Our Dreamy Little Village

Several years ago Thomas and Dad and I were sitting on the beach in Port Aransas talking about life.  Whenever we go on holiday I become aware of parts of me that I rediscover in myself that I forget about when I am stressed with "real life," and I tend to reflect on what it is about life that holds me back from being more that person all the time.  What changes could I make that would elicit more peacefulness in our life.  How do I see myself, where do I see myself?   Images come to me that are usually dismissed as being simply unattainable dreams, elicited by the imagination as an ideal that is only seen on postcards and in Hollywood films.  This time, however, Thomas insisted that I describe this place, this state of being, and while I did feel quite silly telling him about it, it brought about a sense of joy and lightness just to imagine that image.

It seems so hard to believe, but I am now living that dream.

For ten years we have prayed about an inner longing, a tug, to live in Ireland.....like God was drawing us there for a purpose, like we belonged there.  Later, my dream sequence in my head took shape, but it really was a separate dream.  There was the call to Ireland.  There was my peaceful spot.  I never envisioned that the two would converge.  And the point on the map in which they came together is a little village outside of Dublin called Dalkey,

Our address is Dalkey, but we live on the border of both Dalkey and Killiney.  One of Ireland’s oldest settlements, the medieval Dalkey village and its neighboring Dalkey Island is steeped in 6500 years of history, which includes stories of Vikings, a saint, Anglo Normans, slaves, forts, attacks, smuggling, the plague, churches, castles, ship ports, tragedy, a bustling quarry, Victorian society, etc.   We look forward to the living history tour at the Dalkey Castle and the heritage center to learn more.

When we came for our first official visit to Dublin to decide what area we wanted to live in, we met a man in Dalkey in a pub who told us that he grew up here, and it was a fabulous place for kids.  He said that one of his biggest regrets is not raising his children in Dalkey.  Where asked where they live, and said Killiney.  What?  That is just up the road...walking distance!  (Our eventual house would border both towns)  But now we see what he means.  Killiney is lovely, picturesque, charming.  But it does not have the intact village and community feel of Dalkey.  And now we understand that, while the town centers are separated by about a 3 or 4 minute drive up the hill, distance is not really measured by drive time around these parts, but by walking time and by culture and community and accessibility

We have been enjoying walking the 1 km walk down to the village to attend Mass, go to the shops, eat, etc.  Walking to actually accomplish something and get somewhere is so satisfying and healthy feeling.  We’ll see how we feel about the walk in winter!  On our walk to the village, we perambulate past along the footpath, by stone walls, gates, old houses, and flower beds which change with the seasons.  Daffodils in April, tulips in May, roses in summer, hydrangeas in late summer....

 


There are three ways to go.  One takes us past by a house which is a former school that was featured in the opening schoolhouse scene of James Joyce's Ulysses.  Then at the purple house we turn right to walk through the whole village.


The second way takes us past the most flower beds, and affords us a picturesque view of the church tower and the village from up high before taking us into the center of the main street by the church.  

The third way is the most efficient way to take us to the other side of the village or the train station.

It allows us to connect with nature, noticing the flowers and trees as they change, as well as connecting with the community, just by walking past people, some whom we recognize from the village.  I have been able to live my dream of picking up fresh flowers and fresh bread and produce and bringing them home, sometimes taking the “long” perpendicular way home, sometimes taking the “shortcut” behind the church.  In the dream I didn’t envision carrying loads of groceries up a LONG hill back to the house, but even that has been a great thing because the kids (especially Lucy) have trimmed up.  Sometimes we just walk or run just to do so because everything is so beautiful.  Especially in summer, it is like the outdoors are just calling our name!
 

The iconic structures of Dalkey Village are our church and Dalkey Castle, which is now a museum and heritage center, complete with St. Begnet's ancient graveyard and 10th Century church ruin.
 

In the center of the town is the old tram yard alley, which now houses the Tramyard Cafe and some shops.  The alley is often strewn with pennants, getting ready for whatever festival or event or holiday is upcoming.


At one end of the village, across from the church and next to the castle, is The Queens, a public house (pub) built in 1745, one of the oldest in Ireland.  It has a lovely patio for sunning on and enjoying a pint, as well as great food in the pub and steakhouse. In summer the lampposts are heavy with hanging flower baskets. 

