24 Hours until Departure with No Passport, but Everything Does Work Out

Tuesday morning I woke up still in Mayo and after having some breakfast, Des told me of a nice walk to take so I got ready and headed out. Two minutes after a left turn out of the driveway of their cottage, leads to a small rocky beach along Clew Bay. To the left is Clare Island and ahead are the hills of Achill Island. Breathtaking does not even describe the view. I sat along the wall of the beach for a few minutes taking in the view and wishing that I could stay there forever. After my few visits out to the area, I settled on the fact that Mayo is by far my favorite area of Ireland. My time spent on the beach made me miss it even more. I continued on the walk and it led me up a hill where I was able to look out and see my cousins' house and see the sea to the left and right with Inishturk out in the distance. The road was narrow and passed down into fields of cows and eventually looped down onto the "main road" which leads to the harbor out to Inishturk and led me back to the cottage. The walk alone made me yearn for more time in Ireland and with a minor mishap, I almost had my wish..



As soon as I got back from my walk, Luke and I packed up the car and headed back for Kevin's house in Kilcock. We arrived back later in the day and were met by cheers from Kevin's girls. It had been almost a month since I had last seen them so it was great to be able to spend my last bit of time with them. We had dinner and then enjoyed a cuppa altogether before Luke left for the night.

The next morning ushered in my last full day in Ireland and again, nothing felt real-I did not believe this was the end. I got ready for the day and Erin was going to take me to the train station to go into Dublin for the day. As soon as I was putting my purse together, I noticed my wallet was missing...I searched everyway-my suitcase, my coat, everywhere. I was also out of credit on my phone so I used Erin's to start calling anywhere where I suspected my wallet might be. Mind you my passport, credit card, ATM card, all IDS, money everything was in there. So in looking at the clock and seeing that I had nearly 24 hours until my flight back home to America, it was time to get to work. I called Des back in Mayo to check the house, Luke to check his car, the community center on Inishturk, the ferry out to Inishturk, the Garda station in Westport...I called everywhere I could think of in the County of Mayo. However, none of the results coming back were what I wanted to hear. The last time I had remembered using my wallet was at the community center on Inishturk. I had to think about changing my flight, trying to get into the embassy, there was a lot to take in. I called the American Embassy and learned that I needed 2 passport photos, $150, and any form of ID...things were just not going my way. So Erin and I headed into town and got credit on my phone and went to the pharmacy to get my passport photos. I then tried the emergency number for the US Embassy and was told that I could come in the next morning at 8:30am to get an emergency passport and that I should be able to make my flight the next day. I had been told that everything would work out and I only took the Irish saying with a grain of salt because I was starting to panic.

Kevin had taken the day off work to help out with the outrageous situation at hand and after I printed off my flight information, he had gotten word that if I was able to make it to the Embassy by 4, I might be able to get my passport that day. Well, it was 3:34 and to get into Dublin and to the other side of the city was not going to take only 26 minutes. However, we jumped in the car and sprinted into town and made our way to Ballsbridge. To make matters worse, there was a horse show in the area and the Irish Soccer League was playing Manchester United at a stadium down the road so traffic was only setting us back. By the time we pulled up to the 70s style building, it was 4:20. Kevin told me to run to the entrance and start pleading like I never had before. I ran to the window and the security guard, Eamon, took sympathy on me and called to see if there was anyone still in the passport department to help me out.

Thankfully Eamon came back to the window and let me into the door of the security hut. Just as I was about to go in, Kevin also came to the rescue with money for me to pay for the passport. Eamon took my iPod and cellphone and then I had to go through a metal detector and was given a lanyard. Eamon then had to escort me into the building, radioing when he was opening the door and then he had to sit with me in the room throughout my entire time in there. I was surprised my new friend did not have to come into the bathroom with me. To say that security at the American Embassy was overkill compared to the Irish Parliament would be an understatement. The woman who helped me get my passport just so happened to be from an island near Inishturk in Mayo so she was surprised to learn that I may have lost it out there. Eventually after filling out a few forms and learning more about my shadow Eamon, I received my emergency passport and was now free to head back to America, my unintentional plan to stay a little while longer had not worked. Eamon led us out, but apparently I had walked to far ahead of him as he was closing the door and at to sprint to get back by my side. I was given my iPod and cellphone back as I left and after bidding farewell and g'luk from my new friend, I ran to Kevin's car and we headed back. On our way we passed by Stephen's Green, the Grand Canal, Grafton, Trinity, River Liffey, but I could not help wish that I had had a proper good-bye to the city that had become my own. Maybe my mishap and the rain on my last day in Dublin were both supposed to happen so as to stop me from saying good-bye, but allowing me to know that I would be back and did not need to cry and trudge around the city. I will be back.

