OK, I’m not into modern instant communication. Instead I
wallow in the event, then try to recall later what made it special.
For this trip I made a point of putting everyday life behind
me. That’s not something I do very often, being in-the-moment most of the time
for the last 70 years or so, but before the flicker of memory fades (helped by
copious photos) here’s a summary of what was by any standards one of the Best Birthday
Trips ever.
By my standards and experience it was The Best, and it’s all
due to Ellen’s planning and the participation of, in no particular order
(except for Ellen, who comes first):
Ellen, my wife, without whom this wouldn’t have happened, in
oh, so many ways. She found Springfield Castle (which I hope you learn to
appreciate as much as we did) and assembled the Forces that made it happen
My older son Allen, his wife Cora (who manages this blog,
thank you very much) and their son Desmond (the little blonde guy you’ll see
many times in this recounting)
Ben Kiblinger, my stepson, his wife Rhonda and my redheaded
grandkids Hannah and Jacob
Danny Callahan and Charlene, Rhonda’s sister, and their kids
Bella and Zelik (who became Desmond’s best-buddy during the week)
My brother Jeff, his wife Liz and their girls Paulina and
Abigail (she prefers “Abby”)
Ellen’s cousins Peg Sandlin and Tom Fitzgerald, and their
respective spouses John (i.e., Sandlin)
and Michelle (i.e., Fitzgerald).
Missing from the trip were my younger son, Michael, his wife
Annie Leahy and their son Hugh. They were planning to come but the imminent
arrival of another grandson, known to us as Spike before official arrival,
precluded their travel – they’ll get lots of new ideas for Irish names from
this narrative.
It amounted to 21 people in Springfield Castle, near
Dromcollogher, Co. Limerick.
[A writer’s note on Irish spelling … it’s optional. Names
are taken from Gaelic, which makes
spotting road signs pretty interesting, let alone tracing families. For
instance, Ellen’s father John Paul Luddy’s Irish ancestors are named Leddy. In
other words, read names phonetically.]
The trip was originally contrived by Ellen as a surprise,
fortunately revealed by a mis-addressed e-mail a year ago. Ellen asked if I regretted
the surprise being spoiled. My response was simple: ‘Let’s see … a one-time
surprise, or a year of anticipation and planning? I think that is an easy
answer.”
And it was fun to plan and anticipate, but unlike most
long-anticipated events the realization was way better than the surprise could
ever have been.
On to the narrative.
[Come back later for more. There is video, but it’s being
edited and will have to be added later.]
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