Unusual Experiences - Dinner in an Irish Castle

As soon as I could read I embraced it as a portal through which I could envision a life radically different from what I experienced as one of nine children living on what was referred to as a “dirt” farm, an apt description as there was no grass, or flowers or even much of a crop.

One of the alternate lives I conceived as I read was what it would be like to live in a castle. So when we planned our trip to Ireland in 1988, I asked the tour agent to schedule an overnight stay in a castle.

The castle (I can’t remember the name) was located on expansive acreage with the greenest lawn and numerous flowers. My childhood vision of the inside of a castle was far more luxuriant than the interior of the castle we visited; the room was no different than that of any hotel room.

Seated in the cozy dining room, we ordered our dinner and requested our usual cup of coffee with our meal. The waiter, in a somewhat “snooty” voice said, “Coffee is served in the lounge after dinner.”

A few years after our trip, I was with a group of members of Pen, a nationwide organization for writers. We were in a car on our way to visit the castle near Castle Rock, CO. I was telling about our visit to the Irish castle and was nearing the snide comment, when one of the members said, “My brother is half owner of that castle.”

For once, I zipped my lip!

Wilma Gundy