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| Irish Beautiful!!! |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Walking down to breakfast from our small hotel room the first full-day in Ireland last September, we were pleasantly greeted by a young man standing behind the counter. Without a name tag or such, he introduced himself as Thomas and told us we could sit anywhere we liked. The restaurant was a cute 'hole-in-the-wall' with Thomas greeting and serving while the cook worked alone in the small kitchen just behind him.
It was his 'good morning' smile that caught our attention. It wasn't fake or painted-on.....simply genuine as it radiated the kindness he held within him!
"Good morning to ya! What might I get for you this morning? A cup of coffee each to start with?" he asked. "I highly recommend the fresh peach crumble not long from the oven."
Right then, the smell of freshly baked dough, awash in the delicious aroma of cinnamon, wafted from the kitchen. Sneaking a peek into his tiny world through a large open window at the back of the café, I watched the man dressed entirely in white extract a large tray of golden brown rolls from his ancient oven and place them aside to cool. Pivoting around 180 degrees, he immediately began kneading fresh dough in preparation for another promising delectable delight!
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| My Anniversary Claddagh Ring |
Salivating, I looked up to watch Thomas position two cups (with saucers) of coffee in front of us. A gentle curlicue of steam rose from each as Thomas took our food order and promised to return in a flash with more coffee as needed. All I could think about now was the man in white timing the baking of his pastries and bread between orders of eggs over-light, rashers and toast!
"Are you from Galway, Thomas?" I asked as he deftly removed the remnants of our breakfast from the table. Bringing us a warm square of peach crumble and two new forks, he replied, "No, I moved here six months ago from Northern Ireland where I was born and raised. After attending University, I decided I needed a change of scenery and a bit of independence under my belt." Then he asked us about our visit to Ireland and the motivation behind it. We told him we were in love with Ireland, especially the West Coast, and decided to celebrate our fortieth Wedding Anniversary here.
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| Thomas' Notes |
"No way," he said, shaking his head from side to side as a cheeky grin spread wildly across his face. "No way! My folks are packing in two weeks to leave for America to celebrate their fortieth Wedding Anniversary!" He just kept staring at us in total disbelief when he eventually explained to us why they had chosen to celebrate their auspicious occasion in the States. "After they'd been married for almost five years and saved enough money to finally enjoy a honeymoon, they flew to Chicago, rented a convertible car and followed their dreams down Route 66 all the way to California. They've decided to repeat that memorable trip on their fortieth!"
We were blown away by this crazy revelation right along with him. I always believed there are good reasons for people connecting and this one was a doozy! He told us his folks live in Portstewart, a small town nestled right along the North Atlantic coast and a popular spot for golfing and taking long walks on the beach. He encouraged us to follow the Wild Western Coast all the way up and drop-in at his parent's house to say hello, having provided us with their names and address. If their son's open-hearted personality matched theirs in the least, we were certain that these passionate Northern Ireland parents would not only welcome us with open-arms......they would probably give us a room to stay in, as well!
Sadly, Portstewart was not on our itinerary this visit. But, we thought about Thomas often after saying good-bye and leaving Galway for our week's stay in Oughterard near Lough Corrib to the north.
We returned to Galway City five days later to pick-up Claddagh rings we had had made by an artist in a small shop to commemorate our Irish celebration. Strolling down William Street lined by jewelry stores, various street vendors and sandwich shops, out-of-the-blue we hear, "Mr. And Mrs. Hughes, hello there. Hold-up!" Turning around in confusion as to who might know us in Galway City, we see Thomas exiting a stylish sandwich shop and sporting a full apron! Running his hands down the stiff, black material, he exclaimed, "This is my second job. I have to pay for my keep somehow!" We were left to wonder which dining establishment was lucky enough to have hired him for their dinner service?
"Did you make it up to Portstewart already?" he queried. "I haven't spoken with my folks since meeting you so, I wasn't sure. And then I saw you both walking by from the window and couldn't believe my eyes!" Before I had a chance to reply, Thomas was giving me a huge 'bear hug' and then rapidly shaking Dan's hand. "Not this go-around I'm sorry to say. But, we will be back. We never leave Ireland without, at least, sketching-out our next visit in our minds," Dan said.
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| Thomas and Me |
That 'good morning' smile we were introduced to on our first day in Galway magnificently reappeared across his youthful face. "I best be getting back inside. I just had to say 'hello' when I saw you," he explained. With his six-feet, three-inch height towering over both of us, we were feeling like parents about to lose a child to the vast world beyond. "Not until I have a picture of you, if that's okay with you?" I implored. Wrapping his long arms around my shoulders, this lanky young man, genuine in all respects, smiled warmly and Dan snapped our photo together as our three shadows began to spread across the 'cobblestones of William Street' that sunny afternoon in Galway City.
Saying our good-byes now seemed to echo our early morning greetings of only a few mornings before when fate introduced us to this amazing young man. We promise to look-up his parents one day, if only to let them know how proud we are of them, as well.....
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Note: Wanted to update all of you on the current status of our kitchen project. Yes, it's still ongoing with countertops promised for mid next week...... But, we keep plugging away with the little projects (installing hardware, painting shelf brackets) until voila, we have our countertops!!! Here's a couple new pictures for you.....
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| See Empty Corner Where Open Shelving Will Eventually Reside? |
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| Cute Bracket Soldiers All In A Row!! |
Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
