So Much to be Thankful for in Fanore

It’s hard to beat being home for the holidays. But I have to say, strolling along the roads and beaches of Fanore, discussing everything from the differences between Irish and American Christmas parties to how cows say “moo,” and pausing for the occasional photo under a rainbow comes pretty darned close. I’d definitely take it over the packed shopping malls of the American “Black Friday” phenomenon.

Yesterday was American Thanksgiving, and two of the Rotary families with American ties – Matt & MaryBeth Porter and Annie & Carter White – invited me along with them to celebrate the holiday with their 3 boys, au pair, and dog in the west coast village of Fanore.

Fanore is a one-pub town (in the States, we might call it a one-horse town, but there are in fact many cattle and horses in the immediate vicinity). But for Ireland, where even small towns seem to have at least 3 pubs, this is a small town. It’s really more of a summer vacation town near as I can tell, but we rented two houses with beautiful ocean vistas regardless of the season.

It was windy and rainy as we drove up yesterday and since we had to wait for the food delivery before getting on the road, we didn’t get in until dark, which made waking up this morning to a view out the window of the waves crashing onto the beach all the more majestic.

After unloading the cars last night we played with the boys and chatted over wine and cheese while the turkey finished cooking, and then sat down for a delicious meal of turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and of course, pumpkin pie. The fire, laughter, and love that warmed the house reminded me of Thanksgiving with my dad’s side at my uncle Jim and aunt Gina’s cottage on Lake Michigan and made me so happy to be in this atmosphere of ‘home away from home.’

In reflecting on the past year, I have so very many things to be thankful for, not the least of which is the opportunity the Rotary Foundation is affording me to spend this year in Ireland, and particularly the warm reception I’ve received from all Rotarians and especially those in the Dublin Central club, in welcoming me into their club, homes, and lives over these past few months. As this calendar year draws to a close, my academic year adventure in Ireland (now two months in) has only just begun and I am so excited to soak up every moment of the journey.