When we returned to Kilcock, I was wiped out and ready for dinner. I played with the girls for a bit and then had my final dinner in Ireland. After dinner, Erin and I ran to Tesco in Maynooth to get some Moro bars to bring back home. On the way, we had to pass through the main street of Maynooth and I was able to see the Roost, Mantra, Brady's, O'Neill's, the Happy Hound, the Laundrette, Bagel Factory, Lotus, Supermac's, Mizzoni's, Dunnes, and Maximus all again. I was able to say my good-bye to the 'Nooth, but it was all so different during the summer-it was almost dead. When we made it back to the house, Luke had called over and we enjoyed a cuppa, so though he was off and the girls went to bed. Erin and I watched a movie and then I headed to bed to prepare myself for the morning. I was relieved to not have to worry about getting up early and heading into Dublin to get my passport.

In the morning I woke up with a pit in my stomach and a broken heart, I never knew how soon my journey which started in January would end. Time had flown and as I brought my suitcase down the stairs, I was overcome with a desire to go back to the start. I got ready with my Mayo jersey and then had my final meal. Eve told me that I was flying back to America that day and I couldn't help but feel her grief as well as mine. Kevin was running late so Erin, the girls, and I loaded my stuff into the car and headed for the airport. On the way, I enjoyed listening to the girls belt out Lady Gaga and other popular music one last time. All I could do was laugh and enjoy the moment. Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the terminal and I was getting out of the car saying good-bye to Erin, Hannah, Eve, and Ella. They had become my pseudo family during my time here and I couldn't thank them enough for all that they had done for me. I sobbed as I hugged them each good-bye and turned to walk inside to check-in.

I forgot about the potential of having to pay for overweight luggage and as I put one of my bags onto the belt, I was told that I would need to pay 40 euro. Oh dear, here came the tears. I asked if there was anyway I could give them a credit card number, but they could not. More tears came and the woman I was working with took sympathy on me, but her co-worker did not and with only 25 euro on me, I frantically called Erin. She was already on the highway back so it would be some time for her to turn back. I thankfully remembered that I still had 100 Norwegian Kroner on me and so I ran to convert them, but that only gave me 10 euro. With only 5 euro to go, I grabbed my plastic bag full of change that I had been carrying with me and counted out 5 more euro. Thank the lord. This whole losing the wallet deal was not working out too well. However, the woman informed me that she was not able to accept cash so she sent me over to another desk. Thanks a mil for telling me earlier...I then left my bags and ran to get my boarding ticket. Finally I had in my hand and then made my way to security and my gate. I was beyond ready to just get home and end this traveling chaos. When I made it to my gate, I realized that I had to go through customs there in Ireland so I filled out a customs form and then went down some stairs and was released to my gate. One of my housemates from Dublin was also leaving about the same time on a different flight and after searching her gate with no sign of her, her surprise arrival at my gate was exactly what I needed. I had been so stressed out trying to get my bags onto the flight and with the stress of leaving, I needed a friendly face to make my laugh. However, our visit was too short and parting from her was just another notch on my long good-bye belt. Soon I boarded my flight and as soon as my plane left the ground, my seven month adventure ended and things for me had changed, utterly changed...

“Tim Mac ye said? Well then, you’re very welcome to Inishturk.”

I feel it’s only appropriate to dedicate an entire post to the only island that’s better than the mainland of Ireland itself, Inishturk. A small island off the coast of Co. Mayo is where the true motherland for me lies. The Turk is where my great-grandpa McNamara called home and where I also know claim as home. I have heard endless stories of Inishturk from my Grandma and Uncle Johnny as well as my Mom and aunts and I wanted to see what the island, where a lobster fisherman named Tim Mac hailed from, was all about. Since I had come down to stay with my Irish family, they wanted me to try and get out to the island and so Monday morning came and I was on the ferry out. They sent me on my own and I was quite nervous about going on my own. Certainly I had roots on the island, but I had no idea where to go or what to see exactly and was hoping these people would remember Timothy McNamara.



