Galway Hookers

Steve and I recently went for a beach walk, below our house. It is fairly rocky, with some car sized boulders. There were no beaches here, but there are some Mediterranean quality ones near by, awaiting a future walk. The rocks can be quite slick, I saw someone in clinic who sprained his ankle, on the seaweed. I did not see any seaweed "haircuts", yet the Guinness remains in good supply. Steve found a driftnet float, wedged deep between two big rocks. It was made in Denmark. Lost where? Interestingly, it had a mainly metal composition. I don't know if it floats, or if it anchors the net?

We first saw the famous Irish wooden sailboats on this walk. They are more commonly known as Galway Hookers. They were warming up for the Kilkieran festival, in an adjacent community. These beautiful, locally made boats are often over 100 years old, and still going strong. I have met local people that own, build and race them. It is quite a tradition, as these are unique boats. They have a distinct silhouette on the water. On our return from the beach walk, we visited a neighbor, a friendly white horse.

Later, we went to watch the boats race. There were a dozen or these majestic 40 footers. They were originally used to haul supplies to the offshore islands. Apparently, the boats were not used much, until a few decades ago, there was a proud local effort made to revive their tradition. Now, they are quite popular, and there is a racing circuit, on the western Irish coast. They go to different areas, depending on the season, and weather. They are locally based, where builders still work on them. I met one boat worker who plans to make his own soon. He won one of the races. There was a good crowd, of young and old, watching the races from the shore. Many cars had stopped along the road, to watch. Dr. Hooke went on one of these races a few years back, where emotion got the best of a skipper, and 2 boats collided, with a bow shredding another boat's sail. I noticed an ambulance stationed nearby, but no collisions were had today.

Galway

Photos:

Top-Tug a War, Kilkerrin Festival

Bottom-Wheelbarrows lined up for the race, Kilkerrin Festival

This is an older blog, written in September and posted late.

Today I learned about coffin ships. They were the sailing ships that took the Irish immigrants to America, during the potato famine. This famine wiped out nearly one quarter the population of Ireland during the 1840's. There was a virus that killed the potatoes, with subsequent mass starvation. Many boarded ships to the promise of a better life in America, only to encounter terrible cabin conditions, resulting in disease, morbidity, and a high mortality rate on the voyages.

We went to Galway this Saturday. The population is 70 thousand. It is a lively artistic, musically oriented city. There is a statue of JFK in Eyre Square, he is the most famous Irishman in the US history. Nearby is Shop Street, an aptly named pedestrian only street full of neat stores, restaurants and pubs to peruse. We are still adapting to the price shock or Europe. We ordered a 12" pizza, for our family of 5, and since that did not seem like enough, we added a side of garlic bread. The bread cost 5 euros ($6.50) and was two 5 inch one half slices of bread. Each of us got two 1" pieces of that. The pizza cost $15. and was a few mm thick, so Justine and I had one slice and the kids got two. We were about as hungry after lunch as before. I have noticed that my pants have been slipping down, over the past 2 weeks, a good thing. Then Justine commented that because we are not using the clothes dryer, the clothes are baggier. Oh, well. Electricity is double the US rates, so we have gotten better about turning off lights in the house. We tend to stay together in the evening. We also found a great cheese shop in Galway, and an outdoor market. Even the local Cheddar cheese in Carna tastes better than Haggen's.

We support the local stores in Carna, going at least every day or two. We go frequently, as our refrigerator is one half the size as a US fridge, at best. Interestingly, the kids in Steve's class told him they had expected him to be obese, coming from the US. These small refrigerators don't hold much food. I buy my fresh fish at the post office. A relative is a fisherman, so I wait in their living room, while the grandmother doles out fresh fillets for me. They have a common door with the post office, where another relative works. The kids love the local soft ice cream cones, rich in cream. We did stock up at a supermarket in Galway, to save money. We are in a cost saving mode this year. Any extra money will be used to travel. Potatoes are cheap. Also bananas are .50 per pound. Everything else is more expensive. Six tortillas or 1/2 dozen eggs are $3.00.

Steve and I watched some of the Kilkieran Festival. There was a tug a war, between men, and then between women. The losers, and sometimes the winners , would go down in a heap of mud. Another tradition was more unique. The men would chug down a pint on Guinness, then race, pushing a wheelbarrow that had another person sitting inside it. That was quite hilarious to watch. I think the running got the effects of the beer going quicker. We also saw the victory crew that won the sailboat race drinking out of their trophy. More on these races later.

