Present Joys

Part of a series.

Early sunday morning, Karen and I woke early and piled in John’s car for a short early-morning hike through the wilderness camp that he and (aunt) Karen work to support, located just a few miles from their home, near the foot of the Comeragh Mountains. Even in deep autumn, the campgrounds were lovely. I can only imagine what a charming place this is during the growing season.

We headed home, switched into some nicer clothes, and drove another 45 minutes to the Beachy Amish Mennonite church in Dunmore East (the only such church in Ireland). After worship, John, Karen, Karen, and I had a lasagna lunch in the church’s multipurpose room (so we didn’t have to go all the way home just to eat!). After lunch, we drove through Dunmore East itself, a fishing village with an attractive harbor. John parked the car and we walked along the coast on a narrow but well-beaten path. What is it with the grass here? It’s literally like a trampoline. Like the grass has covered itself with protective cushion of grass. It’s literally emerald-colored, and the sky is sapphire, and it’s all wonderful.

We traced our way back home along the coast, stopping a few times to take in the sights and the. I’ve missed seeing great works of culture during our time in the Irish countryside, but the beauty of God’s creation here cannot be overstated. Back home, Karen made us hot soft pretzels, which we washed down with milk (by the way, plain old commodity milk here tastes grassy and buttery—nothing like the stuff back home). Tomorrow we bid adieu to our family and head to Dublin.

Part of a series.

Today was our most relaxed yet. It was a bit of a forced relaxation, since we are staying with Karen’s aunt and uncle in rural Ireland with no transportation. But we had a nice morning exploring Rathgormack, which isn’t much larger than the one street and the few buildings on it. We visited a nearby graveyard (the town’s “old graveyard”). Someone was clearly mowing the place, which must have been a tough job given the abundance of broken and out-of-place headstones. The odd thing about this graveyard wasn’t the old headstones—it was the fact that, given some of the new headstones, people were clearly still being buried there. Past and present in close and strangely beautiful quarters.

The shop that John and (aunt) Karen manage was having a “customer appreciation day” with a cookout and a little outdoor party, so Karen and I walked over there and visited for a while. I think all the village residents were out and about! We ate lunch at the party before hitting the road for a little outing with John and Karen.

They took us to Hook Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the world. We had a tour of the old structure (led by a guy named Jamie—one of the kindest and most gregarious people I’ve ever encountered) which consisted of a walk up the spiral staircase with stops on each floor. The view from near the top is spectacular.

And then the sun set. Wow, was this a whole day? Another sleepy ride home and another great time of visiting around John and Karen’s kitchen table. Then, sleep.

Part of a series.

We woke up in Glasgow and touched down in Dublin by 10 am, where we were met at the airport by Karen and John, my wife’s aunt and uncle. (Yes, the two Karens thing never stops being confusing.) It was wonderful to claim our bags, throw them in John’s trunk, and hop in their car. John and Karen, Amish Mennonites from Plain City, Ohio, have been living in Ireland for a little over a year now, working to support a number of Mennonite ministries in the country. What fun to have family members over here to take care of us and host us for a few days!

John and Karen wanted to grab coffee and discuss the day’s plans, so we stopped at the Dublin Ikea. It’s good to know that Ikea feels the exact same in Europe. Knock me unconscious, cover up all the €s with $s, and I’d think I was back home. Anyway, we had a leisurely time sipping our beverages and discussing plans. It’s only about a two-hour drive back to their place, but they had some things they wanted to show us on the way. From there, John took a scenic route through the Wicklow mountains, because he said he’d only seen them once and wanted another look. Landscapes in Scotland were mostly brown and grey, due to the autumnal-colored plants, but here in Ireland things were a bit greener. We stopped at a lookout spot with a breathtaking view of the valley below. Though it wasn’t a particularly cold day, the wind at the top of the mountain felt like it would blow us away.

Next, we stopped at the headquarters of Avoca Handweavers, the oldest working woolen mill in Ireland. This was a beautiful place—a functioning mill with machines whirring away. The production area, which consisted of two levels, was open to the public to just walk in and explore. We had a nice lunch at the café there.

From here, we drove for what felt like a very long time. I hadn’t been a backseat passenger in a car in a long time, and I guess this, combined with the twisty Irish roads and the lilt of John’s laid-back gear-shifting made me pretty sleepy. We next stopped in Kilkenny, because John and Karen wanted us to see the castle there. Sadly, it was by now already approaching sunset and the castle was closed for the day. Wait, what? It only takes two hours to get to your house from the Dublin airport—how did we use up the whole afternoon in the car already? John and Karen are fantastic—and so much calmer than I am. These next few days are going to be a great exercise in learning to relax. We had a great Thai dinner in Kilkenny then hit the road again, this time headed for home.

John and Karen live in the tiny village of Rathgormack, situated in an area John tells me is “about as rural as Ireland gets”. Their house, on the main road, is across the street from the Catholic church and just a few doors down from the village’s only store, which John and Karen manage. It’s all very picturesque. The four of us enjoyed a delightful time of conversation and hospitality around the dining room table before setting off to bed. Thanks to our hosts, this dark and sleepy Irish village feels more like home than anywhere else we’ve been on our trip.