you are not. Unfortunately one week too late for the release of my new Molly Murphy novel,
which was published last Tuesday. It’s called Vanished in the Crowd and Clare will be writing a guest post about it tomorrow.
But it’s a day for sharing fond Irish memories. I have no Irish ancestry (but being Welsh means fellow Celt) but John has an Irish grandfather and a distinguished Irish ancestry. His great grandfather was one of those selected to be sent to the English parliament to plead for Irish emancipation. His great great grandfather owned the Belfast newspaper and his Quin ancestors are the junior branch of the Earls of Dunraven.
John and I spent a perfect three weeks driving all around Ireland a few years ago. Three weeks with only one day of rain. That’s a miracle in itself. We had wonderful fresh food, Irish music in pubs and glorious scenery. My memories: the friendliness of the Irish people. If you stopped to ask for directions it would go something like this: “Well, you turn right at the corner and on the next street you’ll pass a lovely little bakery. You should try their soda bread, only you need to get there before eleven or they'll sell out, and past that is the wool shop and she has some home spun wool there you won’t find anywhere else, and then the fish monger…etc until “and at the next corner you turn left.” It takes half an hour or more.
My favorite direction came when we stayed at a B and B in Tralee. The owner said if we’d a mind for a lovely hike over a waterfall he’d tell us how to get there. He said you drive along the side of the loch and you’ll come to this lovely hotel with a perfect view. Right out into the water, it is. And if you want dinner there at sunset they have a great restaurant. Now, if you get to that hotel, you’ve gone too far.”
You have to love the Irish
As for St. Patrick’s Day memories: My strangest was that my publisher brought me to New York to do promotion for Molly on St. Patrick’s Day. Royal treatment: limo to drive me around Manhattan to bookstores. Question: where does a limo park while I go in to NY bookstores? And as for the event in the evening? One of the bookstore owners said “I’m sorry but we don’t open on St Patrick’s Day. Too many drunken men in the streets.”
I don't think there were many drunken Irishmen who said, "You know what, Paddy, let's go to a bookstore and hear Rhys Bowen!" Not one of my better appearances.
! So dear Reds and Readers, do you have any fond Irish memories? Or St Patrick’s Day memories?
Jenn, you’ve set books in Ireland. Tell all…
Happy St. Patrick's Day . . . .
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