It's Friday I'm in love.....with the Kingdom
How are you? I hope this letter finds you well and that your week was kind to you….
Just as a starting note, in case you didn’t know, you can listen to me reading this letter to you by clicking on the headphones symbol or by clicking on ‘listen to this post’. For me, I think it’s the best way to hear my words as you can take me on your walk, your drive in the car or even cook your dinner while I bring you into my mind, my heart and of course bring you along my path of life with me…..
Thank you all so very much for your support with my two letters every week and for all your lovely words, comments and messages. I really really appreciate them so very much and you are the reason I am so committed to these letters and why I am trying to improve on them as I go and also hope that they are in someway making you smile. My aim is to make you smile at your computer or your phone…I’m smiling at you right now…Can you feel it? I hope so…..
Today is Friday and I’m very much feeling full of good energy and joy after being away for a few days at the start of the week. On Sunday I hit the road to travel two hundred and seventy five kilometres to the south of the island of Ireland to the county of Kerry. Kerry is also known as the Kingdom county and is the fifth largest county in Ireland and its coastline makes up part of the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ which is a must to see. Rugged cliff edges, beautiful clear water and a wild coastal breeze which will take your breathe away and take away all your troubles in equal measure. My visit to Kerry had an added bonus this time as I was staying with family and that always adds to the joy of a location. Looking out their window to the strong mountainous landscape with the sun rising in the morning would do anyones heart and head good. I’ll include a photo here to give you a taste of what I could see as I sipped on my mug of tea each morning…
In this newsletter, i’m going to give you a little taster on why my trip to Kerry was so wonderful.
First off let’s start by looking at the town in which I was staying - the beautiful Tralee. There was an extra special atmosphere in the town while I was there as their annual festival was in full swing. The festival is called ‘The Rose of Tralee’ and as part of that, the town was more than electric, it was lit up and alive.
Similar along the lines of the atmosphere of the Fleadh but not exactly the same as the crowds weren't as big and the structure was different. Still all the same the town was alive with people, music, fun and lots of craic & it was a huge added bonus to my escape. The Rose of Tralee International Festival is an international event which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world and culminates in a two week festival in the town where a selection of chosen ladies make their way to Tralee & over a number of events, one lady is chosen as the ‘Rose of Tralee’. You might initially think, ‘oh a beauty pageant’ but this is not what it is….even though dresses and high heels are involved, it truly is a celebration of women, a celebration of being Irish and a celebration of just lovely people coming together supporting each other & really it is, very special.
Around the town, the atmosphere is buzzing…Stalls as far as your eye can see… selling all sorts of goodies from tops, bottoms, hats, handbags, freshly made donuts, burgers, jewellery, light up this, that and the other….you name it, and it was for sale but it’s so much fun strolling around and looking at all offerings…. Music galore to be heard, with stages all around the town and not to forget the main event - The Rose of Tralee selection which runs over two nights - Monday & Tuesday and it’s on the box so the nation are watching from their homes as well….
On Monday night as my nephews and family were glued to the Liverpool v Manchester United match (lets not speak of that result) ….as they watched it in the Manor West Hotel, I decided to venture into town on my own to see what was happening. Earlier in the day I had by accident caught country singer Cliona Hagan’s band soundchecking and they sounded amazing. While Cliona then appeared on stage to sound check herself, I had started a Facebook live unknown to the fact that Cliona was going to appear and the minute she did, my Facebook family were estatic with so many of them big fans. They encouraged me to approach her after her sound check but for some reason, I found myself shy…I know…I know…Lou shy…It doesn’t go together but let me tell you, even I find myself shy sometimes…. I’m actually quite the mixed personality…Extroverted at times and introverted too with the right people - ambivert by nature.
Long story short…I just hadn’t the confidence to go over and interrupt her to say hello…So the moment passed and somewhere inside me, I felt I had let myself and the fb family down because I knew they would have loved to have chatted to her through the stream….Anyways the moment passed and in true Lou style, I said to myself, ‘What’s for me won’t pass me’ and so far that statement hasn’t let me down in life so on I went…..
On my return trip back into town later that evening, in my mind I spoke to myself driving along (I’m not mad I swear even if I sound it), the words that crossed through my mind were as follows, ‘Well if I see Cliona again on her own, I’ll try be braver & say hello’ knowing well that wasn’t going to happen seeing as thousands of people were now in town and no way was I going to fall across a quiet moment that Cliona Hagan might be loosely just standing around… Either ways I still had the thought….
