Ireland 2011
Our St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir tour of “Traditional Ireland” was tremendously exciting. 25 choir members and 16 Friends of the Choir went from March 3-12th and enjoyed surprisingly mild weather, probably because we were there! I was very proud of the choir. We were singing at all hours of the day and in all kinds of different conditions, but they all rose to the occasion and were excellent musical ambassadors of the parish all over Ireland.
Day 1: The plane left early, but most of us found it hard to sleep on the flight. Gilbert, our almost 2 year old son, did fine sleeping and adjusting to the time difference. Aer Lingus was great and gave our family a whole row of seats so that Gilbert could lay down.
Day 2: We arrived in Dublin, where we met our tour manager, Noel Kissane. He was an excellent guide. He told it as it was and often said, “I’m just givin’ you the facts so you can make up your own mind. I’m very open-minded, but I don’t want to influence you one way or th’ other.” Ireland’s depressed economy has had a deep impact on its people. Many are leaving the country. Noel told us on a few occasions that he was happy we were visiting. He also said that the Irish like to hear our American accents as much as we like to hear theirs! Do ya believe it?
We hopped on our bus for the ride across the country to Galway. We soon discovered that they have a really good road network that has significantly improved over the last 10 years. It would have taken us twice as long to do as many things as we did on this tour had we been traveling in 2001! We stopped about halfway across Ireland in the town of Athlone, where we boarded our “cruise boat” as the brochure called it. It was really more of a Viking vessel replica. Some of the pilgrims I noticed feared that our vessel would sink, but we kept the faith. It turned out to be a fun rustic ride. We had some wonderful scones. They served us coffee in little paper cups and poor Michael O’Connell tried taking one, only to find that there was a hole in it! The server told him to dump it out, but he threw the paper cup and the leaking coffee overboard! After apologizing for throwing the cup in the water, Mike contritely took another coffee, but that one had a leak, too! He gave up on the coffee idea. At least it was the cup that had the leak and not our boat! There were beautiful swans around us and some islands as well as material for “thatch” that they still use to cover some of their older houses. Over the boat’s incessant rumbling we sang “Shenandoah.” It sounded quite full and lovely despite the boat noise. Before we left, my parents contacted some relatives on my mom’s side of the family that still live in Tuam, Ireland. That evening at our four star hotel, the Clayton in Galway, we got to meet each other. While we were talking, I was in awe of how the meeting was even possible, but there we were. The husband was very proud of a pin he was wearing in honor of 50 years being sober – a major milestone for anyone, but certainly an Irishman!
Day 3: This was the first day we all experienced the huge Irish breakfast. That means that you have your choice of fruit, yogurt, juices, ham, eggs, breads, sausages, beans, hash browns, and many other yummy foods! We boarded the bus for a long day of travel. The first stop was at the Connemara Marble shop which offered various and sundry marble items for sale. After a presentation by an interesting gentleman, he gave Gilbert his very own chunk of marble. We would later find out that his company was responsible for laying all of the beautiful marble in the gorgeous Galway Cathedral and his family name was identical to the name of the mountains through which we’d be traveling that very day. We had some unbelievable views because it was such a calm day. Imagine a mirror for a lake and it reflecting a picturesque landscape of mountains, trees and grasses. On our way into Kylemore Abbey, a Gothic style castle, it, too, was reflected in a beautiful lake that would also later in our visit become so calm that the pictures were amazing. We made our way through the lovely grounds to sing at the Gothic Memorial Church, built as a “miniature cathedral.” Our informal singing was advertized to the public, so we actually had a small audience attend. We sang four songs and then had a chance to explore the grounds and the abbey a bit. In the abbey they had a really old upright piano that was within a roped off area. Well, there was no one around, and I had to get a picture of me playing a note with one hand and holding Gilbert in the other. My wife Keri obliged my delinquency. They also had a great gift shop and café where we had lunch.
We pressed on to Knock Shrine. We arrived to find a spiritual mecca designed as a holy site for thousands. It seemed like everything on the campus was huge. Being there in the low season we had our run of the place. Knock has a great bookstore, a huge cross commemorating the visit of Pope John Paul II, a modern basilica, and two chapels – one built upon the site of the 1879 apparition of St. Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist. They have masses there almost every hour. Our private mass was in the Old Chapel at 4 PM. When we got there, they were still finishing the 3 PM public mass, so I went to the choir loft and scoped out the place while the organist was singing and playing the organ. There was a very small choir loft and the organ was quite out of tune, so we had to be flexible in a number of ways. At all of the masses we were able to sing the Gospel acclamation and the Eucharistic acclamations. These are the most important songs during the mass, so it really meant a lot to us. The more we can sing during the mass, the happier we are! After mass we walked around the small town of Knock, but it was essentially shut down. Keri managed to find milk for Gilbert at a pub that was closing. We all saw the Post Office where our own Fr. Paul’s relative worked, but we didn’t get to go in because of time.
