April in Arigna

April in Arigna

Wednesday April 1, 2015.

If I slept late yesterday, I really slept late today; it was close to 10am when I arose. I’m not saying whether it was before or after 10, just that it was close to … and neither am I saying how close! I will only say that Eileen and Kees were up and dressed and waiting for me to join the land of the living! A quick shower revived me and following another great breakfast cooked by Chef Barsema (Kees) we set off to the to the Arigna mining experience close by. We met my brother Mark who looked great and was in his usual cheery mood. Being with, and meeting with, so much family is such a great feeling and bonus.

We had some bad news today … our cousin Paddy Furlong passed. Paddy had cancer of the throat some years ago and had survived. Although he’d had his ‘voice box’ removed could still enjoy good conversation and always looked healthy and dapper. Paddy was a talented musician and all round ‘good guy’ and despite the fact I saw him rarely I’ve always enjoyed his company. I am saddened by the thought I will never chat with him again. I will attend his funeral on Saturday in Dublin.

The Arigna mining experience was just that: and experience. The tour guide, a former miner was naturally very knowledgeable on all aspects of the mine having started in the mine at 14 years of age and following in the footsteps of his father.

The picture he painted and the stories he told were horrific. He described inhumane working conditions and fatal accidents in such an understated manner that it added an eerie sense of reality to his descriptions. Miss firing explosion, a tunnel collapse, the dust, the damp, the cold and the dark, creating conditions inconceivable to modern society and for which the miners received no compensation or pension. The frightening part is we knew the events described were real.

Miners had to clear 6 tons of coal from the face each shift using a shovel with a two foot handle lying on their side with only the light of a carbide lamp, or a candle in years gone by. It was not unusual for the men to be lying in water all day from streams which would flow from the cracks in the coal face made by the miners. The coal face was a two foot seam that ran for miles. The machine that cut the coal from the mountain moved continuously and the cola that it cut was the coal the miners had to shovel. Form the picture we saw that miners wore no ear protection from the noise nor did they wear masks to protect from the dust. The songs “Miners Wife” and “Scars on the Mountain” from the CD of the same name suddenly have greater meaning and the pictures they paint easier to see.

The tools they used, the clothes they wore and lamps they used, are displayed in a small museum near the entrance of the mine along with the expected souvenir shop. I was tempted to buy some fool’s gold but then I thought would that make me a fool. Kees said no but something in his tone suggested otherwise.  

We chatted with Mark over coffee and apple tart and cream for the best part of an hour before parting company and arranging to meet in Drumbshambo Thursday night for Frank’s session.

We drove to Sligo to get an update on an ongoing irritation Kees and Eileen are having with the county council. In light of recent experiences in my own municipality this seems to be a universal problem with municipalities … I wonder do they create these stupid scenarios to give themselves work because the really don’t have any real work. Just a thought that crossed my mind!

A pint and dinner at Hargodons pub, then off to Sligo Park Hotel for a Toastmaster’s (TM) meeting at 8:00 pm.

 Eileen and Kees intended coming along but discovered that there was a ‘Bridge’ tournament of sorts, on at the same time in the hotel, so off they went while I went to TM. I enjoyed the meeting and Eileen and Kees enjoyed their tournament which they suspect they may have won! I took part in the impromptu speaking session and fared not too badly.  Frances called while we were in Hargodons just before we ate. I know she would have enjoyed the Duck on a bed of red cabbage and blackberry but she would have enjoyed the ‘mixed berry bumble’ and fresh cream even more. Don’t worry Fran, we shared but even that was too much.

Off then to the “Thached Pub” for as session. We arrived at 11:30 and found Frank waiting drinking his cup of tea as usual. We stayed for an hour or so and enjoyed a variety of music and song; oh and of course a pint: of Smithwick’s this time!

Home to bed and so ended a busy enjoyable day. Eileen remarked as we said our good nights , “We really packed a lot in today. ”