The Irish should be proud. They have, from what we have seen, resisted the temptation to desecrate their landscape with fast food joints. In Rosscarbery if someone wishes to indulge in the guilty pleasure of deep-fried food, they can go to Roc’s for fish and chips. It is wonderful, especially after you’ve visited the three pubs in town. They serve the best fish and chips we’ve ever had in Ireland. Roc’s serves only take-away. The place always seem to be crowded with folks from all works of life. It is a fact of life in Rosscarbery that sooner or later, everyone goes to Roc’s.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The good sense not to drink and drive…
At one point as we sat in O’Brien’s , Heather looked around and exclaimed with giddy incredulity, “We’re in Ireland!’’
Without missing a beat, John tossed in the day’s best response to anything said by anyone, “Yeah, and we can’t take a cab home from here.’’
Rosscarbery, a fine place indeed
We arrived in Rosscarbery after 3:30 p.m., after a somewhat torturous drive through alternating jags of rain and sun glare. As a reward, perhaps, we were treated to at least four rainbows. This prompted John to wonder out loud, “Are they on a schedule?’’
Rosscarbery is not listed on cheap maps of Ireland. It is as if they cannot afford to tell the secret of the small town’s location on the southwest coast of County Cork. This is a blessing, because while Rosscarbery would certainly welcome tourists, it does not yet seem ravaged by crass commercialism.
The focal point of Rosscarbery is called the square. Most of the village’s businesses congregate on two sides of a main drag. We haven’t taken full inventory of the shops, but we were able to visit three pubs: The Abbey, Nolan’s and O’Brien’s. There will be more on these establishments later.
The hostage incident on outskirts of Bandon
Part of Ireland’s charm is the old-school conveniences that linger. For example, motorists are still able to find gas stations with restrooms. These can be places for rediscovering the simple joy of a cold toilet seat, as Carol pointed out.
Anyway, it happened that we were on the edge of Bandon, the County Cork city of John’s ancestors, the Hawks, when we decided to examine the facilities of a road-side gas station. The most intrepid of our group, Heather, went first. Tom and Carol, dog tired, watched passively from the car. After some time passed, they looked on to see that Heather had been taken hostage inside the bathroom. John launched immediate hostage negotiations, talking calmly through the door. Wisely, he sought local assistance. A man, we presumed to be the station’s owner, came to the door. Heather was released. The only ransom paid was an indignity visited upon the Americans by the gas-station man, who offered that there would have been no hostage incident had the instructions for unlocking the door been followed. This is malarkey, of course.
The shocking drive from Shannon to Rosscarbery…
John did the heaviest lifting of the day behind the wheel, driving through the mangled streets of Limerick. No matter what anyone ever tells you, vehicles are still driven on the left side of the road in places like Ireland to encourage Americans to go on bus tours.
The most shocking part of the drive to Rosscarbery will be revealed in the following statistic: Pubs between Shannon and Rosscarbery: 321. Pubs visited by HPT between Shannon and Roscarbery: 1.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
O'Hare today...Ireland tomorrow!
So here we are sitting at O'Hare. Skies are sullen and it is cold outside, but it December in the Midwest. It could be worse. We're looking forward to arriving in Ireland, where, as we have been told by tourism officials, the weather is likely to be sunny and warm, as usual for the time of year.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Rosscarbery
We will be staying in Rosscarbery, a village of about 950 year-round residents. The small town is located on Ireland
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