Some final pictures

Christchurch Cathedral from our hotel:

Singing in Christchurch Cathedral:

Jean and her mother, Betty, at the Gravity bar atop the Guinness Museum and Storehouse:

Eamonn gets the "Long Beach Farewell":

Home

Despite the best efforts of a volcano in Iceland, we managed to get out of Dublin airport yesterday... barely. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 12:30, but they were closing the airport at noon. So our departure time was moved up to 11:30. We boarded, but it was a slow process, until the pilot said, "folks, you need to sit down now, because if we don't leave the gate in 5 minutes, we're not going to get out." Everyone sat down, and we took off at 11:58, the last plane to leave Dublin.

There are eight of us staying behind for some extra days in Dublin, and our prayers are with them for a safe time and travels home. But the rest of us are home, safe and sound.

And, oh, so much richer for the experience. Not financially richer, obviously. (Conor rightfully thanked us for helping pull the Irish economy out of its recession.) But spiritually and emotionally richer. We were all moved by the Irish countryside, the Irish people and their way of life. Our understanding of our own history and faith is infinitely deeper, having seen first hand the place where so much of our culture and religion was born. We sang the text "St. Patrick's Breastplate" in churches built on ground where he trod. We saw countless castles, abbeys and churches, many in ruins, testament to faith in a place where such a faith was often persecuted, where the people themselves were subject to invasion and subjugation that lasted centuries. We saw villages and farms in places where only limestone rock awaited those who tried to eke out a life.

And yet, through it all, the Irish sing, dance, celebrate family, and live life to its fullest.

We are thankful to Sandra and the staff at Incantato Tours for a great trip. We are also thankful for Eamonn, our driver, for his humor, skill at navigating narrow cobblestone streets, and his laugh.

And perhaps most of all, to Conor, our intrepid guide, who taught us more about Ireland and her people than we thought possible. None of us have a truer friend in Ireland than Conor.

And thank you to all of you who supported us on this trip, and prayed for us while we were abroad. Ireland is beautiful, but there is truly no place like home - and Long Beach is a great place to come home to.

Flying home

We sadly leave Ireland this morning, with a stop in New York. This has been an incredible trip for all of us, one we will remember all of our lives. I will not post more until we are home and unpacked, at which time I'll write in depth about what this experience has meant for all of us.

For now, off to our own beds, our own homes and children and pets. We're coming home, Roscoe!

Concert at St. Patrick's cathedral

 

GFPC sings at St. Patrick's Cathedral - Close-ups

 

 

 

 

Grace First in front of St. Patrick's

 

A few random pics from Dublin

Sandy at the Organ in St. Patrick's Cathedral

Sandy, Sharon and Mary

Outside St. Patrick's Cathedral

Singing in St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Grace First Concert Venue for Wednesday, April 14, at 1.15 pm: Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

Today, Wednesday, April 14, the Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin will welcome the travelers of the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir under the direction of Stan DeWitt. At 1.15 pm the choir is going to perform its final highlight concert.
Christ Church Cathedral (The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, commonly known as Christ Church, Cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and Metropolitical Cathedral of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel) in Dublin is the elder of the city's two medieval cathedrals, the other being St. Patrick's Cathedral.
The cathedral was begun in 1038 by King Sitric Silkenbeard, the Danish Viking King of Dublin, for the first Bishop of Dublin, Donat or Donagh (the Diocese of Dublin was at that time a small island surrounded by a huge Diocese of Glendalough, and answered to Canterbury). The church was built on the high ground overlooking the Viking settlement of Wood Quay and Sitric gave the "lands of Baldoyle, Raheny and Portrane for its maintenance".
The cathedral was extensively renovated and rebuilt from 1871 to 1878 by George Edmund Street, with the sponsorship of distiller Henry Roe of Mount Anville. The great 14th. century choir was demolished and a new eastern end was built over the original crypt. He built a new chapter house. The tower was rebuilt. The south nave arcade was rebuilt. The flying buttresses were added as a decorative feature. The north porch was removed. The baptistery was built in its place. Street built the adjacent Synod Hall, taking in the last remnant of St. Michael and all Angels's Church, including the bell tower. The synod house is linked to the cathedral by Street's iconic covered footbridge.

