Visitors make the blog take a vacation, too

Or, at least that's my excuse this time;)
I had the wonderful delight to have my children's grandmother come for an almost two week visit. The adventures we went on were positively fantastic and superb, however they did little in the way of furthering my research endeavors. I could have gone and worked, but I wanted to hang out instead. :) C'est la vie. I am not bothered by it. On the contrary, it has developed in me a shifted focus in the dedication and direction of my research. It may be said I now feel a different type of heat put on. Pressure is the world's best motivator. Well, it's mine at least.

Two new libraries in the past four days and a hearty acknowledgement that there is a lot here I still need to look at. Traipsing around in the woods and aimlessly (but never without purpose) discovering new places for inspiration were absolutely necessary for the first half of this trip, but now it is time to put the pedal to the proverbial metal and reach high gear in the scouring over books part of it. Now that I have a feel for the land, I can apply the words I read at a deeper level of understanding within myself. The complex texture of the fabric of societal and political threads during the time I am researching keeps warping and twisting in my mind and I feel sometimes I will never be able to wrap my mind around exactly what was going on in the hearts of people in this area during the war. Each time I think I have something concrete figured out, some other bit of history comes along to upset whatever belief I thought I had just so firmly grasped. Nothing to do but to keep going.

I feel farther away from Sophia than I think I've ever felt before, but it may be in part to how hard I am struggling to understand her. Like I am trying to force her to divulge things about herself to me when, more often in situations dealing with wanting someone to share their deeper beliefs with you, the best course of action is to be patient yet vigilant to when it might be their right time to divulge and share their emotions and thoughts on the situations. I know already how she feels about Tristan's leaving, Saul's arriving and Daniel. But I want to know why. And that's where I suppose I am going to have to be patient.

And while I can be as patient as I like about waiting for Sophia, I cannot exercise the same patience about exploring the annals of history at the local libraries here. I am looking forward to my discoveries and revelations and am hoping my mind will finally be able to make sense of the motivations behind the actions of my characters, making absolutely sure each character is created and kept in honest accordance with the history of the time.

cheers

Thanks be to Blessings!

Yes, yes. It has been awhile. Lots happening, though! I posted last time about a place called Kilmacurragh and since then I have gotten the fortuitous chance to meet the last personal owners, thanks to a very kind chap I have been having the pleasure of sharing breakfasts with on Tuesday mornings before my pottery class. After a phone call from him, I got to drop in (along with a fantastic fellow mother from the kids' school who was the first to walk me through Kilmacurragh) and visit a very kind couple called Bill and Kathleen Dolan, from whom I heard some wonderful stories about the history of the house. I also had the honor of getting to see a book Bill had personally made (only one in existence) about the house and the famous trees that populate its property. It was a joy to be welcomed into their home to share in their knowledge of the house's history, and I am grateful for their kindness in taking time to see me.

That evening followed with an attendance to a book launch about the Kilmacurragh Gardens with Joanna, the same fantastic fellow mother from before. We went down to Gorey, not quite knowing what to expect, but each with our own reasons for wanting to discover more about this place; me for my story and her for a deeper understanding of a place she has been connected to her whole life. We were not disappointed in what we found and both left after the event feeling quite elated by what had transpired.

The beautifully made book, Kilmacurragh: Sourced in the Wild (click to learn more) was written and photographed by local photographer and writer, Megan O'Beirne, over the past five years, and serves as a lovely tribute to both the plants and world-renown trees at Kilmacurragh, but also gives an informative history of the house, which has now been in ruins for years. Hearing her speak about the connection she forged with Kilmacurragh since the first time she saw it, in 2009 while looking for an outdoor venue for a gallery showing of her work, brought surprising tears to my eyes. As I listened to her speak, I felt a chord of resonance struck within me. I have immensely enjoyed meeting her and pouring through her book, as it is now a permanent fixture in my collection.

Introducing Megan at her launch was the former Keeper of the National Archives in Dublin, Ken Hannigan, a very kind gentleman whom I most fortunately got to speak with at some length. Knowing I had definitely gotten the blessed luck of speaking with the right man, I left him with my email after he recommended I read over some transcripts of interviews conducted several years ago of anecdotal quality from the local elderly to try and capture some of the history of the area as I'm sure only a local could tell it. They are amazing to read. I am grateful for his interest in my project and for taking the time out to send good information my way!

I am running out of time for this one, but sufficed to say, progress is charging wildly ahead and I remain thankful and blessed for all that is bestowed upon me!!! Sending love and big hugs to all!!

St. Paddy's is this Tuesday....WOOT!