It’s Spring! The summer solstice was last week, so now the time of darkness equals the time of daylight in our world. Strangely enough, I like the dark.
Think it’s the Irish in me.
Although once in Ireland in the height of the summer, it was light until at least 10:30 p.m. Very disconcerting to say the least. I couldn’t go to sleep in broad daylight. And it felt abnormal to drink my Tullamore Dew while it was still light outside.
But typically in Ireland, there seem to be more dark hours than here in America. Probably it’s just because of the rain. Which comes and goes and then comes back again. It never seems to rain terribly hard. It’s just enough to wash the cliffs so that they sparkle in the sunlight when it comes out again. Lovely arrangement. Truly, a little bit of heaven.
The cliffs on the Dingle Peninsula and The Ring of Kerry are enough to cause an audible ahhhhh from anyone with a soul still alive enough to appreciate them.
And the green of the land is indescribable. I remember the first time I saw it, I thought it was artificial. Well, look for yourself. Pretty cool, huh?
Last week, I had another radio interview in Marshall, NC, with a woman named Donna Levine-Small. Donna asked excellent questions, and I found myself digging deep into my soul for the words to describe my sadness at the Cobh Harbor in a replica of a coffin ship. A ship much like Mary Boland sailed on during her departure from Ireland. If you go to Ireland, try to go to Cobh and immerse yourself in the experiences that our early immigrants survived. It’ll make you grateful for your heritage.
I tried to copy the interview here so that you might listen, but my computer says the file is too large for this application. Check my Facebook page. I’ll try to put it there. And in the meantime, thank your Grandmother or Great Grandmother for what they endured so that you could enjoy the freedom of America. As we approach Easter, I’ll bet they just might hear you.