Day 4: Judy began this day by praying the creed for us in the words of St. Patrick. We were then headed for morning mass at Galway Cathedral. This massive church had a beautiful marble floor and a recently restored organ. Our organist Jay Peterson only had 5 minutes to try it out, and then he made it sing along with us. Fr. Martin, an associate pastor, said the mass. Near the end of mass, he thanked us for bringing music into the rafters of their normally music-less mass. After mass, we met the pastor. He was so grateful for our presence that he let us into the sanctuary and even took a group photo with us.
Then we drove through the spectacular Burren Region (“Boirean” is Gaelic for “rocky”). At one point we stopped the bus and walked over the glaciokarstic plateau with its porous limestone and shale systems. After a quick lunch at Fitzpatrick’s Pub, where many of us had the delicious seafood chowder, we were off to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. The brand new visitor center for the Cliffs of Moher was built into the hillside. Inside the center you felt like a big groundhog. Most of us headed out to see the panoramic view and some of us even ventured to the top of O’Brien’s Tower. From the top of the 150 year old tower you could see far into the ocean.
That evening we attended a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. It was a ball of fun. Roger Dore and Ellen Peirce were “officially” (for that night) crowned Lord and Lady of the Castle, and I the prisoner. After the third course, I was banished to the dungeon (which formerly did function as a dungeon!). After a few scripted screams, my penance was to sing a song in front of everyone – I know, tall order for a Director of Music! I chose “Edelweiss” and everyone joined in singing with me. It was The Sound of Music meets Medieval Times. Before the banquet, the choir sang a short informal concert at the entrance near the castle. We were asked during the dinner to sing another song, so we chose “O Sifuni Mungu,” an upbeat Swahili song, complete with drum, claves and shakers. The abundance of food that evening included soup, ribs, chicken, and dessert. We feasted while the Bunratty Players serenaded us with some popular Irish songs. A couple of the songs sounded like musical arrangements by my fellow North Dakotan Lawrence Welk, dontcha know. Gilbert especially liked the bagpiper who closed out the evening, and even did his own little dance. That night we checked into the Clarion Hotel in Limerick overlooking the River Shannon. In our room they had set up a crib and put a little rubber duckie in it for Gilbert.
Day 5: On our bus ride this day we were headed for the Dingle Peninsula, one of Ireland’s most popular coastal scenery drives. The views were more and more breathtaking as we drove. One of the highlights was seeing some “beehive huts,” built by monks about 1,400 years ago entirely out of stones. The ones we saw were on the property of a woman named Mary, and as long as you paid her 1 euro you could see them. Each time Mary collects enough money, she buys a plane ticket for a vacation to the U.S.! We took a group photo near the westernmost point of Europe and also saw the location where Ryan’s Daughter was filmed. Incidentally, I was amused that the Irish say “fil-um” for the word “film.” After exploring the town of Dingle and eating some fish ‘n’ chips for lunch, we had a little open mic session on the bus. Dan Boyle had prepared a song sheet for us, so we all sang some Irish and American tunes as we rolled along on to the Killarney Court Hotel in Killarney (“Kil-” means church). After scoping out the rooms in the hotel, Diane Muss noticed that she and her husband Jim had a large bed and a small bed in her room. She found us and amusingly told us that they must have put Gilbert’s bed in her room. We went to her room to see if Gilbert would try it out, and he loved it! We then went back to our room to relax for awhile, but walking to dinner, much to our surprise, Gilbert stopped and patted Diane & Jim’s door! I couldn’t believe he remembered Diane’s exact room!
Day 6: Mardi Gras! We started this day with a ride in “jaunting cars,” which essentially means a horse pulling an open passenger buggy. “Buggy” is another word that is now a permanent part of my vocabulary because they call a baby carriage a baby “buggy.” The drivers were hilarious and they all used the same jokes. When our horse started to relieve himself our driver, also named Patrick, said, “We’ve sprung a diesel leak,” or my favorite, “What do you put on a honeymoon salad? Lettuce alone with no dressing.” The ride took us through a National Park along Lough Leane to our cruise boat waiting for us by Ross Castle. Along the way we saw some beautiful scenery and even some deer grazing.
The cruise on Lough Leane (meaning “Lake of Learning” in Gaelic) revealed many different islands. Most were given animal names. My favorite was Alligator Island named for 2 large rock formations that looked like an open alligator mouth. We also saw a gnarly old tree from which leprechauns partake in their favorite activity – bungee jumping! This boat had a larger enclosed area and the back of the boat was open air. We sang Shenandoah and the captain thankfully killed the engine for us so we wouldn’t have to sing over it. He even videotaped our rendition on his phone and said that it was so lovely he wanted to listen to it again and again. He doesn’t know it yet, but we’ll be charging him royalties. It was such a lovely few minutes hearing the song sung on the water with such a wide dynamic range. The choir had really gelled by this day.
