Quand mes quatre écrivains irlandais préférés parlent...

Mercredi soir, tard, sur ARTE, un reportage a capturé mon coeur... 

Mes quatre écrivains irlandais préférés (dont mon plus-que-préféré, Robert McLiam Wilson) évoquaient l'Irishness, la littérature, l'Irlande et ce sentiment étrange d'être irlandais...

A voir, revoir, etc.

A venir :

- L'Angleterre de Martin Amis — réalisé par Mark Kidel, le 20 novembre.

- L'Espagne de Juan Goytisolo, Manuel Rivas et Bernardo Atxaga — réalisé par Carmen Castillo, le 27 novembre.

- La Hongrie de Péter Esterházy et Péter Nádas — réalisé par Sylvain Bergère et Francesca Isidori, le 4 décembre.

My favorite cities : Dingle (An Daingean)

Dia Duit  (hello)!

The paradox about me is that I support and love England for any kind of manifestations (sports, arts, etc.) but I truly fell for Ireland and Irish people years ago.

Thanks to the Murphy Family (at least 20 people around the table, parents, children, grandpa and closest relatives during regular days), I discovered a lovely place in the Kerry county : Dingle. They’ve been going there yearly (and quite often) to spend time altogether.

After landing or sailing to Cork (so gorgeous city, indeed), the road up (N22) to Dingle is quite delirious with them all : Volkswagen minibus, Irish music, Irish legends, Guinness and Whiskey in the truck. Should I mention the cat, Connolly, on Grandpa Francis’ knees ?

Generally the first stopping is Killarney (Cill Airne) : Grandpa Francis is the one who sings along and starts telling jokes in Gaelic to his “gang”… Of course, I never got them as I don’t even understand a damn word. I just learnt a couple of sentences and the Gaelic names of Dingle (An Daingean), Killarney (Cill Airne), Cork (Corcaigh) and Galway (Gaillimh).

Dingle is on the southern west coast of Ireland, in the Dingle Peninsula (less touristic, but breathless beauty) ; Main city of the county, close to Blasket Islands and Slea Head (surfing spot). It is also lovely harbor with a famous dolphin called Fungie. Years ago, it was quite a quiet place and harbor hosted fishermen and boats ; Nowadays, touristic matters emerges and it is more popular and crowded. Some sailing competitions cross around on spring and summer.

To have the best view over harbor and bay, you have to take the road to Tralee for about 1,5 km and walk to the ancient tower and you will reach the entrance of the harbor. It is absolutely gorgeous and rather wild.

Some places have to be seen in Dingle : Dingle Oceanworld (turtles, sharks) –rather expensive to my opinion-, Trinity Tree with the biblical characters engraved on, and St Mary’s Church (Green St).

I’ve liked having lunch at the Mystic Celt or Armada. Sometimes, a stopping is needed at An Café Liteártha, nice tiny place at the bottom of a bookshop. Whenever we need music and entertaining, Maire de Barra is the place to be.

Leaving Dingle is not easy because it is just a marvelous and extraordinary quiet place. But the touristic places in the area worth the leaving. For instance, Cloghane (An Clochán), south west from Brandon Bay, has a wonderful beach and the major point of departure to Mt Brandon. Drive to Brandon Creek, then Dún An óir Fort, Ballyferriter, Dunquin (Dún Chaion), Dunmore Head (where 2 Spanish Armada boats sunk in 1588), Slea Head, Dunbeg Fort, Ventry and back to Dingle.

Wherever the weather is nice and sunny (and warm, do not except hot temperatures !), go and lay on Inch (Inse) Beach. It’s also a surfing spot and it is a beautiful.

If you ever want to visit the most occidental islands of Europe, go and sail to Blasket Islands (Na Blascaodaí). You can have great walking (Read “Kerry Walks” by Kevin Corcoran, to convince yourself to go there) ; Of course, it depends on the weather, but from Easter time to September, it takes about 20 minutes by boat to reach the Islands from Dunquin, 10 am to 3 pm.

Dingle is a little part of paradise for me and I can feel my heart beat a bit faster whenever someone points out its name.

But Ireland is just a treasure to share… it is splendid, wild, quiet and the colors, lights and people are definitely wonders.

Some counties deserve to be visited too, such as Mayo (Moyne & Rosserk Abbeys), Connemara & Clare (Cliffs of Moher) ; Not to mention, Northern Ireland and its magnificent areas (Belfast –Beál Feirste-, Hillborough, Legananny Dolmen, Killevy Churches, Navan Fort, Dungannon, Dunseverick Castle, Giant’s Causeway, Magilligan Point, Rathlin Island, Carrick-a-rede & Derry – Doire-).

