An seú lá de mhí Mheithimh
Arrival day in Dublin: Monday June 6.
Here I am landed once again in Dublin. What a great word landed! It describes my search where is it that I need to land? Or be landed? This search began almost the day I left living in Ireland 45 years ago after my Father’s death. I exiled through Belfast on a hot summer day in June 1960. Today, I return in a different way from all my previous trips here. I am a pilgrim seeking what it means to live between two lands – idir dhá tire? Cén fad áith?

My plane was delayed leaving Chicago for over an hour and so I did not arrive in till after 10:00 a.m What is a little delay of an hour I have waited 45 years to do this! It is totally unclear to me what lessons I am to learn and what changes will occur in my life, what is only important at this point is that I start the journey.

Standing waiting for my bags, I recall looking at my watch and seeing it was 10:30, and thinking what am I doing? What do I intend for this journey? Eventually the bags come through and I stack them up on a cart. What strikes me is the high technology of the flat screen monitor against the back drop of a dingy baggage hall. There is nothing fancy about this arrival hall where millions pass through.

As I come out the doors, there is Matt waiting off to the side in a sea of other faces some eagerly looking, others with a resigned look of unfeigned boredom. All faces are pointing in the direction of the exit doors from the custom area. Matt’s chatter starts at once. His exuberace and life energy is catching. Walking out to the car, I say to myself slow down and absorb what it means to connect. I have a huge cloak to remove – the whole mantle of “getting things done” and being productive. More lessons to come I feel or is it fear?