Stephen visited a classmate today. His parents own one of the local stores. They take their children to Disneyworld annually. Stephen played the Wii, and said he had some good food. Another day, he had his friend over, and introduced him to the game of baseball. Another day, I saw most of his family, including his mother, playing baseball with Steve. His friend had bought a bat and mitt. Soccer and Gaelic football are the primary sports here, for sure.

Working in the Clinic, A Festival, The Unemployed

This blog was written in September, and is now published late.



It was a solo day in clinic. I was inadvertently scheduled for 7 patients in the first hour. That would work with my stellar Sea Mar support staff, but here I have one exam room, and I do the vitals, labs etc. The patients remained cheerful as I fell behind, seeing 28 patients in total. This included my 1st nursing home visit, a sad occasion, as someone had passed on. The end of the day was capped off by a rural visit to a near centurion's house, who said the key to her long life was having a spot of tea every day. I am learning the tea habit myself, as Allison, the Clinic Manager, brings me a cup or two of tea daily. I take it with out additions, as I don't need those calories. It helps me hydrate, as I forget to drink fluids at times. I suppose there is caffeine, which is why I have avoided these beverages all my life. As a medical student, I was in the minority, but I avoided the caffeine roller coaster. I have been somewhat naturally wired at this clinic,as I work to stay on time with patients, which has always been my passion.


One patient nearly had his thumb amputated, I thought about what I could do, but sending him to A and E was the best choice. A and E stands for accident and emergency, which is the Irish version of the ER. Amazingly, the patient did not admit to much pain, and he drove himself to the hospital, an hour and a half away. The A and E is crowded, like in the states. People typically wait hours to be seen, and then getting an inpatient bed can take even more time.

My office is also my exam room. Patients sit in the chair opposite my desk, and I take a history. Then they get on the exam table, I check the vitals as needed, and draw their blood and give vaccines, as needed. Ear speculums are cleaned and reused. The patients are quite friendly and grateful for their medical care. Anyone with chronic pain does not expect or want narcotics, which is way different from my community clinic population. It is remarkable how another culture looks at pain differently. Diabetes is quite common, although obesity is not nearly as present as it is in the US. Also there is a high incidence or hemochromatosis, and iron and B12 deficiency.

St Kieran's Festival takes place this week in Kilkieran (Chil Chiarain), the village next to our house. This festival is in honor or the town's patron saint. Stephen's school even gets out at 11:00, for the celebration of mass, outdoor at the town cemetery. The priest commented last year that he did not see enough children at that mass. Also there will be an expert pig roaster, who will roast a pig, an all day event. There are also games, where children kick a soccer ball thru a hole, and adult men and women tug a wars. Also, another contest involving Guinness, to be explained in a future blog. The highlight of the festival is the Galway Hooker races, involving beautiful, often old, locally made Irish sailing vessels. More on this event in an upcoming blog,as well.


The unemployment rate here is worse than in the US, and most people feel that the worst is yet to come. I hope that the US economy has bottomed out, perhaps leading the world out of this terrible recession. It is sad to see so many able bodied unemployed people come to the clinic. At least they all have health care coverage. They are paid 200 euros, per week, about $260. I imagine housing is pricey, although the bottom dropped out of the real estate market here a couple of years ago. Average houses were going for a million euro. That seems impossible to afford then and now. I have been in many houses, some quite cramped and basic, with many relations sharing close quarters.


The Irish Times newspaper did a recent survey. The old morals of this predominantly Catholic nation are changing. People feel that the Pope and many of his ideals are outdated. He is visiting the U.K. this week. Also, I talked to a local person this week, who expressed some concerns about the US. He said that historically we were a country of strong individualism. He said our trends like health care mandates (which I personally support, due to seeing the consequences of the uninsured in the community health clinic I work at, in Washington state),etc, may be concerning. He relates the high tax rates, and heavy government involvement in Ireland, and the other European countries. These countries have really stagnated recently. He says the Irish look to the US as having a historically innovative and individualistic society as its best traits.

