{"id":23276,"date":"2021-09-29T18:52:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T22:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23276"},"modified":"2021-09-29T18:52:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T22:52:47","slug":"outabout-140","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=23276","title":{"rendered":"Out&About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Pat O\u2019Connell, owner of O\u2019Connell Fishmongers, that was visited during Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s tour of Cork<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Paddy McCarthy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I am back from my trip to Cork and yet again never disappointed with the journey. Inn my last Out&About I was telling yea my future plans, now they\u2019re all in the past. Alright, how did I get on, are you ready? I had a blast and it was over so quick that I was heading back on the plane to New York before I knew it. We arrived at Dublin Airport at an amazing new hanger and the staff at the airport coming and going were just brilliant and so helpful, JFK is no comparison, like night and day and I am not talking about the Aer Lingus<\/strong> staff at Kennedy. I am talking about the people on the ground as far as security and bag checking in Dublin, they were all so helpful and nice if you needed to ask for some advice as they gave you some of their time. Now that I got that all off my chest it was a trip and a half, but trying to get around to seeing everyone was tough, at times missing some of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I told you the whole trip was about going to a wedding as my sister Mary\u2019s <\/strong>son Thomas <\/strong>was getting married and the wedding was on the Island of InishBeg just off Baltimore, County Cork. We headed down to Baltimore and stayed at a hotel called Caseys of Baltimore<\/strong> and I would recommend it to anybody who\u2019ll will travel over to Ireland; pay them a visit, you will not be disappointed. The hotel is not big but it\u2019s nice and comfortable and has a seafood restaurant and a traditional pub. Honey I\u2019m home, just kidding. Here is the telephone number of Casey\u2019s if you ever take a trip to West Cork, it is 011353 28 20197 and they are online at www.caseysofbaltimore.com<\/a>. Tell tell them I sent yea. I\u2019ve said it before, I should be in the travel business, ha,ha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hotel comfortable, the rooms were just fabulous and as I said it is a small hotel in comparison to the city hotels, but the view that they offer is out of this world and seeing is believing. For the wedding we were picked up again by a very friendly driver named Mick McCabe<\/strong> who has his own limousine service and I recommend him as he is so professional and is based in Skibbereen, West Cork. He brought us to Inishbeg for the wedding. Let the party begin as it was as I got to see people that I have not seen since the pandemic over a year and half ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you\u2019re all enjoying this as much as I did as I have to give you the gossip about how I was enjoying myself; ahh somebody has to do it. Anyhow the wedding was what I expected, a blockbuster from start to finish everyone again enjoying themselves. I was so happy for my sister Mary because she did have a few health issues and has beaten them all and came out smiling, now that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actual wedding was in the same estate as it was not a hotel it was a private estate; I must be coming up in the world. It was an open-air ceremony followed by a cocktail reception that was again presented very professionally for about two hours with some entertainment and a lot of singing. Then we all headed to another part of the estate for the reception and that was under a beautiful tent with a band and a DJ. Dinner was served along with champagne along with cocktails and drinks that again was just perfect. I could see the whole event was well planned from start to finish as I was looking around me at all the other tables and everybody was having a really good time. Did I dance? Did I what? You bet I did as I must have been on the floor most of the evening and probably lost a few pounds, ha ha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the party finished at about 1.30 am, who was waiting to take us back to our hotel? Yes, Mick McCabe was our bus driver and his company is Atlantic Way Travel<\/strong>. If you need transport in Ireland give him a call at 011353 86 382 8726 or email atlanticwaytravel@gmail.com<\/a> and again, believe me, you will not get any better than him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wedding was not over as it continued the next day but we had to head back up to Cork city as we had more commitments as I tried to push them all into the six days we were on this trip. I am not forgetting that we were at Castlemartyr Resort Hotel<\/strong> to review my daughter\u2019s up-and-coming wedding in March, 2022 as again my brother Kieran<\/strong>, his wife Geraldine <\/strong>and my nephew Ryan <\/strong>drove