Excited for my trip to Ireland, I prayed to the travel gods in hopes my flight would make it off the ground this time! My first attempt was haulted due to the Icelandic volcano that spewed ash all over Europe and wreaked havoc on airports and travelers alike. As I was packing, it was the green, rubber, shamrock, ‘Seamus Murphy’ bracelet that jumped out at me. As if to say, “Bring me, bring me!” I decided it would become my Irish good luck charm.
Good Luck Charms
What I hadn’t realized at the time was how important my good luck charm would turn out to be. You don’t get more Irish than Sean ‘Seamus’ Murphy. He was even born on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1999. He’s a regular kid; a red head. He loves dogs, ice hockey, camping and fishing. So, when he was diagnosed the day after his ninth birthday with Stage 4, Non-Hotchkins Lymphoma, it was indeed a sad day; not only for his family, but for everyone who knows him. He underwent chemo and radiation for approximatly two years and spent way too much time in the hospital. So his parents, Jim and Karin, along with his sister Fionnuala “Finn”, ride the emotional roller coaster together. They try not to go into ‘panic mode’ every time Seamus coughs or sneezes. Thus, it was the rubber shamrock bracelet that I donated one dollar for that I hoped would hold some Irish magic for all of us.
Lost in ‘Bog Land’
Traveling by bus from Dublin to Sligo, I was in awe of the beauty that the mountains of Ireland project. It’s rolling hills, dotted with sheep, seemed like a patchwork quilt. The mesmerizing views of the expanding Atlantic were interrupted by the bumpy road that seemed to move and drop and to give way to the sinking bogs of Bally Shannon. It was then that I heard my guide say something about visiting ‘The Holy Well’. “The Holy What?”, I thought in my mind.
The Holy What?
As a ‘recovering Catholic’ who is not really overly any religion anymore, The ‘Tobernault Holy Well’ in Sligo County promised to be a spiritual moment for me! Visitors stop by and say a prayer and perhaps leave a personal belonging behind, such as a hair tie or a shoe lace, or in my case, a rubber shamrock bracelet, in hopes that your prayers will be answered. It hit me like a ton of bricks... this is the reason the rubber braclet jumped out at me 4 days ago. Little Seamus needed a prayer! Overwhelmed by something more powerful than me, my emotions grew from within like a rumbling thunder.
Spiritual Magic
Religion or not, it seemed that this was my reason for being here. I entered the silent holy ground and lit a candle for little Seamus. I carefully climbed my way up the old, crumbling stone staircase towards the lumbering thousand year old Holly Tree. It appeared to be weaping; the boughs heavy with burden, as if the protecting of all the special objects left behind had taken it’s toll on the poor old tired tree. I slipped the rubber braclet from my wrist, and placed it amongst the hundreds of other objects. I said a little prayer, and slowly retraced my steps back to the bus. My thoughts where quiet, my mind was still, peace and a sense of calm had taken over, and I was one with my thoughts. I had a ‘moment’ at the Holy Well, not exactly certain what the magic was, but I will never forget the feeling from within my soul. Little Seamus is not out of the woods yet, but his parents remain cautiously optomistic. My hope and prayer is that someday a healthy Seamus will visit the Holy Well, see his bracelet, and believe in the magic of Ireland.
Magic Awaits you in Ireland