Day 8

We're winding down a great tour! Today we loaded the bus for a tour of parts of Dublin, including Phoenix Park (with stops at the Papal Cross and views of the President's Mansion), O'Donnell Street (where the Easter Uprising of 1916 took place), Stephen's Green and Merrion Park. Then, we prepared for our performance in St. Patrick's Cathedral, our best performance yet. St. Patrick's is Ireland's largest church, and it was a thrill to sing in such a great and historic room. St. Patrick himself is said to have walked the grounds, so singing the words that was attributed to him there was particularly moving.

Then we headed over to Trinity College for a tour through the exhibit on the "Book of Kells", one of the earliest Christian manuscripts. It was a day of historical connections, and putting together the dots of what this trip was all about.

Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir sings at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin on April 13 at noon

During the Ireland 2010 Performance Tour with Incantato, the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir under the direction of Stan deWitt will be presenting in lunch time concert at the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, the largest church in Ireland, on April 13th at noon.

Built in honor of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral stands adjacent to the famous well where tradition has it Saint Patrick baptized converts on his visit to Dublin. A church was built on this site in 1191 and in 1991 they celebrated 800 years of worship. The present building dates from 1220 and during the years it had been extended again and again.
The Cathedral is today the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland (Anglican). The basis of the present building was built between 1191 and 1270, though little now remains of the earliest work beyond the Baptistry. Much of the work was overseen by Henry of London, a friend of the King of England and signatory of the Magna Carta, who was also involved in the construction of Dublin's city walls and Dublin Castle. The tower (Minot's Tower) and west nave were rebuilt between 1362 and 1370, following a fire. In 1560, one of Dublin's first public clocks was erected in "St. Patrick's Steeple".
Throughout its long history the cathedral has contributed much to Irish life, and one key aspect of this relates to the writer and satirist Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels, who was Dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. Swift took a great interest in the building, its services and music and in what would now be called social welfare, funding an almshouse for poor women and Saint Patrick's Hospital.
The Choir School, which had been founded in 1432, supplied many of its members to take part in the very first performance of Handel's Messiah in 1742. It continues and although originally all-male, now also admits girls; a Cathedral Girls' Choir was founded in 2000 and sings once or twice a week. The Organ of St. Patrick's Cathedral is one of the largest in Ireland with over 4,000 pipes. Parts of it date from a Renatus Harris instrument of 1695. It was restored in the 1890s and in 1963.

Day 7

Cork was a great city, and we didn't get to spend much time there, but this morning we leave for Ireland's greatest city, and arguably one of the world's greatest cities: Dublin. But first, we stopped off at the Rock of Cashel.

Cashel is a city in the mid-country of Ireland, and pretty unremarkable today, except that it is home to one of the oldest, largest and most magnificent ancient buildings in Europe, the Rock of Cashel. St. Patrick is said to have visited this site around 450 a.d., and it has been a bastion of Christian faith ever since. Today it is mostly in ruins, but many artifacts and incredible antiquities remain. It was a moving visit to the hilltop overlooking Co. Tipperary.

After there, we stopped in a small town for lunch. However, it's primary claim to fame is that it is home to the mother of the world's greatest bus driver, Eamon. She met us at the side of the road with freshly baked scones. How cool is that?

On in to Dublin, and check in to our hotel. We all spent the evening exploring the culinary delights of this great city. Our hotel is only a few blocks from the famous Temple Bar area, and across the street from the magnificent Christchurch Cathedral. We are in for a wonderful time in this great city!

Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir Concert Announcements on the Internet

The Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir, under the direction of Stan DeWitt, has some more days to spend in beautiful Ireland. To promote their tour, the Incantato Team got the performances listed on the internet. Just click on the following venues to have a look at some of the announcements:

• about the concert at Christ Church Cathedral, April 14 (visitdublin.com)
• about the concert at Christ Church Cathedral, April 14 (Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough)
• about the concert at Christ Church Cathedral, April 14 (the church on facebook)
• about the concert at Christ Church Cathedral, April 14 (the website of the church)
  
• about the concert at St. Patrick's Cathedral, April 13 (visitdublin.com)
• about the concert at St. Patrick's Cathedral, April 13 (Dublin Events)
  
• about the concert at the Danny Mann Pub, April 10 (official Killarney website)

A few more pics from Killarney and Cork

Killarney Lake

Ross Castle, Killarney Lake

Trinity Presbyterian Church, Cork

Singing at the Danny Mann Pub, Killarney

Day 6

We sadly left the lovely town of Killarney and headed off to Cork, our third destination. Along the way, Conor provided us with an historical background on Ireland, beginning with the Easter Uprising of 1916, which started the march toward Irish freedom from centuries of (sometimes oppressive) British rule and ending with the Good Friday agreement of 1998 that brought peace to Northern Ireland.

Our first stop this day was at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, where we were to sing at the 11:45 service. We arrived a little early for our 10:45 set-up/rehearsal time, and the people who were to let us in arrived a lot late. The result being that we scrambled, once again, to be ready. It should be said here that the word of the day for all of performances here has been flexibility, never an easy trait for a choir director.

But the service, once it started, was very nice, and the people of the church were very welcoming to us. We sang four selections, and after the service got to know the people over coffee and biscuits. It was a delightful morning, and our best musical and cultural experience thus far.

Back on the bus for a short ride out to the famous Blarney castle, which has the Blarney Stone, site where an upside-down and backwards kiss will legendarily give you the gift of the gab. Some marched up the 90 steps to do it, others did not. We will let you determine for yourselves who got it when we get back.

Then back to Cork to check in to our hotel. We were greeted there with sad news to find out that Bruce Landers, a long-time member of the Grace First choir, passed away in his sleep on Friday night. We sleep in Cork tonight with heavy hearts. We will miss you, Bruce.

Day 5 - by Nancy Jordan

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Ring of Kerry

We started off with a ride in jaunty carts from the hotel in Kilarney to the National Park where we visited Ross Castle. Being early in the morning, the castle reflected in the lake there to create some wonderful pictures. We saw swans and mallards swimming in the lake. On the way the jaunty driver pointed out a few deer along the way.

After the jaunty ride, we boarded the bus for the Ring of Kerry. A gift shop was our first stop where we were offered complimentary Irish coffee and gracious clerks helped us spend our money.

From there, we were treated to spectacular views as we were in the mountains. We were treated to Dingle Bay and the greening hills beyond. There were many quaint villages to see. From off in the distance, we could see the oldest Staigue Fort, Cathair Geal, a well preserved round fort said to be about 2,500 years old. During the summer and winter soltace light flows through all the rings through the doors to shine in the center ring.

In Waterville, we paused to see a statue of Charlie Chaplin who purchased property there and spent time there. We were also treated to a statue dedicated to St. Brendan and the monks. It’s an interesting statue rising high above the ground and showing the monks in canoe.

Out in the Atlantic, we viewed the Skellings which are peaked rock islands, small enough to see, but too rugged to live on. The fields again are bordered with rock walls. We passed through Caherdaniel , a village where Daniel O’Conner, the great orator lived much of his life. The walls of his home still stand there.

The last stop along the way was Sneem Village. We stopped here and were encouraged to have a“99”. This was a delicious soft serve ice cream cone with a bar of cocoa sticking out of the ice cream. Also there was a lovely lace and linen shop and music store.

