An Unforgettable Birthday

It sure was a birthday to remember! We drove from the Dingle Peninsula to the Cliffs of Moher. For the most direct route, we took a car ferry. I purchased our ticket online months ago thinking we were getting half price. Turns out we only saved 2euros... but hey, every bit counts right?!

 

The Cliffs of Moher were BRILLIANT! What a beautiful sight to see! It was super rainy, foggy and even thunder storming... so we were SO thankful when the weather cleared up while we took some pictures and took in the view. Praise God for some sunshine on my birthday! Here's some shots...

 

 

 

 

 

By the way Bayers, these are the "cliffs of insanity" from the movie, Princess Bride! Andy kept quoting that line and then we discovered they actually were the ones!

After taking those pictures, it began to downpour! We got SOAKED while making the ten minute walk from the cliff edge to our car. Every layer of my clothing was soaked through... and so a mixture of shock and laughter ensued. Oh my... I would have liked to take a picture in our drenched state but even the camera case was drenched and we were headed straight to the warm showers.

Andy treated me to a DELICIOUS birthday dinner at an adorable inn steps from our hostel. I had lamb, which if you've had my Grandma Carr's lamb, you'll know I mean delicious when I say it was almost comparable! The meal was complete with mouth-watering desserts... sticky toffee pudding and apple blueberry crumble.

 

 

Beyond the food, I was so thankful to be celebrating with my wonderful husband in Ireland. Together, we reflected on many of God's rich blessings to us this past year... we feel so undeserving but extremely thankful.

 

To finish off the night, we decided to check out a local pub that advertised live traditional Irish music that night. About ninety percent of the pub were local Irish and had white hair, including the owner. There were SIX Irish men, all white hair except for one guy our age, playing instruments... two guitars, one banjo, one accordion, one violin and one flute!

It's hard to describe how awesome this night was. The men had no pre-determined music set, they just played their hearts out. When one song finished, one of them would start another and throughout the song, each person would pick up the tune by ear and join in! The on-lookers, including ourselves, were all caught up in their musical passion... swaying, clapping and cheering at the end of each song. Here's a glimpse:

(shoot can't figure out how to upload it... if anyone knows how to do this, MSG me if you'd like to share!)



Being a part of this night made me think of a lot of things... one being, the importance of creating a welcoming space for people to gather and create community. In this tiny town in the Burren, it's likely none of the people there had a house large enough to host everyone, so the local pub has become their gathering place. It's become a place where they can connect with friends, freely play their hearts out and be themselves.

 

This is definitely a night and birthday I will never forget!