Ennis

Thursday, March 20
Ennis

I took the opportunity to visit Ennis and spend some time on the computer uploading photos. Should have loaded a blog post as well, but it didn’t get written, so photos were the project of the day. That took up most of the grey, misty morning; I hoped the weather would improve, but no such luck.

In the afternoon I wandered around Ennis, and around and around and around Ennis. I was thoroughly befuddled by the time I got in the car and drove home! I window shopped mostly, but I did find a couple bookstores and a couple art supply stores where I made purchases.

The wet dreary day wasn’t much fun to photograph, so no photos. And I’d just uploaded a bazillion photos, so I was feeling rather anti-photo anyway. I found the tourist information office, and planned to go back after lunch and explore the Clare Museum, but while I was eating the two clerks came into the restaurant for lunch. There’s also an abbey, currently undergoing restoration (I think for protective reasons), but it was closed til April. So much for the history plans!

I was delighted to find a couple of secondhand bookstores, a couple thrift stores, and I stopped into a fabric store as well. In the fabric store, I learned that most stores don’t sell small remnants; I was very lucky to get the bag of small remnants from Hickey’s. The woman I spoke with said I’d be better off buying quarter meters off bolts. This store was fantastic dressmaking fabrics, but I am feeling like it’s time to stop, so I didn’t buy anything. As much as I enjoyed looking through the bookstores, I still didn’t find any plant identification books. I did get an embroidery book on Mountmellick work though, which I feel very fortunate to have found! It’s the only embroidery book I’ve seen so far.

When I got tired of going in circles (as small as the town center is, it’s VERY confusing!), I went back to the car to go home. But, as luck would have it, I didn’t have quite enough change for the parking meter. So I dumped most of my gear (I’d hauled the camera around with me, just in case) and purchases, and went off to find some change. I’d also seen a restaurant with free WiFi, and I wanted to make some kind of a map so I could find it again. Once I got my change, made my map, and paid for the parking, I zoomed on home.

I went set dancing again, with Dee and Tony, this time in Bodyke. Keiran was there again, teaching, calling, and running the boom box with the music. He’s been teaching and dancing for a lifetime, and it was a real treat to learn from someone so patient and experienced. He partnered me for one dance, and Ger, my partner from the previous go, also partnered me again. I sat out for the more complicated dances, while Tony explained different things to me. I feel so lucky that I got to spend a couple of nights with the locals, joining in on something that not many people get a chance to see. Yes, there’s set dancing for the tourists, and it is local folks, but I got to sit and talk with them, not just watch.