Ireland

Ireland, Here We Come!

/ Pam Goode / 8 Comments

I fly to Ireland on Monday.

Wait … Let me readjust that note … I FLY TO IRELAND ON MONDAY!!!

It’s not my first trip there, and in fact I’m on my TENTH visit now … because I just can’t get enough. And guess what? I’m 100% as excited as I was on the first trip.

As you can tell, Ireland will always have my heart.

And — oh yeah — we’re staying in a castle. A real-life, bells and whistles Castle. Seriously. And meals are included.

And it’s not just a Castle — aside from the monumental reality there — but a castle and quite a few other perks, and yes, I’m all atwitter and with good reason. Add in 200 acres of woodlands, and ohhh how that makes me swoon. Oh, and they feed us — and not just “food”, but a range of locally sourced delicacies like Spanish tapas, traditional Irish meals, Italian fire-cooked pizza, and vegetarian options. I won’t go hungry.

So back to those perks — We’ll have a class on Falconry (which would NEVER have occurred to me on my own), a Micro Mosaic Workshop with the fabulous and renowned Irish artist Olive Stack, a Group Collaboration on a Land-Art piece, traditional Irish music and story-telling, PLUS off-site excursions focusing on day-trips with Irish historian Ger Greaney to explore ancient Celtic sites, a stone circle, holy well, faery ring, and historic ruins; a full day in Listowel for exploring, shopping and exploring; and a day in beautiful Dingle to see artisan studios, galleries, ancient buildings, the Blasket Center, which preserves and honors the memories of the unique community that lived on the very remote Blasket Islands until their evacuation in 1953, and (of course) a bit of shopping.

FYI, we have TWO Spaces Available for Ireland (women only). We have a room with two twin beds that can be made into a King with a bathroom en suite, and two queen rooms with a hall bathroom. Our flights leave Monday, May 9 and return Sunday, May 16. Flights are not included. Let us know if you’d like details, and SEE YOU SOON!!!

IRELAND! The MOST Beautiful Country on the Planet

/ Pam Goode / 12 Comments 
I'm headed to Fabulous Ireland in a few months, and you know what? It's like I've come home. I'm not even there yet, but I already feel Ireland everywhere around me, and it feels So Good. Getting back to Ireland soothes me, excites me, influences me and changes me in every way, and I'm not the only one -- I pretty much hear the same words from everyone I pass. Honestly, I don't think I've ever known anyone who doesn't love Ireland. Are there any? I don't think so. 

And the best news is that Laura and I have two spaces open for May, and a plethora of opportunities to fall in love with Ireland's Magic. We'd love to have you join us the week of May 9 - May 16. Trust me -- you won't want to leave. And hey, that's okay too.

If that sounds good to you but you need a few lessons in getting your engine started, Laura and I are here to help.

We'll be staying in the gorgeous Springfield Castle shown below, and we have two spaces available. Better grab 'em!


NOTE: EVERYTHING IS INCLUDED IN THIS PRICE (All Meals, Excursions, Entertainment) EXCEPT your flight to and from Ireland, alcoholic beverages, 2 lunches, and any private outings you arrange.

AGAIN, WE HAVE ONLY TWO SPACES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SPEND A GLORIOUS WEEK IN A GLORIOUS CASTLE AND EXPLORE THE BEAUTY AND WONDER OF IRELAND!

And just in case you’re wondering why I keep going back to Ireland at every opportunity, well, maybe you can guess…. Because I love it? Yes. Because it feeds me? Yes. Because it changes me? Yes.

Getting back to Ireland soothes me, excites me, influences me and changes me in every way, and I’m not the only one — I pretty much hear the same words from everyone I pass. Honestly, I’ve never known anyone who doesn’t love Ireland. Are there any? I don’t think so.

If that sounds good to you but you need a few lessons in getting your engine started, Laura and I are here to help.

