"Lord, find me a potato!" - Farming in Ireland

Hi all,
I typed this blog up a week ago, just uploaded the pictures today. Hopefully it'll bring a smile to some faces. Thanks for all the prayers for Nonno and my family right now. I'm sure Nanni's making him a big batch of soup right now in heaven! 
Also, wanted to say congrats to some friends that got engaged last week, Brendan and Sarah as well as Maddy and Pat! 
God Bless,
Christina

Well I think this’ll be a good one! I scrapped the Paris heals for the Irish “wellies” on Pakie and Irene’s farm in Knocknahilla, Co. Clare. What an amazing 3 days!

It wasn’t a long bus ride from Galway to Ennis. I decided to stop there for a couple hours to have a look around, only because it was called “Ennis.” And guess what was the first name I saw when I got there:

'

O'Sullivan's Pharmacy

It was a cute little town, very helpful people. I had a man practically walk me to the bus station when I was lost. I love Ireland.

 I (just barely) got the bus from Ennis to Kilmahil, because I asked for a ticket to Kilkenny (23 euros…which was more expensive than I expected), but then changed it to Kilkee (18 euros), then realized it was the third “Kil-”, Kilnahil (9 euros. That’s better). That man must have thought I was nuts. “Crazy American.”

Irene met me at the bus stop in KilMAHIL that afternoon and we went up to her farm. Maureen (Frank’s sister) worked on their farm a couple summer’s ago for a few months and just loved it, so I figured it’d be a great way to see “real Ireland.”

That night, I got settled into my “caravan” and had a nice visit with Pakie and Irene over tea after helping make a stirfry for dinner.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine’s day!

I woke up to the braying donkeys that morning, which was awesome! That doesn’t happen every day in France :P

After “first breakfast”, Irene took me for a tour of their farm.

They’ve got those donkeys, a few horses and some cattle…

:P

…some chickens and funny looking ducks, and Porky the Viatnemese potbelly pig….

Neighbours

Porky, gone back to bed

…and a couple of hunting dogs, Rogey the pet dog, Samie the cat and the birds.

Deep in conversation

The model

Temptation

After “second breakfast” and tea, I got to work! My first task, collecting potatoes in "the tunnel" garden that had been left behind. My goal was to not blow my cover and show that I hadn’t a clue what I was doing. How deep do potatoes even grow??

After making it half way through the tunnel and not having found a single potato, I started to freak out a bit. Must have sounded like my ancestors back during the famine, praying, “Lord…please find me a potato.” And look what happened next!

Didilidee! Potato!

(more like piddley little potato. But I figured it was still photo worthy!)

After finding a nice collection of potatoes, all being about 2 cm in diameter, I set them on the counter with the other potatoes…hoping they wouldn’t be able to tell which ones were mine! I went in and asked Pakie what he’d like me to do with them. He handed me a HUGE dog food bag and told me to carry them inside in that.

Cover blown.

Pakie needed some help cleaning out the area with the cattle. I rode over on the back of the tractor. This was so much fun, I could have giggled! But I had to show I was tough. Tough-face farming girl.

He was telling me what to do while shoveling the manure. Pakie is so nice, but with his accent, I sometimes felt like I was in France until I realized that he was actually speaking my language. He’d have to repeat himself 2 or 3 times before I gave him the nod and smile (which I have perfected in France). Doesn’t work here though when I’m being given a direction like “get the barrow” or “turn on the water.” At one point, he asked if I’ve ever done anything like this before. Was I that obvious?

The "barrow"

My next task was to groom one of the horses. Horses are big animals. I’ve heard that they can sense if you’re scared of them, so when I got in the stall with her, I gave her a stare to say, “Look it, now we’re gonna get along. Got it?” Yeah, that’s my tough farm girl face again.

I passed that job! Irene brought me along for some shopping, to get some feed for the animals as well as groceries for that night. I asked her if I could pick up some lemons to make my lemon loaf tomorrow (mostly to show them that I have some purpose). We stopped at Spanish Point on the way there, the beach only a few minutes drive from them. I LOVE the ocean!

That night, I did some research on my family from Cork, Ireland. With the help of some aunts and cousins, I found out that Charles and Nancy Crowley, my great-great-great-great grandparents, left their tiny town of Ballyhooly for Douro, Ontario in 1825 on a ship called the “Star” (“starship?”). In a few days, I would trace my roots right back to Ballyhooly, Co. Cork (next blog!).

That night, 2 real farmers showed up from France and Quebec. One’s staying for a few weeks and the other for a few months through a program called “WOOFF” (the same one as Maureen). They work for Irene and Pakie, and get free room and board.

This is Alexis from Quebec, she loves horses!

I had a great visit with Irene and Pakie that night. They have the nicest little country house. We also had a chance to skype with Maureen and Martha (Frank’s sister and cousin) who stayed here a couple summers ago. I think this made Pakie and Irene’s day. They were so impressed by them and their work, they talk about them like their own children. It was really nice to see them visit again.

