Hello again! Day 2 and things are going fine. We went to Coole Park today just outside of Galway. It was the home of Lady Gregory, the phenomenal woman who founded the Irish National Theatre in Dublin with W. B. Yeats. It is the Abbey Theatre and we will be going to Playboy of the Western World there when we are in Dublin. Coole Park was gorgeous and so serene. She was an avid writer and I am looking forward to investing in many of her works when I get home. I have never read her. Her home was a landing ground for many literaries, though, including Yeats, George Barnard Shaw, and Sean O'Casey. She was great inspiration for all of them and helped them along immensely in their work. We walked a great distance throughout the park, which is very woodsy and just absolutely beautiful. Coole Lake is where we eventually ended up, a place where Whooper Swans migrate to in October and stay until March when they return to Iceland. We saw one, but she was sleeping far off in the distance. We read Yeats' poem "The Wild Swans at Coole" while standing near the lake as that is where his poem was inspired. It really was so neat. More stories there, but moving along!
Next was to Kilmacduagh, the remains of a monastery built somewhere between the 11th and 13th centuries. That was really beautiful. There is a round tower still standing there, which is unique to Irish monasteries. I believe it is one of the last.
Finally, we made it to Thoor Ballylee, the Irish name for Yeats' Tower. It is the tower where he lived with his wife and children. I touched the wall hoping that it would lead me to write lovely verse and with the idea that maybe, just maybe, he had touched that very wall also. There is a river that runs right up alongside one of the sides of the tower, and it is actually a river that connects to Coole Lake. We are sure he planned that so he could have Lady Gregory and her lake just at the other end of his home. They were such dear friends.
I love you all and need to get the pub! Ha! Many of us are going to do a bit of a pub crawl tonight to hopefully run into some traditional music. I walked by one pub last night where a band was playing "Sweet Home Alabama." Yikes. They found our worst music to cover here. I was a bit depressed by that influence to say the least. I loved reading all of your comments and Bob, I will do my best to find a piece of the Blarney stone, and Clare, I see your name EVERYWHERE and can't stop thinking about you because of it. Mom, my hat is adorable, Dad, the coffee seems similar to good coffee at home if that makes sense. Only Black Sheep could really compare. It is dark and thus, I have to drink it with some cream. Clarissa, I THINK OF YOU CONSTANTLY and have found the ring store you talked about! It is just down the street from our hotel (a really nice hotel, by the way). I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO SO MUCH and can't wait to be home to share everything with you. Tomorrow we are going to the Aran Islands which can only be reached by ferry across the Atlantic. It is bound to be cold, but I am really excited for it. I will try to update tomorrow or Monday. Tuesday we head to Sligo! Love love love love love,
Louisa