Two for Tea Twice
It is now day 5 and our trip is more than half over. But, what a trip it has been! Today is all about visiting County Limerick, the land of some of my ancestors. Did I mention that I’m of Irish descent? Aren’t we all Irish on St. Patrick’s Day or wish to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day? Really, though, I’m of Irish descent. My maternal grandfather was 100% Irish and his family was from County Limerick. His parents immigrated from Ireland and my grandfather was born in American in California. So, I’m a 3rd generation Californian and Tiffany is a 4th generation Californian and her youngest daughter is a 5th generation Californian. And, I’m a quarter Irish, Tiffany is an eighth Irish and Princess Sweetie Pie is 5/16th Irish (her father is also of Irish descent). Darling Princess P was born in another state, but she, too is 5/16th Irish! There, we are all Irish for St. Paddy’s Day!
Bless your little Irish heart
And every little Irish part.
The night before, from Moy House, we had called a very distant cousin and made arrangements to drop by for a short visit. They have a dairy farm in the nearby village of Rathkeale. I’d never met these cousins before, but one of them had immigrated to the United States 20+ years ago and eventually moved to California, connecting with all of us. So, we knew him and he was our connection to the relatives back in Ireland.
We got directions from his sister and made arrangements to get there in the early afternoon. So, leaving the hauntingly lovely Moy House (my personal favorite place that we stayed while in Ireland), we head out for the picturesque town of Adare. And, by the time we got there, we were (as always) running late because:
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we got lost
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we got lost
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we got lost
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we stumbled into Adare!
And, by then we were starving!
Lost in Ireland: scenes from the road…
The Adare Affair
There is no mistaking when you find yourself in the village of Adare. Quaint and picturesque, this little village is one of the most photographed in Ireland. And, guess what? I didn’t photograph it! When we arrived, the streets were busy and the walkways lined with tourists. Also, by the time of day that we arrived (well after noon), we were starving and finding food became our priority. We were already late in visiting my cousin, and off in the distance we spied Adare Manor. We knew if we didn’t take this opportunity to visit Adare Manor, that we wouldn’t be coming back in this direction again.
Located on 840 acres, Adare Manor was built in 1832 by the second Earl of Dunraven. It was bought in 1987 by an American couple, Tom and Judy Kane of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, who restored it and turned it into a luxury resort. We parked our Big Bertha and headed in to explore – 2 California girls, inappropriately dressed (jeans and flip flops), touring a 5-star luxury resort.
We ask one of the hotel’s staff about food and he suggests that we visit the Clubhouse Bar because it’s too late for lunch and too early for dinner. There we enjoy our first Afternoon Tea since arriving in Ireland. We are the only ones in the room so the service couldn’t be anything but impeccable! Now very late in getting to my cousin’s farm for our visit, we head out to find their home, which is located somewhere nearby.
Tea Two
After a few false turns, we arrive at my cousin’s dairy farm and his lovely mother, Peggy, greets us. Peggy is not technically my cousin, but the wife of my cousin who passed away many years ago. This charming woman was so very glad to see us because she was worried about us due to our late arrival. We couldn’t call her from the road, because our cell phones didn’t always work in Ireland. Anyway, we are distressed that we have caused her distress. She invites us into her parlor and then my cousin, John, who has been out working on the farm, joins us. He is my 6th cousin, once-removed! How’s that for trying to figure out ancestry?
John, who is one of Peggy’s 10 children (along with my cousin who now lives in the United States), has a very strong Irish accent and I’m finding it difficult to understand him. Christin has a much better ear and engages in lively conversation with both John and Peggy. When they spoke to each other, in a rapid-fire staccato (they were speaking in English, not Irish), we couldn’t understand a word! Later, upon our return home, Christin will tell me that this was her favorite part of our tour of Ireland – meeting some of my relatives and being invited into their home.
Originally planning to only stay 15 minutes (my cousin, Bridget, on the phone at Moy House had told us that her mother, Peggy, had been ill), the 15 minutes was suddenly a half hour. Peggy asks us if we would like some tea. We decline, thanking her kindly. We continue our visit, enjoying our conversation and their company. Another 15 minutes goes by and Peggy asks us again if we would like tea. We decline, thanking her kindly.
Another 15 minutes and this time, Peggy turns to John and says, “John, don’t you think we better have tea?” He nods in agreement and she turns to us, again inquiring. This time, Christin and I look at each other and since we have now long stayed past our original 15 minute visit, and Peggy, as our hostess, very clearly wants to offer us something to drink, this time we say yes.
Peggy walks behind the sofa we are sitting on and whips off a tablecloth that is covering a table located under a window. The table is decked out in a full-on afternoon tea! She’s prepared banana and butter finger sandwiches, homemade bread and “fairy” cakes! It had been ready and waiting for us since around 1:00 p.m. (our originally planned arrival time!).
Boy, did we ever feel like smucks – not only did we keep our hostess waiting and worried, but she had prepared a full Afternoon Tea for us with tea, pastries, sandwiches, cookies – the works! Talk about completely misunderstanding someone – we thought she only meant to give us something to drink! We did not understand that “tea” meant an entire meal!
Although we are not hungry, having already had tea at Adare Manor, there is absolutely no way that we aren’t going to eat the treats laid out on Peggy’s beautifully set table! All-in-all, our visit lasted 3 hours! So much for a quick 15 minute “meet-and-greet.” But, we were so enjoying a lovely tea with John and Peggy and although we are reluctant to leave, we need to be on our way because we have to get all the way to Killarney before nightfall.
May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!
Sadly, Peggy passed away the following year around the holidays. I’m so grateful to have met such a beautiful, warm, loving, sweet and precious soul.
Fortunately, after a very long, uneventful drive with no side trips or detours, we arrive in Killarney just before dark and check into our hotel.
Read more of the story on Page 10…
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