Isn't that the most perfect country kitchen/living room?

Had a great skype visit with Frank that night before bed, shared some laughs over my incredible farming abilities. A great Valentine’s gift!

Wed, Feb 15, 2011

The five us us had breakfast together, then got to work setting up a fence for the horse. Pakie was telling us what to do, at least he was speaking my first language. There were a few times where we’d just look at each other and then give him the blank stare. He was hilarious!

We tried to bring the donkey in. He was almost there, I just had to keep him going straight. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very intimidating and Pakie ended up having to chase him down all over again.

That afternoon, I got to take over the kitchen and bake a lemon loaf! Found my niche!! Turned on some Natalie MacMaster and Leahy and baked away with the kitchen all to myself. Great afternoon!

Pakie liked it and decided that we should have pancakes this afternoon. “Christina, have pancakes ready for me when I come in, that’s an order” (he was kidding of course). We ended up all making pancakes together that night!

Quebec Alexia and Paris Quentin

Pakie cookie pancakes on the old wood stove, I want one of these! 

That night, the three of us (students) went for a walk down the road. Real Ireland:

These beautiful horses ran along the fence-line next to us! Gorgeous

Ireland: The green country
 Where grass can grow anywhere, even though pavement

Beautiful landscape!

Thurs, Feb 16

My last day at Pakie and Irene’s. I was up early for breakfast with Pakie. He went out so I read some Anne of Green Gables by the woodstove. Beautiful morning.

Irene gave me one of her homemade jars of jam as a parting gift. They are the nicest people ever! A neighbour, John, drove me back to Ennis, and I took a 3 hour bus to Cork. Look what we saw on the way!

Pot of Gold?

Next up: a couple days in Cork where, with the help of my family, I traced my Irish roots right back to my ancestor’s town of Ballyhooly!

Ballyhooly cemetary

Nonno and The Great Grenoble Ascent

Thank you everyone for keeping Nonno in your prayers right now.

May eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

I wish I was home right now with my family, but I know that if I left, it'd be the hardest flight back to France ever. I'm thankful for skype and being able to see my family in that way at least.

The night before, Nonno had everyone over for supper. All my cousins, aunts and uncles had "Nonno's pasta." I'm sure that's the way he'd want to go anyways, making sure everyone was on a full stomach. He was happy and in a good mood, joking around. I was able to skype with him not too long ago and he was hilarious, in a great mood. I'm so thankful for being able to do that.

I miss him already so much. I love him.

Nanni and Nonno moved to Canada about 50 years ago to, like many immigrants, open more opportunities for their family. Nonno worked in construction for many years, he was a very hard worker. In the past few years, he's been telling me and Frank more stories about coming to Canada. I'm so happy that Nonno and Frank were able to become so close. Nanni and Nonno were so brave.

My three favourite men in the world,
Frank, Frank, and Frank

And look at the opportunities I've been given thanks to them, I'm studying in France right now. Last week, I was in Ireland. Yesterday, I climbed one of the Grenoble mountains alone, right to the top, just before sunset.

Nice battle wound, eh? And it's 10ºC here! Shorts weather for running.

My residence is only half way up the mountain, so yesterday after class, I decided to climb the rest of the way to "La Bastille," which was an old military fort I think. 

First I ran up the switch-back path. 

It's hard to put it in perspective. Here's the view of "the tunnels" as I call them, from my res. 

And here's my res from the tunnels.

My res is the building on the right, "Vercors"

At that point, it was a complete maze through the tunnels. It was actually extraordinary. There were so many!

Not a bad view from the windows up there.

Surrounding mountains

Check out those stairs!

After I made my way through them, I got to the caves. The military made these years ago, I don’t know much more than that about the history. 

Some of the tunnels and stairs went on for what seemed like forever! A French girl told me, "Il faut faire attention!" before I left (Be careful!) I understood why when I saw these caves. Wouldn't want to be there alone at night.

And some are more lit than others.

At the end, I came out to these beautiful vines growing up a cliff.

My goal was to get to the very top of the mountain though. So began my ascent through the rocks and forest!

I made it up just in time to see the sunset.

Remember my bloody knee? Well I actually didn't cut it falling up the rocks. I cut it trying to get to the VERY top of the mountain, on these pillars. 

After many unsuccessful attempts of pulling myself up onto this wall (as seen from the brown marks where my feet were), and trying to "grip the wall" with my knees, I remembered, brains over brawn, Christina.

Other side of the wall.

Success!

Breath-taking views...

My favourite time of day, when the mountains turn pink

I owe this opportunity, and all, really, to Nonno and Nanni. I miss them so much, I love them even more, and I am so thankful.

Sleep with the angels tonight Nonno. Buonanotte ! I love you!