Inishbofin Island

Photo highlights, top to bottom:

Ferry ride, Connemara Mountains

Shorebirds, Inishbofin Island

Cromwellian Fort, 1600s

Two carrachs

Stephen on the trail, with the Carna Walking Club

Sheep

Vistas

Turf cut out for fuel

Rooster

Sheep skull

Farmer haying

Foreground-old stone structure, background-Cromwellian Fort

Geese

Stephen finds another float

Stephen and I went with the Carna Walking Club to Inishbofin, an island off the western Ireland coast. We carpooled with around 25 members of this club to a ferry, boating about 1/2 hour out to this island. We then had a scone and tea at one of a few restaurants on this island of perhaps a hundred or so dwellers. Then we were off on a 5 mile walk, which I would describe as absolutely amazing. The vistas were incredible. I unabashedly admit that I took over 400 photos on this two and one half hour walk. It was a case of photographer gone wild. I found myself being overtaken by many a Carna walker, average age 60. Most photos were literally stop for 1 second shoot and start walking. We slowly fell behind, with Stephen frequently cajoling me to hurry up. fortunately the trail was well demarcated, and you could often see the jack rabbit walkers (in the lead) a half mile ahead. Stephen did remarkable well, only really tiring in the last half mile.

The first site , actually initially seen as we motored into the wharf on the ferry, was the ruins of a star shaped Cromwellian English stone fort from the 1600's. The fort was used to hold Catholic clergy and others captive, for subsequent transport to the West Indies. There were rumors of bad things happening there. The walls alone were 6 feet thick.

Then we hiked along this stunningly green hillside, with sheep around, and incredible vistas of rocky coastline and a beautiful beach. There was a memorial for 3 young family members, drowned as they rowed their currach from the neighboring island, Inishshark, to Easter mass on Inishbofin.

We then entered a moonscape like terrain, untouched for miles. Some of the "jackrabbits" headed off to the area of some blowholes. Big winter storms would drive water into these huge holes, spouting up a geyser out the other end. Stephen and I stayed on the main trail. We saw another memorial, 2 Kansas students drowned while swimming. I suspect perhaps an undertow? The island is amazingly untouched, with the few inhabitants living near the church and ferry dock. there are a few rusty cars too. Gerard relates how the hotel caretakers would serve them dinner (choices fish or meat, and red or white wine) then leave the hotel, which they would have to themselves. The new hotel is quite nice, we stopped there to rest at the end of our jaunt. Along the trail, we saw some bog cut up, which must be the fuel source for the island. I hope we can go back to explore the other half of the island sometime! It would be quite an isolated place to live on, given the fierce storms that buffet the area. We met some young scuba divers, who had seen a lot of lobsters and some Tiger fish, at about 80 feet deep. We ferried back, and carpooled with Rorey, a local craftsman, specializing in jewelry. He has a lot of creative talent, and is hoping to guide hikers around the Connemara area. He told me of a few local waterfront walks for our children. This island visit was definitely a highlight of Ireland for me, to date.

Life in Ireland

Summer,Stephen and Paris in Galway







The Sunday Irish Times is great. It reminds me of the Sunday NY Times, in that it is large and full of many well authored in depth articles on Irish life, at all angles. It is like reading a book, so I literally enjoy it all week. The viewpoints are of a European perspective. They have their conservative and liberal perspectives. There is minimal if any discussion about what is going on in the states. The last coverage of the US, to any extent, was of that southern priest that was threatening to burn the Koran.


Interestingly, the newspaper is physically larger, with wider pages, than say the USA Today. I kind of like a giant newspaper, it beats the Kindle. Everything else over here is smaller than in the US. The paper towels are about 8 inches high. The TP is smaller with a giant wide cardboard tube, so you get less. Food is packaged smaller, so I am loosing weight (that is good). An exception are the Kleenexes. They are huge. They could hold a cows sneeze. I recently caught my 1st cold in a year, after seeing 5-10 URI's a day for 2 weeks, as school started, all in my 1 exam room. Some Euro virus I was not immune to. I love these giant Kleenexes. In the US, if you use one, you can blow a hole in it. Here they are thicker and bigger. One does it all.


I recently had a mother talking about her toddler's nappy. I had no idea what this was, until she explained that it was a diaper. They are even labeled such, and there is nappy cream, for diaper rashes. Another term for a productive cough which is a cough with phlegm, is a "chesty cough".
Recycling here is taken for granted. Our waste volume is down about 75%. You always provide your own bag at the store, otherwise you are doing a juggling act carrying everything to the car.
The ear speculum's are cleaned and reused at my clinic.