When we arrived at the pier in Inishturk, I was apprehensive about getting off the boat and was curious how I was going to be received. As soon as I got off, I found an older woman standing there and asked her where the B&B was where my great-grandpa had lived. Apparently she owned one of the B&B’s, but soon enough was swept up in conversation and since “over the bushes” meant absolutely nothing to me, I kept walking. People were standing in their doorways simply staring at me, knowing full well that I was an outsider. I quickly walked up the road and called my grandma and mom to get some information about where the house was. I also asked a lad named David, but being from Louisburgh he didn’t know too much about the history of the island. However, he did tell me to follow the road for the Loop walk around the island. With a few failed attempts to find the B&B, I figured this was my best option to figure out my game plan for the next ohhh six and a half hours. I walked up the road which turned a bit steep-triggering me to whip out the inhaler and continued until I got to the gate which David told me to close or else the sheep would get out. As soon as I got through the gate, I made sure that gate was closed like it never had been before so as not to make any Inishturk farmer mad. The path soon turned into a bunch of rocks in a winding path. Soon I was at the back of the island and was looking out at the Atlantic Ocean with nothing out there but America somewhere out there.

I sat on a rock for a while just thinking and calling my mom. I watched the waves beat down the steep hill against the rocks. Rocks were scattered all about in the middle of the green pastures. After my mother encouraged me to go into town and talk to the people, I decided to finish the walk and find somewhere to go—to find out more about Tim Mac on the island. The rest of the path took me up a hill and around the edge of the hill that spilled down into the ocean and then went back down around a small lake or a giant puddle. The path was set close to the bottom of a hill with it rising on the right and then going down into a small valley below, housing sheep. At the end of the puddle, there was a turn where three sheep were staring at me, waiting for me to get closer. As I grew closer to the sheep, they started to walk in front of me and almost started leading me on my way. Along the way I also looked down and saw the GAA club of the island and then rounded around and came upon a few houses. The road continued to wind and then came back around to the front of the island. There were fields on the right that went down to cliffs leading down to the ocean. Houses were scattered on the left and soon I was passing one as the three men out front all looked at me as I passed…still knowing I was a stranger. And then making myself even more obvious, I asked where the community center was and they gave me directions and I nodded and moved on. Soon enough I came to one of the most beautiful spots on the Turk for views, Clare Island was straight ahead and the mainland to the right and the harbor area down below with the community center on the corner. I was starving at this point and decided to just walk in and try to get a bit of lunch…little did I know what I was getting myself into.

As soon I walked into the center, there was a large room on the right with a pool table and then to the left was the pub. When I walked in, the six men at the bar including the bartender all stopped what they were doing and turned just staring at me. There was no music on or anything so the place was absolutely silent. I nearly died in that moment as I tried to look for peace offering words so I could be accepted into the pub. I was mortified for the few silent seconds and almost ducked out—I knew I should not have gone alone. I can only imagine what my eyes looked like as I just stood there. If you have ever seen Waking Ned Devine, I was the lotto man from Dublin sneezing in the back of the church during the funeral. Thankfully, the silence was broken by David the lad I had met earlier in the village. I did not have time to recognize him because my head was spinning and I could not see straight. He belted out the obvious that I had come all the way to Chicago to come to Inishturk. Everyone was still a little apprehensive of the strange American in the pub, but I tried to settle in by ordering something to eat. I settled on a ham sandwich and some soup. Thankfully David was a bit of a chatterbox so he kept talking to me and then invited me to sit at the bar. Soon enough the man next to me asked why I was on the island and in explaining that I was Tim McNamara’s great-granddaughter—things got a little crazy…

