Going to the Well for Water: The Seamus Ennis Field Diary 1942-1946

9 Another Visit to Carna, May 1944

9 Another Visit to Carna, May 1944 15 May to 1 August 19441 Monday 15.5.44 Train from Dublin to Galway and bus from Galway to Carna (ten o’clock in the morning until eight o’clock in the evening). A visit to my friends, the Ó Clochartaigh family, in Carna in the evening, having settled in to Mrs [Sorcha] Hernon’s (Cóilín Bhríd Mhurcha’s house) in Roisín na Mainiach. A fine, cold day. Tuesday 16.5.44 A good sleep in the morning and from then until dinnertime repairing a lamp and a few other little things I had left undone as I was giving the bicycle an overhaul at home at the weekend. Update by Ennis of work completed (Courtesy NFC) 151 Spent the afternoon in Maínis visiting all my friends there, musicians and others. I spent the evening with Coilmín Mac Fhualáin. (The Carna musical academy!) My friend Micheál [Mac Fhualáin] was working away from home, but is expected home tomorrow evening. Wednesday 17.5.44 Spent the morning mending the clock in this house; I succeeded. The afternoon: to Carna getting my papers. I brought them to the lodging house and spent a while at the diary and letters I had postponed when I was at home, until I would have peace here to write them. Went to Carna at 9.30, as the light was fading, and spent an hour or so in the ‘musical academy’ I mentioned above. Ascension Thursday2 18.5.44 Nine o’clock Mass and breakfast at ten o’clock. Wrote letters and the diary and transcribed music until dinnertime. Spent the afternoon in Maínis. I wrote two tunes from Maidhcil Pheadairín Greene there. I went to Glinsce at six o’clock. I met a man from Glinsce on the road who told me that Colm Ó Caodháin had gone on his bicycle to Cashel shortly before that. I turned home – Colm would not be available again until ten o’clock. Friday 19.5.44 Wrote two letters, the diary and did music transcription this morning until dinnertime. Spent a while talking in Carna and went to Colm Ó Caodháin at five o’clock. He was digging the field in front of the house in the soft rain. He and the household made me most welcome. He brought me inside and told his wife [Babe] to make a drop of tea for me and started to describe his own work since Christmas – planting, seafaring, gathering scallops and decorating the house, building walls, making a quern for grinding among other things. He described how the calico had arrived from Dublin and a gift that arrived at Christmas and a great deal more besides – snatches of songs he had since recalled for me. Later, we went down together to moor the boat and, on our return, I wrote a few pieces of music and nonsense of which he had spoken earlier. We spent the afternoon in a very pleasant fashion until 9.30 and, as it appeared it was going to be a bad night, I went home. Saturday 20.5.44 Spent the morning writing a few letters and the afternoon and evening with Colm Ó Caodháin. We spent the afternoon planting cabbages, 152 Going to the Well for Water churning and writing. (A letter from the office this evening about a report on the year’s work.)3 Sunday 21.5.44 First Mass. Spent the morning until dinnertime with Pádraig [Ó hIarnáin] from this house hunting eels by the shore. Spent the afternoon in Maínis swimming with Garda [Tomás] Lynch and the evening with Maidhcil Pheadairín [Ó hUaithnín] and Peaitín William [Ó hUaithnín]. Monday 22.5.44 Spent the morning recapping on the work I have done for about the last six months – Conamara and Donegal. Got a letter from the office asking me to submit a report in relation to it. Spent the afternoon and the evening with Colm Ó Caodháin. Letter to Seán Ó Súilleabháin received 25.05.1944 (Courtesy NFC) Maidhcil Pheadairín Ó hUaithnín (Courtesy NFC) The Séamus Ennis Field Diary 1942–46 153 Tuesday 23.5.44 Spent the morning indoors writing the diary and rewriting the songs I am collecting from Colm Ó Caodháin. Spent the evening with Colm and...