On the rest of the trip, we were treated to gorgeous views of lakes, farms, and forests. We were also treated to a “very bending” road as they say. We ended our journey back in Kilarney. We sang in the Danny Mann Pub. After our performance, we were treated to a delicious dinner and some entertainment. (Nancy Jordan)

Grace First performs at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Cork on Sunday, April 11, at 11:45 am

Cork is the next stop on the Grace First Ireland Performance Tour 2010. On Sunday, April 11, at 11.45 am, the singers are going to perform at a special venue. The Trinity Presbyterian Church was designed by Colin Tarring, a well known architect of many Protestant non-conformist church buildings in the UK. The work was completed in 1861 and it has been used for worship by a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland ever since. Interesting architectural features include the three stained glass windows which represent the Holy Trinity. The pipe organ was installed in 1904 by the Cork firm of Magahy and the acoustics for choral music and instruments are excellent. A distinctive interior feature of the church is its lack of pillars. This building with its distinctive spire and green setting adds character to its neighborhood.

Pictures

Today, just random pictures...

Limericks from Sharon Steingass

There once was a man named Pete

Who lived on the bog with his sheep

He sang in the pub

And loved all the grub

And made all the patrons weep

Along came a man named Stan

Whose choir was called a "clan"

They joined him in song

While others sang along

And the Irish all became their fans

The choir was led by two gents

Who showed them many a stone fence

The guide was named Conor

And the driver was Eamon

They sang songs and limericks made for a prince

Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir Sings at the Danny Mann Pub in Killarney on April 10

The second performance in Ireland is just around the corner: On Saturday, April 10, at 7 pm the Danny Mann Pub in Killarney will turn into a performance venue for the travelers of the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir. Incantato Tours proudly presents this very special and traditional venue:
The Danny Mann is a hotel pub that is renowned as one of the best centers for Irish music, singing and dancing in all of Killarney. Here you will find locals and visitors alike joining with the band to sing together. You might be lucky enough to hear a joke or a tale from long ago. The Danny Mann Pub has brought traditional Irish music and good times to Killarney for over 70 years.

Here is a video of the Santa Barbara City College Choir performance at Danny Man during their 2008 Incantato Tour to Ireland:

Day 4

There will be no pictures, just yet, from today, but they will be coming, for there were many taken. (There might even be a second post from today from Sharon Steingass!) We left Galway this morning and began meandering through "The Burren", an area around Shannon. Our first significant stop was at the Cliffs of Moher, and in this case the word word significant is not strong enough. It is a spot on the western Atlantic shore of Ireland that drops off 700+ feet into the ocean below. From the bluffs you can see centuries of sedimentary deposits. Atop the bluffs sit several ancient settlements, including a castle that was built by the O'Brien family at one point.

Stops after that included Adare and a pass through the city of Limerick, before we arrived in our new temporary home, Killarney. It is a beautiful city in Kerry County, and we look forward to a day touring County Kerry tomorrow, culminating with a performance here in town at the Danny Mann Pub. We rehearsed tonight when arrived, so we are gearing up for our exciting performances to come in Cork and Dublin. But for tonight, it's "Goodnight Killarney!"

Day 3

Today was a non-singing day, as we headed out to visit the unbelivably stark and beautiful Aaran Islands. A short bus trip took us to our ferry. The Islands are about a 45 minute ride across the ocean, viewable from the Galway shore. On most days, the view might be obscured by fog or rain, but once again, we were greeted by partly sunny skies, and the ride over was calmer than the ride to Catalina Island on most days.

Again, many pictures are necessary to describe this place, and uploading is very difficult, so watch for more pictures later. But even if I uploaded 100 pictures and gave it ten pages of prose, it would be impossible to capture for you. It is basically a large limestone rock, nine miles long and two miles wide. Centuries ago for some reason, the first inhabitants chose to leave the main part of Ireland to live here and eke out a hardscrabble living based largely on fishing.

