Monday, August 16, 2010

Last Day in Ireland

Yesterday was our last full day in Ireland, and we drove all around west Clare.

I did this little sketch while having a cup of tea at an outdoor cafe in Ennis.

This is my fourth trip to Ireland. The first was 16 years ago. We revisited some of the same places we were acquainted with before, and they haven’t changed too much, other than a small “suburban-style” development on the fringes, a cell tower here and there, and a few new windfarms.

We had heard all about the boom and bust of the Irish economy since our last visit, but compared to New York state, the roads were in better shape, and there were fewer closed businesses. And the people are just as charming and warm as ever.

I’ll close with a line we read somewhere: “May the roof of your house never fall in, and those within it never fall out.”

9 comments:

goat89 said...

Great end to a fantastic trip Mr Gurney! insightful last line too! ;)

Anthony Pascoe said...

Beautiful Sketches !... & I always learn something when I visit your blog

Peter Underhill said...

James, nice to see you end with a ride and a nice piece of ass.

Anonymous said...

Man, this just reinforces the need for me to buy a new sketchbook and start sketching!

Anonymous said...

I have to say that motorcycle study is just fantastic, how long roughly did it take? And do you always carry around watercolours to sketch with? At least you got to end your stay whilst the weather was good.

Erik Bongers said...

Nice use of open highlights on that face.

jeff jordan said...

Thanks for sharing all the great experiences you had in Ireland, Jim! Here's hoping you'll get a chance to make it to the Getty for the Gerome show. I got to spend 10-12 hours with my nose about 6" in front of my favorites in late July, and it was INCREDIBLE. Wish I could go back!

Steve said...

I'm on a trip that disallows regular internet use, so I just wanted to chime in, belatedly, and say this entire Irish series of posts (Scart Rd., especially!) exemplify what makes this the best blog going. The posts and the comments have both been incredible.

Stephanie Forbes said...

I enjoy your posts!