Lunchtime brought some of us to the town of Killarney and others to the Muckross House and Gardens. We opted for the latter and had some deluxe hamburgers with creamy pepper sauce and a tasty chocolate cake. After a quick bite some of us took the tour of the house. It had nicely landscaped grounds and it was a stunningly beautiful house complete with many original furnishings. No photos allowed here, but I indulged again. Keri snuck a quick picture of me by an 1840’s Broadwood piano in the living room. From the house you could see onto Lough Leane. Queen Victoria of England even stayed there. The Irish spent 6 years preparing for her visit. A few days before she arrived, she told them not to go to any trouble! The Irish had hopes that the queen would grant them some money, but after her husband Albert died she went into such a great mourning period that she forgot about giving the Irish any money.
That night was the eve of Keri’s birthday, and with a little planning the hotel had ordered a special gluten free cake for all of us to have as dessert! The whole group signed a card for her and gave her a tin whistle and a bodhran (Irish drum). Gilbert took to the tin whistle right away. Maybe he’ll be able to play it at mass sometime soon! Later that night, a group of us went out to continue the celebration at a local pub. They had stopped serving food, so I went on a mission to find something. I found a place called “Four Star Pizza” and brought a few back for the gang. We stayed out quite late. So late, in fact, that even the bartenders were gone by the time we left.
Day 7: Ash Wednesday. This morning we departed for County Cork to visit the Blarney Castle. Walking around the grounds and through the castle conjured many images of what it must have been like to live there. There was even a cave through which the inhabitants escaped when Cromwell attacked. Naturally, I had to kiss the Blarney Stone. I supposedly now have the gift of gab for the next 7 years. We had a great lunch here. I enjoyed the Fish Pie, which means they put mashed potatoes on top of the fish and sautéed potatoes on the side. There is no shortage of potatoes in Ireland! We didn’t have enough time to shop at the Blarney Woolen Mills because of our schedule that day, but that was probably better given how weak the dollar is to the euro.
Then we continued on to the world famous Waterford Crystal Factory. We took a tour of what remains of the factory, post-recession. I had to hold onto Gilbert with all my strength. There were so many beautiful pieces. We were able to see how some of them are still made by hand. Seeing the craftsmen in person made us appreciate the prices much more. There is also a rigorous quality control through which each piece must go. I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to how hard we worked as a choir to make the tour a success.
Before our evening mass, we checked into the wonderful Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny. There was a really nice courtyard with a view into a neighboring field where a couple horses were grazing.
Then we were off to St. John the Evangelist Church, somewhat similar in design to our church. Since it was Ash Wednesday, this mass was well attended. The sacristan was really impressed with our music, and the priest Fr. Frank Purcell called us “exquisite.” We had gone over the plan for mass when we met, and then at the beginning of mass he changed everything we had just discussed! Oh well, you learn to go with the flow on these tours. After mass we met Susan Licciardi’s step-father and his wife. Susan is one of our mighty altos. They had traveled from Germany to hear us, and told me that the music was inspiring and hearing us sing in that church made it especially uplifting. I found it humorous when Fr. Purcell said, “I’d like to thank the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir under the baton of Patrick Godon for singing tonight.” I never use a baton but it was a lovely sentiment! Even though the Ash Wednesday mass had an air of somberness, the congregation applauded us. The choir sounded first rate, but alas, of all nights, this was the night all of our recording devices chose to stop working. Our songs will be in my memory forever. After the mass I made a quick stop over to the rectory with a few others to thank the priest. He was on his way out, but he thanked us warmly and gave me a really nice book that they had recently published for their 100 year anniversary.
Day 8: We began this day with a visit to Kilkenny Castle, built in the 12th century. The grounds were beautiful and it had a huge hall full of paintings and large ceiling windows. The inverse Viking ship design of the hall ceiling reminded us of our church ceiling. Our guided tour took us to a bedroom where the bed was roped off, but the guide let Sharon Howerton and Bill Jurek past the ropes to touch the bed and various other items. The jokes were flying! I remember laughing a lot in that room. Of course I don’t remember any of the jokes now, but that combined with seeing a huge toilet fit for a few kings made for a side-splitting morning. After the tour we had some time on our own and many of us investigated the outdoor market right next to the castle! We found some scrumptious items for lunch: pastries, fruit, raspberry juice, smoothies, chocolate, and cookies bigger than my head.
