Sabbatical Report: Submitted to HR

Today I submitted the last two copies of my Sabbatical Report to the Vice President of Human Resources. What’s next is finishing the artwork I have started and prepare for an exhibit of the sabbatical artwork to be hung at the end of August. I, also, must prepare a presentation of my sabbatical experiences and the results of meeting its objectives. This will be presented to my fellow faculty during our fall seminar days at the end of August.

Sabbatical Report: Errors

Well, to date, I have located three errors in the typography of my printed Sabbatical Reports. The word “actual” appears instead of “actually”; the word “exhibited” appears instead of “exhibit”; and the work “at” appears instead of “a”. They are minor errors which could have been avoided if Shutterfly provided a grammar check as well as their spell check. Also, it would have been very helpful if there was a way to print out the pages in order to proof the text.

I understand why they are reluctant to allow printing of the pages for some individuals would print the pages and put them together in a binder instead of actually ordering the photo book. I tried proofing the text by taking screen shots of the pages of my photo book in the Slideshow mode and printing those. The results of this was blurry text – too blurry to accurately proof.

I have corrected the errors in case I decide to order more copies.

Sabbatical Report: DVD Enclosure

I created this label using an AI template that came with “NEATO” DVD labels I purchased from Office Max. I placed a JPEG of the digital painting shown on the cover of the sabbatical report into the AI template. I did this to help unify these separate elements of my report.

I had some difficulty deciding how to label the DVD – I resolved this by duplicating the text that appears in the introduction of the movie:

“a presentation of the artwork of Linda Rzoska with artist Doet Boersma”

And, of course, I had to add my name and information to tell the reader that this was an enclosure to my Sabbatical Report.

I purchased blue translucent plastic DVD sleeves at Office Max and adhered them to the inside back cover the the Sabbatical Report with double stick tape. After I burned the DVD’s and added the labels I inserted them into the plastic sleeves.

I have handed in one copy of the report to my Dean, Grant Chandler. The other two copies will go to the Vice President of Human Resources and the KVCC archives.

Sabbatical Report: Shutterfly Delivered

UPS delivered my  four Shutterfly Photo Book copies of my Sabbatical Report today. I am happy to say that they look pretty good. The type looks fine, the colors in the photographs and artwork are a little saturated but not bad, only one piece of  artwork printed too dark. Now I need to design a label for the DVD I will enclosed with the report. The DVD will be the short documentary I created of Doet Boersma’s critique of my exhibit in her gallery.

Sabbatical Report: Shutterfly Photo Book

SPECIFICATIONS AND PRODUCTION

 

My Shutterfly Photo Book "Sabbatical Report"

 

Click here to view this photo book larger

 

When I returned home from Ireland in May, I reviewed the Sabbatical Leave Contract that I had received from our Vice President of Human Resources and paid close attention to the following in item 21:

“A written report summarizing sabbatical leave activities shall be completed and submitted to the Vice President for Human Resources, your Dean and the Texas Township Archives within sixty (60) calendar days of return from such leave. The report shall include:

Original Statement of Purpose;

Objectives accomplished and activities performed;

Conclusion drawn from activities;

A summary of the manner in which any of the Criteria for a Sabbatical Leave Proposals were addressed.

 

I was surprised to see that the report was due sixty days after the return from my leave. This surprised me because when a colleague went on sabbatical leave in Winter 2000 she submitted her report sixty days after she returned to teaching in the Fall not at the end of the Winter semester. Because of this I contacted HR for clarification and was told that the report is, indeed, due sixty days after the end of my sabbatical semester. Obviously the due date had changed – so I immediately got to work.

I had decided that creating my sabbatical report as a photo book would be an appropriate way to showcase my experiences as well as the reference photography I had taken and the artwork that I produced. I decided to use Shutterfly to create the photo book because it provided more layout options. I’m pretty satisfied with what I was able to do with the exception of the typography. When using Shutterfly it is not possible to adjust the width or length of text boxes, there is no option for leading, and there is no bold, italic or underline option. Although there is a “spell check” there’s no way to print the text in order to proof it. There is a “preview” mode that will bring the text up in a small box so you can read it on the screen but the text itself looks bitmapped in this “preview” mode.

After proofing the typography to the best of my ability I sent in my order on June 3rd for four copies of the sabbatical report, one for HR, one for my Dean, one for the college’s archives, and one for myself. I hope I will not be disappointed with the results.

There is a link under the photo above that will take readers of this blog to a slideshow of the completed report. It reads “Click here to view this photo book larger” this is not my choice of words – Shutterfly supplies code to copy and paste into blogs in order to post user’s photo books. That phrase is dictated by the code –  so (please) excuse the awkward sentence structure. Although you can view the photo book, unfortunately, you won’t be able to read the copy in the report because of the scale of the pages but the photographs and artwork can be viewed relatively well. I will be posting the text of the report in a future blog entry.

Journal Entry: May 11th

MONDAY MAY 11, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

 FIRST CLASS SESSION: ANCIENT IRELAND & IRISH MYTHOLOGY

 

The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m.; I spent the early hours reviewing my lecture and presentation for today’s class. After I showered and dressed I went downstairs to make coffee for myself. As I was drinking my coffee I packed up my computer stuff and the presentation material for the day’s class. I was to walk to the house where Isaac and Tom were staying in order to be collected with them by Robert Wainwright for a lift to the college. I walked out of Meadowfield’s front door at 8:45 and arrived at my destination at 8:55.

The door was open so I walked in and found Isaac sipping on his morning coffee. Almost immediately Robert drove up and took a few minutes to come in and check to see if Isaac and Tom had any questions about the house. After some sorting out of how the timer for the central heating worked we were in Robert’s van heading to Orchard House to collect the students. We spent a few minutes at Orchard House while the students got themselves organized and in the vehicle. We arrived at the college a few minutes later.

We piled out of the van and Robert showed the students the computer lab then he went to retrieve the key for our classroom and bring us a flip chart and markers. While we waited to get the classroom in order I suggested that the students go to the café and get a cup of coffee or tea. When we had what we needed, I hooked up my laptop and tested it to make sure everything worked. Then I wrote a list of “vocabulary” words on the flip chart – I listed words that would be in the day’s lesson that the students may not be familiar with and/or words that were particularly significant. Today’s words included:

Drendrochronologist, Faerie Forts, Bronze Age, Tuatha De Danann, Cuchuliann, Queen Medb, Ulster, Connaght, Crannog, Hill Forts, Poulnabrone, Gleninsheen, Cathair na hYamham, An Rath, An Cathair Mohr and Cattle.

