Chapter 1: Airports
Somehow it worked out that we sold our house in the Karoo, packed up our lives and moved to Cape Town, unpacked just enough boxes so that our sitter and the children could survive in the new house for a week, then packed our things for Ireland, and made it to the airport completely organised, in possession of our passports and travel documents, and in one fairly mentally stable piece each, all in four days. It was the wildest four days we had ever lived through, and we were quite proud of ourselves for managing it so well. At the airport, Thuli Madonsela arrived to get on the same flight to Zurich, and that had to be a good omen!
In our twenties, flights that last forever, tiny, uncomfortable economy seats and naps on airport floors are part of the thrill, but now that we are proper adults who drink tomato juice with black pepper and sparkling water on flights instead of alcohol, we're making use of lounges. There was only one problem: we had an eight-hour layover in Zurich. Zurich Airport, which, puzzlingly, matches the size of the country it is in despite its considerable traffic. Zurich Airport, which shuts down entirely during the night. So, there we were, with no open lounge to rest in. We resorted to sharing a ZAR400 sandwich from a vending machine next to the toilet, and making ourselves comfortable on the steel benches for the night, using our camera bags as pillows. We had somehow travelled back in time to our twenties.
With the anticipation pumping through us along with exhaustion and a serious shortage of caffeine, the two-hour flight to Dublin felt unnecessarily long, only slightly offset by the excitement of visiting a new country for the first time.
Chapter 11: Ireland
Ireland in November is straight out of a storybook. The weather is cool but fair, not too much rain, not too cold; the trees clad in a million shades of orange and yellow so vibrant, we imagined this is how Europeans must feel about African sunsets. The green landscape dozing content under the cloudy sky, dotted by sheep grazing around imposing castles overlooking the landscape from atop hills and sheer cliffs. Little fishing boats drifting in bays overlooked by more castles. Rows of identical grey houses with colourful doors lining narrow streets. Cosy pubs with live bands and creamy Guinness.
After spending a day exploring beautiful glorious Dublin, we set off west. Armed with road trip snacks bought at a Lidl along the way, we adventured our way through tiny towns with enormous castles, green landscapes and, in an attempt to avoid the highways, managed to drive on narrow little Irish country roads stone-walled on both sides so that even our tiny little rental car just managed to squeeze through. We drove all the way to Dingle where we had a superb supper of garage noodles and coffee - and jokes aside, the Irish know about coffee. We never had a bad cup, even at fuel station shops.
Waking up in the area of Inch Beach in a very cosy little cottage overlooking sheep grazing on green fields sweeping down to Castlemaine Harbour on the morning of the wedding, wedding day butterflies making everything look even more beautiful, we were ready for another day of adventure. We headed out in the direction of Killarney where we had breakfast in a little café in town, and spent some time driving through Killarney National Park before heading back into Killarney where Aisling and Johann's wedding was taking place that afternoon.
Chapter 111: The Wedding
Killarney is a small city in the west of Ireland, absolutely brimming with vibrant character. The venue, the Randles Hotel on Muckross Road, was tastefully converted from a Rectory House dating from 1906, and every nook oozed style and historical charm. A mix of South African and Irish accents greeted us in the foyer. A dashing groom of South African origin and a fair Irish bride were to be wed here today.
Johann, who was already dressed for this intimate gathering, welcomed us and we got some portraits of him in the bar area. Once Aisling arrived, we accompanied her to the bridal suite where she got ready with her bridesmaids, sister and mother, amid lots of laughs, before going downstairs to where the ceremony was to be held.
This small wedding had all Aisling's Irish family and friends, as well as Johann's Irish and South African friends and family present. Guests had travelled from as far as Texas to attend.
The ceremony was tender, emotional and heartfelt, and included a handfasting ceremony. Aisling and Johann shared a true bond of love and admiration for each other.
Once the "I do's" were said and the pressure was off, everyone relaxed, congratulating the couple with sincere embraces, and enjoyed some drinks. The partly cloudy day suddenly let through a beam of sunshine which ushered us all down to Ross Castle, a Killarney landmark on an inlet of Lough Leane, built in the fifteenth century. Here we photographed the bridal party, and once they left to join the reception back at Randles Hotel, the romantic couple session exceeded every expectation we had when some white swans came floating up past the couple with the lake behind them and the autumn foliage framing the shore beyond. Could somebody please pinch us already?! We were in a dream.
As the sun had clearly called it a day behind the thick cloud blanket it was time to head back to Randles Hotel where the newlyweds mingled, and everyone gathered for some speeches by family members and the groom.
Chapter 1v: Kurt Darren and The Cliffs of Moher
Once guests settled down to their dinner in the banqueting hall, we said our goodbyes for now to this lovely group of people who we would be seeing again in a year's time in South Africa for their South African wedding, and we had a good chuckle at Kurt Darren singing "Kaptein", bizarrely, in this small city in western Ireland, as we left to pop into a local pub for a well-deserved celebratory Guinness and live music.
One does not simply visit a new country and pass up the opportunity to explore. We worked in some extra time to explore some sights on this trip, so the next day we said goodbye to Inch Beach, swung into Minard Castle with cloud so dark that we basically practised night photography; made a last visit to Dingle, and continued on to the physics-defying Cé Dhún Chaoin or Dunquin Pier on the recommendation of Johann, while a fine drizzle fell down on us from the sky. We listened to Gaelic radio in the little rental car and continued the winding coastal road north until we reached Kinvarra from where we would spend a day visiting the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, before heading back through Athlone to enjoy a Guiness and an Irish coffee in the world's oldest pub, Sean's Bar, in the shadow of Athlone Castle on the banks of the River Shannon.
Back in Dublin, some obligatory gift shopping for friends and a handful of comic books each for the kids, before spending our last bittersweet night in Ireland ahead of the long journey home.
Epilogue
Every country we visit is special, but Ireland stole our hearts in a way that yanked at some ancestral European chord in us. Despite the timid sun, we returned with some beautiful memories and pictures, and most importantly, new connections with charming people whose love we fell in love with (there may or may not have been some crying before, during and after the ceremony for both of us!)
Experiences and people like these make us truly grateful to do the work we do. This destination wedding in Ireland changed us in ways that we still hold dear to this day.
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