All aboard for Glendalough! Before arriving we made a quick stop. We were in a valley and the wind was whipping over us. It nearly knocked over some of our smaller members! Glendalough is a valley of two lakes and a monastery of two saints. The latter of the pair is St. Laurence O’Toole, an abbot and builder of churches in Glendalough in the 12th century before he became Archbishop of Dublin. But it is the earlier of the two – St. Kevin – with whom we most associate Glendalough, for he was responsible for the foundation of the monastery that expanded around his tomb after his death around 618 A.D. Glendalough has one of the best-preserved Round Towers in the country. There was high wind at Glendalough, too, and it started to rain. We gave the grounds a cursory glance and then headed off to the café and gift shops to R & R – rest and relinquish our money. Last stop, Dublin! Our hotel was called Jurys Inn Custom House and was right on the River Liffey.
Day 9: Our last full day in Ireland was bittersweet. In the morning we had a quick city tour. We visited The Book of Kells at Trinity College, a 9th century gospel manuscript. The buildup to it was incredible, and it was displayed in its own ominously lit room. You only get to see two pages each time you go, but each page has intricate designs and lettering. I really wanted to flip through the whole book, but it was under some serious glass to protect it from me. From there, you walk up a staircase to the “Long Room,” which houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books in its oak bookcases. It is indescribably beautiful and magnificently historic. Lining each side of the room were busts, and I found one that was named “Gilbert!” No pictures allowed, though, so I took a mental one. I reveled in how priceless that room was and how remarkable it was that nothing had happened to it over the centuries. From there we briefly visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral (now the church of Ireland) built in 1213. It is Ireland’s largest cathedral and was made famous by its former dean Jonathan Swift, author of “Gulliver’s Travels.”
Our last mass at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral was emotional for some of us. We felt the culmination of the tour. This was the last time this group of people would be together singing these songs. The priest was Fr. Patrick, a fine name and a kindred spirit. After mass some of the parishioners stayed around to meet us. One woman said that she’d attended that 11 AM mass there for years and didn’t expect to hear a choir at mass. When she heard us she said it sounded like angels from heaven! It is so meaningful for me to hear those comments from the local people, however brief our meeting. After mass we had lunch on our own in Dublin and then had the afternoon free. The Godon’s found a Natural History Museum and Gilbert had fun hiding behind various “stuffed” animals.
Dinner that evening was at The Merry Ploughboy Pub. This was excellent entertainment with a live band and Irish dancers. Judy Nocek was chosen to dance with them on stage! That evening at the pub we celebrated Judy’s brother Jerry’s 50th birthday and Bill Jurek’s birthday, so we had a lot to celebrate. But as you probably know by now, you don’t have to tell choir members twice about a party. The evening got quite late for Gilbert, but he enjoyed the music and enjoyed meeting a woman from Norway that had been called on stage. At the end of the evening, one of the band members gave Gilbert a free CD and told him to learn all the songs on it! I was so glad because I wanted to buy a CD, but was running low on euros.
Day 10: Afternoon return flight to Chicago. Those of us that went on this tour now have a special place in their hearts for Ireland. We are so thankful for the opportunity to bring our music to foreign lands and be welcomed with open arms as brothers and sisters. Stay tuned – I hope to go on another Peter’s Way Tour in 2 years. In fact, we’ve been invited back to Italy by the music director of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City as one of the “valuable choirs of the world” to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the founding of the papal choir! Now is the time to join us!
Day 1: The plane left early, but most of us found it hard to sleep on the flight. Gilbert, our almost 2 year old son, did fine sleeping and adjusting to the time difference. Aer Lingus was great and gave our family a whole row of seats so that Gilbert could lay down.
Day 2: We arrived in Dublin, where we met our tour manager, Noel Kissane. He was an excellent guide. He told it as it was and often said, “I’m just givin’ you the facts so you can make up your own mind. I’m very open-minded, but I don’t want to influence you one way or th’ other.” Ireland’s depressed economy has had a deep impact on its people. Many are leaving the country. Noel told us on a few occasions that he was happy we were visiting. He also said that the Irish like to hear our American accents as much as we like to hear theirs! Do ya believe it?
We hopped on our bus for the ride across the country to Galway. We soon discovered that they have a really good road network that has significantly improved over the last 10 years. It would have taken us twice as long to do as many things as we did on this tour had we been traveling in 2001! We stopped about halfway across Ireland in the town of Athlone, where we boarded our “cruise boat” as the brochure called it. It was really more of a Viking vessel replica. Some of the pilgrims I noticed feared that our vessel would sink, but we kept the faith. It turned out to be a fun rustic ride. We had some wonderful scones. They served us coffee in little paper cups and poor Michael O’Connell tried taking one, only to find that there was a hole in it! The server told him to dump it out, but he threw the paper cup and the leaking coffee overboard! After apologizing for throwing the cup in the water, Mike contritely took another coffee, but that one had a leak, too! He gave up on the coffee idea. At least it was the cup that had the leak and not our boat! There were beautiful swans around us and some islands as well as material for “thatch” that they still use to cover some of their older houses. Over the boat’s incessant rumbling we sang “Shenandoah.” It sounded quite full and lovely despite the boat noise. Before we left, my parents contacted some relatives on my mom’s side of the family that still live in Tuam, Ireland. That evening at our four star hotel, the Clayton in Galway, we got to meet each other. While we were talking, I was in awe of how the meeting was even possible, but there we were. The husband was very proud of a pin he was wearing in honor of 50 years being sober – a major milestone for anyone, but certainly an Irishman!
