Barbara J. Hamby

Deja Vu

CBS World News tonight did a very short segment on the Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland. Even though I was dozing before dinner, it caught my attention. In 1998 I was at that festival and danced at the Matchmaker Pub. I’m not sure that’s where they taped the segment; the pub looked roomier than when I was there. However, it could have been enlarged since then or there might have been fewer people inside. It was standing room only when an Irish gentleman found me a chair in October 1998. Also, the air in the pub was very clear on the tape. When I was there, smoke was thick enough to cut. I read sometime since then that Ireland banned smoking in pubs. That could explain why the room was not as crowded, I suppose.

Anyway, it was a fun minute or two recalling an interesting trip. The night at the pub was only one of several highlights of the week I spent in Ireland.

I’ve written about that trip but it doesn’t seem to have made its way into the travel pages of my web site. Maybe I need to find it and put it there.

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