Humble Pie with a side of Friendship

August 4, 2013

We have officially left the Republic of Ireland and now are back in the United Kingdom; back on the pound sterling :*( But we are happy to reunite with some friends we made while in Spain, Kevin and Patricia. In Calpe be we were introduced to them by our dear friends Joann and Allen and to our surprise they extended an invitation to visit them in Ireland. They own a fish and chip shop in Lurgan, just outside Belfast, called Smugglers; so once we were headed north we gave them a ring and decided to meet up with them.

Kevin & Patricia

                                        

The Irish are known for their boundless giving and warm personalities. It is believed that their struggles during famine and during the troubles lead to such a beautiful characteristic.  Let me tell you a first hand how delightful they can be. 

We drove straight to Smugglers and were greeted by Kevin with a boastful hello and a warm smile. He informed us that they had a property for sale and we were welcome to stay in it as long as we would like to. Kevin rang Trish, “They are here!” he exclaimed. He closed the doors to the shop and drove us to their family home. We met their two boys, I should say men because they are not children. They offered us coffee and we talked about our adventures since leaving Spain. We told them about our idea to open a fish and chip food truck once we are home and they offered to bring us into the shop and show us the ropes.

Keep in mind while we were in Spain we only spent about two hours having drinks with them. There kindness and generosity is more than humbling. Kevin drove us to their property for sale that we would be staying at, he told us he would be back with clean sheets in a few hours. The property was much more than we expected. It was a two story 3bed, 1bath townhouse; the kitchen had dishes for two, a kettle, and there also was a washing machine. It was the Ritz compared to the Kangoo.

Finally some clean clothes!

As soon as we unloaded the car Ross and I took advantage of the bed and settled in for a nap. Waking up a few hours later to Kevin knocking on the door with clean sheet and two arms full of groceries. He hooked us up with: coffee, ham, lettuce, tomatoes, jam, cheese, cokes, chocolate fudge bars, bread, butter, milk, fruit, cookies, body wash, and toilet paper. Did someone call in room service? Overwhelmed by their continued kindness we told him we would stop by Smugglers for dinner because we had be anxiously anticipating their fish and chips.

When driving through Ireland we often see small gatherings of horses, cows, and donkeys.  On our way to dinner we could not help but stop and said hello to a cute donkey. He walked right up to Ross and stuck his head over the fence for some love. He was so sweet, with each pat on the head he tried to get closer and closer to us.

Our donkey friend.
We named him Chalky

                                 

We walked into Smugglers and a young girl immediately brought around two huge plates of their specialty, fried cod and freshly cut chips, aka french fries. The food was outstanding! While we ate we discussed the challenges and overhead costs we would encounter opening a fish and chip food truck in the states. With bellies full we went to pay and were turned away. “ Your money is no good here” we were told. They invited us out for drinks after closing time and we defiantly took them up on their offer. Our intention was to cover their tab to show appreciation for all they had done for us but Kevin knew the bar keep and he was not having that. Again we were humbled by their actions.

We drank the evening hours away, chatting them up and asking them loads of questions. Drinking Guinness and shots of Jameson together, in the states we call it “double fisting,” in Ireland they call it crazy! Especially because of the low limit for drinking and driving. With perfect timing, as we were finishing up our last round the bar keep yelled to Kevin, “ Your cabby is here!” Kevin and Trish thought it best for us all to share a safe ride home because we had all indulged in the drink. Pulling up to the townhouse we pulled out the wallet to pay.....shocker!! they did not let us pay.