Day 3: This was the first day we all experienced the huge Irish breakfast. That means that you have your choice of fruit, yogurt, juices, ham, eggs, breads, sausages, beans, hash browns, and many other yummy foods! We boarded the bus for a long day of travel. The first stop was at the Connemara Marble shop which offered various and sundry marble items for sale. After a presentation by an interesting gentleman, he gave Gilbert his very own chunk of marble. We would later find out that his company was responsible for laying all of the beautiful marble in the gorgeous Galway Cathedral and his family name was identical to the name of the mountains through which we’d be traveling that very day. We had some unbelievable views because it was such a calm day. Imagine a mirror for a lake and it reflecting a picturesque landscape of mountains, trees and grasses. On our way into Kylemore Abbey, a Gothic style castle, it, too, was reflected in a beautiful lake that would also later in our visit become so calm that the pictures were amazing. We made our way through the lovely grounds to sing at the Gothic Memorial Church, built as a “miniature cathedral.” Our informal singing was advertized to the public, so we actually had a small audience attend. We sang four songs and then had a chance to explore the grounds and the abbey a bit. In the abbey they had a really old upright piano that was within a roped off area. Well, there was no one around, and I had to get a picture of me playing a note with one hand and holding Gilbert in the other. My wife Keri obliged my delinquency. They also had a great gift shop and café where we had lunch.
We pressed on to Knock Shrine. We arrived to find a spiritual mecca designed as a holy site for thousands. It seemed like everything on the campus was huge. Being there in the low season we had our run of the place. Knock has a great bookstore, a huge cross commemorating the visit of Pope John Paul II, a modern basilica, and two chapels – one built upon the site of the 1879 apparition of St. Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist. They have masses there almost every hour. Our private mass was in the Old Chapel at 4 PM. When we got there, they were still finishing the 3 PM public mass, so I went to the choir loft and scoped out the place while the organist was singing and playing the organ. There was a very small choir loft and the organ was quite out of tune, so we had to be flexible in a number of ways. At all of the masses we were able to sing the Gospel acclamation and the Eucharistic acclamations. These are the most important songs during the mass, so it really meant a lot to us. The more we can sing during the mass, the happier we are! After mass we walked around the small town of Knock, but it was essentially shut down. Keri managed to find milk for Gilbert at a pub that was closing. We all saw the Post Office where our own Fr. Paul’s relative worked, but we didn’t get to go in because of time.
Day 4: Judy began this day by praying the creed for us in the words of St. Patrick. We were then headed for morning mass at Galway Cathedral. This massive church had a beautiful marble floor and a recently restored organ. Our organist Jay Peterson only had 5 minutes to try it out, and then he made it sing along with us. Fr. Martin, an associate pastor, said the mass. Near the end of mass, he thanked us for bringing music into the rafters of their normally music-less mass. After mass, we met the pastor. He was so grateful for our presence that he let us into the sanctuary and even took a group photo with us.
Then we drove through the spectacular Burren Region (“Boirean” is Gaelic for “rocky”). At one point we stopped the bus and walked over the glaciokarstic plateau with its porous limestone and shale systems. After a quick lunch at Fitzpatrick’s Pub, where many of us had the delicious seafood chowder, we were off to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. The brand new visitor center for the Cliffs of Moher was built into the hillside. Inside the center you felt like a big groundhog. Most of us headed out to see the panoramic view and some of us even ventured to the top of O’Brien’s Tower. From the top of the 150 year old tower you could see far into the ocean.
That evening we attended a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. It was a ball of fun. Roger Dore and Ellen Peirce were “officially” (for that night) crowned Lord and Lady of the Castle, and I the prisoner. After the third course, I was banished to the dungeon (which formerly did function as a dungeon!). After a few scripted screams, my penance was to sing a song in front of everyone – I know, tall order for a Director of Music! I chose “Edelweiss” and everyone joined in singing with me. It was The Sound of Music meets Medieval Times. Before the banquet, the choir sang a short informal concert at the entrance near the castle. We were asked during the dinner to sing another song, so we chose “O Sifuni Mungu,” an upbeat Swahili song, complete with drum, claves and shakers. The abundance of food that evening included soup, ribs, chicken, and dessert. We feasted while the Bunratty Players serenaded us with some popular Irish songs. A couple of the songs sounded like musical arrangements by my fellow North Dakotan Lawrence Welk, dontcha know. Gilbert especially liked the bagpiper who closed out the evening, and even did his own little dance. That night we checked into the Clarion Hotel in Limerick overlooking the River Shannon. In our room they had set up a crib and put a little rubber duckie in it for Gilbert.
