June 16, 2003
On the road
On the way to Clifden on Saturday, I happened upon a few parked cars on the road, on the brow of a hill. A Garda car was parked across the road, and there were some cars parked on the verge with their occupants gathered in a group nearby. It seemd like there had been a serious trafrfic accident. After waiting in the car for about 10 minutes (during which a large queue of cars gathered behind me), I decided to stroll up to the Garda on duty to see if it was worth turning around and trying an alternative route.
"No need, he said, it's just a funeral and the whole town will be walking behind the coffin. We'll have you on your way in a few minutes".
As I strolled back to my car, some of the other drivers asked me for an update, thinking there had been a crash. One elderly lady, when I told her, exclaimed"Thank God nobody's dead!" (I think I know what she meant). However, an English lady, when told, harrumphed,"I just can't believe it" (Yes - she actually harrumphed).
Talk about missing the wood for the trees. It is to the credit of any town or village that a deceased member of the community is accorded the respect of a procession from the church to the graveyard. And so what if it delays traffic for ten minutes - we'll still get there. This woman, who was probably a tourist, was in such a rush to get down to Clifden to start experiencing "Irish culture" in the West, threw a hissy fit without realizing that the cause of her delay was the culture that she was so anxious to find.
By the way, it was absolutely fabulous in Clifden and its environs on Saturday. But, by God, you'd need your gold card to buy lunch. Twenty euro for an open sandwich is a joke. Now that was cause for a hissy fit or two...
Posted by Monasette at June 16, 2003 11:30 PM