The older gentleman in the corner of the bar, Joe, was able to figure out that I was third or fourth cousins with the bartender. Things took off from there and for the rest of the day he called me “cuz”. Joe was the one who knew the most about my great-grandpa and called him Tim Mac. He even pointed out the house, well maybe, which was my great-grandpa’s. Soon the bartender, Vivian, alerted his mom and dad who were in the back in the kitchen and they welcomed me as well. My lunch was brought out and the dad shook my hand and told me I was very welcome back home. I could not believe the hospitality of the people. Everyone kept checking to make sure my sandwich was alright and that I was doing fine. I was certainly welcomed and made to feel at home. Everyone was talking with me and then I was offered a pint of Guinness. Looking back, maybe I should have said no-but when on Inishturk! Soon enough different people were funneling in and they were talking to me about all different things from politics since they found out I worked in the Dail and then Irish music. Vivian pulled out a CD of some of his favorite Irish music and the pub was filled with the flute, fiddle, and the whistle. A few pints were bought for me and I talked with a few many people. I was even invited to go “island-hopping”. Clearly, they have a lot to do around there… Joe was soon over and bless his soul, he was explaining different things to me about the island, but with his accent I honestly could barely make out a word. He shared in the pint extravaganza and my glass was never empty before the next one was poured. Vivian warned me that I was on the slippery slope with a laugh and I completely believed him. The people of Inishturk must not have a lot to do and it being a bank holiday, people started funneling in towards the last few hours for a drink. I met several people and signed the guestbook to remind them and myself of my journey to the Turk. I was told that I looked like a real Irish woman with my wild hair, freckled skin, and my sip of the Guinness. Finally, someone in this country thinks I’m Irish and not American or Spanish.





My day was spent in the community center with the rain coming down outside and by the end of the day, the mainland was nowhere in sight and I had met the slippery slope that Vivian had warned me about. I was a little nervous to get on the ferry back, but before I knew it, I said good-bye to Vivian and was taken to the pier by my new friend and his son. His son was also going back to the mainland so the two of us, along with all of the visitors from the holiday weekend. It seemed as though there were more people leaving the island than were staying. It had been a nice day and even though I had been nervous to come over by myself, all had turned out well and I was glad I had made the journey. I was told to come back to Inishturk anytime and will certainly look to do so in the future. When I made it back to the mainland, I was happy to get a warm shower, dinner, and a cuppa tea.

I Remember That Summer in Dublin

When I woke up Monday, it began to hit me that it really was just about the end. Monday morning I woke up and few of the girls and I went down the street to a pub that serves an Irish breakfast. I was really expecting it to be any good, however, I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to delight in toast, tea, rashers, sausage, eggs, and beans. My future meal has come to be the unhealthy traditional Irish fry. We sat outside and I could not have been happier at that moment-beautiful day, amazing food, and great company. I then made a pit stop at the Spar, convenience store, on the corner by our house to see if they had a box I could use to ship some things home and my dear Polish friend assured me that he would save one for me. From there we then went to Henry St. to do some shopping. I knew I could not join them for the whole time, so I soon left and then went back home to try and finish my paper and presentation. I made some progress and then started another project of my own. I had bought an Irish flag on the street and wanted all of my roommates to sign it so I went around bothering everyone as they were also working on their papers and was able to get my flag fully signatured. That night a few of us went out for a few drinks and talked about the last few weeks, then on our way home we ran into a group from our program who were out celebrating our friend’s birthday so we decided to join them and headed back down the street.



On Tuesday, I was determined to finish everything up and for the most part was able to for the whole day. Later that evening we had a farewell dinner provided by UCD so we all got ready and sat outside for a bit enjoying the weather in our back garden. Then we walked over to the Brazen Head, which is Ireland’s oldest pub. There we were in a private room and given a three course dinner. In between each course there was a man who stood up and told us stories about the famine, fairy forts, and a variety of different things. At the end, we were simply told we could go so the dinner really didn’t feel like a good-bye dinner and didn’t really provide any closure for the program. However, we then headed home and since almost everyone except me and two other girls in my house had to present the next day.



Everyone was off presenting their internship projects in the morning, so I tried to review and finish everything before they got back. When they did come back bragging and boasting, I was quite jealous and had wished I could enjoy the day. However, I was still able to get out with some of my roommates and enjoy our time as we went to Stephen’s Green for lunch and enjoyed the weather for a bit. After our lunch, I went to print out my paper and buy a few gifts and then headed back to the house. That night one of my roommates wanted to take advantage of all of the ethnic restaurants near us, so we went to a Lebanese place down the street and my mouth has never been happier. I delighted in my chicken something or other…and then we went home and I finished everything up for my presentation and then we went out with almost everyone in our program. Basically everyone had finished except for nine of us, but we all went out and had fun, while saying good-bye to everyone.