The class session started with a brief introduction and overview of the class; giving the agenda and objectives for the day. Then a short PowerPoint presentation, to introduce significant aspects of the day’s lesson, was shown. Some of the students were familiar with a few of the items in the presentation. Questions were asked and a short discussion followed.

Intro_09_001 (first presentation)

After the discussion a 50 minute PBS documentary video was shown “In Search of Ancient Ireland: Heroes” which is the first of a 3 part documentary series based on the book, “In Search of Ancient Ireland: The Origins of the Irish From Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English” by Carmel McCaffrey and Leo Eaton, Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2002. The video is a linear collection of interviews and live action sequences involving archaeologists, scientists, and current cultural events linked to the history and mythology of ancient Ireland. It consists of information regarding the coming of the first people to Ireland, after the last ice age in 10,000 B.C.E., through the arrival of Christianity and the Early Monastic Period. It also covers the ancient earth religion of Ireland, the Invasion Myths, as well as the importance of the mythical figures of Ireland’s folklore

When the video was over we had a lively question and answer period with Isaac and Tom contributing with explanations, then the students were given a short bathroom/coffee break. When the students returned a second PowerPoint presentation was used that served as a review of the significant aspects of the movie and how they related to the day’s field excursion. The students had many questions with insightful, relevant comments. At 12:00 the students were excused for their lunch break in the college café, during which the BCA Dean, Dr. Timothy Jones, welcomed them and laid down the ground rules for their stay at the college.

AncientIreland1_09 (second presentation: part 1)

AncientIreland 2_09 (second presentation: part 2)

After a half hour lunch the students were back in the classroom listening to a twenty-minute recording of “The Story of Cuchuliann” narrated by the Irish storyteller, Ronnie Drew. After the story there was a short discussion period then at 1:00 we headed to Robert’s van to be driven to the village. This is where we were to start our walking excursion to the three ring forts of Cathair na hYamham, An Rath and An Cathair Mohr. 

Robert drove us into Ballyvaughan to Meadowfield and let us all off. I went inside to drop off my computer and backpack and returned outside to join the group. The sun was shinning, the sky was blue and there was just a hint of a soft breeze – a perfect day for a long walk. I led the group down the main road for a short distance where we turned right to follow the country road that skirted Aillwee Mountain and that would eventually take us to our final destination of An Cathair Mohr. The students were carrying journals, pencils and pens with them to record their impressions of the landscape and the ring forts we would visit. Many of them had cameras and would stop and photograph things they found interesting. Our first ringfort to visit was Cathair na hYamhm, which stood in a farmer’s field. This is a ringfort that I was tempted to visit earlier this spring on my own, but never did. I had told Breada about it and she took it upon herself to ask around the farming community and found that it would be OK to visit as long as no one did any damage to the field or the gate. I was told that the farmer of this field was growing hay so we should all walk in single file so we would not trample a large area of vegetation.

After about a half an hour of walking we all could see Cathair na hYamham from the road. We walked until we came to the gate, went through, and then made sure that the gate was securely bolted shut before we went on. I led the students through the field toward the ringfort; it was on higher ground than the road so we were walking on a slight incline.

Cathair na hYamham seen from the backroad

Irish folklore claims that ringforts are “faerie forts” and imbued with magic causing believers in the faeries not to alter or meddle with them. This and the Irish reverence for ancient places contributes to why this ancient ringfort (as well as many others) has stood untouched all these years among valuable farm acreage. The early pre-Celtic inhabitants of Ireland known as the Tuatha Dé Danann came to be seen as mythical figures and eventually became the faerie people who ruled the spiritual part of Ireland that existed underground. Faerie forts and portal tombs like the Burren’s Poulnabrone Portal Tomb were seen as entrances to their world. Cutting brush, especially the whitethorn on faerie forts was reputed to be the death of those who performed the act. Throughout my many visits to the Burren I have heard several stories about supernatural events happening at faerie forts. This knowledge made the visit to this isolated ringfort a very special event for me.

For a more unromantic view “The Burren – A Ramblers Guide & Map, Ballyvaughan says this about ringforts:

 “The evidence of Celtic habitation in the Burren is found in the literally hundreds of ring-forts in the area. The term “ringfort” is used as a general name for a protected enclosure where a farmer and his family lived where he may also have kept his domestic animals. Typically a ring-fort consists of a circular enclosure, surrounded either by a dry-stone wall or earthern banks and ditches, possibly surmounted by a timber palisade. Depending on rank and status, a ring-fort might be surrounded by several banks and ditches. A causeway interrupts the banks and provides a way into the enclosure, the entrance being secured by a gate. Within the enclosure there might be one or more buildings, for dwelling purposes and protection of livestock. The great majority of ring-forts in the Burren are constructed from stone, although earthern ring-forts also much in evidence.”

We entered Cathair na hYamham by stepping over a low area of its circular stone wall. Upon passing this threshold we immediately entered into a different world. Where outside there were wide expanses of green fields in bright sunshine; here there was a sheltered, softly lit hazel woodland. This is certainly a place I would have loved as a child – a true secret place. The students took their time wandering and investigating the interior, stopping to take photographs and taking out their journals to record the name of this place and their own thoughts and reactions. 

The students were reluctant to leave Cathair na hYamham but knowing that we had two other ringforts yet to see they cheerfully agreed to continue on our day’s journey. We walked another 3/4 of a mile past the entrance to Aillwee Cave to the main road, R480 toward our destination of An Rath. The day was warm and sunny; our walk took us by a rural landscape of rolling pasture areas filled with cattle, sheep and horses on one side of the road and the limestone expanse of Aillwee Mountain on the other. The students commented on their observation that Irish cattle seem much more comfortable with humans and more inquisitive than their counterparts in the U.S. Many times the cattle would look up to watch the students walking on the road – sometimes moving closer to ensure a good thorough inspection.

 

Student walking excursion to the ringforts.

An Rath is an earthern ring-fort – today it is place of many large and interesting deciduous trees. The trees have grown out of the earthen enclosure itself  – their roots growing in such a way to create step like features on the steep earthen mound. There are also several large trees in the interior of the ring-fort. 

Trees growing out of the earthen wall of An Rath.

 

Standing inside the earthen ringfort of An Rath.