There are environmental issues surrounding the famous Irish bogs and their turf. The turf is thousands of years old. It compresses into a thick dark substance containing a lot of carbon, many feet thick. It can be dug up, and burned. This has been a common practice, as I have not seen a lot of trees on this rocky island. This turf can be commercially scraped up, and sold. People burn it to warm their houses. They otherwise use oil for heat. There is concern about the effects of taking this land covering. I read about an early Christianity book that was recently discovered, well preserved, in the bog, about 1,500 years old.


The kids still like their schools. I hear about them indirectly from their classmates who come into the clinic, as well as from their parents, and sometimes even their teachers, that I run into here and around town. That is what life is like here, everybody knows about everybody. We recently had dinner out, and the other Dr. already knew about it at the clinic the next morning. Our children remark how they are treated well by the other school kids, which was not always the case in the US. The schools are a lot smaller here, which could be some of the reason for this.


The hardest part is that the classes are mainly taught in Irish. There is some explanation in English too, but not as much. Justine spends time helping them at night, making sure the concepts are understood. We always thought the academics will not be as important as the other tangibles this year. They are immersed in another culture for this year, an invaluable life experience.


European TV is quite more relaxed than in the US. The everyday program language can burn your ears. Justine and I have felt like sending the kids out of the room a few times. The first day of school, all our children commented on how the kids used the "F" word in their everyday language. That would come from their parents. However, it is not used in front of the teachers, or here in the clinic. It is well versed in the pubs, as imagined. I talk to one of the local store owners almost daily, on milk, etc runs, and he says this vocabulary change was not evident during his school years. Things are changing.

We got our first mail recently. The mailman drove up, opened the front door said hi to a startled Justine, dropped the mail on the couch, closed the door and took off.

Greg's work

Recently was my 1st day in clinic, at the Carna Health Centre. As one would expect from their 1st day on any job, it was a bit stressful, yet rewarding and informative. The patients are very kind, and patient, as I became behind schedule. As in any primary care clinic, you don't know what will walk in the door next. It could be a patient with a cold, or with a heart attack. Fortunately, I saw some of the former that day, and none of the latter. Over the next days, I have seen some quite seriously ill patients. The resources here are that I use one room, which has my desk. The patient initially sits opposite the desk, then gets on the exam table. I check their blood pressure and vitals as needed, and I draw the bloods, do the simple labs and run the EKG, all without the help that I am so accustomed to in the states. I also give injections, including non narcotic pain medications, and some immunizations and B12 injections. There is a significant number of B12 deficient people here, as well as iron overload, called hemochromatosis. II am doing nursing things that I have not done since my residency, 20 years ago. As one gets older, one tends to do less "new stuff" in medicine. It is challenging, yet refreshing, to do these "new" things in medicine again.

Two of the three total staff were also on their first day too. Fortunately, our clinical manager, Allison, is quite experienced, the glue for the newbies. She has helped me immensely. She knows the patients, which helped me in approaching certain situations. Also, the clinic founder, Dr. Michael Casey,dropped in with words of support. He developed the clinic, took call 24/7 for many years, and remains loved by the patients, as he splits his time here with two other out of town clinics that he also runs. He has an impressive resume, as a GP (general practitioner=family physician in the states) and also Dermatologist. He discussed the possibility of using TPA in the field, which the clinic has, since the hospital is over an hour away. TPA helps reverse heart attacks, acutely. I was solo the 1st and many days since, as Dr. Gerard Hooke, the other part time physician here, was motorcycling in the states, with some politically opposite leaning friends,bonded by their 2 wheelers and like for speed (160 mph?!), somewhere very rural.

After clinic, I took off on my 1st house call, something else that I have not done for many years. It was a beautiful drive in the rural countryside, and since there are no signs, I stopped a couple of times for directions, and finally arrived at the house. I am a little nervous about doing this on night call, as the roads are a bit of a challenge (I am gaining confidence-now listening to the radio to/from work) and directions can sound vague (I wasn't here when that landmark "used to be there") and houses are scattered over a rural 30 mile diameter. I have started to organize a doctor's bag for some home visits and emergencies. Dr. Hooke has described some of the emergency responses that he has gone to, some of which were quite sobering and tragic. Fortunately those are not common. Clinic patients varied the first day from a 2 year old to a 72 year old. Most have the government sponsored general medical insurance, which is the vast majority of our clinic's patient's medical insurance coverage. It covers almost any medicine that you could think of, including new on the market medications. In the states, I would need special authorization, a nightmare paperwork hassle, to get some of these medicines. I even saw a drug rep, with a new medication for gout, that is covered. The Sea Mar Community Health Center, where I have worked for 18 years in the states, does not see drug reps, due to the time and often biased information they give the doctors, promoting more expensive drugs.