 

Derry

Derry

One of my favorites places to reside : Currarevagh House in Oughterard (Uachtar árd), close to Galway. It’s a lovely country mansion beside Lough Corrib with private woodlands.

Slán agat ! Erin go Bragh !

The recipes of my grandma and my vision on cooking :

If you ever meet up with me, you would get it ! I like cooking and eating. I am not a real Chef because I have no passion or determination to achieve perfection in cooking, but I love good food. 

I’ve been surrounded with good cookers in my family. Both sides ! My grandmother (mother’s side), my grandfather (father’s side), my father, my aunt (mother’s side) and a few cousins were, and still are, excellent cookers.

They were all different and equal to excellence. Some cook with spices, some do only French basics, and others are elaborating recipes on their own, from Hungarian, Italian, Russian or British cooking.

My grandmother was an excellent cooker and she learnt in her early years. I had started a notebook with the family recipes at age 11 and added through the years the ones she was taught by relatives and my grandfather’s family members. In Périgord, we were used to stay whole Sunday afternoon around the table. Noon was the beginning of the meal and 6 pm the ending. We surely didn’t eat six hours straight, but it last six hours full of discussions, jokes, family stories and Historic purposes. Politic, money and religion were banished from the family table conversation. Nevertheless, some old cousins would put that regular topics up and the arguments were hectic.  Family lunches !

Her notebook is most likely the most treasured material I own from her. Her handwriting is so precious to me and the recipes are everlasting. When I wrote my book upon my village, I put some of her recipes inside, because I thought that cooking is one of the bases of mankind.

Whenever you want to know a country and/or a civilization, you have two ways to do so : History & cooking. You can learn a lot through cooking because people open their kitchens, their way of doing it and sometimes their family secrets. Doing a recipe with someone commonly opens the “souvenir box”. You would say “my aunt used to do that”, “my mom used that veggie” etc. You would mention dead and beloved people or someone you don’t see that often. We share lunches and dinners with people we love(d). Especially in France, we like to share cooking. It’s a real pleasure to invite people you care of, at home for a dinner or a lunch. Whatever you would cook, you will share this bond of this particular moment and remember it later one. When you would eventually meet up, you shall add the menu in the conversation : “I met her last spring, had dinner and she cooked this wonderful lasagna. I still can taste it !”.  

So, yes, basically, I do cook and I am not that bad at all. I learnt from four major persons in my family and I just can’t thank them enough for what they brought to me. Cooking is quite sensual too.

As I am French, I can say that French are obsessive whenever it comes to food and cooking. We (yes, we) all think we are the best in the world. French cooking is well-known to be one of the most interesting and tasty food in the world. But we don’t cook the same way ! French are within their country opponent to someone else’s cooking. Regionalism is probably the main point to observe.

For instance, you can have as many recipes of “Blanquette de veau” (veal stew) than you have of region in France and family ! In my own family, I have four different way of cooking it ! I have the basic of my grandmother, the touch of my father and a bit of my grandfather… not mention my own taste and recipe added !

In France, food and cooking are not topics to discuss. It is very serious and everyone has its own manner and way of thinking about it. Any TV show upon cooking is popular and the comments afterward are hysterical. At the moment, “Topchef”, a famous broadcast TV, concentrates the good and the bad of cooking. Those professional (but one, already eliminated from the show, despite the noticeable talent !) daze me each time I’ve been watching at the show. I do know they’ve been taking classes and learnt how to technically do, although it is still astounding to see how easy it seems to be. Despite the stress of the competition, they look like so easy and have brilliant ideas about stupid vegetables such as parsnip or broccoli ! I feel like a total idiot however I like watching at it !

As far as I’m concerned and apart from French cooking I am fond of Hungarian, Russian & northern Italian cooking. I like also the simplicity of British and Irish foods. One of my favorites restaurants in London (No way, I won’t tell you all my addresses !) is Bumpkin, South Kensington.  It’s all British products and the cooking is divinely tasty. The atmosphere is brilliant and the Chef, outstanding !

Another restaurant I like is in Auvillar, Tarn, France, called “Le Petit Palais”. I went there a couple of times and it was delicious any time. The cooking is simple and quite familial, not expensive and the owner is delicate toward clients.

I post some recipes from my grandmother notebook. Just enjoy doing them and any feedback would be appreciated !