After our time at An Rath, we followed R480 southwest another 3/8 of a mile to the stone ring-fort of An Cathair Mohr. This ring-fort is tucked in away from the road and can easily be missed. There is a plaque planted in the ground before the entrance to the ring-fort giving some history of the structure telling us that the fort dates from 500 C.E. I find An Cathair Mohr very impressive with its gateway of stone. As you enter this ring-fort you get a breathtaking view of the valley below. One can see all the way to Newtown Castle and the village of Ballyvaughan on the sea. The enclosure of the ring-fort where the interior buildings once stood has overgrown with bushes and shrubs. Many of the students climbed up on the interior stone ring to get a better view of the surrounding landscape and saw the other concentric circular stonewalls below surrounding the fort that served the purpose of keeping domestic animals.

Interior wall of An Cathair Mohr

Once, when I visited this area alone during my stay in the Burren in 2002 I used Tim Robinson’s map, The Burren, Folding Landscapes to attempt to locate and visit  a holy well that is near this fort. The holy well was marked as further southwest along R480 on a ragged cliff face. I walked up and down the edge of the road searching the cliff below me for any signs of the well. I soon realized that to really make a serious effort at the search I would have to climb below and maneuver among the sharp and jagged landscape. Recalling the advice I give to my students of not climbing the rocks of the Burren without someone near in case a resulting twisted ankle or worse, I had the good sense to postpone my search until another time.  

Journal Entry: May 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th

SUNDAY MAY 10, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN BURREN IN BLOOM, DAWN CHORUS WALK

My alarm rang at 4:00 am for the “Burren in Bloom” Dawn Chorus Walk with Gordon D’Arcy. We were to meet at the Spar and start our walk from there to Lough Rask. Breada and I were the first to arrive.  Jim had coffee and tea for everyone set out on the picnic tables in front of the Spar, he also had scones for us. At about 5:30 Gordon introduced himself and told us a little about the birds in and around the Burren; then we started out. As we all walked down the road I was grateful that the sky was clear and the wind from the previous days had blown itself out. The air was very still and loud with birdsong. Gordon D’Arcy led us along the road to Lough Rask, stopping frequently to listen to a particular bird song and to relay information regarding the habits of the bird that was singing. Gordon pointed out the songs and calls of the Sparrow, Wren, Tit, Robin, and Cuckoo.

A woman named Dory, who is in her 80’s, owns the property surrounding Lough Rask. As we approached her house she came out to join us for the walk around the little lake. We stopped and waited for her to walk over to us – she came equipped with a walking stick, her wellies and her dog. Everyone seemed to know her and her them, as we walked she made comments about the beauty of the place. The sun rose while we were at Lough Rask and there was a beautiful mist hovering over the water. As we approached the misty lake, Gordon asked Jim Hyland to tell us the legend of Lough Rask. During our walk we all saw one of the four Grey Heron’s nesting at Lough Rask flying low overhead, Dory told us that at one time there were 17 Heron nests at Lough Rask.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE MIDWEST INSTITUTE STUDY-TRIP GROUP

After the Dawn Chorus Walk I had a cup of coffee at Meadowfield then walked over to meet Isaac and Tom. They were to be staying in a house that is owned by Mary Hawkes Greene’s mother-in-law. I have stayed in this house many times and have always found the setting beautiful and peaceful. I left Meadowfield around 8:00 am and arrived at the house before Isaac and Tom did. I took this opportunity to enjoy the beauty and the quietness of the place. I was not surprised to see that a turlough was in the field in front of the house, I could see the blue sky and green foliage reflected on the surface of the water. Soon Anna Downes drove up with Isaac and Tom. They moved their luggage from Anna’s car into the house. Before Anna drove off she briefed Isaac on all the necessities of the house, like using the stove, turning on the heat, and the keys to the house.

Anna had left us with fresh scones so Isaac made some tea and coffee and I listened to the report of their journey to the Burren while enjoying a scone and a cup of coffee. We spent the early part of the morning talking about the itinerary of this year’s study-trip and the dynamics of the student group. When we were certain that the time had come for the Tea Junction in Ballyvaughan to be open (around 11:00) the three of us walked into the village for a late breakfast. It was a lovely morning and I was glad that the weather was so fine for the group’s arrival. As we entered the Tea Junction, Jill welcomed us by declaring “I know that voice” referring to the voice of Tom Hughes. Isaac and Tom exchanged pleasantries with Jill while we found a table. We ordered our breakfast and when it arrived both Isaac and Tom commented on how they had missed the breakfast sausage and that it was the best sausage ever. I certainly agree with them about that.

Over breakfast I was told that I was to give the first lecture and presentation on ancient Ireland and its mythology for the first class, which was tomorrow. So, after we finished eating I walked back to Meadowfield and spent the afternoon preparing for the lecture and putting together a presentation for the students. I, also, spent part of the day organizing my stuff and doing some pre-packing for my flight home on Tuesday.

Isaac, Tom and I had arranged to meet at Logue’s Lodge for supper at 7:30 so I could meet the students. When I arrived at Logue’s about half of the students were there, Isaac introduced me to them. Shortly after three other students arrived, they introduced themselves to me. They told us that two of the students would not be coming down for this dinner get-together. We had a lovely time, the students all enjoyed their dinners, and Tom treated us all to cake for dessert. One of the students told us that they had been in Hyland’s earlier and heard that they were having traditional Irish music there this evening. So, of course, after we finished our cake and paid our bills we walked down the street to Hyland’s.

In Hyland’s we gathered around the fireplace in the bar, ordered drinks and waited for the musicians to arrive. Soon two young men entered, one with a mandolin and the other with a fiddle. They sat at a corner table near where we were sitting. They played Irish reels and jigs and each time they finished a set the students would make some sort of verbal recognition of appreciation. After a few sets the musicians started talking with the students asking where they were from. After hearing that they were from Kalamazoo the fiddler told us that he had been in Kalamazoo and had played at the Kratbrau. The students loved this.

Watching and listening to the young man play his fiddle made me recall that during the 2001 study-trip to the Burren I had it in my mind that I wanted to try to learn the Irish fiddle. My students got wind of that fact and they pooled their money and purchased an inexpensive fiddle that a Ballyvaughan music shop had for sale. I was taken-back by their thoughtfulness and generosity but mostly for their confidence that I could really learn to play. When arriving back to the U.S. I signed up for fiddle lessons, in a Kalamazoo music shop, and learned to play some nice (though simple) tunes. I did my fair share of providing a lot of squeaks and squawks while learning – my husband and daughter requesting that I only practice when I was home alone.