Well I finally made it home, 28 patients and a home visit later, to see a pretty stunning sunset, over the flower colored fields, with big cumulus clouds raising up over the vast Atlantic, and islands dotting the waters. Stephen and I scrambled up the hillside, behind the house, to pick some blackberries and snap some photos. This was my 1st XC adventure, and you have to stay on the trails, otherwise you can step onto false shrub surfaces, going in 4 feet. There are rocks everywhere, many overgrown by shrubs. As We walked I pondered what our future days would be like in this mysterious and beautiful country. Justine made a delicious blackberry cobbler that disappeared quickly.

The Currach, an Irish boat

Photos, top to bottom:

• Currach, Irish wooden boat
  Approaching a white sands beach
• Captain Hooke
• Another local beach, for good swimming
• Stephen with some mackerel he caught
• An inquisitive seal
• Rocks meet the sea
• Justine (l) and Amanda (r) at the Hooke's

We are living in a nice house, with a beautiful panoramic view of the sea. The sunrises and sunsets are quite colorful, and I will share some of these on future blogs. We can see many islands, and closer are white breakers crashing over the rocky shoreline. The famous, beautiful Aran islands are off in the distance. Big cumulus clouds can be seen coming from afar. Recently, we had the tail of a hurricane blow thru, it was raining probably inches per hour.

The house has 4 bedrooms. There is a fireplace that burned turf or wood. The radiators are oil eater heated, and the gas stove is lit by matches. We have long ago lost most of the hair on our match holding fingers. Justine has been enjoying the challenge of cooking and baking with the local available foods.We keep the lights off, due to electrical costs double the USA. We are awaiting Internet. We just got a pay as you go cell. The kids dearly miss their cells, and now want for Facebook! We are surrounded by sloping rock strewn fields covered with wildflowers, even in September. There are stone walled fences everywhere.

Recently, Stephen and I went out with Gerard in his currack. This is a traditional Irish rowing boat. It is quite sturdy, made completely of wood, by a renowned local boat building company. Gerard feels fortunate to have acquired this boat, as they can be hard to come by. The wooden oars are uniquely shaped, about 12 feet long. We used an engine, to motor around the local islands. Often Gerard prefers to row, going long distances. We fished with a hand line, with 5 individually feathered hooks. We jigged for mackerel, and Stephen would pull in sometimes 3 at a time. We stopped after getting a dozen. They were barbecued, quite tasty, with some heirloom Irish potatoes, and washed down with a Swedish hard cider. Gerard's wife Amanda cooked up quite a feast, for our first real Irish dinner. "Nice and easy" is one of many Irish sayings, repeated in this case as we weaved the currach slowly thru shallow waters, with giant boulders visible barely submerged. The water is clear and relatively warm, in the mid 50's taking advantage of a Gulf current, reaching all the way up to Ireland. There are some beautiful, absolutely empty, Mediterranean like beaches around the area. We saw a local fisherman fishing for Manta rays. Gerard related there are people who paddle their currach out 16 miles to an island area, fish, then paddle home. There are islands with only animals, one with goats, one with cows, and one with sheep. The latter island they would take the sheep out in the currach, throw them in the ocean, and they would then swim to the island, and eat the grass. Another island had some very wild cows, and periodically people would go out there to try to capture them. The cows would chase them and their dogs around the island. Finally, a gallant group caught most of the cows, put them in their boats, then tossed them off the boats to swim to the mainland. Gerard showed me photos of cows being tossed into the sea!

Our family had a wonderful visit with Gerard and his wife Amanda. They have fixed up and expanded their old Irish house. It has incredible light, and calming views of the countryside and the sea. The Hookes are a grounding force for our family, as we have moved from our secure life on Camano Island, to unknown lands, schools, home and job. Amanda is very calming, and this is reflected in her love of yoga, and in her photography. Her yoga studio is the 2nd floor of a building next to their house, with great vistas of the islands and flower speckled fields. It is a special room, quite meditative.

Gerard drew me a map of the region, as I will be taking call soon, and there are multiple neighborhoods over many square miles, without street signs. I will be making house calls during the nights, to see sick patients. There are various tricks to find the house, such as having someone blink their lights, or stand outside when you are nearby. I have readied a field bag, containing supplies for trauma, cardiac and other events.

