Now it’s the reflection of the streetlights on the dark, rain-soaked road of Lisdoonvarna that come to mind from that first night. There’s also the calming feeling from the silence before the faint notes of the festival’s band float by us.
Kirsten is walking beside me on our way to the pub. We’ve been on this Irish road trip for days, from Dublin to Belfast and along the west coast to County Clare, never stopping for more than a night. We debated going out tonight. We wondered if the handsome pub owner from earlier that afternoon would even notice our absence if we stayed in the comfort of our B&B. We had a drink to help us decide and then we had another. Then we went out.
Three figures walk towards us on the dark road. Kieran O’Halloran, that handsome pub owner, comes into focus with an older couple behind him. “Hold on,” he says when he sees us. “Let me deal with this and we’ll go back to the pub.” The older couple had used the wrong parking lot that day, we’ll soon learn from Kieran, and as a result their car was trapped. Moments before our encounter, Kieran had left the pub to walk home, assuming us Canadians made other plans. “It was almost 10:00 p.m. and I know Canadians never start a night that late,” he’d explain with a laugh. An employee had to run after him: Kieran was the only one with the key to release the trapped car. He was forced to turn around to rescue the car.
Now Kirsten will say she fell for him on the dance floor that night. She did actually fall, like a bowling bowl took her out at the knees. We think a man bumped into her, but none of us can confirm that detail. Still, it feels significant to mention.
Kirsten howls with laughter as she brushed the dust off and finds the floor beneath her feet again. I watch her continue to fall, fall for the handsome pub owner who dances with her, talks with her and instantly cares for her. I watch her let guards down, the same ones I’ve watched stop her in the past.
We stayed in County Clare for three days to fall for so many details of the seaside community. Now it’s nice to know a love story in Ireland is so far from a cliché.
LINDSAY EVELYN GROVES. 