I went to Schull yesterday, with Adrian, my new friend.
We took the 1120 departure from Cork and got to Schull in time for lunch at 1335
It was rain all the way. Rained all day. Mist right down. So we sampled two pubs and a delicatessen for coffee. I was delighted with my “spicy mixed veg and black eyed beans with corriander and chilli oil” with white bread roll from Hackett’s.
Met a couple from Darwin, Australia, who told me about Japanese people who fly down to see Ayers Rock in 24 hours. Met a couple of French girls on their way to Mizen Head, after flying into Dublin and on to Cork. One of them even knew Vierzon, Department de Cher, where I spent time learning French in my teens.
Saw a great painting of a woman drinking a pint of porter, in a shawl. with a grandmother also drinking porter in the background.
But most of all I got a short story drafted, while sheltering over coffee. I might put it in for the “Bealtaine” competition being run by Cork public library. Any topic, so long as the main character is an older person.
We didn’t miss the bus back to Cork.
Lucky you got the bus. One night there and you would definitely have missed again the next day!
Comment by John Henry Donovan — May 25, 2006 @ 1:38 pm
I love the way you casually throw out the possibility of writing a short story. I desperately want to write one but don’t know where to begin. All I know is that I want it to be great and that I’d even double check the spelling/typing!
Comment by Paige — May 25, 2006 @ 1:48 pm
John Henry,
I read your comment about four times. And it grew more and more interesting. Then I clicked on your name to see where you were coming from and I see you are renovating your site.
Paige,
You return to this theme of not knowing where to begin… With you I know all you have to do is go out for a walk, look around you and start jotting stuff in your notebook. You know that wanting the story to be great is like wishing death on the story: no bit of writing can bloom in the light of that comparison. Greatness is something cast upon the writing by people who need a hero. The writer never feels any bit of writing is ‘great’. ‘Good enough’ is enough. Other people say McGahern is great; he’d never have said that about thing he wrote, I believe.
Oh, you make me laugh… Here I am taking your words seriously, when all you were doing was playfully dropping a pebble.
Comment by omaniblog — May 27, 2006 @ 10:05 am
Sorry yeah my site has been down the past few days. To explain. I grew up and lived in Schull for many years. Whenever I went back ‘just for’ the afternoon I ended up staying the night. The main culprit being Hacketts Bar which was our second home.
Comment by John Henry Donovan — May 27, 2006 @ 2:46 pm
I used to live in Schull as well - went to primary school there. Nice place this time of year, always seems to be sunnier than the rest of Ireland.
Comment by James — May 29, 2006 @ 2:11 am
Now Henry and James, were you at school in Schull together. Can Omaniblog re-unite you after years? Or are you different generations? I never thought for a moment that Schull would be a sunny place. If that’s true, we better not broadcast it, because with the new hotel going to have a swimming pool, the place might get overrun.
Certainly the prospect of going back to Schull in mid-winter for a sauna, steamtime and food is bliss to me.
Comment by omaniblog — May 29, 2006 @ 9:23 am