Upcoming...

Little sweetheart, we're getting ready to release our 10th album. It's coming out on December 1 and is called Forests, Voices, Coastlines, Dreams: Recordings for The Dark Outside. 

As the title suggests, it's a collection of the seven tracks I composed and we recorded for the UK-based experimental radio broadcast event The Dark Outside, between 2019 and 2021. There was a special preview of it today on KFJC and we expect to hear further airings this coming week on WFMU, London's Resonance-FM and Germany's TFSC. 

Hey, little sweetheart - you're on the radio! 

Gougane Barra

On our last day in Ireland, little sweetheart, we said goodbye to our friends in Kilcrohane, already planning a return for next year, and made our way back down the coast toward Cork City. 

We stopped off at a special place that surprised and delighted you - Gougane Barra. You hadn't understood where we were going when Kris mentioned. You told me you thought he had said something about "going to the bank"  (ha!), so when we arrived at the beautiful spot you were excited. 

Situated on a lake and next to a national forest, the spot was named by St Finbarr, who built a little monastery on the island in the 6th century. There was a beautiful church there and a second rather small chapel or "oratory", as well as the churchyard and the incredibly intriguing "hermitage" - a series of stone tunnels where monks would cloister in for prayer and meditation. More modern conveniences lay nearby - including a lovely little hotel that you were so taken with we went inside to inquire, getting literature and talking about coming back for a stay. Trails through the woods, including a portion of the Irish Pilgrim Path that runs another 35k to Drimoleague began there, where the source of the River Lee flows. 

We only had an hour or two to spare that day, so we didn't get to stay nearly long enough to explore all we would have liked but you absolutely loved it, little sweetheart, and wanted very much to come back next time together and stay a day and night or two at the hotel en route to Kilcrohane, perhaps come fall. 

Inside the little oratory, I lit a candle and took this picture of you. 

Love you forever.

Two of We Two

Little sweetheart, also from the bench by the lighthouse, at the edge of the world there, looking out of the Atlantic we turned around and took two photos together. How very much I love you. Forever. Farther than Time, itself. Farther than any eye can see.

Also near Doneen

This was one of our last days in Kilcrohane, little sweetheart, again on that walk we came to like so much to Doneen, Bantry Bay behind us. 

Dinner in Bantry

The largest town around in this very rural area, little sweetheart, was Bantry, on the other side of the Sheep's Head. It was a beautiful port. A bunch of swans were swimming when we came out of The Snug after dinner. I'll find that picture, too, and post it here for you. 

That was at the end of the day, as night had fallen but before that, we'd walked all around Bantry, ducking into little shops and pubs and ended at our favorite place there - the aforementioned Snug. It was Kris, you and I and incredibly we had the place to ourselves. Often when I'd been there, we'd sit at the bar because every table was taken. 

Tonight was a special night, it just glowed, and we were together. You loved The Snug and, as one can see here, the food! "Best Meal Ever!" you told me later... 

At Sunset over the Ocean

Ending our day, safely back at the end of the trail, you sat on one of the little picnic tables there, little sweetheart, and I took this picture of you as dusk began to fall over the Atlantic and the peninsula itself. 

I've a huge enlargement of this beautiful picture, little sweetheart, nearly life size, framed and hanging in the red table room. 

Love you forever. 

Stone Circle

On that long hike, little sweetheart, we came across a stone circle. Stepping inside it together felt very special and I could feel its ancient blessing upon us. Thank god for you! Literally! 

Sheep's Head Lighthouse

One day, little sweetheart, we determined to walk all the way to the very edge of the peninsula. 

There was a little park with a picnic area that you could drive to but the rest of the way was on foot. It was a long and twisting trail and, honestly, we got lost on the way back! I was a bit of a panic! We got bearings back though and met up with Kris just as the sun was setting. 

You and I walked out on our own for several hours getting to the lighthouse and then wending our way back. There was a guard rail around the lighthouse and a sign warning not to cross it but you saw a lovely little stone bench there and couldn't resist. 

I took this pretty picture of you sitting there before climbing over and joining you. This photo also became the back cover of our album, Of Love and Loss.

Mermaid Landing

On our long walk, led by our intrepid little terrier, we found a curious little docking spot near the edge of the pier. Stone steps leading down to the water you dubbed it "The Mermaid Landing", little sweetheart, and immediately descended to demonstrate!

 

 

A Walk to Doneen

One morning we woke together in Ireland and you told me, little sweetheart, that as nice as it was driving to beautiful places, you'd rather not get in the car today but just venture out, the two of us, on foot to see what we could see. It was a wonderful idea! 

We wound up wandering north along the bay down to Doneen pier and up and around the hills and meadows. A little Jack Russell terrier appeared on the road at one point and then stayed with us for almost two hours - running ahead, then looking back to make sure we were following him, like a tiny tour guide - until he just as suddenly vanished on our way home.  

This beautiful picture of us was taken out there a little before twilight settled in. 

Dursey Island

On a couple of our days in Ireland, little sweetheart, we went for long drives, then walked around, at some of most sweepingly beautiful spots we knew of. 

We were in West Cork, near the Kerry border where there are three peninsulas - The Misenhead, The Sheep's Head and The Beara. Kilcrohane is all the way to the edge of the middle one. On this day we drove out to the edge of the latter. There's a cable car there that runs out to Dursey Island, the most western point of Europe. 

We stood together by the sign there that mentioned both New York City and Tir na nOg and Kris took this picture of us... before we went off to a pub to get you some hot chocolate! 

At Eileen's

Here's one of all us - Kris & Joy & you and our friend, Johnny - over at Eileen's pub in the center of the village. Johnny was one of our longtime friends in Kilcrohane. We always looked forward to seeing him when we visited. And he loved meeting you!

 

 

Ireland Anniversary, pt 1

Little sweetheart, eleven years ago we took our trip together to Ireland. When we first met, you'd been so enraptured by stories of my previous trips there, you immediately said we needed to go together, and I said we would. I'm so grateful that we got to do that. It was wonderful week and I think I'd like to remember its anniversary by posting some of our pictures from there, here this week. So, here goes... 

This one was taken shortly after our arrival. We'd woken up pre-dawn in London to drive to Stansted for our flight to Cork City, then a two hour or so drive up the coast to Kilcrohane, picking up keys for the guest house at the pub, settled into our room... and promptly took a nap! An hour or two later, we went for a walk and our friend Joy took this... right behind the house - our backyard for the week!

Down the trail

Here's another from our first day, little sweetheart, of you, taken by me, just a moment earlier, looking back along the trail. You look amazing in your pretty hat and coat and boots, the green of West Ireland all around you! Love you forever!