But in order to plant a few crops here and there and provide a modicum of grass for their livestock, the inhabitants created their own topsoil by mixing sand from the beaches with seaweed. The ground was then separated by rock fences into small patches so that their animals would have a bit of shelter from the vicious winds that can wrack the island. The result is a landscape that is so bleak to be almost lunar, with rock fences separating the landscape as far as the eye can see, with just a few green patches and low thatch homes dotted around. It is stunning, and unbelievable. One way to get an overview of it is to go to Google Maps, and type in "Aaran Islands." The satellite image shows very clearly the fences criss-crossing the landscape.

We visited the "Seven Churches", a site of ruins dating back to the 8th century that was the site of a Roman Catholic monastery, one of the safe havens for Christianity during the Dark Ages. We also visited the clifftop semi-circular fort of Dun Aengus, an ancient Celtic fort that backs onto a 300-foot drop down into the Atlantic ocean. The tourists walk up to about 8 feet away, then get on their bellies to crawl to peer over the edge down into the crashing surf below. It is not for the faint of heart or the fearful of heights.

It was quite a day. Tomorrow we head out to more sight-seeing on our way to Killarney, where we will rehearse for our next concert. But we will sadly leave Galway, which has been a delightful host for us, and is truly a magical little city.

Day 2

This morning began with breakfast in the hotel and then a drive towards the Connamurra National Park area, northwest of Galway. Our leisurely, winding drive through countryside dotted with peat bogs and sheep was beautiful. The sun and rain have cooperated nicely with us so far!

We stopped in a small town on the way for a tour through the Celtic Crystal factory (where several of our members did their part to help bolster the Irish economy.) We arrived at Kylemore Abbey just before noon - a little late, but no matter. Conor, our guide, informs us that the Irish live on Ish time: "1-ish", "2-ish"...

We made our way over to the small but lovely Gothic Church on the grounds and gave our first concert - a perfect warm-up concert for us: very low-key with our friends and a small group of visitors who stayed to listen. (By the time we finished, we had approximately 20-25 people who had come in and listened to at least part of our performance.)

A quick lunch and time to stroll the grounds followed the concert, and then we headed back to Galway via a different road that took past the only fjord in Ireland. Beautiful vistas greeted us throughout the day. A stop for a tour of the Connemurra Marble factory led to more support of the Irish economy. We are now back in Galway and heading of on our own for dinner for the night. With one performance under our belt, we are ready to polish the stone a bit more and make our remaining performances increasingly better and more moving.

A note about photos - the connection in the hotel here is rather slow, so uploading pictures takes a very long time. I will probably only upload one per post here for now, then upload more on the gracefirstevents.org page when we get home.

The Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir Performs at the Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey on April 7 at Noon

On Wednesday, April 7th, at noon, the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir under the direction of Stan deWitt will kick off their 2010 Ireland Performance Tour with a lunch time concert performed at the Gothic Church in Kylemore Abbey. The choir starts his excursion of Connemara National Park in the morning. It‘s highlight is the beautiful Kylemore Abbey where a home-made tea and scones await them prior to the choir‘s concert at the Gothic Church. Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I. Originally called Kylemore Castle, it was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from Manchester, England who was also MP for Galway County from 1871 to 1885. Architects were James Franklin Fuller and Ussher Roberts. After the death of his wife Margaret in 1875, Mitchell did not spend much time there. He and his wife are both buried in the small mausoleum near the church in the grounds of the abbey. A notable feature of the abbey is the neo-Gothic church, a miniature replica of Norwich Cathedral, made from local green Connemara marble. It was built between 1877 and 1881 and has a beautiful stained glass tracery window depicts the five graces; Fortitude, Faith, Charity, Hope and Chastity, and it is a center of reflection and prayer for many visitors.

Welcome to Ireland, Grace First!

How about that, Stan beat me to making a post. Hope you accept our warm FAILTE to Ireland anyhow. Warmest Sandra & Team

We made it!

It was a long slog through three airports and a long bus drive, but we were greeted by the sun breaking over Galway Bay and a beautiful day here in our first destination!

We all managed to make it to LAX, despite the local rain and Monday morning traffic. And we ran into surprise visitors, David, Tina & Chris Arechiga, who were also in the Delta terminal getting ready to board a flight to New Orleans! David was kind enough to take this first group photo of us as we prepared to board our own flight to Atlanta.

