Touchdown
A large black cloud sits on Chicago O’Hare. A wonderful send off of rain.
A middled-aged woman in green and blue bosses the feet of a man in a wheelchair. Welcome aboard an Irish metal world.
Twenty past four is a very early time to fly when you’re going across the Atlantic.
Would you like ice? Breakfast at ten to four in the morning is a very odd time. Odder again if you consider it in Central time of ten to ten in the evening.
The 2nd film is turned off half way through. Outside the window is Dublin in lights. Land over an hour early in darkness.
Rugby is everywhere in Dublin airport. Sponsors are poised to reap attention. A headline in the Irish Times says “What Went Wrong?”
Baggage hall looks like Moscow. Bags slow to appear for an empty airport. On a screen overhead League of Ireland highlights play out. St Patrick’s Athletic concede a brilliant own goal. A man in a luminous yellow jacket presses the emergency button. The baggage belt moves.
A woman asks if this is the place where people meet people. Well it’s where I’m meeting people. And the sign over your head says meeting place.
Traffic. A 15-minute journey takes an hour. The traffic is not bad.
The sun comes up without appearing. A gorgeously grey welcome.
News on text. The EU has given up on the UK. The Metric Martyrs win. Imperial measurements are to stay.
Soccer. In a massive vote of confidence Staunton has named an unchanged team, bar Stephen Ireland, to face the Czech Republic.
Rugby. O’Driscoll says we didn’t become a bad team overnight. Georgia expected to give Ireland a tough physical challenge.
Twin town of Omaha, Nebraska. Ballymoe. Mickey Rooney in town to celebrate Boystown, the movie.
A friend’s brother is still on television. Presenting tourism. Tahiti. Bilbao. Amsterdam. How do you get jobs like that?
Weather forecast. Dull and overcast. Unlikely to change for days. Home.
See Also:
• Readying for Ireland on the Streets of Kansas City
• Packing Notes #1: Calling Father Ted Fans
• The Midwest American Conference of Irish Studies 2007
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
Welcome home, Eolaí. Glad the trip went well and hope you get settled soon. Best of luck on this new phase!
Traffic. A 15-minute journey takes an hour. The traffic is not bad. I did warn you of that.
Anyway, fáilte romhat abhaile.
Go raibh maith agat.
Still though, at 6:15 in the morning that’s pretty bad traffic - I was trying to work out when it would start, and would have guessed a little later.