Friday 16 October 2015

One fine summer Sunday in Spiddal...

By Frances Love

Frances and Ian enjoy the music at An Droighneán Donn, Spiddal


One fine summer Sunday in mid July 2012, We caught the last bus from Galway to An Ceathrú Rúa. As the bus arrived in Spiddal, Brett Mooney, travelling with us, urged us to get off. We were most unwilling at first because our landlord was expecting us. After assurances from Brett that it would be of no concern to the landlord what time we arrived and we could share a taxi later, we reluctantly got off the bus.

As we walked into An Tobar, as it was at the time, Brett was greeted heartily, as Gaeilge, by local men and the lovely blonde violinist. For the next three hours we enjoyed wonderful music and Guinness, and thought “Gosh isn't Spiddal fun?”.

After the session we took a cab to An Ceathrú Rúa and spent the next fortnight at the language school. When the classes finished we were advised that Irish was spoken widely in Spiddal and there were four pubs, most of which had music. So we booked into the Ard Eoinin for a couple of days and stayed eight weeks.

We went to Tigh Hughes Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. We wouldn't miss the Sunday Session at An Tobar, and sometimes, the Néad and the Crúiscín Lán gave us bonus music nights. Tigh Hughes closed and Tigh Giblin opened and nowadays there is music every night at Tigh Giblin and we are totally spoiled for choice.

What a lovely way to spend the Australian winter and Irish summer.

Ian and Frances 

Frances and Ian with local reprobate Jimmy Conlon

Frances and her partner, Ian, are Australian retirees who spend every summer in Spiddal learning Irish, playing bodhráns and generally becoming more Irish than the Irish. Ian has now taken up the feadóg and we are expecting great things from him when they return next year!

 

 www.spiddalsessions.org








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