Without any bother, I found myself the perfect parking space beside the amusements and right beside all the action. I headed towards the music stage after having a wander about and said to myself, hopefully I’ll catch a bit of Cliona if she’s on stage. Well, wasn’t I just thrilled, I not only caught a song or two, I caught her whole set and she was absolutely amazing. I knew of Cliona’s music before this moment but I had never seen her live and oh my mary, what a treat. Cliona is not only an amazing singer but what a performer. She had the audience in the palm of her hand and between her song choices, her wonderful band and also her genuine reach out to all who stood before her, I was blown away. She encapsulated what a true gifted entertainer and talent offers an audience and she achieved it ten fold. In my time in the music industry, over ten years touring, managing and promoting Irish artists, I’ve seen it all and in recent years with covid messing everyone around, my heart was just so full of joy to see an Irish woman kicking ass on stage once again. Cliona definitely has it all and as a lot of ye know, my fb lives confirmed that not only did I enjoy the show, so did you too…
After Cliona finished up, the whole place just emptied….I thought there might be some hanging around but not a soul. It was like in a blink, Cliona was over and everyone decided all at once ‘right time for bed’ (apart from me of course). I am the second Cinderella everyone was waiting for in this world….you just can’t get me to go home unless you take my shoes off me! The street was completely empty within minutes so the decision was then for me to head home or to stay out a bit longer….Sure you know me well enough at this stage, I’m a divil…I decided to ramble up the bare Denny Street and see what was on around the corner….I found myself another stage with more music and sure I had to stay for awhile with the crowd there too. They were a good band for sure, good choons but the crowd was a little different and I decided after about thirty minutes it was time for me to hit the hay too.
I said I would return to the car the way I knew how to get to it, so it meant tracking back up the route I came in which I would pass down by the empty stage on Denny Street. As I wandered, in true Lou fashion, I saw all sorts of lovely photo opportunities as I had the street to myself. As I strolled by the stage area I could see all the music gear was gone and in glancing to the side I spotted the lads loading all their instruments into vans……And as if I planned it, who did I see standing there...only Cliona Hagan….Empty street….empty stage…empty pathway into her company…..An opportunity given to me for a second time. Was I going to pass this moment by or was it going to pass me? Was I going to miss my chance a second time? Was I braver than I was before earlier in the day? Had I learned from my previous experience? I took a moment. Talking to myself, ‘what are you going to do this time Lou? Are you going to gather the guts to go over or as Gabrielle sang in that song, are you going to walk on by?’ I literally said these words to myself in my mind….I was on my own. Nobody to push me or encourage me…Just me, myself and I…it was over to me to grab this moment for me and I knew if I could be braving enough, I not only was going to enjoy Cliona but I knew my Facebook family would benefit too because they love her & I knew it would mean something to them too. So with one big breathe in, I said to myself, ‘come on Lou, just go for it.’ And that’s what I did….
A couple of small kids were now in situ with her and were getting selfies but by the time my footsteps landed close to her, she was on her own. The perfect moment. The quiet of Denny street allowed for a pin to be heard dropping never mind us two girls chatting away like old pals. I explained to Cliona that I had seen her soundcheck and that my facebook family were mad for me to approach her but I just couldn’t gather the guts. But here I was now by pure chance on my way home and then I spotted you.
She was so nice. We chatted about the evening & what a great gig it was. I told her she was brilliant & how proud I was to see her enjoying herself and that life is all about doing the things we love as we pass through this life. She is definitely someone who could easily fit into our facebook & Substack family, a lovely personality, an open mind and a soft gentle heart. She was so nice about the whole story of Granny and I knew instantly she is someone who loves her family and loves those who are important to her. You know when you meet someone and you just instantly sense their way of being. She wears a big smile and I bet if you knew her as a child, she wore that same smile.
That’s just a feeling I get and I’d say I’m not far off that….Her smile is genuine and it comes from her heart. You will see it here in the clip we recorded together. She was so good to do a video to support me with the book. I still don’t know how I got so lucky to meet her on pure chance & then for Cliona to be so nice…..How lucky am I? And definitely a big part of why the trip to Kerry was so special. Here is a link to Cliona's Instagram and her Facebook Page too.
No matter where I go, my heart belongs to Granny & this was a very special moment. To add to that, I also think I’m enjoying my life, my freedom, my adventures and my meetings with people, whether I know them or not, more than I ever did. The cocooning period of two intense years has made me more appreciative than I’ve ever felt. When I see people now, my heart just lights up inside and there lies a great lesson. A lesson to love my life when I am well and to be grateful to be able to be healthy to go out and enjoy it. As I keep saying to people, I’m not going to leave an inch of my life behind me….I’ve never been so driven to enjoy the good times….I’ll face the bad times when they are here but when things are calm, I’m going to kick up my feet and give it socks and shoes….have you ever heard that phrase? I don’t know where I pick up these terms but they sound right and it describes how I feel about it all…..I’m all about footwear in this letter today…cinderella and now socks and shoes….
On top of that magical story, we travelled out to the beautiful Muckross House and Garden in Killarney where the national park is and let’s just say, you will need a day to get around to all there is to see there. We took a horse and jaunting cart around by the lakes and up to Torc Waterfall. Words wouldn’t describe it well enough. It was just brilliant.
Our horse was named Benson and our driver Johnny and he was a mind of information and full of charm. The house and the beautiful gardens are a whole different story. I’ve never seen flowers like them….colour, colour everywhere and a must see in your lifetime. After there, we stopped in a lovely spot called Dromhall Hotel for food in Killarney.
