Back to Glenstal and a quick trip to Galway City

After leaving my cousins, I dashed back to the hotel, picked up my luggage and ordered a cab. The cab arrived quickly and traffic was moving, so we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Once again, I had a great Irish cabbie and the conversation flowed freely.  I found the bus departure point and realized I had plenty of time. I went into the terminal and used the ATM. I also picked up a sandwich and some water for the 2 ½-hour trip back to Limerick. 

I guess I was pretty pumped up after meeting the cousins or the cappuccino had a lot of caffeine, either way, I was not sleepy and made good use of the time. I actually made plane reservations to fly from Newark to Vienna and back. An ad from Austrian Airlines prompted me to check prices and I actually got a decent deal, especially for the business class seat for the 10-hour flight home to NJ. I will fly economy plus on the way over, but since so much of that time is spent sleeping, it should be OK. Before I knew it, the bus was leaving the highway close to where I would get off. I had arranged with the monastery that one of the monks would meet me at the bus stop on his way back to the abbey from Limerick City. All went smoothly and soon I was back in my comfortable room at the abbey.

When I woke up the next morning, I had the startling realization that this was the first day since leaving office that I had nothing on my agenda. There was not one thing that I ‘had’ to do. I lay in bed just thinking about that. It was a very odd sensation. After 10 years as headmaster, when there was never nothing ‘to do’, and the intense travel since then, I wondered what it would feel like. My reason for coming here to Glenstal was precisely that, to simply re-immerse myself in the daily rythm of monastic life and see what would happen. I knew that I needed not to force the issue. I also knew that I needed to be patient, because after so many years of hectic schedules, the measured routine of the monastic day would seem very slow.

Near Glenstal

 Fortunately, the monks here have also given me the freedom to come and go as I choose. While I do keep a good deal of the schedule, I don’t keep all of it. I am also taking advantage of the beautiful grounds and surroundings to walk two to three miles a day (weather permitting!) There is also a considerable amount of planning to be done for the Italy adventure that will follow in October. Between that and my ongoing genealogical research, I have enough to keep me busy.

On my second day of blissful idleness, one of the monks asked if I wanted to go with him and another monk-guest for a quick tour of Galway City. Never having been, I agreed readily. When the morning dawn, it was particularly gray (gray allows for multiple degrees here in Ireland!) and damp morning. The forecast promised rain, so I donned all the gear and set off. We hitched a ride with another monk who was heading into Limerick. He dropped us at the train/bus station where we would board the express bus to Galway. Our guide, Br. Colmán, is an authority in Early and Medieval Irish history. Along the way, he would point out various sights of interest. God is good. By the time we pulled into Galway, the rain had stopped. We fortified ourselves with a cup of coffee in a café built next to walls of the city, which were visible behind Plexiglas. This gave Colmán the opportunity to give us the background to the evolution of the city of Galway and its tortured relationship with the British.

Our fearless leader

After our coffee, we headed off the see the remains of Medieval Galway.  Colmán is extremely knowledgeable and clearly loves the city. He grew up near Galway in Gort and was a university student here. I am sure we saw things that most casual tourists do not. To be sure, there is not a terribly large amount of Medieval Galway that is still visible. What fire and other calamities didn’t destroy, has mostly been covered by more recent buildings. Gradually, however, bits and pieces are re-emerging. When Colmán decided that we were sufficiently over-educated, we repaired to a local pub for lunch. 

He left the other monk, Kieran, and me on our own after lunch, because he was giving a similar tour

to a bunch of college students from the States. I guess we were the warm-up act. On Colmán’s recommendation, Kieran and I headed for the modern cathedral. It is an imposing stone structure,

finished in the mid-60’s. The space inside is vast, but well proportioned. One could well imagine

Street scene in Galway

grand liturgical events taking place here. It reminded me a little bit of the National Shrine in Washington D.C. Kieran and I roamed about the city for a bit more, before it was time to catch the bus back to Limerick. Just as we were about to board, the rains began again . . .