It took an eternity to get out of Dublin. Cars honking at each other, M50 traffic was as swift as an American highway on pause. I was simultaneously stressed and excited about leaving Dublin behind for a few days. Stressed due to the traffic and excited with the notion of freedom. Free from inner city life, the hustle and bustle, and free from the materialistic society that created us into the epitome of stress. We drove through the night across numerous counties. Dimming and dipping of lights continuously for four and a half hours, I may have hypnotised myself without realising. So we stopped for a coffee in Ballinahub petrol station. I immediately noticed the cashiers accent, he had a pure country accent. Initially I found it difficult to register the tone in his voice, I thought the guy said that we were in Ballina. I let out a premature excitement, just to discover I didn't hear the hub part of Ballinahub. Everything was gradually going into surreal mode. One minute we were stuck in Dublin traffic, the next we were edging towards a much slower pace of living were people spoke and behaved differently. It was immensely refreshing to observe. Oh! it was great being in the country.
We finally drove into Donegal town. There was a great Friday nite atmospheric buzz in the air. It engulfed us immediately, followed us round the roundabout, and to our accommodation. We exchanged a few words to the woman from the accommodation, dumped our bags and scowered around for the nearest pub. We stumbled upon the Forge Pub, it appears to be an important landmark as it possessed a front door that can convert into two halves. This was amusing as all the locals always mentions this highly significant door. Its significance I have yet to discover. We ordered our first drink, absorbing the quaint and relaxing new environment of ours. However, this came to an abrupt halt when a plethora of men from the nearby village came sauntering through the half-way door. A bus load of them, this was pure humour. I was internally laughing at this, it instantly cured my humour constipation I have developed over the years. We met a guy called Mr. Irwine amongst the mist of men from the busload. He suggested that we head off to Teelins Cliff, albeit the roads are seriously narrow and dangerous. Well perhaps in hindsight, we should have taken the Columba boat trip to Teelins Cliff.
Enough is enough, too many men getting off the magic bus so we left for another pub. We came across the Reel Inn where they played traditional live music. The wind blew the door open, myself and my friend were like John Wayne characters making our entrance to the bar. I now feel the origin of the term "blow-ins" or perhaps flatulence in the breeze would be more accurate. We nestled ourselves comfortably at the bar. I looked across and found a man sitting contently alone at the other end. I think I was gaping with astonishment. A black man (can I say this or would this be deemed as a racial comment) in Donegal town. I know we have become a cosmopolitan country over the last few years. But are people worldwide still migrating to Ireland. Why! may I ask? It was even more surreal to see this black man in Donegal Town and in this live traditional music bar. We got chatting away to him, harassed him for his lighter and christened him the Nairobi Man.
We drifted away from Nairobi Man and followed the music. A two man band was on live performance tonight. A gregarious Johnny Cashman was strumming away at his guitar playing in harmony with a grossly malformed type of guy (without meaning to be cruel) who was co-ordinating the piano accordian. While we were listening to the music a gin and bitter lemon William McTell sat down beside us and uttered alot of aarrgh, bleugh, aargh which I hadn't the faintest idea in what he was trying to say. So I offered him another gin and bitter lemon. Because I am finding the blogging concept very tiredsome, I had to assinate alot of the characters that we met on the journey. Even the ones I have just mentioned, I feel slightly guilty as they offered an awful lot and I have just axed them. Severed characters, how very bad. But one thing I will say I had fun times being around these convivial companions, and the Rural Irish certainly do possess a famous ability to find good craic. It surely is different to city living.
The scenery out of Donegal Town and en route Teelins Cliff
Sunset at Teelins Cliffs
Apparently the highest cliffs in the world
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