We landed in Dublin after two uneventful flights (and what better can you say of an airplane flight, really?) and met our tour guide, Conor, and driver, Eamon (both pictured below, as well as bus). Truth be told, we were all a bit zombie-ish by the time we got on the bus.

But the weather in Galway is gorgeous - almost 60 degrees and sunny. We were able to enjoy a quick tour through the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Galway, complete with a magnificent pipe organ (Sandy was drooling, I think) and a mosaic featuring three significant men in Ireland: Jesus, a hero of the Easter Uprising of 1916, and John F. Kennedy. Yup - that JFK:

That's all for today - we have free time until 7:30, and then a group welcome dinner here in the hotel. Most are napping in their rooms or trying to stay awake to defeat jet lag. But tomorrow morning we leave for a day trip to the Kylemore Abbey northwest of here and our first concert. So not too much rest!

The Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir on The Singer Link

Dear Grace First travelers,
We added your concerts to the website The Singer Link. This is an online choral community for singers and choral conductors to connect - all around the world.

In Handel's Day - Celebration of Music and History of 18th Century Dublin on April 13

When the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir, under the direction of Stan DeWitt, performs at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday, April 13, the whole city is celebrating a day of music and history of 18th century Dublin, at the cultural quarter Temple Bar. From 10 am until 12 midnight, there will be a whole host of free activities under the title "In Handel's Day" for people of all ages to participate in and enjoy.
On April 13th 1742, Handel’s Messiah, one of the most famous musical pieces in the world, was first performed on Fishamble Street in Temple Bar. "We will commemorate this with a fun and uplifting outdoor event 'Messiah on the Street', as well as a range of highlights, including an extra special performance of 'A Global Hallelujah' by three national schools in Dublin. We are also very excited to be able to expand this year’s program to include traditional Irish music, as well as offering dance workshops and an outdoor 'Movie on the Square'", according to the website.

The picture is from the official Temple Bar homepage.

Sightseeing-Highlight: The Ring of Kerry

The Ring of Kerry is a trail in County Kerry, south-western Ireland. The route covers the 179 km (111 miles) circular road, starting from Killarney, heading around the Iveragh Peninsula and passing through Kenmare, Sneem, Waterville, Cahersiveen and Killorglin. Popular points include Muckross House (near Killarney), Staigue stone fort and Derrynane House, home of Daniel O'Connell. Just south of Killarney, Ross Castle, Lough Leane, and Ladies View (a panoramic viewpoint), all located within Killarney National Park, are major attractions located along the Ring. The picture is from the official website of the trail.

Don't want to miss any updates?

Dear Readers of the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir 2010 Ireland Tour. If you want to make sure you don't miss a post, then become a follower. There is a box in the right navigation of the blog that you can click to do so. Your email address (we are pretty sure it has to be a google-email) will not be used for anything but updates about the Grace First Incantato Tour.

Easter Sunday

A thank you to all of the choir members and musicians who contributed to our Easter Sunday services. The music was spectacular! This time tomorrow, we will all be on the plane and on our way. It seems hard to believe that the time has finally come.

For the visitors to our blog page, thank you for visiting. Please come back and visit often. We plan on providing updates and pictures every day on the trip, whenever possible. Away we go!

Incantato proudly presents: The Grace First Concert Postcard

Happy Easter from Incantato Tours - Safe Travels to Ireland

Dear members of the Grace First Presbyterian Church Choir and Congregation. We wish you all a very happy Easter Sunday and safe travels to beautiful Ireland. The weather forecast being in the 40s and 50s is not too bad, especially when looking ahead to Thursday where the official Ireland website even shows a sun peaking through the small cloud logo.
It is all about dressing right and so we wanted to remind you to bring clothes that you can layer, a rain jacket and umbrella. Feel free to complain to us if you never need them after your return. All the best, Sandra & Team