The Road Trip

Day One
We left Dublin and traveled towards Waterford to see where Betsy's people came from. As we drove along the road the scenery reflected element and he began to tell me of his storys of the past and present, one could even see where the elements would be in the future as we saw homes with solar power and alternative housing constructions. It was something to see as it all weaved itself together.
The day ended with us in Tramore Town where we stayed at Beach Haven Hostel, which was a lovely place, where we had the entire room to our group of five. As the night came in I found myself speaking with Robert Faulkner, a Traveler, and he began telling me his story. I sat and listened to him speak of his childhood and how it had affected him into his early adulthood. It reminded me that in all places there are good and bad people and Robert would say that repeatedly.
In his childhood, he began, he would be beating by his parents as they came home from nights of heavy drinking. It left deep scars upon him as he recollected these painful times, you could see it in his eyes, and one that would be repeated by himself against his girlfriend. When he entered school they would "beat him down" and removed him from regular classes and placed him into a class with other Traveler children. A phrase he kept repeating was how if he had gained an education then he might be able to "join" the rest of the Irish society and be a part of something instead of "separate". His father was one who settled for a bit, then traveled, while his mother never left her roots.
In this time his family had a feud with a rival Traveler family and the violence was horrible. In that, the Garda (police) never would interfere and would not arrest people, simply happy to let them fight it out. When I asked him why he thought this was he simply stated, "When you are a Traveler no one cares. They lock the doors to keep you out." It was a cold and revealing statement, whether it was true or not, and showed the divisiveness of Irish society. I could not help but ask more questions as I was an ignorant American and wanted badly to understand how these people were just disregarded.
He knew where his people came from, over by Cork, and he knew their history. "500 years we have been wondering the land" he would often chip in as we spoke on. I asked him what he wanted to do and he went on to say that he wanted an education, he wanted a chance to right the things he had wronged, especially after the violence with the rival Traveler family escalated five years ago and ended with his father's death. He wanted to go back to Cork, as he loved that place, but did not ever want to return to Tralee in fear that he would end back into the rhythm of his past.
As we neared the end of his story, he is only 25, he spoke of how lost he was and that he did not know what to do.
I did the only thing I could do, I remembered his name, his story and now I am placing it here for the world to see. So in that Robert will never be forgotten and maybe someday someone can help the Travelers find a way out of the violence they were forced into over 500 years ago. This is for you Robert, I only hope that one day you find someone to tell your whole story so that we can learn from our past and prevent it in the future.
As I went to sleep I dreamt of old caravans and trailers moving along an old dark highway to an uncertain past, filled with sadness and desperation for a land that would only reach out and help them rise above the days of eviction and open up a home to them all. I awoke early in the morning, my father whispering "Michael" in my ear, and watched the sun rise as I said my goodbyes. I let go of him that morning, but I will always carry his memories and lessons with me.
Day Two
As we packed up the car to continue our road trip we headed back into Waterford so that Betsy could go to the local museum and see the history of her people. Ian, Haley and I strolled through the local City Center and did some shopping (I had to get a pair of shoes as my boots had worn a bruise into my ankle from all the time on the plane and walking Dublin!) and looking around. We visited the Christ Cathedral and learned of Lord Rye's Tomb, which is somewhere underneath, but the sarcophagus was on display. It was an amazing sight to see as we gazed upon ancient relics.
We then grabbed a bite to eat and headed to Cashel, where we all would visit the Rock of Cashel, a magnificent castle, and stayed the night there. Though the castle was awesome, the town went from being friendly to down right awkward at night. Needless to say we did not do much wondering there and retired for the early ride that would then take us towards Doolin.
So far Doolin is amazing. This quiet little town has so much character I almost feel like I stepped into a totally different Ireland.
I'll let you know how our journey ends here, we are staying a few nights in the Allie River Hostel and it is a grand place indeed to take a few days off to rest and recharge.