The weekend just passed was a maelstrom of activity. I was collected from work in a motorcar on Friday afternoon, from the depths of the wastelands. Across the country we drove. The destination was Limerick. Owing to roadworks on the Naas road we took an alternative route. As a result we were denied the opportunity to stop for caffeine-infused refreshment at the Barack Obama Plaza – a service area, at Junction 23 of the M7 on the edge of the village of Moneygall. Luckily in the West there is a chain of such service stops, all identical to each other. We had a coffee at the less glamourously named Galway Plaza. I resisted the overwhelming urge for chips with garlic sauce and grated cheese at Supermacs. I am a man of resolve.

My Friday evening was a wild one – watching the Late Late Show on the television in my childhood home, followed by the film ‘Still Alice’ with the wondrous Julianne Moore.

Saturday was a day of action. Various Murphies from two different generations gathered at the home address, and set forth to county Limerick to visit the 3^rd generation of the dynasty. He is now five months old and clearly very advanced for his age. Apparently his nose is the same shape as mine. This made me feel rather proud.

That evening another excursion to a different sibling’s gracious, new home. A homemade chicken curry and basmati rice dish was inhaled in that kitchen in county Clare. We are lucky we made it – we got lost en route and spent an age driving the byways of Clare, marvelling at the grass verge growing in the middle of the road.

My train back to the Big Smoke was on Sunday afternoon so for lunch I took the Mammy to the Curragower Seafood restaurant to celebrate her pending birthday. We both had the pan seared cod fillet in a pine nut and gremolata crust, with lemon cream, peas cooked in bacon strips, and baby new potatoes. It was delicious. The Curragower has been there for decades but this was my very first time there. A dreadful oversight. It was excellent and I’ll return. The view of King John’s Castle on the river Shannon is spectacular.

Dinner eaten I swung by the Limerick Gallery of Art to see what was on display. Sadly my trip coincided with the exhibition changeover so the pickings were slim. The new display opens at the end of the month.

I jumped on the train, where I bumped into an actor who had been in my play ‘An unexpected party’ last year. An unexpected encounter.

 A very refreshing weekend.