Day 5: On our bus ride this day we were headed for the Dingle Peninsula, one of Ireland’s most popular coastal scenery drives. The views were more and more breathtaking as we drove. One of the highlights was seeing some “beehive huts,” built by monks about 1,400 years ago entirely out of stones. The ones we saw were on the property of a woman named Mary, and as long as you paid her 1 euro you could see them. Each time Mary collects enough money, she buys a plane ticket for a vacation to the U.S.! We took a group photo near the westernmost point of Europe and also saw the location where Ryan’s Daughter was filmed. Incidentally, I was amused that the Irish say “fil-um” for the word “film.” After exploring the town of Dingle and eating some fish ‘n’ chips for lunch, we had a little open mic session on the bus. Dan Boyle had prepared a song sheet for us, so we all sang some Irish and American tunes as we rolled along on to the Killarney Court Hotel in Killarney (“Kil-” means church). After scoping out the rooms in the hotel, Diane Muss noticed that she and her husband Jim had a large bed and a small bed in her room. She found us and amusingly told us that they must have put Gilbert’s bed in her room. We went to her room to see if Gilbert would try it out, and he loved it! We then went back to our room to relax for awhile, but walking to dinner, much to our surprise, Gilbert stopped and patted Diane & Jim’s door! I couldn’t believe he remembered Diane’s exact room!
Day 6: Mardi Gras! We started this day with a ride in “jaunting cars,” which essentially means a horse pulling an open passenger buggy. “Buggy” is another word that is now a permanent part of my vocabulary because they call a baby carriage a baby “buggy.” The drivers were hilarious and they all used the same jokes. When our horse started to relieve himself our driver, also named Patrick, said, “We’ve sprung a diesel leak,” or my favorite, “What do you put on a honeymoon salad? Lettuce alone with no dressing.” The ride took us through a National Park along Lough Leane to our cruise boat waiting for us by Ross Castle. Along the way we saw some beautiful scenery and even some deer grazing.
The cruise on Lough Leane (meaning “Lake of Learning” in Gaelic) revealed many different islands. Most were given animal names. My favorite was Alligator Island named for 2 large rock formations that looked like an open alligator mouth. We also saw a gnarly old tree from which leprechauns partake in their favorite activity – bungee jumping! This boat had a larger enclosed area and the back of the boat was open air. We sang Shenandoah and the captain thankfully killed the engine for us so we wouldn’t have to sing over it. He even videotaped our rendition on his phone and said that it was so lovely he wanted to listen to it again and again. He doesn’t know it yet, but we’ll be charging him royalties. It was such a lovely few minutes hearing the song sung on the water with such a wide dynamic range. The choir had really gelled by this day.
Lunchtime brought some of us to the town of Killarney and others to the Muckross House and Gardens. We opted for the latter and had some deluxe hamburgers with creamy pepper sauce and a tasty chocolate cake. After a quick bite some of us took the tour of the house. It had nicely landscaped grounds and it was a stunningly beautiful house complete with many original furnishings. No photos allowed here, but I indulged again. Keri snuck a quick picture of me by an 1840’s Broadwood piano in the living room. From the house you could see onto Lough Leane. Queen Victoria of England even stayed there. The Irish spent 6 years preparing for her visit. A few days before she arrived, she told them not to go to any trouble! The Irish had hopes that the queen would grant them some money, but after her husband Albert died she went into such a great mourning period that she forgot about giving the Irish any money.
That night was the eve of Keri’s birthday, and with a little planning the hotel had ordered a special gluten free cake for all of us to have as dessert! The whole group signed a card for her and gave her a tin whistle and a bodhran (Irish drum). Gilbert took to the tin whistle right away. Maybe he’ll be able to play it at mass sometime soon! Later that night, a group of us went out to continue the celebration at a local pub. They had stopped serving food, so I went on a mission to find something. I found a place called “Four Star Pizza” and brought a few back for the gang. We stayed out quite late. So late, in fact, that even the bartenders were gone by the time we left.