The next day I woke up early and headed to UCD on the #10 one last time. I met two other girls in my presentation group on the way. My presentation went well I thought and as much as I hate speaking in front of people, the presentation was pretty easy and I’m not sure if that’s only because it was with only 4 other people or I’ve just gained more confidence in Ireland, but it went well and on the way home I had surprise. As I was waiting for the bus, someone in an Irish accent called my name and completely confused, I made out that it was my roommate from Maynooth (Brid’s) friend Jackie. Even though it wasn’t Brid, it was great to see Jackie before I left. I was so happy to finally be done and actually have the chance to feel like it was summer. However, I was consumed with thoughts of packing and saying good-bye. Two of my roommates left on Thursday so it was all entirely bittersweet even though it didn’t feel like they were actually leaving. One of my good friends, Melissa, was leaving Friday morning so a few of us went out to dinner at a place called the Porterhouse and enjoyed some traditional Irish fare. After dinner, Melissa wanted to go listen to some music so we walked around Temple Bar and eventually wound up at O’Donoghues by Grafton Street. There weren’t many people there and a female folk singer had the mic for the night so it wasn’t your typical Irish music, but we sat upstairs and talked for a few hours thinking about the summer. Eventually Melissa had to get back and finish some packing so we headed back and went to bed.





The next morning I was woken up by Melissa saying good-bye and as I watched her walk down the stoop and disappear, it didn’t seem real that summer in Dublin was ending. I couldn’t even imagine being Melissa and getting on a plane home that morning. The rest of the day was pretty rainy and I did not feel well from suspected mold infiltrating the house so I just packed a little and hung around with my other roommates. Our landlord decided to send over some gardeners on our last day so of course our back garden actually looked enjoyable for once, which was a shame since we never used it. For dinner, Marissa, Kat, and I met up with our other housemate Mal, her sister, and friend at a Thai place down the canal for dinner. The food was incredible and made me wish we had discovered some more of the restaurants in our area. When we got home, the four of us got ready and headed out for our last night. I truly did not feel as though it was the end and we headed to our favorite pub down the street, Flannery’s. The place was packed and made for a great last night to end our time together. We headed back and since Mal had to leave the house at 4:30 for her flight to Paris, we stayed up and saw her off.







The next morning was certainly hard with no sleep and packing up and saying good-bye. Again I said good-bye to Marissa and Kat and felt as though I was simply going away for the weekend to visit a friend or something, not to move out and go back to America. I hurriedly had to run out the door and get a cab to take me to the train station across the city with my huge suitcase. As I passed Camden St., Grafton, Trinity, and O’Connell St., I started to cry and knew things just would not be the same. Soon the cab pulled up to Connolly Station and I went to get my train ticket for Boyle, Co. Roscommon to visit my roommate Helena from Maynooth. I lugged my suitcase onto the train and made myself comfortable, the train ride was about 2.5 hours and as soon as I got there, I was met by Helena and her neighbor. We went into town for pizza and then we were met by her parents who took us back to her house. For the afternoon we hung out and then went to mass during which I had a massive cough attack and had to leave. That night we headed to Carrick on Shannon and had a great time.









On Sunday, Helena’s family went to the Roscommon Football match in Dublin so we simply hung out all day and then that night her neighbor picked me up and drove me to Castlerea to catch the train to Westport, Co. Mayo. Again I had to say good-bye but it did not feel real. When I arrived in Westport, I was met by my cousin Des and his wife Anna and their son Alex. I had not seen them since May so it was great to see them and see how big Alex had gotten. From Westport, we drove to the house that my cousins all share in a “village” called Accony outside Louisburgh. I had been to the house for a week with Des’ brother Kevin a few weeks before, so it was nice to be somewhere familiar. When we arrived, Des’ dad Luke was there and we talked for a bit and then I headed to bed.



The purpose of my trip down to the house was to visit Inishturk…