May 30: 3 hours into the flight – on Aer Lingus – who have my harp in their hold…will it be in one piece when we arrive? John is next to me, playing his "Leap Start" game. We’ve had dinner and tea. This trip is different- so much has happened since our "Millennium Trip" to discover my Irish soul… In my own judgment, I have a long way to go in terms of harp skill…but I am four years into the journey to make my way as a traditional harpist. I have completed my CD, "Ancient Echoes", and now I am coming over to the Emerald Isle once again to play and study harp and see where this great Irish Odyssey leads me. This time it’s the budget trip. I have no money. I’m coming over with nothing but a credit card and a sense of destiny. May God Bless our Journey!!

May 31: The day came 8 hours earlier than expected as we flew into night and then day again. Mercifully, the harp survived the trip… and we survived the car rental agency. Off in the direction of Maynooth to the b&b… Lovely home near the golf course…we put our stuff away and went to find a pub in the now rainy weather. I indulged myself with an egg cream salad, Irish vegetable soup, brown bread, and hot tea!! Ahhhhh! The stomach knows it’s back in Ireland! John and I fell asleep at the table, so we went back to the b&b for bed…5:30 PM….I believe!!

June 1: County Cork: Woke up at 4:30 AM…managed to stay in bed until about 6:00, then got up and got our showers …and smelled the wonderful Irish breakfast!! Then headed out the Cork Road and eventually made it to Peg’s in-laws. They are wonderful. John took to Mrs. Daly immediately. Danno is a wealth of information on Irish history and language. Then it was time for a great milestone in my life – the purchase of a cell phone!! Pet made a wonderful soup and gave us warm water bottles for our beds because there is no heat. Everything is quite cozy…turned in around midnight!! Starting to adjust to Irish time zone!

June 2: Called ‘round Kinsale (County Cork) to some places and left CDs: Trident and Actons Hotels, Roots Records, and An Seanachai Pub. While at Roots I picked up four CDs: the new "Planxty 2004 Reunion Concert", Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill’s "No Dowry", a CD of Radio Réalta’s most requested songs "An Dreoilín", and "The Very Best of Traditional Pub Sessiuns"!! Am thoroughly enjoying all of them…especially the radio Réalta’s one. I think I’ll find some lively Irish songs from that one to learn. That evening, went to the Blue Horizon Pub out at the Old Head of Kinsale… full moon over the sea…lovely! The boy'os at the bar were speaking Irish so I got my nerve up and ordered hot chocolate in Irish. He understood my Irish, but didn’t have any. We quickly went through my "Cupla Focal", but it was great to hear Irish spoken!

June 3: Called ‘round Roots Records to see what he thought… he says he’ll carry it!! So if you are in Kinsale, County Cork - go by Roots Records and you can buy my CD there now!! So I can say on my web… Now Available in Ireland!! After dinner went to an open sessiun at Hurley’s Pub in Ballenspittle. They had an accordian, two bodrans, plus meself!! But we had a great old time..traded songs and ballads..and some jigs… I did my best and had a great time!

June 4: Looking for "Poems of the Dispossessed"…a book Danno Daly loaned me… seems it’s out of print, but the book store is trying to locate it. If you know of a copy.. e-mail me at Kharts51@hotmail.com Then I did a very touristy thing… I ordered a set of crystal classes from Kinsale Crystal Co. They have old style lead crystal with deep cuts.. very lovely. Had it mailed so I don’t break it in transport. John was out of sorts so we turned in instead of heading out to the pub.

June 5: Bandon Music Festival!! Afternoon sessiun at Little Norah’s Pub lead by Mairead Casey on fiddle and friends.. friends were on guitar, melodian, box, uillean pipes, whistle/flute. Gerry Harrington and Nancy Conescu were the other names I got. Nancy is brilliant on her guitar..and from Portland, Oregon! Mairead has a lovely sean nós voice…light and lyrical. She also plays harp and has a Egar made one! I asked myself into the sessiun but was greatly outclassed!! I felt I was breathing rairified air with such talent!! Evening brought an outdoor concert with "Mundy"..the Irish Tom Petty… they were excellent!

June 6: Visited Charles Fort in Kinsale.. very interesting and in excellent shape…in 1689, James II landed there with French troups. After the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, the Willamette forces took the fort and marched King James’ forces to Limerick where they became the "wild geese" sent off to forever fight for other countries, but never again their own. Then, back to the Bandon Music Festival!! Nancy Conescu’s group was playing the open stage as we arrived, then a crazy band called "Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club!! Brilliant, high energy ska, jazz, blues, gospel??? I don’t know exactly..but great! Then another open sessiun this time at Castle Bar with Mairead Casey leading again.. all the same folks from the last night, but with about five more people! I think I have never heard such great music except when I happened upon an Altan sessiun in Donegal the last time over.

June 7: On to Bantry Bay! Worked our way along the coastal road to Bantry…my cottage is brilliant…breathtaking view of Bantry Bay from every room… don’t even need to go touring…I can just stay in an gape at the view!! Turns out there are several sessions in this area…so I’ll have lots of opportunities to play! Skipped one in Skibereen tonight so we could rest and unpack.