Day 7: Ash Wednesday. This morning we departed for County Cork to visit the Blarney Castle. Walking around the grounds and through the castle conjured many images of what it must have been like to live there. There was even a cave through which the inhabitants escaped when Cromwell attacked. Naturally, I had to kiss the Blarney Stone. I supposedly now have the gift of gab for the next 7 years. We had a great lunch here. I enjoyed the Fish Pie, which means they put mashed potatoes on top of the fish and sautéed potatoes on the side. There is no shortage of potatoes in Ireland! We didn’t have enough time to shop at the Blarney Woolen Mills because of our schedule that day, but that was probably better given how weak the dollar is to the euro.
Then we continued on to the world famous Waterford Crystal Factory. We took a tour of what remains of the factory, post-recession. I had to hold onto Gilbert with all my strength. There were so many beautiful pieces. We were able to see how some of them are still made by hand. Seeing the craftsmen in person made us appreciate the prices much more. There is also a rigorous quality control through which each piece must go. I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to how hard we worked as a choir to make the tour a success.
Before our evening mass, we checked into the wonderful Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny. There was a really nice courtyard with a view into a neighboring field where a couple horses were grazing.
Then we were off to St. John the Evangelist Church, somewhat similar in design to our church. Since it was Ash Wednesday, this mass was well attended. The sacristan was really impressed with our music, and the priest Fr. Frank Purcell called us “exquisite.” We had gone over the plan for mass when we met, and then at the beginning of mass he changed everything we had just discussed! Oh well, you learn to go with the flow on these tours. After mass we met Susan Licciardi’s step-father and his wife. Susan is one of our mighty altos. They had traveled from Germany to hear us, and told me that the music was inspiring and hearing us sing in that church made it especially uplifting. I found it humorous when Fr. Purcell said, “I’d like to thank the St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir under the baton of Patrick Godon for singing tonight.” I never use a baton but it was a lovely sentiment! Even though the Ash Wednesday mass had an air of somberness, the congregation applauded us. The choir sounded first rate, but alas, of all nights, this was the night all of our recording devices chose to stop working. Our songs will be in my memory forever. After the mass I made a quick stop over to the rectory with a few others to thank the priest. He was on his way out, but he thanked us warmly and gave me a really nice book that they had recently published for their 100 year anniversary.
Day 8: We began this day with a visit to Kilkenny Castle, built in the 12th century. The grounds were beautiful and it had a huge hall full of paintings and large ceiling windows. The inverse Viking ship design of the hall ceiling reminded us of our church ceiling. Our guided tour took us to a bedroom where the bed was roped off, but the guide let Sharon Howerton and Bill Jurek past the ropes to touch the bed and various other items. The jokes were flying! I remember laughing a lot in that room. Of course I don’t remember any of the jokes now, but that combined with seeing a huge toilet fit for a few kings made for a side-splitting morning. After the tour we had some time on our own and many of us investigated the outdoor market right next to the castle! We found some scrumptious items for lunch: pastries, fruit, raspberry juice, smoothies, chocolate, and cookies bigger than my head.
All aboard for Glendalough! Before arriving we made a quick stop. We were in a valley and the wind was whipping over us. It nearly knocked over some of our smaller members! Glendalough is a valley of two lakes and a monastery of two saints. The latter of the pair is St. Laurence O’Toole, an abbot and builder of churches in Glendalough in the 12th century before he became Archbishop of Dublin. But it is the earlier of the two – St. Kevin – with whom we most associate Glendalough, for he was responsible for the foundation of the monastery that expanded around his tomb after his death around 618 A.D. Glendalough has one of the best-preserved Round Towers in the country. There was high wind at Glendalough, too, and it started to rain. We gave the grounds a cursory glance and then headed off to the café and gift shops to R & R – rest and relinquish our money. Last stop, Dublin! Our hotel was called Jurys Inn Custom House and was right on the River Liffey.
Day 9: Our last full day in Ireland was bittersweet. In the morning we had a quick city tour. We visited The Book of Kells at Trinity College, a 9th century gospel manuscript. The buildup to it was incredible, and it was displayed in its own ominously lit room. You only get to see two pages each time you go, but each page has intricate designs and lettering. I really wanted to flip through the whole book, but it was under some serious glass to protect it from me. From there, you walk up a staircase to the “Long Room,” which houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books in its oak bookcases. It is indescribably beautiful and magnificently historic. Lining each side of the room were busts, and I found one that was named “Gilbert!” No pictures allowed, though, so I took a mental one. I reveled in how priceless that room was and how remarkable it was that nothing had happened to it over the centuries. From there we briefly visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral (now the church of Ireland) built in 1213. It is Ireland’s largest cathedral and was made famous by its former dean Jonathan Swift, author of “Gulliver’s Travels.”
