Well, the deed is done. Today saw the end of the ceremonies associated with my uncle's funeral, and the day began before dawn, when I was awoken - despite wearing earplugs - by the thunderous sound of pouring rain. I got back to sleep, and when I woke again, it was still thundering down. While I was having my breakfast, it was still thundering down, after several hours.
This was not encouraging, given that the burial was today. However, as I finished my breakfast, the rain died out and a glimmer of sunshine appeared, encouragingly. Still, showers persisted (as usual) and we were at a disadvantage in our good coats, with no hoods. I had pointed out to my mother that we had golf umbrellas, and one of them might be very useful - and she dug around and found one. We had thought that the funeral directors might have some, but this was not something that had occurred to them.
So, after Mass, we headed out for Tulla Cemetery. The rain was lighter now, and more squally. Unfortunately, Tulla has quite a high hill, and the cemetery is right on top. Also, it turned out that the area just inside the main gate was badly flooded, so while they brought the coffin in that way, we all went in the upper gate, and had to clamber gingerly over graves and boggy, uneven ground to get to where we needed to. Someone had thought to bail the water out of the grave, so we weren't held up - but still, it was horrendous weather to be on top of a hill. I'm considerably taller than my mother, who pulled the umbrella close to her, so I spent the whole time with my neck bent. And yes, even the big golf umbrella got blown inside out at one point, as we were turning to head out again. And my hands were frozen from holding onto the edge - I really should've brought gloves. Pity the gravediggers..
The upshot was that we really, really needed some TLC afterwards. After a brief pitstop at home to freshen up, and change into more serviceable coats, we headed off in search of someone to feed us. Our first choice was The Abbey Tavern, as usual - unfortunately, there was a big funeral in Quin this afternoon as well, and parking was impossible. We continued to Ennis, to try The Grove - but the carvery was underway there, there was a large queue, and we fancied table service anyway. So we thought of Killaloe, and Flanagan's - which meant heading along the motorway. And it was my mother who, since we were heading that way, thought of the Clare Inn.
Fair enough - we've liked it before, although we've actually only been to weddings and Christmas dinners there. And, once, a leather sale. And, I think, one of those psychic and holistic fairs, with horoscope and aura readings and incense. We decided to give it a shot. So we sped along the motorway, and knew to turn off when we saw the distinctive, long building on the hill. Which is a good thing, because they actually have no advertising on the main road! FYI, it's Exit 11, and when you come to the roundabout just after the exit, turn left and it's on your right.
Of course, it's had a name change - I'd forgotten it'd been bought by the Dromoland estate and is now known as The Inn at Dromoland. (It'll always be the Clare Inn to us.) There's plenty of parking, and we got a space fairly close to the door - the wind was still gusting, and we didn't want to be outside any longer than necessary. Inside, we determined that the eateries were to the left of reception. First was the bar, where food was being served - but we wanted peace and quiet and continued to the restaurant, further down.
Well, peace and quiet is what we found! One section was closed off and in complete darkness. Another was screened off and unoccupied. In the section that was open, two tables were occupied - one with two people at it, another a long table where a family was celebrating a golden wedding anniversary. There were some staff members around, but obviously not on lunch duty and hiding out here, where they wouldn't be discovered. When someone finally appeared who was on lunches, we got to sit wherever we wanted, and took a table by the wall.
Ah, the peace and quiet! No howling winds, no rain - thunderous or squally. Music playing softly, almost no noise. Bliss. I faced the wall, which is lined with attractive, large framed photos of nearby scenic views. We were confused by the starter described as "feuilletes of chicken and mushroom" - when we inquired, we discovered it was a vol-au-vent. My mother had that, I went for the soup - comfort food. She, of course, ordered salmon (sauce on the side) - I had lamb. And we ordered wine - they don't do half bottles, so we had glasses of the house white, a sauvignon.
The soup was delicious! The sauce on the vol-au-vent was also proclaimed lovely, but my mother found the dish chewy - and the pastry did seem to be a bit tough. The lamb was fantastic - the stuffing had a distinctly orangey taste, and the gravy also seemed to have a touch of that. My mother got a huge piece of salmon, and we both cleared our plates. For dessert, she had a mixture of ice cream and sorbet - found the sorbet a bit too frozen. I had the chocolate fudge cake - yummy, and accompanied by a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. A memorable meal - my only quibble was that the glasses of wine were a little stingy. But that's a small quibble. I figured €60 would be a fair price for this excellent meal, and guess what? That's exactly what the price was. This is well worth a stop-over, if you're in the area.
On the way out, I visited the toilet, my mother sat in the sun room, just off reception. She could have sat in the bathroom, there was an armchair in there! And a dressing area, with a large table and mirror, and complimentary tissues. As for the sun room, she found it rather cold..
I don't know whether I'll be going anywhere else interesting before I fly back on Wednesday. For Thursday, I've been looking at an event for Chinese New Year - a Chinese evening late at the Horniman museum. Watch this space..
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