Stop #1: Stradbally Beach
We began the trip with a short drive to Stradbally, where we saw beautiful thatched houses that looked as if they were straight out of The Hobbit. Interestingly, this neighborhood of houses had been newly built with traditional roofs. Then, we drove to Stradbally Beach (and stopped at two separate coves) to take a pause on the sand. Thor had fun throwing rocks into the water and tide pools, and we all absorbed nature together. Joan said she'd gone swimming in these coves, and the water was still freezing. Sea-swimming is something I've added to the To-Do-Before-We-Leave list.
Stop #2: Titanic Viewpoint
Then, we stopped somewhere along the Waterford Coast, where Joan pointed out a cliff, and we walked out to it. She noted that, had we been in this very spot the day the Titanic set sail, we would've seen it leaving Ireland. One of her favorite people on the ship was Delia McDermott, a young woman whose mother told her she couldn't go to America without a hat. She was in third class, and managed to get on a life raft when the chaos of the boat sinking happened. When she realized she'd left her hat behind, she ran back to her room to get it, and still made it on a life raft and survived the sinking of the ship. Presumably, she continued her journey to America.
Stop #3: Islandikane, Fennor North Church and Bog Walk
Out of the middle of somewhere, a small church appeared with a graveyard attached. In this graveyard, an artist had hewn a statue of mighty angles out of tall poplar tree. It set the perfect tone for a final resting place, as it was both striking and ethereal. Around the side, there was a protected bogland walk. Imagine Asbury Woods' boardwalks, and add some more hedges and the possibility of seeing deer, frogs, and lizards. It was very cool to learn about how the bog hadn't yet dried out because it'd been preserved.
Stop #4: Magic Fairy Bridge and Irish Peatland Conservation Site
On our way to the Peatland mountains, we drove past a hawthorne tree. Joan had told us in the beginning that this was a magic fairy site, and though I doubted her at first, the experience was otherworldly and beyond my understanding. We were headed downhill passing the tree, and the car slowed to a stop. Joan put the car in neutral and lifted her hands from the wheel, and suddenly, we were zooming backward up the hill at about 15mph. It was crazy, because there was so much force to it! Joan demonstrated this one more time next to the tree, saying that we'd stopped because this was where the fairies wanted to leave us. Then, we stopped for a to-go lunch, got out at the top of a mountain overlook, and saw some sheep!
Stop #5: Mercyhurst in Dungarvan Sign
Last, we stopped at the Mercyhurst College sign coming into Dungarvan to take some pictures. It was a full-circle moment.
I am truly grateful for Joan and Dr. Kirchner's kindness in getting me out of Dungarvan for the day, and thoroughly enjoyed the adventure!
I don't think there is any poem to compare this to, since it's in the living that we experience the deepest literature and nuances of life. But if I had to try, it would inevitably be Samuel Beckett's "Untitled" poem:
"My way is in the sand flowing
between the shingle and the dune
the summer rain rains on my life,
on me my life harrying fleeing
to its beginning to its end
My peace is there in the receding mist
when I may cease from treading these long shifting thresholds
and live the space of a doorthat opens and shuts"
As the door open and shut on that day, I was incredibly honored to be a part of the adventure.
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