After receiving the fiddle from my students I visited the same Ballyvaughan music establishment and purchased 2 fiddle books,  “The Irish Fiddle Book” by Matt Cranitch,  Ossian Publications, Cork, Ireland  1996. and “English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tune” by Robin Williamson, Oak Publications, New York, 1976. Both of which are a great source of tunes and fiddle methods. In his book, Robin Williamson includes these thoughts about Irish music that I found insightful:

“(it is) all the anguish of the Celtic soul, continually at war with reality”

“The fact is that styles of music and culture have tended to be cyclical. These old tunes of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland just seem to get more and more magical to me. An old song tends to date itself through its language and mode of thought (and that can often be the charm of it), but the old tunes branch on and blossom, There is a spell on them to make the hearer tap his foot and smile and hop about. The best of them have a thread of sadness and wisdom woven through the patterning.”

“The music is staggeringly hones. It is the testimony of all the unknown players who loved and died by it. It’s an acorn that will grow another forest yet.

These words ring so true to me—when I think back to when I was around 12 years old and teaching myself the guitar, my inner soul was soothed by “I Gave My Love a Cherry”, “Aura Lee”, “A Poor Wayfarying Stranger” and “Greensleeves.” I preferred to play these songs over the popular songs of the day. Can it be that the roots of these songs spoke to some ancient part of my being and comforted it? I certainly found comfort and security playing these songs over and over again.

I have found that the music of Ireland tells Ireland’s story to me in a way that no book or storyteller can. From its most ancient songs to the songs that my new friend Daithi O’Dronai composes and plays there is an underlying thread that tugs at my soul. During my visits to Ireland I have purchased a guitar in Ennis, a mandolin in Dublin and a mandola in Galway. Breada keeps the guitar at Meadowfield for me so I have an instrument to play when I’m in the Burren. The mandolin and the mandola are kept at home in Kalamazoo with my other guitars and my lap harp. I see music as a powerful form of communication and it  has always been a very large part of my life. Even though I was enjoying the music and didn’t want to leave it behind, I left Hylands at 11:00 because I felt I should review my lecture and presentation before tomorrow’s class. I walked home in the quiet darkness – the stars were burning brightly. I stopped and leaned up against the stonewall to look at them.

 

SATURDAY MAY 9, 2009: BALYVAUGHAN

I saw Joe and Rosalie off on their journey to County Mayo. I spent the morning in the studio and caught the coach into Galway in the afternoon, where I got Euros to pay Breada and bought some gifts for home.

 

FRIDAY MAY 8, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

TOUR OF THE BURREN FOR THE NOVARA’S

Holy Well of the Holy Cross at Gleninagh

 

Again it was a very windy. Today was Joe and Rosalie’s last day on the Burren landscape for they were driving to County Mayo the next morning. I offered to take them on a little tour of some Burren sights that had not yet seen. We managed to visit Gleninagh and see the castle and the Holy Well, Corcomroe Abbey, An Rath, An Cathair Mohr, the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, and the Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb. I enjoyed the time I spent showing them these places, it is always fun to share things with people who are genuinely interested. The weather was a little weird – it happened to hail on us twice only to be followed by sunshine. Below is an except from my journal that recorded my first visit to the Holy Well of the Holy Cross at Gleninagh in 2000:

Near Gleninagh Castle, one of the many tower houses of the O’Lochlainn family , is the “Holy Well of the Holy Cross”. I hiked there on a very pleasant day from my cottage on Galway Bay. I stopped at the well and settled on a stone seat nearby and unpacked my lunch from my backpack. It was a glorious day and I was there all alone. I enjoyed the solitude while I ate and afterwards tossed some pieces of bread and poured water from my water bottle on the earth as a thank you offering and a gesture of respect for that ancient place.

I had been told that this well was known for the healing of warts. I had no warts but I felt I could use the blessing of holy waters. The entrance of the well was a stone arch, I knelt down to position myself at the entrance and leaned inside. There I saw a ledge that was a type of altar—on it I saw many half burned candles, a small statue of the Virgin Mary, a small portrait of Christ, and many dried wildflowers—offerings from past visitors. In the water of the well there were many coins. I reached down into the water of this holy well and touched the water and blessed myself with the sign of the cross. I sat there, I don’t know how long, thinking of the many people throughout the ages that have come to this well for it healing powers and to give thanks.

Rosalie and Joe Novara at Gleninagh

Joe Novara on the Gleninagh shoreline

After we left Gleninagh we passed through Ballyvaughan, past Muckinish Castle and  Bell Harbor to Corcomroe Abbey. The Abbey of Corcomroe is an 11th century Cistercian Abbey.  On a visit to Corcomroe in 2001 I had the good fortune to be guided by the Irish historian and lecturer Michael Mac Mahon. In his book, “On a Fertile Rock, The Cistercian Abbey of Corcomroe”, Kincora Books, Corofin, Co, Clare 2000, Mac Mahon writes about a battle fought near Corcomroe in 1268 between the O’Brien King and the O’Lochlainn King:

“Conor Na Siudaine O’Brien king of Thomond, was surprised by Conor Carrah O’Lochlainn and slain together with many of his followers. In deference to his close kinship with the abbey’s founder and to his own royal status Conor’s body was retrieved from the battlefield by the monks.

“O’Brien’s tomb occupies a specially designed arched recess in the left-hand side of the sanctuary. Lying above the tomb is an approximately life-size effigy of the dead king carved in limestone. The body is clothed in a pleated tunic extending below his knees. A scepter is held in the right hand and the left touches an object suspended around the neck. The effigy is of great interest as it is one of the very few contemporary representations of an Irish chieftain.”

 

Looking toward the alter of Corcomroe Abbey

Tomb of Conor O'Brien in Corcomroe Abbey

When we arrived at Corcomroe we were its only visitors. We walked through the abbey ruins thinking about what it may have looked like in the 11th century and about the monks who had worked and lived there. We walked around the grounds looking at grave stones and managed to find the well that the monks used for their water source. The sun was warm and we stood within the grounds of the Abbey lost in conversation inspired by our visit. Corcomroe Abbey is, indeed, an inspirational place it is mentioned in this portion of W.B. Yeats poem “The Dreaming of the Bones”:

 “The little narrow trodden way that runs

From the white road to the abbey of Corcomroe

Is covered up; and all about the hills

Are like a circle of agate or of jade.

Somewhere among great rocks on the scarce grass

Birds cry, they cry their loneliness,

Even the sunshine can be lonely here,

Even hot noon is lonely.”