Home from Ireland

/ Pam Goode / 1 Comment

And then she was home, happily laden with:

  • three new (heavy) sweaters that I’ll surely need again next time,
  • the thick gloves and ear muffs that were a godsend,
  • not quite enough leggings,
  • a new pair of shoes to replace the two pair that fell apart as soon as I got to Ireland,
  • a baggie full of beautiful stripey rocks (WAY fewer than I wanted to bring home),
  • several sets of broken pottery that I haven’t yet had time to reassemble into something fabulous,
  • notes for my next trip to Ireland,
  • 215 emails that need responses,
  • the joy of laughing with favorite old and new friends,
  • the opportunity to try new things: new art, new hikes, new food,
  • a brand new grandson who sleeps like clouds from heaven,
  • beautiful gardens all gloriously blooming and a sweet husband who keeps them that way,
  • and several handfuls of notes for my next trip (to Barcelona in June!)

Because we’re not getting any younger.

Love to All!

The Night Flier

/ Pam Goode / Leave a comment




Thank you all for the incredible opportunity to see, to learn, and to love once again in this magical place called Listowel.

If you’re in town, please join us tonight, 5:00 – 7:00 at Olive Stack Gallery, where Laura McKellar and I will be shamelessly flaunting our passions.

Love Always,
Pam

Becoming

/ Pam Goode / 9 Comments



As the theme for our artist residency this month, Laura McKellar and I chose the word Becoming.

And aren’t we all?

And isn’t that a wondrous, endless gift?

Even when we’re smack in the middle of those upper years and think we know exactly who we are, the fact is that we change not only yearly, not only daily, but every single moment. We constantly evolve.

Life isn’t stagnant for any of us, nor is it set out neatly, nor is its progression a given. And aren’t you glad? Well no, many times I’m not glad at all for the changes that arrive unbidden, but I do know that all change brings growth — and sometimes we need that push.

When I registered for this residency, I knew it would be a step out for me and it certainly has been — in all the best of ways.

There’s a poem I discovered during my early feminist stages that has always stuck in my head. The opening line by Jayne Brown, which is repeated multiple times, reads: I’m becoming the woman I’ve wanted. It’s a process and not always easy, but I’m so very grateful to the many women and men who have stood beside me along the path.

One of the best of those is Olive Stack (whom we often call Wonder Woman, and rightfully so).

And so as we ready our selves and our words and our comfort zones and our joy, I’m incredibly thankful once again for this opportunity to share and grow and become the woman I want to be — the woman who opens her soul and scatters bits of it across the skies, the waters, the friendships, the todays and the tomorrows, all of which are so much richer now — due not only to this residency, but to the many, many friends and teachers I’ve gathered along the way.

Thank you, Olive Stack Residency, for the thousand-fold ways in which you’ve invited and allowed me to grow.

And to those nearby (or those who whimsically decide to fly on over), we’d love to have you join us for our exhibition:

Becoming, Friday, April 28, 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Olive Stack Gallery, Listowel, Ireland.

See you there!

Pam

Just a Walk in the Park

/ Pam Goode / 4 Comments

Today was one of those splendid days that pops up when it really shouldn’t. It’s still chilly here, though there are a few in shorts and tee shirt, and yours truly in a surprising redistribution of the ubiquitous puffy coat. Yes it’s 55 degrees in Ireland today, and though that wouldn’t really be “cold” at home, in Ireland it comes complete with the cool (read frigid) air that follows us everywhere.

We took the long walk by the River Feale, the banks filled with flowers and the ever present fanciful gurgle of water, and then headed to the Garden of Europe. The gardens are beautiful and becoming more so, and I particularly love the surrounding forest of trees and flowers.

Left to Right and Top to Bottom: Trees and flowers along the River Feale; Tufted plants; Laura taking a path to the water; Yellows and purples; “Wrap your arms around me”; Gorgeous setting in the Garden of Europe; Fabulous pebble mosaic created by Kathleen Doody of Canada, a former Olive Stack Residency recipient; Path through the Fairy Woods; Holocaust Memorial.

