Carna and Surrounding Areas

The wild and unspoiled beauty of this place is unparalled. This morning we walked over stone walls to another beach. There were cows grazing nearby and lots of rabbits and gulls including one we've named "the gull of a different color" because he is dark with a dark beak. It is cool every day and we have a turf fire in the fireplace each night. We've been cooking our meals--simple fare like rice and vegetables. We have a supply of local goat cheese and our host just brought over homemade brown bread this morning. I have been productive writing-wise today. We are working on sonnets from an exercise we did by the fire last night.

Connemara

I am in the remote Connemara area of western Ireland. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) internet is very hard to come by and thus I will not be posting very often. I'm staying in a stone cottage with peeks of the sea, sheep, a friendly pony, a dog and gorse, purple vetch, woodbine, purple loosestrife, agrimony, and self-heal. Our cottage has a turf fire and a loft where I work and watch the new calf swanning around with his gold-colored mother. It has been productive for me---many new poems and stories happening. I cannot post pictures because they aren't on this computer. Just picture the most beautiful, unspoiled place you can imagine and you will have some idea of what it is like here.

More of Galway City

Today I walked around, wrote, read and generally took in the atmosphere of the lovely city of Galway. There were singers and street performers of all types. We went to an amazing performance of The Merchant of Venice tonight--an all male cast set in a prison. It worked. Tomorrow I am heading to Barna to meet with a teacher to set up some exchange of work between his class and my creative writing class. Then it is off to the Connemara area and a week writing in our cottage near the sea. My internet access will likely be very limited so I may not have a post for a while. I've been writing regularly and hope that the week will inspire much new work.

Galway and Eyre Square

I walked around Eyre Square last night, saw twirlers and dancers, dog-walkers and young couples. It rained for moments, then cleared to a brilliant blue sky and unabashed sunlight. Today is cloudy with peeks of sun. I will be going to see a Beckett play tonight and a dance performance--Circa Furiouso. These activities are a part of the Galway Arts Festival. My writer friend Geraldine Mills will meet up with me later. Right now I need to get to the business of writing; my true reason for this adventure. At my Bed and Breakfast, the internet is spotty at best upstairs so I have temporarily moved my operation to the "TV Lounge" where my hostess just brought me a cup of tea and biscuits. I could learn to like this! I'm certain that tea and biscuits will help my writing.

First Stop: Galway

I'm here! After many changes of planes, a long and sleepy bus ride through misty green hills and small towns, I arrived in Galway at the Eirann Bus Station. My writer/collaborator Geraldine Mills kindly picked me up and transported me to the Bed and Breakfast which was a very good thing because my luggage is heavy and by then it was raining. My Bed and Breakfast is called College Crest and a very nice young woman named Helena helped me to get the fickle wireless going. I took a cool to cold shower because the hot water was apparently not turned on--but it woke me up which is probably a good thing after only 2 hours of sleep last night. When the rain stops (yes, it always stops) I will force myself to walk into town knowing that it is best to get on Irish time as quickly as possible. The way to do that is to stay up and go to bed at a reasonable time. No promises. The town should be hopping with the arts festival. When we drove by the green (Eyre Square), there was a marching band. True Irish hospitality! I wish my luggage would lose some weight. I truly understand the benefits of traveling light because I didn't do it!

Where will I find the poetry in all of this? Will it be in the crowd of French schoolchildren sitting on their duffel bags in the bus terminal? Is it in the magenta blossoms in a window box I saw on my bus ride from Shannon to Galway? I can smell the sea from here; hear doors opening, traffic noises. The rain has slowed to drizzle and the sky is opening up. I will go outside and see what I can find.

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day I embark on my journey. I'll be flying into Dublin, then taking another plane to Shannon and a bus to Galway where I begin my adventure. The city of Galway will be abuzz with the Galway Arts Festival, a multi-day festival of theater, literature, music and dance. I'll be attending some performances--a Beckett play, a dance performance and perhaps a Shakespeare play. Galway is a modern city with a beautiful town green--Eyre Square. Everything is centered around the town square. The city is on Galway Bay. I will post pictures as I can.

As a writer, I look forward to returning to one of my favorite places. I can already hear the sounds, and imagine myself walking to a pub to hear some local music.

Seven Days to Go!

Only seven days and counting until my adventure in Ireland! I'm dreaming of dipping hills and rocky paths leading down to the sea, pubs and lively music, the Galway Arts Festival, and Geraldine's lovely poetry and company. It's an amazing opportunity to fly out of one life and into another--a totally different reality for a month. This opportunity is precious and fleeting. Please come along with me as I embark on a journey to write a collection of poetry with Irish poet and writer Geraldine Mills. We will hike in Connemara, walk by the sea, stay in a stone cottage, and take in the natural beauty of her home country. When I return, I will bring my collection of new ideas, like shells and beach glass, to my students to shimmer and transform the classroom into a place of wonder where imagination will take hold and sing in a clear, new voice.