us down. I am telling you the place is just breath-taking and so beautiful. My daughter Christina <\/strong>is born in America but her dream was to have her wedding in Cork, Ireland and she\u2019s got her wish. Believe it or not she met her intended Kevin Coyne<\/strong> at a Cork Association<\/strong> dinner dance that was held at Antun\u2019s <\/strong>( 96-43 Springfield Blvd, Queen) almost four years ago, now isn\u2019t that something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin\u2019s mother and father Rita and Sean Coyne<\/strong> lived here for a very long time between New York and Florida before moving back to Youghal. This is one of the beautiful seasides in the whole of Ireland and of Europe for the matter. After we reviewed the hotel in Castlemartyr we all headed to Youghal as my brother Michael<\/strong>, his partner Val<\/strong> and her daughter joined us to visit my brother John <\/strong>who is a longtime resident at St Raphael\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0Youghal, a home for people with intellectual disabilities. He was so excited to see me as he had a smile from ear to ear along with my two brothers Michael and Kieran, he was so happy. Guess what we did? We all went to a lovely place called O\u2019Farrell\u2019s<\/strong> near Red Barn in Youghal and joining us was Rita and Sean Coyne, now let the party begin and it did. We had to bring my brother John back after an hour because of the Covid-19 pandemic rules but he was happy about every minute he was with us. We were not finished with Youghal, on Sean\u2019s recommendation we went to Bertie\u2019s Place<\/strong> down the town to meet the Coyne family and friends wow was good or what!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day I took my daughter Christina into The English Market<\/strong> in Cork City to visit my cousin Pat O\u2019Connell<\/strong> as my mother\u2019s name was Christina O\u2019Connell<\/strong>. Pat is the owner of O\u2019Connell Fishmongers<\/strong> in the market. Now that is the man that Britain\u2019s Queen Elizabeth<\/strong> was overwhelmed with as you can see in the picture that she invited him to Buckingham Palace and he did go and was welcomed by the Queen with open arms. He is one nice man and as he said to me, if our grandfathers Paddy and Paul O\u2019Connell would have said to him, they would turn in their graves, it was just a lighthearted moment when he was telling me this. He also said that she told him that she would never forget the welcome she received in Cork, now that\u2019s nice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Queen came out of the English Market, she left her security and walked over to greet the people of Cork and started shaking hands and not rushing away and also talking to a lot of people who were there to greet her. I also got to meet a lot of old friends that I had not seen for almost a year and I went back to my old neighborhood with so many memories. I nearly forgot that my two other brothers were in my company quite a lot, that was Joe<\/strong> and Bernard <\/strong>and at my nephew\u2019s wedding my other sister Phyllis <\/strong>was sitting with me, I\u2019d be banned if I had forgot to mention them. The friends I grew up with that I got to meet in my old neighborhood were Tony Creed<\/strong>, Tommy O\u2019Shea<\/strong> and Michael Herhir<\/strong> all from James Square, Tower Street, Cork city and we had a few pints in Ma Dulia\u2019s<\/strong> right across from the Square. I had to be very good on this trip and my daughter Christina was my chaperone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One morning we went to visit University College Cork<\/strong> for a tour around it and boy it looks beautiful. I never visited it before I emigrated to America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alright here is announcement that I want to tell you about: the Long Island Irish Fest<\/strong> is being held on Sunday October 17th from 10 am to 5 pm at Plattdeutche Park, Franklin Square, NY. Featuring Andy Cooney<\/strong>, The Screaming Orphans<\/strong>, McLean Avenue Band<\/strong>, Harpers Ferry<\/strong>, The Galway Boys<\/strong>, with Irish step dancing and pipe bands I will definitely pay it a visit as I love Irish festivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have another big event that will be happening at The Irish American Society of Nassau, Suffolk and Queens<\/strong>, the annual Harvest Moon Ball<\/strong> celebrates its 90th Anniversary on Saturday, October 2nd at The Irish American Center<\/strong> (297 Willis Avenue in Mineola. The honorees are Mary McNulty<\/strong>, Kathleen Bory<\/strong>, and Maureen and Jeff Clarke<\/strong>. Doors open at 7 pm with dinner served between 7:30 and 8 pm. Tickets are only $85 per person with an open bar. Reservations are required with black tie optional. It promises to be a great night with music by The Tommy Clyne Band<\/strong>. For reservations call (516) 746-9392 or visit irishamericansocietyny.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope to see you all again when I\u2019m Out&About again\u2026 <\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>