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Rosie’sFrenchandIrishadventures.com

~ Letting ‘Life’ show me the way.

Rosie’sFrenchandIrishadventures.com

Category Archives: Ireland

Atmospheric Ireland. Winter Skies and Glens

10 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by RosieJoseph in For the live of dogs, Ireland, Irish Adventures, Irish Scenes, new adventures, New Paths, sunrises and sunsets, The continuing adventure

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

a moment in time, a place for reflection, Atmospheric Ireland, Irish Glens, Irish Sunsets, Welshies, Winter Irish Sunsets

Late Evening in Donegal

The last time I came to Ireland I was twenty-two years old. I came with my family. I remember the craic, I remember the scenery, I remember how welcoming Irish people are, I remember walking up the Knockmealdown Mountains and looking out at more than forty shades of green, but I realise now I was too young to really appreciate the atmospheric scenery, and just how magical this place is. It really is a magical land.

We are finding our feet, as is always necessary when moving, let alone changing countries. Add the dreaded C-19 into the mix and it is difficult, but we can still get some shopping, and on Friday we went to the local larger town near us, Dungloe, to stock up. Of course we took the Welshies with us, they are still too insecure to leave them, I mean the cat’s haven’t even come out of the bedroom yet, other than to eat and hide in cupboards!

So off we set on yet another charabang outing which also involved taking the Welshies for a walk.

One of my all time memories of Ireland are the freshwater glens that run down from the mountain. I promise I will write of them often, not least because I have promised my Welshie furry son that I will show him the sunlight sparkling on them. Since he was ill late last year it has been my motivation through all this change to take Harley on the Irish beaches, and to the glens up the mountain. But on Friday we found a pretty little part of the town where a glen ran gurgling and bubbling into the open arms of a small bay.

I was so excited to find it, and it was absolutely stunning to watch as it ran into the sea, so beautifully lit up by the late evening winter sun. And just to make things really perfect we had a lovely chat with Finnola, who was so excited to tell us it was her birthday tomorrow.

The Glen Running Into the Arms of the Sea

We just stood at this bay, watching the light change, and as it did so everything else changed, as if a faerie was painting the land and sky in front of us.

Sunset in Donegal Ireland

On the way home I asked RD, who trusted me and came here having never been here before, what he loved. He said the scenery, the atmosphere, the friendliness of the people, being able to just chat to people and on and on. Eventually I stopped him and asked what didn’t he like, he immediately responded and said ‘nothing.’

Rosie

Sunset in Dungloe Donegal Ireland

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Ireland: The New Adventure Begins. A Little Taster

04 Monday Jan 2021

Posted by RosieJoseph in For the live of dogs, Ireland, Irish Adventures, Irish Scenes, Learning and Evolving, My family and other furry creatures, new adventures, New Paths, Simple things, The continuing adventure

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Beautiful Ireland, Change, Dogs, Ireland, Irish Mountains, LIfe, The Emerald Isle, Welsh Terriers, Welshies, Winter In Ireland New Life, Winter Walks

Our Daily Walk. Ireland Truly Breathtaking

We arrived at 2am on New Years Day. Moving countries is exhausting, as someone said ‘You do like a big move don’t you?

Well if you’re going to have an adventure you may as well make it a big one!

I have lots to write about, but right now I have to take the dogs out as we cannot let them run free. So I thought I would share with you photos from our ten minute walk to the beach yesterday….breathtaking

The beach, surrounded by snow topped mountains
The Wild Atlantic Way
We’re going on this beach today
The Walk Down To The Beach
We Are Surrounded By This Mountain View
RD walking into the clouds
Sunset On The Beach In Beautiful Donegal
A Happy Man

I think it’s fair to say, I have a knack for finding a view! But that’s not hard on the beautiful emerald Isle.

Rosie

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A Little Bit Of Paddy Has Finally Come Home.

Featured

Posted by RosieJoseph in Change is a coming, Ireland, Irish Adventures, new adventures, New Paths, poignancy, Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

coming home, Ireland, Irish history, Irish memories, memories, mental health, my dad, poignancy, Tears, Welsh Terriers

The View From The Boat As We Docked
In Rosslare Ireland

I have so much to blog about not least the journey to our current home in Donegal, Ireland (such a nightmare, but also funny if you have a sense of humour). But first I want to write about my dad, who was a big factor in how we ended up living in Ireland.

It’s taken me a while to write this because I wanted to pay homage to my dad, and every time I thought about what I was going to write my eyes would fill with tears; they are now, but here goes.

My Dad was Patrick Joseph Walsh, you couldn’t get a more Irish name than that! He was a Tipperary man, the youngest of a large Irish family. He lost his mother early when she was sent away due to a sanatorium for mental health issues.

My dad Paddy was a clever man, but education was not an automatic right in the forties in Ireland, and further education was not available to everyone. But despite that my dad won a scholarship to go on to further education, it was a huge prestigious opportunity. Sadly whilst the education was free the uniform and the books needed were not. Despite going cap in hand and asking for help nobody would fund my dad, so terribly disillusioned he left Ireland and set sail for England where he boarded in my nan’s boarding house, met my mum, and the rest they say is history.

When my Irish grandmother (who I never met) was sent away to a sanatorium it was my Auntie Maureen who became my dad’s surrogate mother and so whenever we visited Ireland it was Auntie Maureen that we went to. I still remember today her breakfasts of Irish herby sausages, eggs with the brightest yellow yolks, and her homemade soda bread. Of how she would listen to me (a small gobby child) with a half smile on her face, but she would always listen, a little bemused. Looking back now I realise that perhaps she could see my dad in me, and that is why she always listened. I was always full of ideas, the difference with my dad was that I was more confident than my dad and have always had the ability to not show that I cared what people thought. As I’ve got older I now just don’t care.

Sadly my dad never returned to live in Ireland. My mum wouldn’t go, she wanted to stay with people she knew, no matter how vile some of her family were to her and my dad.

One of my awful, ignorant arrogant uncles would call my dad stupid (let’s not forget he was a ‘Paddy’ after all!) you can probably tell I am not a fan of my mum’s family (with the exception of one aunt). I know now that was insecurity on the uncle’s part, because my dad could see through him, and knew he had more intelligence than the arrogant uncle would ever understand. Ever the ‘quiet man’ my dad said nothing, because he also knew that was the only way to deal with insecure idiots.

Looking back now there was my dad, highly intelligent having to put up with those arseholes, how he must have longed for ‘home’.

So on New Years Eve as the boat was docking in Ireland all those travelling with their dogs were asked to wait on the dog deck, and there we stood with the Welshies, watching as Ireland became a reality. As I stood with RD I could feel a lump rise in my throat and my eyes brimmed with tears, I felt such an overwhelming feeling that I had finally come home. RD looked at me and just got hold of my had, he knew.

It’s hard to explain that feeling, it was so totally unexpected. The last time I visited Ireland was in 1985, when my dad brought us all over for a family holiday. I knew it was beautiful, but I was too young to appreciate just how beautiful it really is.

As I stood on deck I found myself hoping that my dad was standing beside me, with a smile on his face, approving because finally a little piece of him had come home, in me.

This one’s for you Paddy.

Rosie

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