Lily's and sat down outside with the boys for another pint. Im starting to get hungry so I head back to the kitchen area to see about having some food with these pints. Gemma is about my age. She's a lovely girl, very pretty, and works about the bar and tea room for Neily. On Sunday she was preparing the sandwiches. I ask for chicken salad and she does one up for me. We chat a little while. She will be graduating from college in September. I thank her for the sandwich and bring it out front to sit down and eat.
It's delicious. The best I've ever had.
Back outside, one of the boys keeps trying to pour a shamrock in the head of the Guinness but he keeps failing. Neily tells us you can only do it when the Guinness is poor quality. And his is the best. Another guy is in the dog house since his girl is flying from Liverpool to Derry and expects him to be waiting with the car. But he's at the bar. He'll stay and have another pint.
It's probably around 7pm now and people are starting to pour into the bar. Young guys, older men, and a few women. Most of the men are impossible to understand. A few guys brought guitars and the singing starts. Bob Dylan, The Beatles...all the best. It's a great time, and at this point, Lily's is the most happening bar in County Donegal.
Right now I'm sitting around the table pondering different things as the pints keep coming and I come to three conclusions:
1. I've been here all day and I've seen people knocked, people bumped, and glasses tipped 45 degrees...but not a single drop spilled. It's amazing. The Irish are quite talented. (Eventually there would have been a broken glass, but not until 10pm.)
2. The people are all so friendly. I've met a million people today and they all have time to listen to ya, to tell ya stories, and to introduce ya to their friends.
3. If you have finished half of your pint there's another one on the way.
Around about 10 or 11pm we hop into a taxi and head over from Lily's in Malin to The Arch in Carndonagh. The Arch has live music and a few people in it. We're the first taxi there, but a few more follow. Now the majority of the group that was at Lily's has arrived at The Arch. I have a few more pints and chat with everyone. This day couldn't be better. The men tell great stories and the women are class. Everybody drinks.
Around about 2:30 we leave the bar and head home in a taxi.
14.5hrs of pure bliss.
Adam reckons I had a great time Saturday night with his wee brother Richard, but I'm drinking with the big boys now.
You're a Paul too, Macklin ;)
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