Should I Write My Final Memoir?
New Songs, Old Friendships, Future Possibilities
A Week of Music, Memories and a Question
Hi there,
I was just about to start my Substack last Friday, 24 May, when a contractor arrived to improve the drainage in the field immediately beside our garden. That put paid to my writing.
Musical Milestones: New Songs and Final Touches
Yesterday morning, Andrea Patron, The Rayne and I spent a few hours working on the chorus of a new song, Jump. We also signed off on the final version of So Glad I Married You and agreed on the cover art. All we need now is to get the title and artist’s name—The Rayne—written on the cover; and schedule when to release it. Hopefully next month.
A Delightful Discovery: Owen Traynor’s Pub
A highlight of my week was our discovery, last Sunday 19 May, of a charming, old-fashioned pub-cum-grocery in Oldcastle, County Meath. Called ‘Owen Traynor’, it is owned and run by ‘Speedy’ aka Martin Smith.
A Homely Welcome and a Memorable Meal
‘I left the previous owner’s name over the door. He passed six years ago. I worked for him for 43 years,’ said Speedy.
And that pretty much captures the ethos and feel of the place. My friend Bríd
and I felt immediately at home as soon as we walked inside. Paddy, my collie, was the centre of attention, becoming the veritable house mascot within an hour, watered, admired, petted and photographed by staff and customers alike.
Speedy took a photo of our Paddy beside a customer named Paddy while someone held a Paddy whiskey bar cloth above them emblazoned: ‘It’s Paddy’s Round!’
Feeling peckish, getting late and not wanting to have to go home to cook, I enquired about local restaurants. A customer advised getting a Chinese takeaway two doors down and taking it back to eat at Speedy’s bar. Yes, it really is that kind of a homely pub!
Exploring Mullaghmeen Forest and Loughcrew Cairns
We had arrived in Oldcastle having spent the early afternoon walking in the magnificent Mullaghmeen Forest, County Westmeath, the largest planted beech forest in Ireland.
After scoffing our Chinese at Speedy’s, we drove up to nearby Loughcrew, whose megalithic cairns date back 5000 years. It is said that you can see as many as 18 counties of Ireland from there. A stunning, cloudless day, we probably saw all of them, as we watched the sun set on a stunning vista.
Video taken at Loughcrew, County Meath, Ireland, at sunset. Video © Joe Armstrong
Catching Up with Old Friends
It was lovely catching up with Bríd, one of my favourite university friends. She, Tom and I formed what we referred to, playfully, as the ‘diabolic Trinity’; as readers of my memoirs may recall. Forty years later, she remains one of my best friends and, as I journaled on 18 May: ‘We’ve always found it very easy to talk together.’
The previous night, we had chatted for hours in my ‘man cave’, the tented gazebo which Ruth bought and erected for me as a surprise for my birthday. Sipping a drink, we listened to a flycatcher and song thrush serenading us. To listen to the beauty of the song of the thrush, click Song Thrush singing.
Reflecting on Friendships and Past Vows
I still have a book Bríd gave me for my final profession, when I became a permanent member of the Marist Fathers. My religious vows and beliefs didn’t last—but my friendship with Bríd did!
Contemplating the Future of My Memoirs
Another great friend visited me last Monday. I shared with him my self-doubt about continuing my memoir project. I journaled: ‘It probably explains my now lackadaisical approach towards recording and editing the audiobook of Book 2. It’s a sense of “Why bother?”. It’s also a sense of living in the now.
‘Whereas Ruth decided to retire but I did not, rather seeing my 60s as my first opportunity to write what I wanted, I’m no longer sure about that. On only one day this month have I done any work on my audiobook and I had to abandon it as we had a power cut!
‘And yet, I am best suited to writing. Is there something else other than another memoir that I would like to write? I don’t think so. An irrelevant life? An irrelevant memoir? It’s a question of how best to fill one’s time between life and death.’
Seeking Your Opinion: Book 3, Yes or No?
While I will of course decide for myself whether or not to write a third and final memoir, I would welcome the honest views of readers, followers and subscribers. Book 3: yes, or no? Please email me at glebebooks@gmail.com or click the Comment button below.
Happy days,
Joe
Saved by a Woman is available on Amazon in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback editions.
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Happy days,
Joe