Our last mass at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral was emotional for some of us. We felt the culmination of the tour. This was the last time this group of people would be together singing these songs. The priest was Fr. Patrick, a fine name and a kindred spirit. After mass some of the parishioners stayed around to meet us. One woman said that she’d attended that 11 AM mass there for years and didn’t expect to hear a choir at mass. When she heard us she said it sounded like angels from heaven! It is so meaningful for me to hear those comments from the local people, however brief our meeting. After mass we had lunch on our own in Dublin and then had the afternoon free. The Godon’s found a Natural History Museum and Gilbert had fun hiding behind various “stuffed” animals.
Dinner that evening was at The Merry Ploughboy Pub. This was excellent entertainment with a live band and Irish dancers. Judy Nocek was chosen to dance with them on stage! That evening at the pub we celebrated Judy’s brother Jerry’s 50th birthday and Bill Jurek’s birthday, so we had a lot to celebrate. But as you probably know by now, you don’t have to tell choir members twice about a party. The evening got quite late for Gilbert, but he enjoyed the music and enjoyed meeting a woman from Norway that had been called on stage. At the end of the evening, one of the band members gave Gilbert a free CD and told him to learn all the songs on it! I was so glad because I wanted to buy a CD, but was running low on euros.
Day 10: Afternoon return flight to Chicago. Those of us that went on this tour now have a special place in their hearts for Ireland. We are so thankful for the opportunity to bring our music to foreign lands and be welcomed with open arms as brothers and sisters. Stay tuned – I hope to go on another Peter’s Way Tour in 2 years. In fact, we’ve been invited back to Italy by the music director of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City as one of the “valuable choirs of the world” to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the founding of the papal choir! Now is the time to join us!
IRELAND ITINERARY | |
File Size: | 50 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Repertoire
The Irish Blessing ~ Chester L. Alwes
Salmo 150~ Ernani Aguiar
O Sifuni Mungu ~ arranged by Roger Emerson
Fear Not ~ Patrick Godon (b. 1979)
Ave Maria ~ James Biery
O Lord of Stars and Sunlight ~ Early American Folk Hymn arranged by Austin C. Lovelace
O Come and Mourn ~ Early American Folk Tune arranged by Hal Hopson
Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face ~ arranged by W. Elmo Mercer
The Lord Is My Shepherd ~ Thomas Matthews
Ave Verum Corpus ~ William Byrd (1543-1623)
O Shenandoah ~ arranged by Donald P. Moore
Salmo 150~ Ernani Aguiar
O Sifuni Mungu ~ arranged by Roger Emerson
Fear Not ~ Patrick Godon (b. 1979)
Ave Maria ~ James Biery
O Lord of Stars and Sunlight ~ Early American Folk Hymn arranged by Austin C. Lovelace
O Come and Mourn ~ Early American Folk Tune arranged by Hal Hopson
Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face ~ arranged by W. Elmo Mercer
The Lord Is My Shepherd ~ Thomas Matthews
Ave Verum Corpus ~ William Byrd (1543-1623)
O Shenandoah ~ arranged by Donald P. Moore
Pilgrims
Patrick Godon, Director of Music
Soprano
Marsha Cote
Margie Creed
Keri Godon
Sharon Howerton
Barbara Lea
Maria Leonor Ivan
Diane Muss
Carolyn Orthner
Raquel Rivas
Rogeria Santiago
Alto
Anne Daugherty
Mary Ann Doyle
Nora Estrada
Susan Licciardi
Bridget Maher
Judy Nocek
Ellen Peirce
Olga Rivas
Tenor
Daniel Boyle
Daniel Creed
David Lux
Bass
Roger Dore
Chuck Fiori
Michael O'Connell
Ed Rolfsen
Organ
Jay Peterson
Friends of the Choir
Aida Davila
Virginia Curtis
Gilbert Godon
Kathleen Godon
Maurice Godon
Mary Ann Harrington
Cindy Hoss
Donna Hussain
Bill Jurek
Marty Lux
James Muss
Marilyn Moore
Jerome Nocek
Dianne Parulis
Lydia Yee
Wanda Yee
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Soprano
Marsha Cote
Margie Creed
Keri Godon
Sharon Howerton
Barbara Lea
Maria Leonor Ivan
Diane Muss
Carolyn Orthner
Raquel Rivas
Rogeria Santiago
Alto
Anne Daugherty
Mary Ann Doyle
Nora Estrada
Susan Licciardi
Bridget Maher
Judy Nocek
Ellen Peirce
Olga Rivas
Tenor
Daniel Boyle
Daniel Creed
David Lux
Bass
Roger Dore
Chuck Fiori
Michael O'Connell
Ed Rolfsen
Organ
Jay Peterson
Friends of the Choir
Aida Davila
Virginia Curtis
Gilbert Godon
Kathleen Godon
Maurice Godon
Mary Ann Harrington
Cindy Hoss
Donna Hussain
Bill Jurek
Marty Lux
James Muss
Marilyn Moore
Jerome Nocek
Dianne Parulis
Lydia Yee
Wanda Yee
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