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Our trip to Antrim and the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
April 9-23, 2013

Day in Dingle, Music at Courthouse Pub

Sunday, April 14


Fabulous music at O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub:



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Page 07: Mon – Shopping in Dingle.
Page 08: Tue – Loch a'Dúin, Doyle’s Restaurant, Music at Courthouse.
Page 09: Wed – Cottage, An Canteen Restaurant, Michael & John at Mighty Session
Page 10: Thu – Fenit Pier and Bana Beach
Page 11: Fri – Inch Strand, Sammy’s Cafe, An Canteen, Music at John Benny’s.
Page 12: Sat – Dingle, Dinner at Michael & Dara’s, Music at Courthouse.
Page 13: Sun – Cottage, Global Village Restaurant, Dick Mack’s Pub.
Page 14: Mon – Dingle, An Canteen Restaurant, Pack and Return Home.
Page 01: Tue – Prep and Travel to Dublin.
Page 02: Wed – Drive from Dublin to Barbican Gatelodge in Antrim.
Page 03: Thu – Giant’s Causeway.
Page 04: Fri – Bushmills, Dunluce, Waterfall in Glenarm Forest.
Page 05: Sat – Drive from Antrim to Dingle, Murphy’s Pub.
Page 06: Sun – Dingle and Music at Courthouse
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Day in Dingle, Music at Courthouse Pub

Sunday, April 14




Our wish list, from most to least important:

1. Climb to the top of Brandon Mountain, Cnoc Breanainn, highest mountain on the peninsula.
2. Climb to the top of Eagle Mountain, Sliabh an Iolair, second highest mountain on Dingle.
3. Cruach Mharthain, the 3rd highest mountain on the peninsula, behind Phil’s house, where Ryan’s Daughter was filmed.
4. The Loch a'Dúin valley
5. Coumaloughig (Valley of the Lakes) in Feohanagh River Valley
6. Beach on Inch Strand OR Smerwick Harbour Beach and
7. The Fenit Harbor and Marina and Banna Beach in Tralee Bay
8. Dick Mack’s when it’s not packed.

Keep in mind that the wish list is seriously dependent on the weather so we rarely do our first choice first and we never do everything on the list because we always spend a day or two in the cottage.



I woke up at 9:00 am because I had to use the washroom. I was going to get up, because it was warm in the room, but KC convinced me to get another few hours sleep. We finally got up at 11:30 and KC was in a much better mood today. He had been snarky the last few days because he hadn’t been getting good sleep. Today, we were both well rested.

While KC brewed a pot of coffee, I nuked some water in my cup to heat the cup and it worked! (Because I use a lot of cream, my coffee will be cold if I don’t heat the cup first.) Our coffee maker at home measures the coffee automatically so, when we travel, we need to play around with the proportions when we use a manual machine. Today, KC nailed it.

Last night, I noticed that there is a stick blender in the cottage! I could have had my normal smoothie, if I was willing to brew some hibiscus-olive leaf tea, which I wasn’t, so I mixed the smoothie to a paste in a small glass and used it to take my supplements. KC didn’t have anything besides coffee.

We looked at our to-do list and compared it to the maps we had brought along. For some reason, I was convinced that the valley we had hiked last year was Loch a'Dúin but, looking at the map it couldn’t be. Where had we been? I need to follow up with Caitriona on that and correct last year’s webpage.

We left the cottage around 1pm and drove straight to Dingle Music and Coffee Shop intending to have coffee and a pastry. Both Michael and Caitriona were there but the coffee shop wasn’t! They removed it after the 2012 season and replaced it with clothing. They are leasing the space to Dingle Linens a company Dara has an interest in which creates hand-knit linens in Dingle. Dara told us that some of the women who make their clothing have disabled husbands and they appreciate being able to work from home; and he, Dara, likes being able to help them. He travels to the US once a year to sell the line, which is phenomenally successful.

There wasn’t anyone else in the shop so we stayed and talked for quite a while. We invited them for dinner on a date of their choosing which will probably be Tuesday. On Wednesday we’ll be seeing Michael and John Brown at the Mighty Session, next door to An Droichead Beag ..

I asked Caitriona about our hikes and she said that last year we had hiked Coumaloughig. Unbelievably, we have still NOT seen Loc a'Dúin! I have adjusted last year’s web page to reflect that.

A group of customers came in so we left, agreeing to meet Michael at The Courthouse at 6:00 pm for an open session. I wanted to get a good seat this time – I have never had a good seat at The Courthouse to date – so we raced home to get my laptop (KC had half a sandwich while we were there) and returned to Dingle intending to grab a bite at John Benny’s Pub; but, it was too late, so we went directly to The Courthouse and arrived around 4:30.

I parked myself in the best seat in the house, directly across from where the musicians would be, connected to their free Wi-Fi, and started uploading pictures while KC went to get a slice of pizza.

