Comments on Romance Writing From the Edge: MY GRANDA AND PRESIDENT OBAMA

Carolyn,I love the story of you and Owen meeting i...

2009-01-22T16:41:00.000-05:00

Carolyn,

I love the story of you and Owen meeting in Ireland!! How romantic! (Just like on old WWII movie!) I hadn't realized until the last time we were there that 4000-8000 troops a week pass through Shannon airport on their way overseas.

We mostly stay in the west because it's more rural, and used to be easier to land in Shannon. But because of the building boom, it's nearly as crazy leaving the airport as Dublin. (Where we also always get lost.)

Kathleen -- I love the idea that Obama got some of his charm from his Irish roots. As for going back to Ireland, I always want to. East TN is actually the closest place in the U.S. I could find to Ireland (which is undoubtedly why so many Scots-Irish settled here), which is why I chose it when my sweetie took early retirement and we left AZ.

We almost bought a house in Dungarven (on the coast between Waterford and Cork) several years ago, then belatedly discovered that the government was actually serious about making us board our ancient Allie the Wonder Hiker dog and Alzheimer's Siamese Kitty Scarlett for six months. Which was the end of that idea.

Ireland is a rich part of many Canadidan and Ameri...

2009-01-22T13:39:00.000-05:00

Ireland is a rich part of many Canadidan and Americans too, and when I found out the Barack Obama had roots their too, I knew where some of that charm came from.

My father came from county Donegal. A friend had sent me that utube song yesterday and it makes me long to go back and visit all the many places dad and the family have went in Ireland. But my dad is gone now, these past three years. He died just before his 85th birtday, and I have no family left their except for a few distant cousins. But I want the next generation, my nieces and nephews to know where their grandad came from and instil in them the beautiful country, that even though has seen his share of wars and killings, it is still a land with a wonderful culture and beauty that only can be described by seeing. It is my hope that I can take them and show them the land of the their grandad.

I am always thrilled when one of my favourite authors shares some of the same heritage as I.

JoAnn, I agree about getting lost in Ireland. My ...

2009-01-22T06:55:00.000-05:00

JoAnn, I agree about getting lost in Ireland. My husband and I were there 3 years ago and everytime we got lost, we saw something more beautiful than we would have if we hadn't. If/when you go back you really must stay at Belcamp Hutchinson, a wonderful B&B north of Dublin, near Malahide, a beautiful little seaside village. Doreen was the best hostess of a B&B we experienced, made us feel like we were family visiting. The owner also lived on the grounds, but we usually saw him in his gardening or fishing clothes. The dogs welcomed us back everytime we went someplace. I spent a lot of time in the garden. Owen was in Iraq at the time and we were meeting there. He was late flying out of Baghdad because of dust storms and the only way he could let me know when he was leaving was to email Doreen. She updated me everyday, put me in a single room till he got there, to save me some money (she must have been Scots/Irish), gave me a list of the best places to eat in Malahide, and generally acted like my mother. The website is www.belcamphutchinson.com. We spent our 41st wedding anniversary in County Donegal at a lovely inn, www.castlegrove.com and had a very elegant dinner, drinks in the parlor, escorted to the table when our food was ready, then back to the parlor for desert. More beautiful gardens on the banks of Lough Swilly. The next day we visited the site of the O'Dochartaigh Keep and the beautiful Inishowen Pennensula, the home of my ancestors. My maiden name is Dougherty. The top thing on my "bucket list" is to return to Ireland and take my grandsons. My children can come too. Carolyn

Oops. Well, I guess any President human enough to...

2009-01-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Oops. Well, I guess any President human enough to stumble a bit over his oath will forget my morning enthusiasm typo. :)

Marie-Nicole, yes, we owe a debt to all who've come before us. I was lucky that I spent a lot of years living with my grandfather, with one aunt and uncle behind us, the other across the street, so I know the stories.

As we've spread out over the country, I think we've lost a lot of those personal connections. Which is how I ended up crossing the Mississippi and ending up here in TN, where I'm within driving distance of my grandbabies. So, they'll know their roots.

I never go to Ireland that I don't feel my grandfather with me. It also helps that I see him everywhere in the faces of the people.

No, I won't be able to get that song out of my hea...

2009-01-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

No, I won't be able to get that song out of my head all day. We all owe a debt to those of our ancestors who left the old sod (and all those other countries, too) and came to the new world for a new chance at a better life.

I got all weepy when you wrote the bit about your trip to Ireland and saying, "This one's for you, Granda."

Oops, JoAnn, you left out the 'c' in his name, Bar...

2009-01-20T14:46:00.000-05:00

Oops, JoAnn, you left out the 'c' in his name, Barack. I blame your head cold!
But your heart is in the right place. It's a wonderful day here in the USA, a beautiful inauguration ceremony.
I'm also looking forward to visiting a bookstore next week! Guess what I'm buying?
Sherry