Slight Detour: Ireland 2018, Day Three

The Cynthia's!

On the first night in Kenmare, we told the Cynthia's about PF McCarthy's Restaurant.

The next morning during breakfast at our B and B, the Cynthia's thanked Bill for the recommendation and then told us about the potato cakes on the "starter menu."

The Cynthia's, who met in seventh grade as adolescents in Indiana, liked the potato cake starter so much that they were planning to go back to McCarthy's for lunch where EACH would order a potato cake starter.

We thanked them for the recommendation and then said adieu. One Cynthia, who still goes by Cynthia, still lives in Indiana not where she works for a whiskey company.

Her longtime friend, who goes by Cindy these days, just retired from teaching eighth grade in Austin, Tex.

We enjoyed our visit with the Cynthia's and with Earl and Shelley from Utah before heading off for a day's adventure, starting in downtown Kenmare where Bill bought flies and I met Sean Finnegan, jeweller and friend of Sandpoint's Marsha Pilgeram.

Sean told me about his trip to the West in 2012 with Marsha, who's a friend of his sister from Cork. Next door, Bill visited for a while with John O'Hare, the local fishing guru who also writes a column.

Once our downtown business was finished, we headed off to the Beara Peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Our trip took us to gardens, through extensive farm country and through "tidy" towns of Ireland, some earning silver medals for their squeaky clean, charming appearance.

We visited with folks along the way, including a back country skiing specialist from Canada and Suzanne, a substitute teacher from Martinez, Calif.

Suzanne and her hubby had ridden their motorcycles through Sandpoint while returning from the Sturgis, South Dak., annual gathering of cyclists.

After our day's drive through stunning rural terrain winding along the sea coast, we returned to downtown Kenmare and McCarthy's where thoughts of potato cakes had been floating around in my mind since morning.

Thoughts of potato cakes from McCarthy's should occupy a space in any Kenmare visitor's mind. The Cynthia's were right. Each diner needs to order a potato cake starter and not share.

They're that good.

We also enjoyed some live music again. On Wednesday nights at McCarthy's, John and Dave provide classic Irish music.

Last year, the musicians had a third member of their ensemble, John did not have a beard and they were playing at McCarthy's on my 70th birthday.

Last night, they played one special song, chosen and dedicated to my Uncle Don, who passed away a few weeks ago after 98 fine years on this earth. The song was written by a composer from the Aran Islands.

John and Dave played the composition and seemed truly honored to do so as a gesture of Don's memory.

Twas definitely another day of sensory, visual and emotional overload on our visit to this Emerald Isle.

I hope the photos will provide some sense of the flavor of this magical place BUT it's important to know that you'll have to make the pilgrimage yourself to experience the real thing.

And,, of course, your trip should include a visit to PF McCarthy's to have your very own sample of their magnificent potato cakes!

Happy Thursday.