June 8: Went to Badgers Pub in Bantry …there’s supposed to be one every Tuesday night there…9:30 ish… It’ll get started more in July. So if any of you are in the area in July…

June 9: So the sessiun faeires are not with me… assumed that the sessiun at JJ Crowley’s Pub was also not started yet and stayed home… too bad … I heard the next day they had a great sessiun. That’s Wednesdays all summer but probably starting in July. However, John was a lucky boy! Harry Potter was in at the cinema! He thinks Ireland’s great now!

June 10: So today we drove out to Sheep’s Head by way of Goat Road!! I have to say that even for Ireland, it was a bit of a euphamism to call it a road. More like a bike path clinging to the edges of the cliffs over the sea!! Spectacular!

June 11: Mizen Head.. the southwesterly most point in Ireland! More tiny roads, clear turquoise water, seals, sea caves, great rocks and cliffs…and a fun lighthouse in blustery wind! Pub in the evening… "Johnny Cash" singing Fields of Athenry in country!! A fun, if unique, evening!

June 12: Sessiun at the Corner Bar in Skibereen about 9:30 Saturdays and Mondays. We got there at about 10:30 which was just about right. Two guys already there…Sean and Derry…both brilliant. Sean on guitar and Derry on everything else. Another fellow joined us from the bar and played some of Derry’s instruments. It was election night and the banjo fellow was one vote ahead for local council, so he never joined us. Sean and Derry sing in harmony and play out for weddings and such. Played until about 1:00 AM… Got lost on the country roads on the way back to Bantry.. it all worked out and we saw some really remote parts of the county!!

June 13: Sessiun at O’Sullivans in Killmackalogue Pier. To get there I had to go through Glengarrif, Adrigole, then over the Tim Healy Pass…more breathtaking views, sheep, and a great shop at the top of the pass with excellent books, and other items for sale. Then out to the pier where they were just getting started.. This one goes 4-7PM on second and fourth Sundays all year. We were outside because of the brilliant sunshine and warm weather. This was a great group. John Coakley of Boys of the Lough and the Abby Ceili Band playing everything and quite well, thank you. Also Richard Tisdale, a local virtuoso on fiddle, Deborah Healy on fiddle, Rudy Schoenebeck on Bodran, Kate Lyons on fiddle. Got the ham and cheese with salad sandwich! and the chips! Tasted great in the sun and sea breeze! Got lost on the way home…surprise… and found a stone circle in the backyard of someone’s house in this amazing valley with flowered cliffs rising straight up to the sky… that’s what I always say about Irish roads… where ever you go… there you are!! Healy Pass in the pitch dark, going REALLY slow to avoid the hundreds of sheep trying to enjoy the warm pavement after dark!

June 14: Day of rest after all our travels and music yesterday. We took in Harry Potter yet again… and called round the Co-Action Center for special needs. They have a program very similar to US. Visits to the home right from birth, special needs pre-school, school aged programs, three years job training after high school. Very interesting!

June 15: Beara Penninsula today! So it’s out by way of Glengarriff, Adrigole…go past the Healy Pass Road (A difficult thing to do given how lovely it is there)..on to CastletownBearhaven then around the point. We take a break at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea in all directions and have lunch on stone benches over a stone wall. We work our way to Dursey Island with the idea of taking the cable car ride over. The fellow is on dinner break so we head on… The north side of the "Ring of Beara" is wild and craggy, mountainous, and breathtaking. We drive around forever on tiny roads and switchbacks. Through the Allihies and around Cod’s Head (I can’t help thinking of Peter Pan calling Captain Hook a Cod’s Head!!) We find a 17.5 foot high Ogham Stone that really does have Ogham written on it. Then we are offered the option to take an even tiny-er road around a headland…we do, of course… and once again are on the edge of the earth on little more than a cart road…the most breath-taking of the trip so far. We loop back eventually (at about 10:30 at night although it’s not dark yet this far north…so night is more a mind-set) to Killmackillouge and decide to stop at the pub for sandwiches. We run into Deborah Healy again and have a nice chat. She’s been in Ireland for 8 years working as an artist (paintings)…she said she just came over and never left… I can understand how she feels!!

June 16: The search for Sean O’Riada’s Irish Mass takes us through the mountains where I get delightfully lost in more amazing landscapes this time with pine forests as well. I know we went through Ballylickey, and Kealkill…. found a cool castle there. John threw stones while I checked out the castle. Then up to Inse Geimhleach where we crossed the River Lee. Then into unnumbered, unsigned roads on the way to finding Coolea. We did eventually make our way there, but found no shops so we kept going to Baile Bhuirne. (this is An Gaelteach, so the road signs don’t have English translations!)A fellow in a shop said I should call round to Sean’s son, Pedar. He gave directions to his house and amazingly there I was standing talking to Pedar O’Riada!! A very nice man who told me he had long ago given away all Sean’s music and records!! He said that Gael Linn is coming out with a CD set including both masses, music, and lyrics!! I’m to contact them when I go to Dublin and see if it’s out yet!! Got lost on the way back as well… tried to go to Kenmare, to find a sessiun at at the Lakehouse Pub there, but ended up in the Guagan Beara!! What a lovely place… St Finbar’s holy island… set in the Guagan Beara Lake which is the beginning of the River Lee… surrounded by mountain peaks… a stone wall thick enough to hold 8 cave-like rooms that must have held the monks who once prayed there.

To be continued………………………