Lasting Memories in Lurgan, Ireland

August 11, 2013

Sunday supplied the perfect amount of sunshine, just enough to make ya want to go outside. We decided to take Kevin up on his offer to take us to his son's Gaelic Football game, that happened to be the championship of the season. Gaelic football seemed like a blend between soccer and basketball. You have to dribble the ball off your foot after every fourth stride you take while running the ball down the field.








There is a netted goal box as well as a pair of field goal pylons. Scores made in the netted goal are worth 3 points and scores made in between the pylons are worth 1 point. The game requires constant movement of all the players. While I am sure the strong winds felt good after all that running it surly was an obstacle for the players to overcome. After two halves, about 45 minutes each, the game was over. Although our team was not victorious, learning about a traditional Irish sport was a win for Ross and myself.

August 13, 2013

Today was our first and last day as Smuggler Fish & Chip Shop employees. We had one shift to learn all about the business of running a fish and chip shop. We did not want to be late but were not given a time to arrive. We thought 9:30 am would be good so we did not miss the preparation work involved to before open at 11:00 am. Both wearing our navy blue Mr. & Mrs. Courage tee shirts with notebook and camera as well, we marched into the the shop ready to learn. Our uniform was completed after receiving our black and white stripped apron.

Their industrial potato peeler

                                           

Big bin after being peeled.
Small basket after being chipped.

Kevin walked us through each step involved in preparing the batter, how to fry the fish, and how to prepare the chips(aka french fries). He was not shy about sharing tricks of the trade that he has learned over the last 20+ years in the business. He allowed Ross to ask him questions about budgeting, reasons he used specific ingredients over other, and about their initial start up cost.

Next it was time to go through the motions and get our hands messy. We watched Kevin demonstrate the first batch then we gave it a try. There really is nothing to the actual process, frying food is fairly simple but knowing the whole operation of running your own successful business takes time. We are grateful for the experience and hope to apply out knowledge one day by owning our own little fish and chip business in the USA.

Finished Product

August 14, 2013

On our last outing with Kevin & Trish they took us to see the Moran Mountains, Kilkeel, a small retired fishing village, and to Castlewellan Forest Park. The plan was to drive us through the mountains so we could see the picturesque views but clouds and rain were limiting our visibility.

Kilkeel Port

Making our way out of the mountains we stopped at a port area were Kevin & Trish said they used to order their fish from. They explained to us due to over fishing the port is no longer in operation. We grabbed a bite to eat and a few drinks at a charming Irish pub.










                                              

The Peace Maze

Later on they took us to Castlewellan Forest Park, which was my favorite part of our outing. There were a number of activities permitted on the park: running, walking, bicycling, canoeing, and fishing. There was also a BMX bicycle track and a garden maze. The garden maze was a fun challenge! We stayed together, taking turns being the leader, attempting to make it to the liberty bell. It took me about 25 minutes before the short cuts through the bushes started looking enticing. With completion of the maze in mind and my patients wearing thin I decided to use a cut through.....bad idea!!! If I had just stayed with the group an few moments longer I too would have felt the excitement of completing the challenge; but no I cheated and got lost while they found the way.....life lesson reinforced!

Castlewellan

                                       

Castlewellan Pond

We walked toward the castle on the grounds. It look like a remodel of a old castle, Trish believed that people currently live in it. We walked around the pond, a total of 3 kilometers, as the rain stopped and started, but we did not care because we were protected by the branches of the trees.

We had not intended on staying in Lurgan for nearly two weeks but we knew we had to stay as long as it took to receive my new lap top. My dear sweet brother-in-law shipped us a goodie box that took 7 days to arrive. When it came it was like Christmas!! A new computer to replace mine that crapped out on us a while back, a few of our favorite snacks, and art supplies for sketching and documenting our journey. We would not have changed on minute of our time in Lurgan; especially those spent with Kevin & Trish. We cannot thank them enough for everything they shared with us!!