Our plans for this evening necessitate our finding a bottle of bubbly. On our way from Ballycurrin we stopped at Joyce’s in Headford but since it wasn’t yet half ten (10:30 AM) we were too early to buy off-licence. So as we left Athlone we began looking for a place to refuel the car and prepare for tonight’s party. The fuel gauge on the VW Tiguan began dropping precipitously so we stopped at a station just off the motorway and experienced sticker shock. Filling the tank with diesel costs €90! Thank heaven this thing is fuel efficient. Then on into Athenry, only a couple of wrong turns and we found a car park. Paid the fee at the machine and placed it on the dash then learned that Duffy’s Market is closed. Got directions to The Market Basket and walked there but no bubbly. Back to the car and attempt to follow the directions to the local Joyce’s Supermarket got us to a gas station and a helpful young man who dropped a pin on Karen’s phone giving us definitive directions. We found Joyce’s. We found some Prosecco! And all the while we’re wandering the Athenry area we’re discussing The Fields of Athenry, listening to the song, reading the lyrics, and talking about its relevance to the story of our ancestors who fled Ireland during The Great Famine.
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