We made our way out to Fenit Beach which was absolutely beautiful and of course I had the chats with St. Brendan’s (he a statue - he didn’t have much to say to me, but I told him all my tales) about all things navigational and how impressed I was that he studied under our own local saint here in Clonard - St. Finian - such a small world even if separated by hundreds of years….I then stood in awe of the beauty of the Kerry landscape and took some very deep breathes in as my soul cleared all heaviness from inside me. That’s what nature does you see? The beach. The green fields. The birds. The bees. The sunshine. The blue sky. It’s all so good for your insides and I truly believe it’s one of the best ways to heal your heart and free your mind. When in nature, your brain cannot think, instead it just empties like quicksand. One minute you have thoughts, the next you have none. It’s more about feelings when you get close to nature and that’s why I love it….
We also managed to fit in a great game of bowling, lots of amusement messing and even made it back into the town of Tralee to watch the parade of the winning rose. There was a great atmosphere on the streets and people were just in mighty form on Tuesday night. There is nothing as special or as enjoyable than watching a happy crowd. Music was pumping and Offaly native ‘Mundy’ was giving it socks (there I go again-crutch language I’m leaning on - yes sireee)….Lights were shining and people were singing and with a big roar from the crowd, in arrives the winning Westmeath Rose Rachel Duffy with marching bands ahead and behind her float….
Awaiting her on stage were all her friends smiling from ear to ear, the 31 roses who stood by and watched Rachel receive the crowds attention and were clearly so happy for her which again is such a nice part of this festival. It’s so nice seeing women celebrate women and not only that, but they were so happy for each other. Rachel’s words from the stage ‘any of these girls could be the winning rose. They are all just fabulous people. Back to the same similarity that I sensed and saw in Cliona….Good genuine people. It was so obvious that these girls were all so happy for each other. How did I know? I knew by their smiles….I knew by their eyes….I knew by their body language. They were having a ball and it radiated from the stage…
So it was the perfect finish to my time in the Kingdom. A stage full of roses who clearly wanted the best for each other and what an inspiration for us all. Not just the roses but people and their good energy inspire others to shine their smiles and to give off good energy. We could never have enough of those kind of people in our lives and in our society…We need good people. We want good people. Good people with good energy inspire others to be good too. And there is no end to the infection rate of happiness they send out to the world. I’m so lucky I met so many lovely people on my trip to the south of Ireland.
We need to keep shining out. We need to keep looking at each other. We need to keep stepping forward. We need to keep that Irish charm and kindness alive. And it’s not up to anyone else. It’s up to us. It’s up to me. It’s up to you. It’s up to each of us to keep smiling. it’s up to us to keep the big picture in view and to remember that our smile could give another hope and even happiness in their small picture. Between Cliona Hagan, Johnny & Benson in Killarney’s Muckross House and all the Roses of Tralee I was happily reminded how much joy can be exchanged in the passing by of two people even if never to meet again.
Thank you county Kerry for making me smile from ear to ear and I hope somewhere along the line I make you smile too. Life is too short not to smile and it’s even shorter if we can’t help each other smile.
Thank you for reading all the way down here dear reader and I hope you enjoyed my Friday letter for you. I feel so reenergised after my few days away and again I’ve been reminded of the magical power that comes with stepping away from normal day to day life.
*****Just before I go, I’d love to include a little zoom link down below which if you are free on Monday night (29th August at 7.30pm) I’d love for you to attend. I’ve been saying for weeks, maybe even months that I would love to organise a zoom meeting for us all to meet and chat about the book ahead of its release. I know we had a few in the earlier part of me starting to write the book and it was so lovely chatting with ye so I know so many of you have helped me with the cover, the title, discussing the tour & the book in lots of different ways never mind helping me love Gran in so many ways too (which I will be eternally grateful for) and so many other aspects when I’ve called on ye all for your opinions and thoughts and help…Lots of bits are still not confirmed but I’m getting closer and closer to the end and I think it’s time we come together virtually for now until we get to real life…I’m going to be leaning heavily on ye as the days move along…On Monday I’ll also confirm the release date in the zoomand chat with ye in general about it all….and of course share a big cup of tea with you too…I’ll bring the biscuits…
The invite is here:
JOIN OUR LOU'S MEET UP ON ZOOM ON MONDAY 29TH OF AUGUST AT 7.30PM GMT BY CLICKING HERE
If you lose this link, just pop onto our facebook page here: Living and Laughing with Lou Facebook Page & I’ll pin it to the top post on this page. You can also contact me at anytime on this fb page too or comment below if you have any problems.
Okeydokey that’s everything for today. I hope you enjoyed this letter and I’m hoping someday you might get to visit County Kerry yourself and if you do, you can guaranteed I’ll be sitting in the passenger seat beside you for that journey.
Lots of love and light always to you,
Your friend always,
Lou x
*Please feel free to comment below and let me know if you enjoyed this letter or if there is anything you would like me to include or maybe a topic you might like me to write on…..Thanks so much in advance. Your support and friendship means everything to me x
Yay! You got to meet Cliona after all... and on a quiet street. Wow. It was meant to be. I enjoyed hearing your story, Lou.
Loved it Lou! Thanks for making me smile this morning xx