The late Irish poet and philosopher, John  O’Donohue includes Corcomroe in is poem “The Burren Prayer” in his book “Conamara Blues”  Doubleday, London 2000:

“Oremus

Maria de Petra Fertilis (Mary of the Fertile Rock)

May the praise of rain on stone

Recall the child lost in the heart’s catacomb.

May the light that turns the limestone white

Remind us that our solitude is bright.

May the arrival of gentians in their blue surprise

Bring glimpses of delight to our eyes.

May the wells that dream in the stone

Soothe the eternal that sleeps in our bone.

May the contemplative mind of the mountain

Assure us that nothing is lost or forgotten.

May the antiphon of ocean on stone

Guide the waves of loneliness home.

May the spirits who dwell in the ruin of Corcomroe

Lead our heart to the one who is beautiful to know.

Go maire na mairbh agus a mbrionglodi (May the departed and their dreams ever dwell)

I bhfoscadh chaoin dilis na Trinoide (In the kind and faithful shelter of the Trinity).”

We soon found that we were getting a little hungry so we stopped for lunch at Logue’s Lodge in Ballyvaughan and then drove on to the ringfort of An Rath and An Cathair Mohr. It was during our visits to these places that the sky opened up and hail fell, once at An Rath and again during our time at An Cathair Mohr (curious). During the last little hail storm we headed for the car and Joe drove us through the Burren’s limestone hills to visit the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb. This tomb is the most ancient structure in the Burren  - the information below regarding this portal tomb is from “The Book of the Burren”, Feehan, John et al, Tir Eolas 1991:

“The megalithic or great stone tombs are the most visible testimony to extensive early prehistoric activity. Over seventy tombs occur in the Burren, over half the total of County Clare. A few Portal Tombs and Court Tombs may represent the earliest monuments from about 3800 B.C.E.

“Portal Tombs (like Poulnabrone) usually have two imposing portals or entrance stones flanking the front of a relatively small rectangular or sub-rectangular chamber. The capstone, which sometimes rest just on the end stone and on the portal stones, is often very large. Four such monuments occur in County Clare…one situated in the very heart of the Burren at Poulnabrone.

“This striking tomb was excavated by Dr. Ann Lynch of the Office of Public Works in 1986. The excavation found the disarticulated and fragmented remains of between 16 and 22 adults and 6 juveniles, including a new born baby. From her findings Dr. Lynch concluded: “The number of individuals interred at Poulnabrone can hardly represent a Neolithic community, so we must regard the tomb as a place for special dead.”

“Some of the human bones from Poulnabrone were submitted for radiocarbon dating and the results suggest that burials took place there between 3800 and 3100 B.C.E.”

Poulnabrone Portal Tomb

The author Jean Markale is his book “The Epics of Celtic Ireland, Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic”  Inner Traditions International, Vermont, 2000 tells us that:

“ it was the Tuatha Da Danann who constructed the Megaliths.”

According to Markale Tuatha Da Danann lived in Ireland during the second millennium B.C.E. and during the Bronze Age until the dawn of the first iron civilization. If Markale is correct it may be the Tuatha Da Danann who  constructed Poulnabrone Portal Tomb. Could it be that I have rested my hands on a structure that was (possibly) built by the Tuatha Da Danann?

The ancient epics of Ireland tell us the race of the Tuatha Da Danann agreed to divide Ireland with the invading Sons of Mil – otherwise known as the Celts. The Tuatha Da Danann would rule the spiritual realm of Ireland while the Celt ruled the physical realm.

“The Tuatha Da Danann would have the underground realm of burial mounds and megaliths as well as supremacy over the remote islands”  (Markale).

Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb

On our drive back from visiting the portal tomb we stopped in an area of the Burren named Gleninsheen to see the Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb. Wedge tombs like this one were being constructed on the Burren about 1000 years after the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb was built. As we looked over the limestone pavement around this tomb I recalled that it was here that a Burren farmer, Paddy Nolan, found the Gleninsheen Collar. This is a version of the famous story found in “The Book of the Bureen”, Feehan, John et al, Tir Eolas 1991”

“The most extraordinary piece of evidence for a late Bronze Age presence, c. 700 B.C.E., comes from the townland of Gleninsheen. This famous gold collar or gorget was found by accident in 1932 and its preservation is due in great measure to D.F. Gleeson who published the following account in 1934:

“On 17th January, 1932, when rabbit shooting at Gleninsheen, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, a young man named Patrick Nolan, who resides there, told me he had found a “queer looking thing” some time ago and asked if I would care to see it. He said his uncle was of the opinion that it was part of an ancient coffin mounting, and told him not to keep it in the house. He then took the gorget out from behind a wall on the rocky passage to the road from his house,

“Dr. Mahr, Keeper of Irish Antiquities came to Ennis and took charge of the gorget which is now in the Museum. He and I inspected the site were it was originally discovered, It was in a  fissure near the base of one of the typical rock formations which abound in the Burren . . . it was apparently hidden there, as it was pushed as far as possible into a very narrow fissure, and a than flat stone flake was wedged in front of it. It was pure chance that Nolan looked in the fissure, as his dog had “set” a rabbit in the cavity between the rock and the adjoining one.”

Gleninsheen Collar, 700 B.C.E.

 

I have had the pleasure of seeing the Gleninsheen Collar in the Museum in Dublin but there is, also, a stunning replica of it in the Burren Display Center nearby in Kilfenora. The impressive exhibit in the Burren Display Center shows this collar being worn by a Bronze Age man of the Burren area.

We returned back to Meadowfield around 5:30 and met some Meadowfield B & B guests that were visiting Ireland from Boston. They were planning on staying overnight in Ballyvaughan then driving to Dingle the next day. After meeting them I walked to the Spar to buy something for my dinner. When I returned David, Breada’s nephew, was visiting. We sat in the sitting room and I told him of Isaac’s arrival on the upcoming Sunday, I explained that Isaac was involved in music and plays in a couple of bands. David suggested that he and Isaac plan on getting together for a session in his recording studio. I was a little jealous, because it sounded like fun and I would be back home by then.

The evening was spent doing laundry and sitting by the fire and hearing stories about early life up on the mountain.

 

THURSDAY MAY 7, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

I awoke again to a very windy day. I was up and in the kitchen drinking my first cup of coffee when Joe and Rosalie came for breakfast. I joined them at the table and we talked of things to see and do in the Burren with Breada. The conversation turned to the subject of John O’Donohue and his book Anam Cara. After breakfast I brought my DVD of the Anam Cara video down from the studio and Joe, Rosalie and I watched it. We spent some time discussing the content of the video with Joe asking where he could purchase this DVD. I told him I found it in Galway at Charlie Byrnes Bookstore – Joe planned on stopping in Galway to look for it when they passed through on the way to County Mayo. Around noon Joe and Rosalie went off for the day for a drive on the coastal road to visit Blackhead, Fanore, Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher. They planned to return to Ballyvaughan in time to drive to Kilfenora for the ceili at Vaughan’s Pub.

