Ashford Castle, Ireland, 1997
In the summer of 1997, my Dad arranged a trip to Ireland for Mom, me, my sister, and our two daughters, who had just graduated from high school in America.
We had a great time touring western, southern, and then Dublin Ireland.
Our first nights were at Ashford Castle in Galway near Cong. This is where they filmed “The Quiet Man” in 1952. Back then, only John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara had their own bathrooms. The place had been upgraded a bit since.
If I remember correctly, one of the Guinness Brewery heirs built the place in the 1920s. So, it’s about 100 years old now.
My wife and I also visited Ashford Castle twice on our honeymoon in May of 2004. Ashford Castle is a magical place.
Back in the spring of 1997, my Dad sent me two albums of folk music for me to listen to before the trip. I took the opportunity to memorize the lyrics to “Wild Colonial Boy.” It’s a fun song with a story.
On the second night at Ashford Castle, my Dad and I went to the basement pub to listen to Irish music. The singer broke into singing “The Wild Colonial Boy.”
Well, I’d had several pints of Harp Ale and started singing along. On about the third verse, I sang a bit too loudly, for the singer shot me a baleful glance.
I quieted down.
After the show, a young Irish couple came over to talk to my Dad and me. I must have impressed them with my knowledge of the lyrics. (Ha!)
The couple told us that they were emigrating to France as Ireland had few economic opportunities for them. My Dad talked to them a lot about business which was his specialty.
I could tell that Dad was ready to go to bed, so I was about to leave. The Irish couple told me to stay and finish my pint. The Irish don’t leave pints with beer still in them.
Words of wisdom.
TJM
Timmy Tae's Thoughts 