Donegal
Date:
26th May 2007
Report:
Dave Francis
Impossible is nothing
The 26th day of May brought the CASA legends back out of the wilderness of their mundane everyday working lives into the far reaches of Banbas Crown, Malin Head, the most northerly point of our glorious nation. This is their story.
Stone collecting.. Complete madness or toys for big boys? You decide. I know what messers Thompson, Pearson and Delaney think, and who was i to argue. Four months had passed since the 5 stones of mid--leinster had been removed and stored in the CASA vault. It was time for more. And with the technological age that we have arrived in, we took along digicams, laptops, loo-roll - you name it, to document proceedings.
It all started in Athlone on the morning of May 26. The Seat Leon, after its Canyanero-esque performance in the previous trip, was our choice of transport.JP and Pecker had arrived down the previous night for Mario Karting and Jamming. Brian won a clearly fixed championship which went to the last race. I asked for a stewarts enquiry, but it never came. Still, at least Pecker didnt make it 3 in a row, so i wasnt too peeved.
After being dragged up ou of bed kicking and screaming, i helped myself to a Mocha and toast to prepare me for the trip. Guest-member Frank Rijkard came along for the spin. Frank joins us from Barcelona who, after a meagre season, wish to donate things to charities like ourselves, hence the UNICEF logo on their jerseys.
Off we went, the Seat Leon let a mighty roar and we were on our way. Armed with my digicam, i took many a photo and video of the fantastic scenery of Benbulben in Sligo, some hurler dudes in Boyle, and the hills of Donegal. As both cameraman and DJ in the car, i had little time to gaze in wonderment at our country's beautiful landscape, but god darnit, duty called. The more pics we take, the more jealous Moe would get and want to come back home!
A five hour journey was split in 2. We arrived in Donegal Town and checked in at the Central Hotel, rigth slap bang in the (emmm) centre of the town. Alas we had arrived too early to check the bags in and thus, we were left with the unenviable task of carrying our bags back to the car and bringing them to Malin Head. We first grabbed some grub in a Centra on the outskirts of the town. The lack of hot chicken in the place disturbed one and all of us CASA members, especially Brian. Satisfied with Wedges and Chicken Wings, we moved on.
I had acquired a roadmap from those lovely boys at the AA recently, and noticed that there were too ways to get to Malin Head - one requiring us to pass a town called MUFF, and one without. We made our decision, and we stand by it! "Welcome to Muff" read the roadsign. More pictures, more laughted. Like most men, we just used the Muff for our own satisfaction, left it a fake number and left never to return. Another LONG drive later and we had arrived. A big hilly plain with goats, sheep etc made me think we were in Borris in Ossory, although the absense of Brians Cows put my theory to rest.
Banbas Crown, the view of the sea waves crashing against the cliffs was a spectacular site, and by god did it gobble up alot of memory on the camera! Absoulutely breatchtaking. You really realise what a great country we live in when you look at these things. We ahd a stroll around the cliffs and found a safe way down towards the water. A paddle along in bare feet allowed us the opportunity to pan for gold...sorry stones! Again, we captured this fine achievement on camera, and by jimmy does my arse look good. Its times like this, im sad that im not able see it as often as the rest of you lucky people! The stones were collected by everyone in ascending order of importance; Pecker, Brian, JP and myself.
After a back-breaking climb back up the hill, we departed the Head of our nation. Willem Tell Overture blared in the car full-blast with the windows open. Unlike the trip to Dublin, there was nobody around to hear our triumphant war cry. I think that next time, we should do the haka or something. We had made it to the halfway point and though satisfied, we were fucked (scuse the French). We came back the Muff-less way, and grabbed goodies in a service station, serviced by the finest young things that Donegal has to offer. Shit theres something in the water up there - i mean YOWZA!
Back to the hotel, and this time we managed to check in successfully. Brian and i decided to share a room on the strength of Peckers homophobia about myself "willing to take that hit" on sharing beds to save a fiver of the room rates. Again, i stand by my belief. We grabbed food, and then a beer downstairs in the residents bar which save for a funny episode of Futurama on the box, was a bit dull and empty. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our well-earned pint which (for a hotel), werent too expensive at €4.10 a pop.
Back to the room and we all had showers (sequentially). We all got our glad rags on and headed downstairs. The friendly Donegal Wee Lass informed us of the things to see and do pub-wise and off we went. Thankfully they were all on the square cos it was a cold night.
Our first port of call was a scouser bar, which we left as soon as we went in. No point hangin with a bunch of losers all night - we are CASA! We moved on to a quieter bar and had a couple there while we discussed the trip to Barcelona that i had took absent from. Moving on, we went inside to a bar with some gay-country hey diddle diddle player. Man he was awful - just as well there was no cover charge. The Ireland match was on the tv too, so that was cool. Brian sang "King of the Road" in tribute to his car, and Pecker shook his head slowly.
Another bar again quite close to the hotel, where another gimpy (though less gimpy) band were playing. This was good, save for me spilling €20 of drink on some fat birds. Still, at least they were fat. We moved along to one final bar, where a band were playing. A little on the locked side at this stage, i do recall that they were pretty good. We moved downstairs presently, to the club. Packed to the rafters and full of cheesy tunes. Good crack anyway.
But nothing like the crack that was to follow...
Following a food-fight in the takeaway (i got Pecker in the kisser with a Chicken - thatl teach him to tell me to eat my chicken!), we returned to our hotel to find an old, and naked, man standing by the Foyer. "Mind yer own business lads" he retorted as we looked on puzzled. Id say he must have had somekind of kinky sex game with the missus and it went horribly wrong.
As if this wasnt enough, we decided to unpack our instruments and do a rendition of More Than A Feeling on our air guitars. Pecker was on drums, JP bass and Brian lead electric guitar. I am unable to play air instruments, so i settled for the talentless singers job of holding the mike and miming. MAN DID WE LOOK GOOD! Have a look at the video if ye get a chance - its the dogs! We named our band ASAC, which is CASA backwards. After we finished, i fell around the place laughing.
The laughter didnt last long. As soon as we nodded off, Brians snoring began. Needless to say i didnt get much sleep. Ugh. In the morning we grabbed breakie and met a former housemate of mine in Bird Sullivan! Herself and the boyfriend no doubt up for some hanky panky, and now that i think back on it, the prime suspects in the affore-mentioned nude conspiracry case of the night before!
Onwards and homewards we went. Stopping in Boyle to look at a horses ass, we then continued on back to Athlone. A celebratory meal in Shines besides, we headed straight for home. Wrecked after the 480 mile round trip. The weekends work completed, we shooed Pecker and JP back to their own townlands for another week of work. I, on the other hand, had a week of chillin afoot, with a week off work. Brilliant trip all in all.
CASA celebrates 5 years, its wooden anniversary in September of this annum. It is to be clebrated with great prestige, as was last weekends milestone - half-time. We now have colletced 16 of the 32 precious stones and can feel the unbelievable power of them resurging through our veins. Well i can anyway....
Wait till Pecker hears about this!
Check out Dave's Donegal photos