I spent the day working on artwork, reading and writing notes. When Joe and Rosalie came back from their day’s excursion they told Breada and I all about it. They had enjoyed themselves despite the day’s cool windy weather. Rosalie decided to rest a little and Joe and I went to the village to get something for dinner.  Around 9:15 we left Ballyvaughan to drive to the ceili in Kilfenora. As we rode over the landscape of the Burren a beautiful full moon lit the sky while we drove through Glenisheen and Poulnabrone on our way to the ceili.

When we arrived at Vaughan’s Pub the first dance set was in progress. We each paid the 5-euro cover charge. I went to the bar and ordered a pint of Guinness and Joe ordered drinks for himself and Rosalie. Soon we found a place to sit so we could watch the dancing. The students and faculty visiting from Kentucky were, also, there. I found out from one of the faculty members that they had come to have dance lessons prior to the beginning of the ceili. The students made good use of the lessons for many of the female students were out on the floor.

I had an opportunity at the ceili to talk with one of the male Kentucky students who told me that he was writing poetry for his project for his class. He said that they were scheduled to fly out on the following Saturday and regretted having to leave. He said he just wasn’t ready. The Kentucky group had a four-week class, the first two weeks in the Burren and the second two weeks back at their school in Lexington.

The ceili went on to about 12:45, we left the Pub with the others but found that the road on the drive home to be empty. It was very dark on the drive home, soon after we returned home to Meadowfield a rainstorm came in from the sea. I fell asleep listening to the rain.

Journal Entry: May 4th, 5th and 6th

WEDNESDAY MAY 6, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

This morning Meadowfield’s doorbell rang around 8:00 a.m.; Joe and Rosalie Novara had arrived from Shannon airport after their overnight flight from the U.S. They had rented a car and Joe had drove from Shannon to Ballyvaughan. Breada made tea and coffee and served them a light breakfast. I welcomed them to Ireland and joined them for coffee where we discussed their flight and drive to Ballyvaughan. When they had finished their breakfast we agreed to lunch together in the early afternoon. They, then, retired to their room in order to catch a few hours sleep.

I took my cup of coffee and went to the studio and worked throughout the morning until the early afternoon. Around 1:00 Joe and Rosalie were rested and ready to walk to the village for lunch, I took them to Logue’s Lodge. We entered Logue’s and walked to the back of the restaurant to the large dining area. We chose a table near the bar at a window. We were the only guests there but soon a crowd arrived and I realized by their dress and the amount of children with them, that they were celebrating the Confirmation that had taking place earlier. It was a lively crowd.

Joe asked me to show them the Burren College of Art – so, after lunch, we rode out to the college in their rental car. There were no students about when we arrived and the café was not open. The wind was still blowing fiercely and made great howling noises as it whipped around the college buildings. I looked at the sky and saw dark clouds moving over the mountains. I led them into the gallery space of my exhibit and set up my computer so that they could check their e-mail. While they were doing this I went to the reception office and talked with Anna Downes. When I returned to the gallery I asked Joe and Rosalie if they would like a little tour of BCA. Newtown Castle was open, which we visited, I relayed the background of the college and the restoration of the castle. I told them of Michael Greene and the story he told me the first time I visited in 2000 about the gold buried up on Cappanawalla Mountain.

The BCA Library was opened so we visited there, as well. I pointed out their reproduction of the Book of Kells. Joe and Rosalie looked around while, Deborah, the librarian helped me locate a copy of Moya Cannon’s book of poetry “Oar”, which I checked out. She, also, helped Rosalie do some research regarding her namesake from Donegal.

Before we left the college I took them in to see the BCA student exhibit. When we entered, we discovered that some sort of workshop was taking place there – but at this time the only evidence of that were empty chairs and left-behind books and notebooks. We walked through the exhibit and when we were nearly finished looking, the workshop participants returned and started taking their seats. Martin Hawkes spotted us and gave us a friendly wave; I smiled and waved back and led Joe and Rosalie out of the building. We drove back to Meadowfield where we agreed to go together to Greene’s Pub that evening for the traditional music session.

Greene's Pub, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, Ireland

I spent the rest of the day in the studio breaking away to make a sandwich for dinner. Joe, Rosalie and I walked from Meadowfield to Greene’s Pub around 9:30 p.m. When we entered we found the pub populated with a handful of locals and two professors and two students from the Kentucky group. I greeted Marie and I asked for a glass of wine. After Joe and Rosalie got their beverages, Marie suggested that we sit at the table next to where the musicians would be so we could have a better view. We sat near the Kentucky group; I looked around the pub and saw that Beanie and Martin were sitting at the bar. Soon Sean Tyrrell and two other musicians came in, Sean had his banjo and bouzouki and the other musicians had a guitar and a concertina.

The musicians started with instrumentals with Sean Tyrrell leading them. Soon the guitar player started singing songs. Sean Tyrrell sang two or three songs then left Greene’s around midnight. When Sean departed the Kentucky group left Greene’s, as well. The evening was unlike other sessions I have been to at Greene’s for Marie’s brother-in-law sang two lovely, melancholy songs, Marie sat with the musicians and had a whiskey, and there was a sing along of various songs like “Stand By Your Man” and some American folk songs that the locals all knew but that Joe, and Rosalie and I had never heard of. It was an especially fun evening, the concertina player talked with us a lot and the guitar player talked with us about his upcoming travels to the U.S., and Joe sang two songs. Marie let things go on until she closed up at 2:00 a.m.

 

TUESDAY MAY 5, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

 A VISIT TO THE KEANE’S FAMILY HOME

Another dark and very windy day. I worked in the studio in the morning, Mary, Breada’s sister-in-law drove down to collect me to take me up to Lismacteige on Cappanawalla Mountain to the home of Mrs. Keane (Breada’s mother) for a visit. The day was very cool and a hard wind was blowing, I had hoped that the weather would clear so I could walk up to Lismacteige, but was grateful that Mary came to take me up when the weather turned out not to be conducive for such a long walk.

