Diary Friday

Here’s an explanation of what I’m doing.

I’m going to post a couple of entries from our time in Ireland as a family, when I was … 13? 14? Something like that. I pulled out this dog-eared notebook this morning, read these entries, and laughed so hard I cried.

I know that I am going to have to insert little editorial comments throughout the text. I will not be able to help myself.

APRIL – EASTER IN IRELAND

Today we went to Mass, and it was so bad. We sat way in the back, people were standing in front of us so we couldn’t see, and a fogy gross old man next to me kept burping and we didn’t know what we were doing. [Ed: Uh … Sheila … why does an old man burping next to you mean that YOU didn’t know what you were doing? Don’t follow the logic there. Also I think it’s hysterical that I’m JUDGING the Easter mass. heh heh]

We are in the car on our way up to a mountain and Grania O’Malley’s castle.

We are now here at Grania’s fort – a small stone castle with tiny windows. There are yellow butterflies here. The fort is right on the beach with water of the most gorgeous blue I have ever seen. There are low windows and I can climb out. I am now sitting on a window ledge with my feet dangling over rocks. And I can look across that beautiful water to the mainland with the heather and the mountains and the big puffy clouds. It is really windy and cold here.

I am having my lunch (a piece of white bread). [Ed: WTF? Are you a pauper or something?]

It is so nice here!!! This place is called Carrickkildaunel or something like that. It was probably built in the 15th century. Grania was a pirate queen and she visited Queen Elizabeth I in London and received the same reception as the queen did. Inside, there are balconies and windows and openings for other floors. There used to be ladders but there aren’t now. It would be so neat to go up there and explore. Dad said it’s probably filled with bird droppings. [Ed: Thanks for the magic, Dad. heh heh]

We have stopped again at this fort facing Achill Sound with all these little islands and patches of sand from the low tide. We look across the Sound to a green mountain divided into squares by stone walls. Looking across the water (it is all blue-green and clear and you can see the bottom), we can see Grania’s castle.

We came home. Finally. I was exhausted. And we sat around and relaxed for an hour and a half. I write my stories, listened to my tape recorder [Ed: HAHAHAHA This is pre-walkman days … so … I’m in the B&B … listening to my tape recorder. What on EARTH was I listening to? Probably ELO or something.]. Then I romped crazily with Siobhan for a while, and then I got myself locked in the bathroom!!!!!!!!! [Ed: Yes. That many exclamation points.]

I’m going to miss staying on Achill Island. I really love it here.

APRIL

We are off. I liked Achill – if I ever come back here, I’d like to go back there. [Ed: Er … you might want to reword that sentence.]

Guess where we’re going now — another Abbey. I don’t believe it. I am not getting out of the car. Do you know how boring stupid old Abbeys get??? [Ed: No, Sheila. We don’t. Why don’t you tell us.]

We are staying now in this really nice B&B in Sligo and I HAVE A ROOM ALL TO MYSELF. I love it!!!! I can listen to my tapes [Ed: Oh Jeez. Those tapes again.] and I love it!!

After we settled in, I read some History and English, listened to my tapes [Ed: Okay, Sheila, we got it. You listened to your tapes. You told us that.], and then went down into their wonderful sitting room with a furry rug to watch the movie “Oliver Twist” (no music). IT WAS SO WONDERFUL. [Ed: Stop screaming] It had Alec Guinness and Anthony Newley as the Artful Dodger. It was terrific!

I went back upstairs and painted my nails [Ed: Uh-oh. Even at 14 I was a slave to the beauty myth. Call Naomi Wolf.], and then I read about the Renaissance for a while, and after that I went back downstairs and watched Giselle with Rudolph Nureyev. TERRIFIC. TERRIFIC. TERRIFIC. [Ed: Again, with the screaming?]

Siobhan now wants to be a ballerina and she asked me to point my toes and then she told me I wasn’t doing it right.

Then we watched a special on the Ritz Hotel that was INCREDIBLE [Ed: Apparently, TV in Ireland makes one scream at the top of one’s lungs. Repeatedly.] and then I went to bed in my cozy little room and I watched all the city toughs walk by. One boy noticed me and waved to me.

By the way, I found a Pac-man machine today and played three games. [Ed: Which, if you think about it, is REALLY the important thing. Feck Grania’s castle. Where’s the Pac-man?]