I think a while back I mentioned the way Irish people give directions. Invariably, whenever you stop and ask someone for assistance in finding your way, the resulting guidance will always include mention of a pub. Everywhere you need to get to in Ireland is "past the pub".
I had another one of these experiences this weekend, but I introduced some technology into the game. Grace is playing Camogie. This is the Irish sport of hurling for girls. Sticks, balls, helmets, and crying...but We'll get to that later.
Joe had to either bring Grace to Camogie on a gloriously, sunny Dublin Sunday or go to church and hawk cookies at an event. Since I had yet to make it to a Grace practice, I volunteered to take Grace to Templeogue (a western Dublin suburb) for her first match against the Faughs GAA club. Dressed up in J.J.'s Kilmacud Crokes uniform (they play in the same club), we ventured out. I had a bit of a problem in that I just couldn't seem to find the address of this club other than it was in Tymon Park. Turns out this is a big park.
So I zoomed in using a satellite map and saw some sports fields and made that my destination. Turns out I was wrong. My first attempt at directions was made by stopping in at the neighborhood Esso station. You would think being in the same town as the park would make it easy. I also found out that the dialect in Templeogue was either a bit challenging or all the gas stations workers in Ireland come from Cork. I handed my phone to the girls and said, "Can you point on the map where this is?" Turns out they couldn't point it out on the map, but they could certainly tell me how to get there. The challenge was me understanding it. I understood it was on the other side of the park, but I had to make a series of about 10 turns to get there. I think I remembered the first 3, then ended up in a cul de sac. Then I saw my saviour. A man walking along in what appeared to be attire befitting a GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) member. Shorts and a polo with a logo on the heart. I stopped again. I asked again and he certainly knew where it was and how to get there. I asked him, "Can you just point out on this map where it is?" He spun my map around like an expert zoomed in and out, did everything right, then handed it back to me. He politely told me he couldn't show me on the map, but he could tell me and it was simple. "Go back up to the round-a-bout and take the first left. Go to the second light where there's a pub on the right and turn left. Go straight at the next round-a-about. Then at the next round-a-bout take the first exit. There's a big golf course and pub on the corner. Then it's on the left." Simple enough. I think I got confused where he said pub on the right and turn left. Why would anyone want to turn left when there's a pub on the right!?!?!? Really, who would? My next stop was at a local Apple gas station where a young Asian man was keeping shop. He took my phone, zoomed in, and pointed exactly on the map where the club was. I told the phone to take me there and I was there in 2 minutes.
And we were only 7 minutes late, which by Irish standards is showing up a day early. Anyway, it was a beautiful day. So these 7 year old girls get on the field with these hurleys (read: big bat-like sticks with a flat paddle on the end) and beat the crap out of the ball and frankly each other. I think I witnessed 7 fits of tears with the coach (Olive) bringing them over to the medical kit and spraying their smashed fingers and bruised shins with some numbing aerosol and pushing them back out on to the pitch. And you know what, THEY WENT!!?? Not one of these little girls asked to stay out. The girls ended up 2-2 for the day, but it wasn't like anyone cared. On the way out, one of the girls on the team asked her Dad, "Daddy, can we walk back with the American girl?" He said that was fine, but also reminded his daughter that the American girl had a name, Grace. Grace didn't mind. She likes being the American girl. They ran ahead and we found them at the entrance to the park attempting to pet the cute little cygnets in the pond. That didn't turn out too well as the cygnet minders on either side intervened. No one was hurt, but they won't be heading that close to them again.
I've gone to so many venues, that I have created a map on Google. Sporting Venues. You can see all our destinations here as well as our location at Faughs GAA last weekend. We also had a Gaelic football match for J.J. at Clanna Gael GAA club in Ringsend. An equally beautiful day as Rod, J.J., & Joe rode bikes to the match because the van had far too many other commitments that day.
I also thought I'd show you a small snippets of actual Hurling and Gaelic football matches (with commentating in Irish, of course) Hurling is a fast and furious game. The girls are just learning how to pick up the sliotar (read: ball-shaped device used in the game of hurling or camogie to whack with your hurley). So right now, their game is a bit closer to field hockey. That will all change soon. The Rames family has 5 hurleys in the garage and we're all getting the hang of playing catch with them! Hurling highlight Gaelic Football highlight
I had another one of these experiences this weekend, but I introduced some technology into the game. Grace is playing Camogie. This is the Irish sport of hurling for girls. Sticks, balls, helmets, and crying...but We'll get to that later.