Mary, her husband Michael Keane and their three children live in Limerick but have a house in Ballyvaughan and try to visit every weekend. The children were off of school for the week and Mary and her family were spending the time in their house up on the mountain. Michael built their house so it attaches to the back of the original Keane thatched home. Breada’s Mother lives in the original home – the Keane family has lived here and worked the Burren land for 190 years.

We drove up around Cappanawalla Mountain past both the ruins of Glenaraha and Rathborney and on about another mile where we turned right to follow the road to the Keane house. As we approached, I saw that the house was a traditional, one-story, whitewashed thatched home. The small windows were trimmed with red and there were close cropped shrubs and tubs of flowers near the front door. I got out of the car and walked up to the half door where Mrs. Keane greeted me with a warm welcome and a smiling face.

When I entered the house I saw that I was in a rather large room, which Mrs. Keane referred to as her kitchen. She asked me to sit with her; I seated myself on one of the leather chairs that flanked each side of the fireplace. Facing the fireplace was a dark leather sofa full of colorful pillows with a black cat stretched out on it. The walls of this room were whitewashed stone and plaster; overhead was the underside of the thatched roof, the floor was black slate. There were framed black & white family photographs on the walls with a framed picture of the Sacred Heart and a framed picture of Pope John Paul II. Along the inside of the thatch, running right above the plastered wall was a row of small dark wooden crosses. The crosses were so tightly spaced that most of them touched one another, this horizontal row ran the length of the room. To my right was a worn dark wooden dresser holding delft dishes and a variety of mugs. Across the room was a wooden table and chairs with a colorful cloth over the table. The only light in the room was from the fire and the natural light coming through small windows. The windows were hung with white lace.

Mrs. Keane told me about the house – there were four rooms: a kitchen, a parlor and two bedrooms. She explained how she had cooked on the fire of this fireplace for most of her married life. She showed me the hardware that was built into the fireplace that enabled her to bake bread, and make stews and soups, etc. Recently, her son, Michael, had installed a small wood stove into the mouth of the fireplace to increase its efficiency. He had taken great pains not to destroy any of its original integrity. All of the original cooking hardware was still there, as well as the two “hobs” (seats) on either side of the fire itself.

I looked around carefully, trying to memorize the interior of this lovely place. I purposely did not take any photographs because I thought the flash would destroy the soft light inside the room that was now conveying the history of this house so well. There was an atmosphere here that no “point and shoot” camera could record. The following words of John O’Donohue helps to describe my meaning here:

The soul was never meant to be seen completely. It is more at home in a light that is hospitable to shadow. Before electricity, people used candlelight at night. The ideal light to befriend the darkness, it gently opens up caverns in the darkness and prompts the imagination into activity. The candle allows the darkness to keep its secrets . . . Candlelight perception is the most respectful and appropriate form of light with which to approach the inner world. It does not force our tormented transparency upon the mystery. The glimpse is sufficient. Candlelight perception has the finesse and reverence appropriate to the mystery and autonomy of soul. JOHN O’DONOHUE, ANAM CARA

I visited with Mrs. Keane for several hours while she spoke of what she referred to as the “early times”. She and her husband, P.J., raised their 5 children in this small home. When the children were young there was no running water, no electricity and no bathroom. Breada, who is now in her early 40’s, was fourteen when electricity was available on Cappanawalla Mountain. We spent several hours in conversation; when Mrs. Keane showed signs of tiring I knew it was time for me to go. Mary drove me down the mountain to the gallery at the Burren College of Art where my exhibit was showing. 

It was around 4:00 when I unlocked the doors of the gallery, I unpacked my computer and checked e-mail and worked on my sabbatical blog. I was killing time waiting until the evening’s “Burren in Bloom” lecture started.

 

Breada Keane Moran at my exhibit at the Burren College of Art

Breada came visiting at around 5:30 and brought me some chips for my dinner. While she was in the gallery the students and faculty visiting BCA from Kentucky came in to look at the artwork and ask questions. The group was very friendly and had questions about the digital painting process and my drawing technique. Soon it was time for the evenings lecture to start, tonight’s topic was The Burren: a landscape molded by ice. An Oxford lecturer, Dr. Helen Goldie, gave the lecture.

 

MONDAY MAY 4, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

This was the last day of the Bank Holiday – the weather was cool, dark and very windy. I worked all day in the studio writing and reading. Breada’s nephews, Rohan and Richie, came to visit for the day.

Journal Entry: Sunday, May 3rd

SUNDAY MAY 3, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

 ST. MAC DUAGH’S HERMITAGE AT KEELHILLA

Today was the day that I was to meet Sheena Meagher for an excursion to St. Colman Mac Duagh’s Hermitage at Keelhilla. We arranged for her to collect me in Ballyvaughan at the Spar at 1:00. I arrived at the Spar early so I could purchase a sandwich at their deli for my lunch. It was lightly raining while I was in the Spar, but it soon stopped and the sun came out. I ate my sandwich in the little terrace area in front of the Spar. When I finished, I still had some time before Sheena was to come by so I went into the village shop just behind the Spar and purchased the John O’Donohue book, Eternal Echos, Great Britain: Bantam Books, 1998. I sat in the sunshine and read from it while I waited for Sheena.

She soon arrived and our first stop was the petrol station. After the car was fueled up she got out the map to find the best way to get to our destination. We drove out of Ballyvaughan on the Galway road, soon we passed Muckinish Castle – Sheena pulled off the road to do some photography. I took this opportunity to photography the Battle Field of Suidaine where Conor O’Brien was killed in 1268. A stone effigy of Conor O’Brien is in Corcomroe – it is said that the monks of Corcomroe came into the battlefield and brought his body back to the monastery to be buried.

 

Location of the Battle of Suidaine of 1268

 

We drove on through New Quay and Bell Harbor. We followed the signs to the Burren Perfumery and stopped. We, again, took the map out to check our bearings and were off down the road to Keelhilla. John M. Feehan describes this drive in his book The Secret Places of the Burren. Ballinlough, Cork: Royal Carberry Books, 1987.

“As you continue on your journey along this road which twists and turns, rises and falls, you are really in another secret place of the Burren. Sometimes you drive through a glacial valley, hemmed in on all sides, other times the hazel seems to close around you like a tunnel of trees, other times there is nothing around you but the bare desolate landscape of the Burren. On this road I have often had the feeling that the landscape itself was in some way alive and moving. Was it possible that some power in my mind and tuned into the rotation of the earth?”