Inspired by a month-long artist residency graciously provided by Olive Stack Gallery, Listowel, Ireland, Day 23

At the Grocery: The Good, the Bad, and the Curious

/ Pam Goode / 2 Comments

Now let me say up front that I’ve found no food anywhere on the planet that matches the sheer bliss of Irish food. All organic, all clean, all fresh, and I just can’t get enough. Honestly, I wish everyone had the opportunity to eat this cleanly. That said, the Irish do have their quirks!

SERIOUSLY!

Left to Right and Top to Bottom:

SERIOUSLY Plant Based Chicken; The Happy Pear … ???; Jelly (or Jello?) in plastic tubs ???; Carrots and Rhubarb (LOTS of Carrots and Rhubarb), which is clearly the favorite local veggie!; Ardfert Roosters … scratching head ….; Orange Juice … with Bits???; Ardfert Eggs … Presumably these go with the roosters in some sense; Random display of a tent, some lovies, and a very large purple flower, none of which you can really access if they strike your fancy; SIX Free Range Eggs with a lively scene displayed. After some consideration, we’ve determined that SIX is the perfect number of eggs to buy at a go. Very smart indeed.

Inspired by a month-long artist residency graciously provided by Olive Stack Gallery, Listowel, Ireland

Grange Stone Circle, Part 2

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Following up on my brief visit to the The Grange Stone Circle at Lough Gur, I can promise you that the lives of these stones go way beyond anything we’ll ever realize. Some of it glorious, some decadent, some tragic, some probably maudlin, but forever enticing and magical.

And let’s face it — it’s hard to beat a tree that has grown through two 6,000 year old rocks AND is still sprouting leaves and limbs!

Did I say Magic?

The circle has an internal diameter of approximately 46 meters (151 feet), or a bit under half the length of a football field.

If you want to visit, Grange Stone Circle is in County Limerick, Ireland, located 300m west of Lough Gur, 4 km north of Bruff. The Limerick-Kilmallock road is nearby. Between the landscape and the history, you definitely get the bang for your buck (which is free).

Not shown but easily visible to the eye if you’re on site, are trinkets left inside surrounding trees. Some of the trees have openings that run fairly deep, and are lightly adorned with ribbons, messages, or, in at least one case, a sweet little pink ornament.

Magic indeed.

Inspired by a month-long artist residency graciously provided by Olive Stack Gallery, Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland.

It’s Pony Day in Listowel!

/ Pam Goode / Leave a comment

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming due to a special event.

The ponies and goats, burros and majestic beasts, and curious onlookers are out in full force today, prancing their pretties.

And it’s a show, let me tell you! You don’t really need my commentary, so let’s dive in!

Inspired by a month-long artist residency graciously provided by Olive Stack Gallery, Listowel, Ireland

Mosaics in Ireland

/ Pam Goode / 13 Comments

Flowers on the Wild Atlantic Way, Photo by Pam Goode
Mosaic by Pam Goode, Wild Atlantic Way

My studio mate in Ireland and I are both mosaic artists. One of us (NOT me) churns out gorgeous new work daily, and you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on her!

I, on the other hand, tend to spend a lot of time in my head and approach the actual work with the zeal of a sloth and the pace of a snail. I’m tempted to start making pieces now, so I can simply pop one out of my suitcase every other day and wow myself with my “productivity.”

Does that count?

But sometimes, and often in Ireland, I’m so overwhelmed by beauty and generosity that art just rolls right out of me like so many thank-yous to the universe.

The art above is one of those gifts.

On the left is a slightly blurred photo that I took about a decade ago on a gorgeous windy day during my first residency in Listowel, Ireland. We were exploring and enjoying a glorious walk on a glorious sandy beach — first along the high dunes and then down to the water under brilliant blue skies. That’s where I discovered the yellow shells shown in my last post, as well as a host of pink darlings twirling joyously in the breeze that immediately became my inspiration. On the right is the stained glass mosaic that I created from my photo.

If you happen to find yourself in Ireland during the month of April, please stop by and say hello. If we’re lucky, you may be be able to join us for a workshop! (Date to be determined; likely mid April)