The Mullingar Diaries

"We are half alone, our hearts are leaving home.

Now that we don't belong to anyone at all."

Ygritte once said: “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” and if we all were as honest as Ygritte we would not fool ourselves into believing something that wasn't true. Last time I updated the blog I said that I felt like it was a waste of time just being here waiting to go home. I was deadly wrong when I said those things, because I might have had the nicest few days this week since I came here. J asked me if I would be interested in going to the West coast for a day including a sleepover. She wanted to take me there before I left Ireland and she thought it would be a shame if I left without seeing anything.

Connemara

Everyone has told me that I should go to the West coast and that I should definitely go to Galway, so I had heard much about the west coast but no one really gave me a detailed description of what it was like (well, except from J), so I was very surprised when I saw all the mountains and how remote it actually is.

We left Tuesday morning and went straight for Galway. The day was absolutely beautiful and the sun was shining all day. I had not really expected sunshine, because I have learnt not to expect anything but rain, so it was a nice surprise. We arrived in Galway around midday and the weather was still absolutely beautiful. We parked the car and went down the shopping street. And I have to admit that I really liked Galway. I loved that there were so many young people and so many different musicians all looking for a pit to play there music on the shopping street. The town felt alive and I can definitely see myself going back there one day. I even came to the conclusion that I like Galway better than I like Dublin.

Galway

Galway

After Galway we drove through Uachtar Ard, I saw The Twelve Bens and we had a break in Leenaun, which was a really small village, but it had such a pretty view over Killary Harbour. We stopped a lot of times so I could take pictures and the fact that the sun kept shining was great, because if it had been raining I would have seen nothing but misty mountains. And the only misty mountains I want to see are the Misty Mountains in Middle Earth. We stayed in a holiday home near the beach around Louisburgh, which was great because I actually miss the beach. I didn’t think I would miss the beach since it was probably the place I went the least when I live in Skagen as well as in Frederikshavn. But beaches just have a way of making you feel free, with the exception of “The Beach” from the movie The Beach; it makes you feel trapped instead.

On our way back on Wednesday we stopped for lunch in Westport, drove through Castlebar and went to the Famine Museum in Strokestown, which was a place I really wanted to go to. I was slightly disappointed though, because it was just a lot of reading. We went for a walk in the gardens at the museum and even though the flowers haven’t yet come out I can imagine how pretty it must look during the summer. So if not for the museum you can at least go for the gardens (but only when the flowers are blooming.)

But all in all I am so glad that I got to go on this trip, because it really opened my eyes to how beautiful Ireland is, and now I definitely want to come back. I want to rent a van and just drive all over Ireland.

In Uachtar Ard

I only have two nights left here before I am off to Prague, Germany and then back to Denmark where I have managed to get a flat from the 1^st of May in Nørresundby. Even though I have liked my stay in Mullingar, I think it was always just a stop on my way to find greater things and discover new places. However everything will be put on hold for a few years. I never really felt like I connected with the town properly, and it really doesn’t mean that I didn’t like being here. Making friends has been hard even though I have met a lot of nice people. But it just seems like a town where people are too busy to actually hang out with each other. Everyone is always working or busy doing something else. I think that might be the reason why I loved Galway from the very first minute. We were there around midday on a Tuesday but the town just felt so alive and happy and I kind of got the feeling that you wouldn’t have any trouble meeting people in Galway and I also think that it wouldn’t just be people you would only talk to at the pub, like it is here in Mullingar (at least that’s how it is for me). But I think the worst thing is that ever since the article was in the examiner a lot of people have told me that they agree with me and that it is really hard meeting people in Mullingar, because the Mullingarians (I just made that up) are comfortable with what they already have. But some of the people who have actually told me that have been the worst, and I don’t know if they have just tried to justify their own lack of interest by making it seem like all people in Mullingar share the same views on foreigners. But as I have already said then I have met a lot of nice people here, so luckily not everyone is like that, but sadly most people still seem too busy to actually have a life.

Also a lot of people tell me that my English is very good, but by coming here I have actually learnt that my English is not very good at all. I find it hard to express myself in a way where I put my personality out there at the same time. In Danish I know a lot of words and slang and I know exactly how I am going to say things, but in English I know the English I have been taught at school and I wouldn’t be able to express myself in the same way as I would in Danish. So in that way I actually feel like my personality has been hidden a bit because you only have a limited amount of words. I am afraid that I sometimes come off as quite boring. E.g. it is hard to try and describe something funny in another language as well as to actually be serious sometimes or just sound like you are interested in what people are telling you.

I have been coming to John Daly’s ever since my first week here and it has become the pub I go to when I go out. I like it in there and I don’t really feel that alone when I go there. One thing I have learnt is that a lot of people come to the same pub. Every time I got to John Daly’s I meet the same people in there and I think it’s great, because then I start talking to them again and again and everyone is also always so polite.

But I have actually been thinking about this quite a lot and I think that I want to try to go to a pub on my own in Denmark just to see if it is anything alike and if people are as polite as they are in Ireland. Personally I would think that you would feel quite alone if you went to a bar on your own in Denmark.

The last two times I have been out I have bought food to take with me home (in hope of fixing the upcoming hangover). And holy fucking shit the food from Lingi’s on Dominick Street is (excuse me for my use of words) fucking disgusting. Not only is it disgusting but the people working in there have a stick up their arses. The first time I got Fish & Chips and I have never seen a square fish before. The fish tasted so awful that I had one bite of it (luckily I was not sober when I tasted it). I have never tasted a fish that tasted so much of fish. Maybe it’s because I am used to eating fresh fish or at least just a fish that looks like a fish. The second time I got a chicken sandwich and I was so disappointed when I came home to find out that it was indeed a chicken sandwich. It contained bread and chicken. No dressing, no salad, which I kind of feel like are a part of a sandwich. But the worst thing is that so many people seem to go there when the clubs closes and I have no idea why.

I hope everyone is great and enjoying spring.