Our Dromoland Wedding – Keith Woodard Photography

The Irish Wedding. A divine specimen to behold. And to imbibe. And imbibe. Oh, and did I say imbibe? There is no leaving an Irish wedding until at least 3AM. Not even if you are the bride and groom. In fact, the bride and groom are always the last to leave. It is customary that the two lovebirds maintain their life-of-the-party-personae until every last guest has turned in or collapsed at their feet from “too much drink taken”.  And yes, wedding ceremonies usually begin early in the afternoon as in the States so it is one long, lush, lovely day in which to participate. This is particularly fresh in my mind as we attended a friend’s wedding this week in Tipperary (pronounced Tipper-RARE-ee).  And I am still recovering (2 days later).  But it was such a beautiful day; a fabulously fun-loving couple, their sentimental church ceremony that began with the Irish Uillean pipes, a lovely part of the service which was recited in Irish and a reception that took place at a hotel at the foot the dramatic Glen of Aherlow. (sidebar: I love that Ireland has glens and reeks and skrees and gorgeous folkloric topography like that).

As weddings do, we were reminded of our very own romantic Irish wedding and began feeling nostalgic. Our day, to an American girl, was the stuff that fairy tales are made up of… The ceremony took place in the most charming old church, which is said to be the finest remaining example of the “barn” church in Ireland. We borrowed Seamus, the spirited violinist from Bunratty, and he gleefully performed our chosen music. We also enlisted the help of Michelle McDermott, a brilliant wedding planner since I didn’t have much knowledge of the who’s who/what’s what here at the time. Our reception was carried out at the idyllic and distinguished Dromoland Castle in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare. When we arrived at the gates, we were greeted by two beautiful white stallions and a vintage carriage awaiting to transport us into the estate (see photo above). We meandered down a path passing by ponds and geese which eventually lead to a walled garden. I had never felt so taken away by feelings of awe and joy and love in my life as I did on that day, it was truly spectacular. (For those of you who don’t know, I should tell you that these fabulous feelings set in AFTER the actual ceremony…the before and during part is, well, you’ll find out).

Because I am American (and a former “particular” producer) we had to keep some of my traditions, however, little did I know that almost all of what I was strenuously requesting during the planning process was exclusive to weddings in the States so all of my wishes could not be granted, but still a good few were. I really wanted commercial hair and makeup for myself and my girls so we hired an editorial makeup artist from Dublin that I had read about in an Irish fashion magazine to come down and be there for the day. The hairstylist stayed on for the evening for touch ups. Very OTT for Irish standards and possibly everyone else, but I wanted to look my very best all day AND night. Also, we designed the wedding invites with a studio in the States and used a die-cut embossment of the McDonnell family crest which were produced using a combination of letterpress and engraving techniques. Die-cut embossed invites in Ireland? Again, OTT for Irish standards, but hopefully respected (jury’s still out). Here, the bride and groom to-be actually handwrite the name of each guest on the inside of the invitation on a line as shown here. I initially thought that seemed a bit slapdash, but perhaps that does add more of a personal touch.

Our meal at Dromoland may have been the best I’ve eaten in Ireland to date (really, I am not just saying that). To start, a delicate monkfish and crab velout with garlic and chives (so unforgettable that my mouth is watering writing this) followed by a gorgeous and light savory parsnip and thyme soup and after, a smooth pomegranite sorbet was offered to cleanse the palate. For the main course, a filet mignon that was so gloriously juicy and tender that you could cut it with a butterknife served with fresh organic potatoes and various roasted vegetables. Our wedding cake was round  and 4-tiered with little vintagey strands of icing creping and beading across each level. To me, it looked very timeless and classic which is exactly what I had hoped, but I had to make a serious compromise on the top tier, for when we met with the cake maker I was informed that the top is always fruit cake. What!??? How not tasty. I seriously thought she was joking (we really do make jokes about fruit cake in the States you know). But she wasn’t and R really preferred it that way too so there was no way out of it. I just could not fathom why anyone would want to eat fruitcake at a wedding.

We hired an 8-piece traditional Irish music group to start the entertainment who performed beautifully and encouraged many guests to do jigs and reels on the dance floor, the most popular being the Siege of Ennis. An example of the Siege of Ennis (or as I like to call it, the Electric Slide-Irish style) from the Tipperary wedding can be seen here. When the trad music was ended we had a deejay who creatively served up tracks until every last person left in those wee hours of the morning.

But, as any proper married American couple, R and I disappeared into the night long before that and began our life anew…..

Next week: 3 Fabulous Irish foodies-2 living in Ireland and one in Paris-and their deliciously scandalous cookbooks. And, for a few lucky food-loving readers, a free copy will be sent to you!

Slán Abhaile and Happy New Year!

Imen

Tags: bunratty, clare, cratloe, dromoland, farmer, glen of aherlow, ireland, love, marriage, siege of ennis, tipperary, wedding

Traditional Irish Christmas Cake

Well tis’ the season to be jolly… and sure enough, things can get quite jolly ‘round here. But, I must admit, being married to an Irish farmer also means that he can’t really be home with us for the entire holiday as the animals need to be tended to every day of the year. I guess I’ve taken for granted that the holidays are about loads of time off to spend with family and friends relaxing with a little cheer and reflecting on the year that was behind us (hint: never take this for granted). Still, we make a big effort to enjoy the time we do have together and are grateful for that.

