EPISODE 163 WE TOOK THE KIDS TO IRELAND… JUST BEFORE THEY LEFT THE NEST…GLAD WE DID
alan skeoch
June 2021
CHILDREN have a tendency to grow older…to grow up. When they hit those late
teen age years they often leave the nest no matter how comfortable that nest has
become. Marjorie and I knew that. Most parents know that. We knew it would happen
soon so we tried to capture them for this fling to Southern Ireland where I once
worked as you may remember in earlier episodes.
We landed in Shannon on the Irish west coast…rented a car…and then
I said “Let’s find a pub and get a pint of Guinness right away.”
I still remember Marjorie’s response because it was so out of character.
“Well Alan, I hope visiting pubs is not the main part of our trip with the boys?”
At which point I looked at the boys and they looked at me. We grinned
and soon found a pub.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO READ A STORY ABOUT OUR TRIP?
Good point. Why would you want to read a story about our trip? Plan your own trip. Perhaps you have plans
to travel there when this Covid 19 scourge ends. One of my ex-students Jeannette Chau, whose
husband, Michael, is Irish, asked “Do you think Ireland is still like the Ireland you found
back in 1960…then again in 1965…then again in 1980…then again and again.”
Yes, I really think Ireland keeps its charm. The violent past is present but it
sure is not a downer for tourists unless you are looking for a fight. I think we have
been to Ireland seven times. Each time memorable. Pleasant. Boisterous.
Kids like calves grow into adults. We tried to catch our kids when they were
on the cusp of adulthood.
I wanted to share my Irish adventures crawling through the 100 year old Knockmahon
mine…with the boys. More than a tourist venture…an Adventure.
There were several ancient adits to the mine open on the cliff face along
the south coast near Bunmahon, County Waterford. The local people knew about them but few others
did. crawling on our stomachs and walking bent over was not something Marjorie
wanted to do again. She had been here with my Brother Eric and I way back in 1965
when the boys were just a gleam in our eyes. Marjorie did not think of the crawling
as an adventure. I think she thought it was just a bit foolish…and dangerous.
Which was true.
Today, in 2021, the old mine is celebrated and the area is described in tourist
brochures as the Copper Coast. Tours can even be arranged. Not quite the same
as our explorations.
In 1960, Dr. Paterson entrusted me as a Field Man for Hunting Technical and Exploration Services…doing a geophysical survey for
Dennison Mines of Canada in Ireland just to see if it was possible to re open the old Knockmahon
mine. He trusted me. I never violated that trust. There is something special about trust.
HURLING MATCH…ON THE BEACH IN WESTERN IRELAND
Ireland is a tourist heaven. Easy to meet people and often replete with simple joys such
as when the boys joined a hurling match on an Irish beach. The young Irish lad
was so enthusiastic describing hurling to big boys like Kevin and Andrew. He was
very cute.
Old stone houses without roofs are plentiful. Their history is often disturbing.
We stopped for dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy in Bunmahon. In 1960 we rented
part of their rambling house as living quarters for our team. Mrs. Kennedy became
a house mother. A previous mining team had not been as gracious as we were she said.
While waiting for my equipment to arrive in 1960 a strange thing happened. Kevin Behan and his family
looked after me. No relation to Brendon Behan. Their kids were great. There warmth endures to this day. Our son Kevin does not even know that this
is his namesake.
The Dublin days are described in earlier episodes.
Mrs. Behan, suggested I go to see THE QUIET MAN with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara which played continuously in a Dublin theatre.
After seeing the film I thought that Ireland could not possibly be like the move. I was wrong. My Irish experience was exactly like the movie
I recommend you find a copy … you will enjoy it even if for the second or third time.
Once upon a time a man…a kind of monk…lived here in the little domed structures many of which are common on
the Dingle and other west coast places.
Here is the Kenneay family as found in 1960. Gerald, the little boy, was handicapped as you can see. He was a never ending
joy. Followed me around a lot. The whole family was wonderful. Mrs. Kennedy kept me informed about proper behaviour and
insisted I go to mass on Sundays even though she knew I was Presbyterian. She was correct. Being at mass made me belong
to the community. Our employees delighted in throwing Holy Water my way as I exited the church.
This is just a snippet of our visit to Ireland around 1980. It should be enough to make you wish you were with us. Just finding the pictures has
transported me back in time.
I said at the beginning of this story that Marjorie and I knew our days with the boys were numbered. They would soon
carve out their own lives. But they would not ever forget us.
Sure enough, a year or so after this Irish trip both boys left. It was Oct. 7…damn close to Marjorie and my birthdays (9 and 16) that
the boys left. Kevin headed for a job as an English teacher in Slovakia just as Czechoslovakia broke apart and the Berlin Wall was collapsing along with the Soviet Union.
Andrew and his friend Keith took off the opposite direction heading for Pacific Islands and then on to New Zealand and Australia…travelling
west with a variety of cars destined for scrap yards. They stopped in Los Angeles to visit Victor Poppa (Last Flight of HX 313 episodes).
Victor carved wooden side windows for the car wreck they had at the time.
Guess what?
Both boys returned.
alan skeoch
June 2021