Joe had to either bring Grace to Camogie on a gloriously, sunny Dublin Sunday or go to church and hawk cookies at an event. Since I had yet to make it to a Grace practice, I volunteered to take Grace to Templeogue (a western Dublin suburb) for her first match against the Faughs GAA club. Dressed up in J.J.'s Kilmacud Crokes uniform (they play in the same club), we ventured out. I had a bit of a problem in that I just couldn't seem to find the address of this club other than it was in Tymon Park. Turns out this is a big park.So I zoomed in using a satellite map and saw some sports fields and made that my destination. Turns out I was wrong. My first attempt at directions was made by stopping in at the neighborhood Esso station. You would think being in the same town as the park would make it easy. I also found out that the dialect in Templeogue was either a bit challenging or all the gas stations workers in Ireland come from Cork. I handed my phone to the girls and said, "Can you point on the map where this is?" Turns out they couldn't point it out on the map, but they could certainly tell me how to get there. The challenge was me understanding it. I understood it was on the other side of the park, but I had to make a series of about 10 turns to get there. I think I remembered the first 3, then ended up in a cul de sac. Then I saw my saviour. A man walking along in what appeared to be attire befitting a GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) member. Shorts and a polo with a logo on the heart. I stopped again. I asked again and he certainly knew where it was and how to get there. I asked him, "Can you just point out on this map where it is?" He spun my map around like an expert zoomed in and out, did everything right, then handed it back to me. He politely told me he couldn't show me on the map, but he could tell me and it was simple. "Go back up to the round-a-bout and take the first left. Go to the second light where there's a pub on the right and turn left. Go straight at the next round-a-about. Then at the next round-a-bout take the first exit. There's a big golf course and pub on the corner. Then it's on the left." Simple enough. I think I got confused where he said pub on the right and turn left. Why would anyone want to turn left when there's a pub on the right!?!?!? Really, who would? My next stop was at a local Apple gas station where a young Asian man was keeping shop. He took my phone, zoomed in, and pointed exactly on the map where the club was. I told the phone to take me there and I was there in 2 minutes.
And we were only 7 minutes late, which by Irish standards is showing up a day early. Anyway, it was a beautiful day. So these 7 year old girls get on the field with these hurleys (read: big bat-like sticks with a flat paddle on the end) and beat the crap out of the ball and frankly each other. I think I witnessed 7 fits of tears with the coach (Olive) bringing them over to the medical kit and spraying their smashed fingers and bruised shins with some numbing aerosol and pushing them back out on to the pitch. And you know what, THEY WENT!!?? Not one of these little girls asked to stay out. The girls ended up 2-2 for the day, but it wasn't like anyone cared. On the way out, one of the girls on the team asked her Dad, "Daddy, can we walk back with the American girl?" He said that was fine, but also reminded his daughter that the American girl had a name, Grace. Grace didn't mind. She likes being the American girl. They ran ahead and we found them at the entrance to the park attempting to pet the cute little cygnets in the pond. That didn't turn out too well as the cygnet minders on either side intervened. No one was hurt, but they won't be heading that close to them again.
I've gone to so many venues, that I have created a map on Google. Sporting Venues. You can see all our destinations here as well as our location at Faughs GAA last weekend. We also had a Gaelic football match for J.J. at Clanna Gael GAA club in Ringsend. An equally beautiful day as Rod, J.J., & Joe rode bikes to the match because the van had far too many other commitments that day.
I also thought I'd show you a small snippets of actual Hurling and Gaelic football matches (with commentating in Irish, of course) Hurling is a fast and furious game. The girls are just learning how to pick up the sliotar (read: ball-shaped device used in the game of hurling or camogie to whack with your hurley). So right now, their game is a bit closer to field hockey. That will all change soon. The Rames family has 5 hurleys in the garage and we're all getting the hang of playing catch with them! Hurling highlight Gaelic Football highlight
After watching the video on hurling, I can say (with a great deal of certainty) two things:
ReplyDelete1) So glad am I that none of my kids wanted to engage in this "sport" (which appears to be a combination of lacrosse and soccer - and of course every soccer player should go "armed" into the field of play!)
2) all sports play-by-play should be done in Irish. I'm not sure what was happening in the game but it sounded really exciting. I'm proposing this to the Mariners - regardless of the outcome (which we all know is pretty hopeless for the M's) it would make listening (even to eventual loss) definitely worthwhile!!!!
~tw
I just want to say thanks for posting these great stories. I am a sporadic reader but try to catch up each time. It's just great to know that you are all so busy, and (reasonably!) well adjusted. We're also deeply relieved that Tuna came home.
ReplyDeleteLove to all, --Bonnie and Jeff