In Ireland, Christmas Eve is not the big draw, possibly because Christmas Day and Christmas Day Eve are when the real festivities happen and then there’s a whole other lively day of celebration on the 26^th, called St. Stephen’s Day. (Or Boxing Day in the UK) St. Stephen’s Day or the Feast of St. Stephen is a Christian Saint’s day and is  a national holiday in Ireland. It is also known as the “Day of the Wren” in many areas, ours included. We have another big feast on this day and then are visited by the “Wren Boys” who traditionally come into country homes and perform traditional Irish music through song and dance.  They come to the door playing their beautiful instruments such as the tin whistle, the concertina, Bodhráns and fiddles.  One person always has a (artificial)wren bird in a nest to symbolize the hunt of the wren who historically brought good luck to the villagers. Here is a link to a snippet of last year’s performance at the farmhouse. Geoffrey loves the Wren Boys and I can’t say I blame him as they are quite entertaining, and for me, something totally festive and different.

We’ll open the gifts at our holly-strewn home on Christmas morning and then Richard will go to work until later in the day when we have the big dinner at the home farmhouse. Peggy is preparing the meal this year and I am bringing the desserts—this year I’ll be trying my hand at an Irish Christmas Cake. No Irish Christmas would be complete without the this cake and for all of it’s elaborateness, it’s basically a fruit cake made to look pretty so I should be able to handle it. (wait a minute, is there a little personification going on there?). The frosting and little trimmings are made from marzipan, a staple here for cake decorating. We also have a new arrival in the family this year, D & R’s new beautiful baby girl, Gwynn, whom will be our guest of honour. Michael will prepare his plum pudding which is another gooey fruit-cakey concoction made with plums and raisins and something yucky called minced suet. The only good thing about plum pudding is that it’s served with a creamy brandy sauce or home-made rum raisin ice cream which are both delicious. Mince pies are always a given–they make mini ones which you see everywhere here and they are dusted with powdered sugar making them look really tasty which, of course, is totally deceiving. So, by now you must be wondering if there are any desserts that I would actually eat for the holidays! Why yes, the best one of all, trifle! I love trifle. It is much like a parfait in a big pretty glass bowl: boozy sponge cake layered with golden custard and luscious fruit covered in cream.  I also love the crunchy meringues with mixed berries and dollups of fresh cream.

When we sit down to dinner on Christmas we begin by opening the Christmas crackers.  A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized candy-wrapper. Two people pull and it breaks unevenly (making a popping sound) and leaves one person with the bigger half which holds a paper crown (which you then happily wear for the rest of the day) and a little surprise, perhaps a small trinket, a riddle or some other fun tchotke. I personally think everyone in the world should celebrate with Christmas crackers. They are loads of fun!

When all of the Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day cheer is complete there is still yet another Christmas to celebrate, and that is called “Little Christmas” or Nollaig na mBan which falls on Jan 6^th.  It is also referred to as “Women’s Christmas” because it is a day where the men traditionally donned aprons and did all the cooking and cleaning whilst the women relaxed and were taken care of for the day. Despite the fact that this seems terribly un-pc, I’ve read that it is being picked up as a tradition in the USA more and more. My father-in-law makes dinner for us all on this day..usually a goose, and it’s quite humorous to see him doing all the work inside as Peggy usually rules the roost. It’s certainly nice to see her get a break from being the domestic goddess of Dunmoylan for a change.

This will be my last post until the New Year. So Nollaig Mhaith Chugat and a Happy, Happy New Year to you all!

Slán Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: christmas, ireland, Irish, marzipan, mince pies, st. stephens day, trifle, wren boys

Galtee Mountains, Counties Limerick, Tipperary and Cork, Ireland

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a snow worshiper. No, I am not an avid skier, nor do I create elaborate sculptures out of snow and ice, but indeed, I have a loving relationship with snow. From the first dainty “dusting” to a full on white-out blizzard, I adore it. Powdery, heavy, sparkling, icey, fluffy, packy, soft, clean, dirty, slippery, flakey…love it all.  For me, it symbolizes the beginning of the holidays and makes everything more merry. The joy of making snowmen and snow angels and going sledding followed by sipping hot cocoa with marshmallows is absolutely priceless. I’ve never found it particularly annoying to drive in the snow, on the contrary, it’s just been a part of life.  I grew up with it and yes, I remember the days when the snow was as high as our house, and when deer would get trapped on icebergs on Lake Michigan and all that jazz. Loved it. And there it was again in the summer when the town council dug up the snow they’d buried in the winter and brought it out for the “Snow Festival” parade and made children’s eyes wide as pies.