 

Keelhilla

We came to a turn-off that had a small car park. We climbed over the stile and walked the path through the fields and limestone pavement to find the place of St. Mac Duagh’s Hermitage. I’ve included this information from Carleton Jones’ book The Burren & The Aran Islands: Exploring The Archaeology. Doughcloyne, Wilton, Cork: The Collins Press, 2004 to describe the history of the place:

“Part of the early monastic tradition in Ireland was the practice of retiring from the world to a hermitage. Favored locations for hermitages included offshore islands such as Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast and islands in lakes. Other remote locations, however, were also used and St. Mac Duagh’s hermitage at the base of the cliffs of Keelhilla, on the remote and barren eastern edge of the cliffs of the Burren, is a good example of an inland hermitage.

“Tradition tells us that here, in a small cave at the base of the cliff, St. Colman Mac Duagh meditated, prayed and fasted for seven years. One day his servant complained that he was hungry and St. Mac Duagh replied that God would provide. There was a banquet at the time in King Guaire’s castle in Kinvarra and at that moment the dishes of food suddenly rose and floated out the window. The surprised king and his men followed the dishes and were led to St. Mac Duagh and his servant. But when the king’s party arrived at the hermitage their feet became rooted to the stone and they couldn’t move. Luckily for the king and his men, St. Mac Duagh was able to perform a miracle and free them. Whereupon the king was so impressed with St. Mac Duagh he asked him to found the monastery of Kilmacduagh on the lowlands near Gort. While this was taking place St. Mac Duagh’s servant was eating King Guaire’s food with gusto but unfortunately had grown so accustomed to the meager diet he received in the service of Mac Duagh that the rich banquet food killed him. These traditions are preserved to this day in the name of the track that leads to the hermitage, Bothat na meisel, of “way of the dishes”, and in the nearby “Grave of the Saint’s Servant”.”

 

Kilmacduagh Monastery near Gort

Sheena had been here before and she led the way. The air was cool and there was a fierce wind blowing as we walked the open field and through the limestone pavement to the site of the hermitage ruin. We walked on a pathway that wound through the fields and limestone that was not wide enough for any kind of car or truck. Sheena told me that it was very old and was created long ago. By the description of Carleton Jones – we were walking of the “way of the dishes”.

 

"Way of the dishes"

We were up on a plateau of sorts and from the view we could see that we were up quite high on the mountain. We walked on and as the ground began to rise again, the path led us to a wooded area of hazel and ferns. We could hear the sound of water flowing, and followed the sound – stepping over stones and around hazel bushes to a stream just below Mac Duagh’s well.

 

View when walking the "way of the dishes"

The foliage here was very green and thick – soft moss covered many of the stones and trees. Near the well was a rag tree with colorful ribbons and pieces of cloth tied on it. Just up the bank from the well was a ruin of St. Mac Duagh’s Oratory and two free standing altars.

 

The holy well of St. Mac Duagh

We climbed a little higher to St. Mac Duagh’s Bed (cave). I went inside, it was small but dry and comfortable. In this wooded area the air was still and quiet – the hazel wood and the moss covered stone was a natural shelter from the cold wind. A very peaceful place, no wonder St. Mac Duagh choose this place to meditate and pray.

Sheena Meagher at St. Mac Duagh's Bed (cave)

Sheena and I decided we would climb around on the steep, wooded and moss covered hillside to find a place to settle and enjoy the quiet. Sheena found a place immediately; I climbed a little higher and sat on a moss-covered boulder of limestone and enjoyed the peaceful beauty. The moss was very thick and dry; sitting on it was like sitting on a very comfortable cushion.

 

Hazel wood at the hermitage

Ruin of St. Mac Duagh's Oratory

 

The peacefulness did not last. This was a bank holiday weekend and many people were visiting the Burren and soon we had company. One family had a dog with them and the dog decided that it wanted to continually bark at Sheena. I started climbing down and met her climbing up – probably trying to escape the noise of the dog barking. We found a nice place on the large stony outcrop immediately above the cave where I found some hazel nuts in the moss next to where I was sitting.

When we decided to turn back we headed back down to the ruins and we found a man sitting crossed legged on the stone altar in the oratory talking on his cell phone – I wonder what St. Mac Duagh would have to say about that? On our walk back to the car we found one lonely Bloody Cranesbill in the grass, we both photographed it.

THE FLAGGY SHORE

Our next stop was New Quay to have dinner and then a walk on the Flaggy Shore. We stopped at Linnane’s Lobster Bar for coffee and an early dinner. We both ordered the Baked Crab, which was served with salad and brown bread. After we left Linnane’s we walked down the Flaggy Shore.

 

The Flaggy Shore

Walking the Flaggy Shore road

Journal Entry: Saturday, May 2nd

SATURDAY MAY 2, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN

I spent the morning updating my blog information in Word. At a little past noon I packed my backpack with my computer things and started to walk up to the college. I planned on having the gallery open when the Brehen Law Conference participants were having their lunch. The schedule indicated that they had 1—1/2 hours for lunch starting at 1:00. I, again, walked partly on the main road so not to arrive muddy. The day was dry and cool with a slight wind blowing; good weather to walk.

When I arrived on the college grounds the courtyard was filled with the conference participants enjoying their lunches. I unlocked the gallery and set up my laptop to check e-mail and update the sabbatical blog by copying and pasting the information I had put into Word.

View of exhibit at the Burren College of Art

 

Many people visited the exhibit after they had finished lunch. I had many good comments and many questions about the “digital painting” process. The conference participants were familiar with the Burren, its history and folklore so they recognized the places, elements and symbolism that appear in the artwork. They were the ideal viewing audience for this exhibit. By 2:30 the conference participants had gone on to their next session and I was visited by a group of people that drove down from Galway to spend the day in the Burren. Two of the people were artists, themselves, and had questions about the work. We had a very nice talk. One woman stayed after the others went out to sit in the sunshine. She and I talked about the Irish language and the concept of how a landscape can influence and shape the language that is spoken there. Relating to the topic, I asked her if she was familiar with the poetry of Moya Cannon. She said she wasn’t but wrote her name down so she could look for her work.

Me and" An Rath"

 

Later I continued to work on updating the sabbatical blog until the conference session let out and a few people came in. One woman purchased one piece and told me she likes another one that she may purchase. I took her name and contact information, so I could arrange to meet with her at the end of the exhibit to give her the artwork. The next session for the conference was a 3-hour field trip.

I packed up my computer and locked the gallery and walked back to Ballyvaughan on the Burren Way footpath. As I approached the last stile near the village I saw the conference participants standing in the field near the ruin of the old workhouse. A guide was with them relaying some of the history of the place.