Time For Tea: Tea the Seventeenth

If a man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.
Japanese Proverb

Knockranny House Hotel, Wesport, County Mayo - Wednesday 17th July 2013

_______________________

Tea Takers

Sarah Ryan

Paul Ryan

Olivia Ryan

_______________________

An invitation to Aidan's wedding gave us an excellent opportunity for an Irish tea. The Knockranny House Hotel is where tomorrow's wedding reception is to be held and is where we are staying. It has a fabulous location perched above Westport, lying on Clew bay facing out to the Atlantic and with stunning views of Croagh Patrick. Apart from anything else, it was about time that Olivia finally visited the land of her passport.

After the usual traumas of flying with the family airline, it was lovely to arrive at a very comfortable and well appointed hotel. We had booked tea in advance and a table was laid for us in the bay window of the bar, with the most spectacular view. It will almost certainly be the only tea with a view of the Atlantic. As we sat we watched the clouds scudding across the blue sky over the bay and rise and fall gently over the top of Croagh Patrick itself.

Tea was delightful. When we arrived we were ushered to what we were assured is the best table and our very friendly and obliging waitress, Sinead, won significant points by showing that she knew we had ordered plain scones and assuring us that the chef had just made them for us (Watch and learn, Weetwood...). The scones were very impressive, light and soft in the middle, with an almost biscuity crunch to the crust. Sadly no clotted cream, but that is probably not in such ready supply so far west, so we will let that pass on this occasion. Paul spoke with particular praise of the sandwiches, and they were a good range, presented on some very tasty soda bread, which was a nice Hibernian twist.

The cakes were highly commendable, especially a delicate mango cheesecake. I would have liked to have eaten Olivia's, which she spurned, but was just too full.

______________________

Seventeenth Tea - Seventeenth Year

______________________

Croagh Patrick and Clew Bay

The dramatic conical peak known as Croagh Patrick, and also as The Reek, has been a place of pilgrimage since pagan times, but its history as Ireland's holy mountain dates from from St Patrick's forty day fast on the summit in 441AD. Pilgrimage in his honour has been a tradition ever since. It is said that it was from the summit here that he banished the snakes from Ireland, ringing his bell to lure them to throw themselves from a cliff edge.

A modern chapel on the summit is still visited by hundreds of pilgrims and walkers of all ages and conditions, and this variety is really striking. Sadly we didn't have the time to climb all the way up, but after tea we drove out to Murrisk, the village below the mountain and set off some of the way up the path. We ended up going quite a bit further than we had initially planned, despite our lack of really appropriate footwear, (at our optimistic estimate) got about a quarter of the way up. Even from this point the views across the bay, dotted with glorious green islands, were stunning.

After our brief exertions we made our way a little further along the coast to a spit of land out in the bay where Bertra beach faces the expanse of the ocean and dabbled in the edge, wandered along the beautiful firm sands, whilst dodging the several hundred jelly fish who had joined us for the occasion. A lovely way to digest a very fine tea.