Nowadays, everyone back home seems to complain that it just doesn’t snow like it used to and I am here to tell you that AT LEAST IT STILL SNOWS! Sure, Ireland gets a wee bit of snow, but it usually falls short of us by landing on top of the mountains or other highlands. The photo above depicts a beautiful snowfall on the Galtee Mountains which are near us so if I am driving to Limerick I can see this winter wonderland, but not fully experience it. One day last year it began to snow at our house and Geoffrey and I were so happy we nearly fell down the stairs in excitement.  We put on our outdoor gear and ran outside only to find that the flurries had stopped and all of it had melted upon impact. It’s just too mild here for the snow to stick, but I’m forever optimistic; each winter I still think maybe it will really snow this year…

Many of the Irish and English make do by taking trips to Lapland, Finland, located in the frozen Arctic Circle. The twinkling snow covered forests and northern lights-filled night skies are meant to be simply breathtaking. Perhaps we’ll go to Lapland one day, but for now Richard says he’s going to buy some type of snow machine and hmmm, I wonder about that. Would it be the same? Who knows, but there’s no doubt that I’d love it because for me, snow in Winter is like the icing on the cake {with a cherry on top!}.

Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg & Coosje Van Bruggen. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Happy Snowy Holidays!

Slán Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: Galtee, holidays, hot cocoa, Irish, mountains, snow, snow angels, snowmen, Walker Art Center

Farm Fact: as a kid here in the Irish countryside you don’t necessarily have loads of neighborhood friends. Your “neighbors” might live a mile away so it’s not as easy to meet other children (if there are any) and have a constant stream of neighborhood playmates as you might have in the city. Thankfully, Geoffrey is meeting a few new friends at his Montessori (who will attend the same grade school as well), but at the moment most of his mates are my girlfriend’s children who live in Limerick City so we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like to. (note to self, must get out more!)

We usually spend summers in the USA, which is when differences in farm vs. city life really come to light. This past summer we stayed with our friends who live in a lively city neighborhood. So, as it goes, the street is right in front of their house and all around there are loads of small children playing away in their yards. Geoffrey, the social butterfly that he is, thought this was just the bee’s knees and kept trying to run across the road, not realizing how dangerous it was. (second note to self, maybe those harnesses aren’t such a bad idea). Basically speaking, he had no real concept of how a city street operated and so he had no fear. Glad he had no fear because I now need a triple bypass.

City Fact: there is a lively stream of colourful and exciting things to do with kids when you live in the city….children’s museums, art galleries, science museums, the zoo, karate, the pool, gymnastics, yoga, T-ball, the State Fair—everything is go, go, go and it seems that there is never, ever a dull moment. Nearly every restaurant in the USA is child-friendly (the opposite of Ireland) which is so brilliant. All summer Geoffrey enjoyed nonstop playtime with friends, relatives and neighbors and was in absolute heaven. I personally grew up in a beautiful small Midwestern town where summers meant playing outside with loads of friends until at least dusk every day…we would use an entire 3-4 block area to play kickball, hide & seek, kick the can or ring-doorbell-run (ssshhhh). It makes me happy to know that my son will be able to experience at least some of the same quirky people, places and things of my childhood as he grows up too—as this is very important business!

On the flip side, I have to remember that through his eyes Geoffrey is basically living a child’s dream here in the Irish countryside…what we read in his books and see in movies, he lives!  Charming castles, enchanting forests, sweet calves, little lambs, huge trucks, noisy tractors, busy building sites, prickly hedgehogs and red foxes with big fluffy tails…this is the “stuff of his life” here. What’s more is that he positively adores all things farm. He gets to go with Daddy or Grandad on various machines(the cool new John Deere models have an additional small seat and harness for your child)and do his “work” and he loves helping to feed all the farm animals on a regular basis.  Sure, we have to use our imagination a little more and be more creative to make our fun here, but that’s not such a bad thing. He loves playing outside with the dogs and going on “adventures”. We have planted an area of trees on one part of the land and that is now his “magic forest”(thank you Cat). There is also a lovely little stream running through the front yard over which he has built a bridge for his fishing “trips”. Our two Pyrenees dogs are “polar bears” and Ted is.. just Ted I guess. I love that Geoffrey much prefers gallivanting around the yard than playing on his swing set or his toys when we are here at  home in Ireland.

My only concern is that our little boy is beginning to become sensitive to the sun. He complains when it is sunny (which is hardly ever) and when we went to the States last summer, it took a couple weeks for him to adjust to the intensely sunny days..it was really blinding to him. But of course, after he adjusted, he couldn’t get enough of it (SPF 50) and by the time we got back to Ireland the weather here really started to get to him. He kept asking Daddy when it was going to stop raining. “Because if it doesn’t Dad, we’ll just have to go back to America!”

Thank you so much for your loyal readership.  I really enjoy writing and sharing these pieces with you all. I also want to say a special thank you to Liam and Corey of Irish Fireside whom interviewed me for their holiday podcast–we had a lot of fun! They have a great website and are currently featuring a holiday gift guide with lots of Irish goodies…so have a look.

Mind Yourself,

Imen x

Tags: beach, children, children's museum, city, farm, Irish, irish fireside, John Deere, karate, kid, pool, summer, sun, zoo