Carna, Ireland, home for the next year

Photos

Top- view of neighbor's house who is our landlord

2nd-view of side of our house, with our Renault

3rd-5th-view from front of our house, left to right

Carna is a small town, on the water, with perhaps 300 residents, and a few stores,typically like convenience shops. There are more residents, scattered around the surrounding area, typically with some land. Fences are rock walls. Jobs include fishing and farming, and a few local businesses. Also, there is the Carna Health Centre, and the nursing home. My first few days, I have been making the rounds, meeting all the store owners. Everyone knows everyone here. Many are related, to some degree.

I am still mastering driving. The other day, I had what I would call a near miss. I saw an elderly man walking in the road, with his cane, and with a couple of big cows. He waved (as everyone does) and I slowed down and rounded the corner. Sure enough, there was cow number three, right in front of me. In hindsight, that wave was not a hello. A few minutes later, I was behind a big plodding truck, overflowing with something familiar looking. Every time it hit a bump, some of the stuff would drop off. I finally recognized the truck was loaded with seaweed! I was perplexed as to what this was being used for, as I followed the lumbering truck all the way home. Later I was told it was used in Guinness beer! Now that is grounding. It turns out, seaweed is harvested regularly around here, and used for many products. I believe they take it from the same area every 3 years or so. I had my first Guinness last night. Ask for a "pint" as they say, and you will automatically be served a Guinness. It was somewhat warm, served in a cooled glass. We were at a local pub (kids too) having dinner, while a group of locals occupied the bar stools, all having, of coarse, a pint. They were watching TV, Ireland beat Armenia, in a football (that is soccer) game. The beer has a thick, almost creamy foam head,which prompted Paris to remind me that I had beer in my mustache, several times. One beer is enough for me, or I doubt I could function well. We enjoyed our 1st Irish made pizza, quite tasty.

I had mentioned everyone waves when you drive on the local roads. Well, the 1st few days I was not aware of this, as I was laser focused on staying on the left side, and between the yellow shoulder line and the white center line. Additionally, I was anxious when ever I got a tailgater, and vigilant for sheep, cows and donkeys in the road. The 3rd day I started to sneak quick peaks and head snaps at passing cars, and the beautiful surrounding environment. Well, indeed I noticed that everyone was waving at me. I pondered was this because it was the local custom, or because I was driving Gerard's car, the local Dr. More about him later. I had just bought his car. Well, he had seen me drive by and not wave. He said that it was customary to wave as you passed. I explained my predicament. Never the less, I am now waving at everybody although I am not always making eye contact, due to my focus on driving. I imagine many of them are wondering how full haired Gerard suddenly went bald. Subsequently Gerard said that you can wave at the local cars, which can be identified by their licence plate. The out of towners, with a G for Galway, are optional, as it can be touristy here. I am still mastering this. The typical wave is a flick of the index and middle finger of the hand resting on the top of the steering wheel. Subtle, but visible.

Gerard sold me his diesel Renault station wagon, which is in great shape, and it gets 65 mpg-no kidding. Why can't the USA card do this? It is a little sandy inside, as he takes their 4 dogs for beach walks. They love to eat the blackberries that line their driveway.

Here we go!

We rented a car in Gallway, for our final 1.5 hour drive to Carna, on the rural west coast of Ireland, our final destination. This was quite an daventure. The steering wheel was on the right side, and the stick shift on the left! I last drove a stick as a teenager. There are speed limits in Ireland, which are not rigid. Typically the country roads are posted 20 mph higher that in the states. The roads are very narrow, making it quite a challange to stay in your lane, with cars whizzing close by, in the opposite direction. The lines on the road are opposite, with the white center line and the yellow shoulder line. Usually there is no shoulder, just thick growth. Add that to the fact that I had probably had 4 hours sleep in the last50 hours or so. I could not get close to going 60 mph, in this scenario. This would produce frequent tailgaters, further raising my blood pressure. The closer we got to Carna, the windier the roads became. Then came the sheep. they would be standing eating and sleeping at the edge of the road. You would pass them at high speed, witha foot to spare. As I was later told, the ones that stood out further in the road were probably being genetically weaned out. I will now admit I had quite a few episodes of head shaking, just to stay awake. Finally, we arrived in Carna.

above: Rainbow in Connamera, near Carna,

Our home in Carna, from the ocean, lobster float in foreground,

Stephen, on 3 hour bus ride from Dublin to Galway