I had seen flower and planter boxes around in pictures and on postcards, but I was beginning to wonder if they were Photoshopped in.  After all, it WAS MAY!  (In Texas, as you know, by mid-June, lush springtime flower season is over).  But I found out that June seems to be the perfect time for planting, as Castle Street and the window boxes were adorned with flowers.  I am now feeling what it is like to have one long growing season from April or May to Sept or Oct (?? – not sure yet when it ends!)  So the beauty just keeps going!  (As opposed to two growing seasons in the Spring and Fall.  Better get those flowers in in early April or you’ll miss it!)

FLOWERS!  They are REAL!  They actually GROW here!  Like flowers that you send to people for their birthday or that you see in wedding bouquets.  I guess I thought you only found them in grocery store florists buckets.  But here they grow in people's gardens, and they flourish in pots, not screaming for water and relief from the scorching sun.
God is such an ARTIST!  The colors He paints simply as a source of enjoyment remind me of just how deeply He loves me!! 

Here are some more pictures of flowers from just around Dalkey Village.  This, of course, doesn't include the lush color of the magnificent gardens around the rest of the country!

Our village includes our small supermarket, Rushe's Super Value, housed in the old library, with a beautiful black clock gracing its facade.



We have pretty much everything we need right in our little town.  We have a meat butcher, a pork butcher,


a bakery, a health food store, three chemists in very old shop buildings.  We have a wine bar and an off-license (liquor store).  There are several pubs besides The Queens.  The Kings Inn is a famous little place, known for having music sessions on Wednesday nights.  Finnegans is the traditional pub where the celebrities come.  The Club is Sam's favourite because it is generally quiet and it is a pretty place. And Thomas and I love Magpie Inn.  The atmosphere is festive and the food is always fresh and hot and nourishing. Our town is known for having good restaurants, and people from Dublin City Centre will come out to Dalkey on the train for a nice evening out.
I love going by the florist for fresh flowers for our table.


And on Saturday there is a small market with gourmet foods and freshly cut wildflowers, so I have been purchasing flowers there from Britta for the past couple of months.  We have a fruit and veg shop with a lot of local produce.  They only accept cash.  Then there is Roberts, with freshly caught fish, which they can put in a baking bag with marinade which gets popped directly in the oven.  Roberts also has wonderful cheeses, the best tomatoes in town (we make a special trip there to get those), and other specialty items.  It, along with Thyme Out, are my favorite food stores.  Thyme Out has the best fresh brown bread and other breads, in my opinion.  They have pre-cooked meals to heat at home and various prepared salads for take-away.  They also have the BEST salad dressings IN THE WORLD.  I don't know what I will do once we are not able to have their salad dressings!  We put them on everything!  They also serve fresh sandwiches.

There are also other little cafes, coffee/tea shops, and restaurants.

Every year Dalkey hosts a Book Festival, a Jazz and Lobster Fest, and a Writing Festival.

I love that when I go to the shops I see many of the same people, and some of them we know by name.  Carmello, the owner of the Italian restaurant.  Daniel in the fish market.  Claire in the art shop.  Saul, the dry cleaner.  The first time Thomas collected his clothes from the dry cleaner he left a piece there.  Saul, the cleaners owner, saw Thomas in Magpie and, calling him by name, told him that he had left a shirt there and that he would be welcome to come by the next morning, even though they were closed, to pick it up!


We often find little acts of kindness and courtesy in our village, with people going out of their way to serve you.  And once you speak to someone, a conversation always follows.

Besides the charming atmosphere of the village, we have the beauty of the surrounding area.  We are on the Irish Sea, so there are a few harbors and beaches to enjoy.  Off of Dalkey Sound is Dalkey Island, inhabited by goats, seals, and rabbits, it has the ruin of an Early Christian church from the 700's which makes for a stunning backdrop.  The Irish  St. Begnet from the 600's is associated with Dalkey.  (Dalkey, btw, came from the Viking term "Dalk-Ei")

 At one time, Dalkey was a THE port for Dublin.  Later, after a period of being a sleepy fishing village, Dalkey grew up around the rock quarry, and after that, the railroad.  There is such a rich history here, and I am not even mentioning Killiney, which our house borders, or the Fitzpatrick Castle (formerly Mapas House and Killiney Castle) across the street from us!

Killiney Hill is central to the two towns, with it’s large park and playscape, as well as hiking trails, statues, gorgeous ocean views, and the entrance on the other side (Victoria’s Park, established in 1850 by Prince Albert in honor of Queen Victoria) boasts a tea room.

There is even an obelisk dating back to 1742 at that top.  I am loving that the children and I can come out here whenever we want to read, nature journal, and explore.