Our coats on the best seat in the house:



While I was working, I overheard two women talking about The Dingle Distillery – that they’re only producing gin now but it’s supposedly very good – and I decided that we should get some. Mícheál [pronounced mee-hawl], the bartender, told me he lives near Clogher Beach in a green house next to a 2-storey yellow bed and breakfast, Flaherty’s, run by his aunt. That’s right by the cottage.

The place was starting to fill up and I overheard Mícheál telling the people sitting next to me that he was studying Alternative Energy. I’ll have to mention that to KC when he gets back. Speaking of KC, he was taking forever to get one slice of pizza and I was starting to worry about him. Suddenly, he came rushing in, flushed, and without food. He explained that he had gone all the way to the pizza place across from Garvey’s and received a whole pie, rather than one piece. So, he ate half of it, put the rest in the car, and ran back to The Courthouse!

At 5:30, just before the music started, I shut down my computer.

The main attraction tonight was a concert flautist, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh , who was joined by Maire Breathach , a well known violinist from Dublin, and Tommy O’Sullivan, the owner. By the end of the session, there was also a bazuki, a whistle, and two additional violinists who Michael told us were from Northern Ireland.

Michael came in around 6:30 and stayed for 2 Guinness. He introduced us to an American couple who had rented an apartment on Green Street for one year and spent half the year there. KC has not stopped talking about that since – convinced that we should do the same to determine whether we want to retire in Dingle.

The first session:



The second set was Liam, the guy who gave me a bodhran lesson last year, on the flute; Méabh Begley on the accordion and vocals; and a very talented guitarist, Matt Griffin. They were joined later by Méabh’s father, Seamus Begley, and her cousin, Niall, also on the accordion. Méabh is amazing – so animated and obviously enjoying herself that it’s impossible not to love her.

Researching Méabh when I got home, I discovered that she has she has recorded 7 songs for the Children’s Christmas album “Amhrán is Fiche Don Nollaig”, alongside Máiréad Ní Mhaonaigh and Síle. I’ll have to ask Caitriona to get a copy for me.

Every one of the musicians was supremely talented, actually, and Seamus was very funny. He is, technically, the best singer in Ireland having just won 2013 Male Vocalist of the Year . He sang a song for an Australian couple whose last name was Dingle. They were standing right next to our table so we advised them to see Dingle, the owl, at the Ireland’s School of Falconry at Ashford Castle.

The beautiful and talented Méabh Begley:



Liam and Méabh:



Liam, Niall, Seamus, Méabh, and Matt:



Seamus Begley, tenor, 2013 Male Vocalist of the Year :



They were great fun to watch – they’re so energetic that the whole place was literally jumping. Later on, they were joined by Riona, who had been in the bar when we arrived (and looked so much like Melanie Moore I almost asked her if she was related), and a redhead. Dara introduced us to Riona several days later and she is a sweetheart.

Three women’s voices:



KC managed to down 4.5 Guinness, the half being served in a tiny Guinness glass, and one cider; I had water and two Irish coffees but had no lunch or dinner. This show had been worth starving for! I want one of those baby Guinness glasses….

Baby Guinness:



We left at 11:15, just before the last song, or so we thought. We found out the next day they had been there until after 3:00am!

At home, KC had the rest of his pizza and I fixed an arugula-avocado-salmon salad that was delicious. KC played on his iPad while I uploaded today’s pix and caught up the web page.

He went to bed at 1:30 pm and I followed shortly after, at 2:00. I was afraid that two cups of coffee so late in the day would prevent me from sleeping but I drifted off as soon as my head hit the pillow. Those great Irish pillows….


To continue to the next page, please use the links below.
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Page 07: Mon – Shopping in Dingle.
Page 08: Tue – Loch a'Dúin, Doyle’s Restaurant, Music at Courthouse.
Page 09: Wed – Cottage, An Canteen Restaurant, Michael & John at Mighty Session
Page 10: Thu – Fenit Pier and Bana Beach
Page 11: Fri – Inch Strand, Sammy’s Cafe, An Canteen, Music at John Benny’s.
Page 12: Sat – Dingle, Dinner at Michael & Dara’s, Music at Courthouse.
Page 13: Sun – Cottage, Global Village Restaurant, Dick Mack’s Pub.
Page 14: Mon – Dingle, An Canteen Restaurant, Pack and Return Home.
Page 01: Tue – Prep and Travel to Dublin.
Page 02: Wed – Drive from Dublin to Barbican Gatelodge in Antrim.
Page 03: Thu – Giant’s Causeway.
Page 04: Fri – Bushmills, Dunluce, Waterfall in Glenarm Forest.
Page 05: Sat – Drive from Antrim to Dingle, Murphy’s Pub.
Page 06: Sun – Dingle and Music at Courthouse
Original, all-on-one-page version.


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Last Revised: May 27, 2013
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