This weekend we went to the Broderick’s again for the Ballinasloe Fair (an annual fair full of horse shows, carnival rides, tug o’ war competitions, etc). After the last time we were there, we were dying to go back. Anne Maloney, Martin’s girlfriend, picked us up again on Friday afternoon. We were then greeted with a delicious dinner made by Joe’s girlfriend, Clodagh. The previous week we had gone out to dinner, and Hannah had ordered the Shepherd’s Pie. Well, this evening, Clodagh had made us a home cooked Shepherd’s Pie, which according to Hannah, was 10x better than the one she had the previous week. It was absolutely scrumptious! Martin joked with Anne that she better have dinner like this for him every night when he gets home from work. Anne jokingly responded, “You can come down to Joe and Clodagh’s.” They are so cute!
After dinner, Martin, Anne, and Teresa took us to a tug o’ war competition. Hannah and I half-expected to see camp kids lined up in the mud, but this competition was very different. Men and women train all year long to participate in this 4-day event. Martin’s team was unfortunately knocked out on Tuesday. (His team doesn’t train all-year though. They just entered for fun. I don’t know how anyone could think pulling a rope and listening to men groaning, “PULL” over and over again is fun.) After we parked the car, Martin had us power walk because he wanted us to get a good stop to see all the action. We got there just in time because 20 minutes after we arrived the stands were packed. The competition went on for about 3 hours so it got a little repetitive after a while, but the championship pull was so exciting! My mom’s 2nd cousin was on one of the teams. Martin also worked with a guy on the same team, so it was obvious who we were cheering for. It was the best two out of three, and after two pulls it was tied. (I forgot to mention that all the pulls took place on a blocked off street. It just so happens that half of the street was recently tarred which made the ground easier to slip on. It was really unfair for the teams who got stuck pulling on the tarred portion of the street because they almost always lost.) Anyways after it was tied 1-1 there was a coin toss. Our team won the coin toss and got to pull on the non-tarred portion of the street.Everyone was so excited, jumping up and down, celebrating as if they had already won. So after a long match of men chanting, “PULL, PULL,” our team won! It was so cool and definitely worth the 3-hour wait!
I wish I could better explain the strategy behind a tug o’ war because a lot more goes into it than you would think. But here it goes. There is a coach for every team, instructing the 8 people on the rope when to pull and when to just hold. A team holds to try and tire out the other team.When they begin to pull again, they bounce up and down or sway from left to right, yelling (can you guess?) “PULL” in unison. It’s very intimidating! They also coat their hands before each pull with carpet glue to hold onto the rope better. I would prefer me soft, silky hands to winning this competition any day, but I guess that’s why I’m not in it, right? Here is a link to a youtube video from the 2009 Ballinasloe Tug O’ War Competition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8BrX9VRWOE
The next day, after a delicious breakfast made by the one and only, Clodagh (I’m telling you, we are so spoiled!) we were off to see the fair. When my grandpa was growing up he used to walk 15 kilometers every year to this fair to sell his horses. He would stand in “The Green” (where all the horses and their owners are) all day (12 hours!) waiting for someone to come up and buy his horse, and when he wouldn’t sell them, he would have to walk all the way back to Ahascragh (where he is from) with the horses. Anytime I think of this, I feel so guilty!! Papa, I personally apologize for every time you heard me complain about anything. Next time I want to whine about how hard my life is I’ll remember my Papa and his horses at the Ballinasloe fair.
In the green, we saw Martin, who was helping his neighbor sell his horses, and my Papa’s brother, Sean. Uncle Sean is my mom’s godfather. He was there with his son Leo. It was great to see them. After our tour of the green, we walked through all the stalls selling everything from clothes to food to sweets and knick-knacks. Aunt Annie kept asking if we wanted anything. She is so so sweet! They also have a carnival there, and Hannah and I went up on the highest ride they had. It was so fun! At the top, you could see a great view of the green. I wish I had my camera. But then again, I probably would have dropped it as we were turning upside down, so I just took a mental picture.
Has anyone seen the TLC show, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding? Well, we saw a lot of travelers, or tinkers, this weekend. It turns out this is the weekend a lot of them mate or find their future spouses. I wish I had sunglasses so I could properly stare at the clothing (or lack there of) the girls had on. They all cake on bronzer and wear super tall high heels. As they walked by, a group of guys would be a few feet behind them with their necks crooked to the side. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I sort of wanted to make it back to Galway in one piece. We also saw a family of travelers with an old fashion caravan (see photo below). They let us take a picture with their house. Doesn’t Marty Joe look right at home?
After our day at the fair, we were exhausted. The Broderick’s, on the other hand, are a youthful bunch because they were ready to hit the town later that night. We went to their local pub interestingly named The Broderick’s (although there is no relation) and we had a great time! If it were up to Hannah and me, we would go visit the Broderick’s every weekend. (Yet, they might feel differently) I only hope they can come visit us soon, so I can return the favor! Now I have yet to update you all on my weekend with Hannah's aunt and uncle two weeks ago, but I promise next week I will update you guys! This weekend I am going to visit my mom's first cousin and my Aunt Anne's younger sister, Fiona, in Scotland. So look forward to two new blog entries next week!
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