I was aware that Killiney is known for its sweeping views of the Irish Sea and for it’s famous residents, such as Bono of U2, Enya, and Van Morrison, but I didn’t realize just how close they were until I went on a jog one day and discovered that Enya’s castle (also built in honor of Queen Victoria) was within minutes from our house!

The first day I ran by Bono's house I discovered the steps I had read about online immediately adjacent to his property, and the led me down to the beach.  The BEACH!  We live by a beach!  I couldn’t wait to bring the kids there.  (more on that in another blog)  After passing walking for a bit on the beach, I attempted to go a different way home , which happened to lead me by a 6^th Century monastery ruin.  I found myself lost that day, and a man shining up his mailbox pointed the way (confused himself as to how far I was).  Being lost wasn’t so bad, in fact quite nice, because everywhere I looked there was either a view, some lush plants or flowers, or a gorgeous home or cottage.

I love the intimate feel of our town.  Children walk or ride their scooters in their uniforms after school.  Elderly walk with their canes and walkers, a man plays his harmonica on the corner by the church every day.  I love seeing the barber shining his windows up (while smoking a cigarette, of course!), admiring the local retirees picking up on tidy town cleanup day, reading the flyers in the windows informing of upcoming community events, and hearing people converse with one another as they pass by.  It is easy to start a conversation with anyone, and the conversations generally are not the quick “let’s get this over with so I can get on with things” kind of conversations, but real friendly chats.

 

Besides our regular Sunday Mass, the kids and I have enjoyed going to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Mondays and daily Mass once a week at Dalkey Parish (Our Lady Queen of the Assumption, but here parishes are always referred to by where they are located....town or street) to pray for ourselves, our family and friends, all of you, and Ireland.  We are definitely the youngest people there at adoration and daily Mass.  I think in 6 months I have seen 2 other children once, but there are always several people in the church.  Throughout our time of meditation, there the constant sound of the clunk, clunk or coins falling into the metal box located beneath the prayer candles.  Prayer candles are a deeply held tradition here.  All day long people pass through during their comings and goings -- in one door, out the other -- to say a prayer request and leave 50 cents, and that prayer candle remains, burning with the desires and hopes of that person long after they have passed by to continue on with their daily activities. It is a lovely tradition.

 

I have also discovered St. Stephen’s “chapel of ease” just a few blocks down from our house.  IT is always empty and Jesus is there in the tabernacle waiting for me to stop by whenever I want to be with Him during the day.  A chapel of ease is another church that was built as an addition to an existing parish to provide easier access for Mass as towns grew up.  This chapel was built in the 80s, and it only has Mass on Sat night, but it is open during the day for prayer and is a peaceful place to spend some quite time.  One time we went to Mass there on Sat night.  The priest obviously wanted music, but there was no one to do it, so he played a cd.  I, of course, sang out on the front row.  Afterward we were surrounded by people asking if I can come back and sing because, they said, they (the congregation) sang out and better than ever.  That makes me happy when my singing helps other people sing to God!

The children and I also discovered the Dalkey library.  It is small, but close and local, posting all the goings on around town, and often having little children there for story time or other activities.  They have a lovely little Maeve Binchy garden, named for the author who lived here before her death, full of hanging potted flowers, where they children can sit and read in the sunshine on a nice day.  We have access to the larger library in Dun Laoghaire, but for now our local library has been so handy to have within walking distance, and the kids have LOVED having their own cards and going by there regularly.  We also are able to request books from the other libraries and pick them up there.

Maeve Binchy Garden at the Dalkey Library

We have so enjoyed having the beach close by.  When it is a "beach day" everyone comes out and makes the most of it...even if it is only for a few hours of sunshine!  Beach baseball has become one of our favorite activities.  Nothing like playing catch with your son while listening to the sound of the waves crashing and feeling the sand under your feet.  It is not the most beautiful beach ever, but the scene surrounding it it breathtaking and peaceful, and it is definitely a place of escape from the hectic

pace of life.  Even when it is cold and windy, I think that taking a peek or even a walk along the beach will revive our soul.

I pinch myself every day to think that we are so blessed to have the opportunity to live here.  Of course, there are parts of the dream that are missing....our street in Austin where the kids play, our family and friends, our vibrant church community (but we are working on growing that here!)  But for now, we are loving this sweet, simpler, rich life, and trying to make the most of it in GRATITUDE, while serving God in the people we meet as best we can right where we are.