Sentimental Journey
“The pipes the pipes are calling, from glen to glen and down the mountainside…” The beloved song, “Danny Boy,” has been shared for generations in my family. It tells a story of someone leaving their home in hopes of returning one day. As I heard the familiar tune echo throughout Kate’s Cottage near Kilarney, I knew the pipes had called me home. Here I was sipping a Guinness in the home of my ancestors, surrounded by a community of people that I will forever consider my family—the Saint Mary’s Gaels.
A bit of Irish luck came my way last May after Mass when Father Tom McElligott told me he was planning an alumni trip to Ireland. I never had the chance to travel abroad during my years at Saint Mary’s and was thrilled to learn about this opportunity. From a young age, my mother had instilled in me a deep sense of Irish pride and I had always dreamed about traveling there with her one day. I heard many stories from my grandmother about our Madigan and Donovan ancestors from Galway and Cork. Finally, I was able to visit the setting of those stories. Six months later I was boarding my first international flight with “me mum” and fulfilling my dream of visiting the Emerald Isle.
Over 10 days our group of 22 alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and family toured Dublin, Cork, Kilarney, Galway, and Donegal. It was moving to learn about everyone’s connection to not only Saint Mary’s, but to Ireland. The bus became a place of camaraderie where Gaels of all ages bonded. Our Gaeltastic adventure was led by Father Tom and Philip, our quick-witted and lively Irish bus driver.
We immersed ourselves in the local culture and showed off our Gael spirit wherever we trekked. In Cork we drank the local stout—Murphy’s, shopped at the famous Blarney Woolen Mills, explored Blarney Castle and supported each other as we made the treacherous backbend to kiss the Blarney Stone. With cheers and luck most of us were able to press our lips against the magical stone and emerge as eloquent speakers. Our day in Cork concluded with an educational tour of Jameson Distillery where we happily volunteered for a whiskey tasting—Slainte!
After visiting the breathtaking Cliffs of Mohr we arrived in vibrant Galway. There my mother and I learned more about our Madigan ancestors. At Connemara marble I purchased a beautiful green marble shamrock pendant, mined from the site where my great-great-great-grandfather labored.
On one of the last days of our trip I was reminded of what it truly means to be a Gael. While traveling from Galway to Sligo to attend a Yeats poetry reading, I reached for a book of poems my mother gave me. Together we began reading Yeats’ poems aloud on the bus. After each poem, someone contributed a new idea or thought. Even though we weren’t sitting at a round table, we still created a circle of discussion on the bus. We might have graduated in different years and read different texts but our Seminar experience united us.
I will always remember the pub lunches, the countless sheep on the hillsides, the rainbows, and, of course, our group of 22. As I looked out the airplane window heading back home to San Francisco the end of “Danny Boy” echoed in my thoughts. “And you'll bend down and tell me that you love me, and I will rest in peace until you come to me.” I was truly at peace, for I had returned to the home of my ancestors and shared an adventure of a lifetime with the best family I could have asked for—Gaels.
McLain is a communications professional who enjoys freelancing for the Saint Mary’s magazine and catching basketball games in McKeon Pavilion.