Portumna

There is no coincidence in the fact that a Dublin born avante-garde writer, James Joyce, regarded as on of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century, chose a Galway woman as his life long love.
<blockquote>Jim styles me his sleepy-eyed Nora. His squirrel girl from the pages of Ibsen. I am pirate queen and cattle raider. I’m his blessed little blackguard. I am, he says, his auburn marauder. I’m his honourable barnacle goose.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Nora, </blockquote>
Jim says:
<blockquote>you are story.</blockquote>
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Galway has served as an inspirational setting for writers, actors, directors and artists right back to the 13th century when the town was founded and right up to the present day. And you only have to take Steve Earle's word for it about the affect a Galway girl has on the ♡ and soul.&nbsp;
Galway is romance.
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Galway probably had a population of around 3,000 when founded. To us, it would seem no more than a village but by the standards of the time, it was a medium-sized town.
The Church of St Nicholas was built in 1320 and Franciscan friars arrived in Galway in 1296.&nbsp;
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Friars were like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world they went out to preach, as travelling pilgrims. Dominican or black friars followed in 1488. Augustinian friars arrived in 1508.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
St. Augustine’s education in philosophy served him well as he remains one of the most prolific writers of the Catholic Church. With the travelling pilgrims, you can imagine early residents of Galway were exposed to a more classical education which we romantically like to believe was passed onto the next generation - a system of progressive education!
We get the chance to create a family tree that lets everyone feel connected to those who came before – or those that will come after.
The oldest map in the Galway/Gaillimh atlas dates back to July 1583 and was sketched by a Connacht provost named Barnaby Googe.
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People familiar with Galway city will be struck by just how similar the layout of the city today is to that which was sketched almost 600 years ago. The street pattern hasn’t changed in the heart of Galway and what’s shown on his map still survives and it’s quite a remarkable thing to see.
<blockquote>If you look up at the streetscape you’ll see bits and pieces like hood moulding and various other pieces that go back to the emerging city as we call it from the 15th century.</blockquote>
The Galway City map (circa. 1651) is enchanting - there are but only two copies now known; one in the Library of Trinity College and the second in the archives of the Hardiman Library at NUI, Galway.&nbsp;
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James Joyce found the map so fascinating, evocative and romantic and wrote:
<blockquote>The strangest and most interesting historical document in the Galway city archives is the map of the city.</blockquote>

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When Nora Barnacle, a twenty-year-old from Bowling’s Green in Galway city, working as a maid at Finn’s Hotel, meets young James Joyce on a summer’s day in Dublin, she is instantly attracted to his natural and daring in his company and he to her Galway charms. 

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But Nora cannot yet imagine the extraordinary life they will share together. All Nora knows is she likes her Jim enough to leave behind Galway, family, home, in search of a bigger, more exciting life.
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As their family grows, they ricochet from European city to city, making fast friends amongst the greatest artists and writers of their age as well as their wives, and are brought high and low by Jim’s ferocious ambition. 
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But time and time again, Nora is torn between their intense and unwavering desire for each other and the constant anxiety of living hand-to-mouth, often made worse by Jim’s compulsion for company and attention. 
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So, while Jim writes and drinks his way to literary acclaim, Nora provides unflinching support and inspiration, sometimes at the expense of her own happiness, and especially at that of their children, Giorgio and Lucia.&nbsp;
Eventually, together, they achieve some longed-for security and stability, but it is hard-won and imperfect to the end.

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Despite his hesitation to marry, Nora follows Joyce in pursuit of a life beyond Ireland, and they surround themselves with a buoyant group of friends that grows to include Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and Sylvia Beach.
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In sensuous, resonant prose, Nuala O’Connor has conjured the definitive portrait of this strong, passionate and loyal Galway woman. 
<blockquote><a href="https://nualaoconnor.com/home/novels/nora/" target="_blank">Nora</a>  is a tour de force, an earthy and authentic love letter to Irish literature’s greatest muse a loving paean to the indomitable Nora Barnacle.</blockquote>
This is a story of love in all its many seasons, from ardent sexuality to companionable tenderness, through strength, challenge, and courage.
Nora and Jim were three-dimensional humans with the same frailties and foibles as the rest of us.
Nora Barnacle and James Joyce - a partnership, a contradiction, an adventure, a lifelong love.
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In every town across Ireland you will find a local book shop, a resting place for books, with an eclectic mix of literature by Irish and International authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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Here in Portumna, the home of the <a href="https://xploreapp.io/portumna/lifestyle/shorelines-arts-festival-lwgcc" target="_blank">Shorelines Arts Festival</a> , books are not very far away from hand. Rare and antiquarian books are to be found in <a href="https://xploreapp.io/portumna/shopping/the-cottage-store-ausfp" target="_self">The Cottage Store </a> on our main street. Pre-loved books can be found in and NCBI, Vincents and Thrift Shop.
Pre-loved books can be found in and <a href="https://xploreapp.io/portumna/shopping/ncbi-portumna-egwxo" target="_blank">NCBI</a> , <a href="https://www.svp.ie/what-we-do/shops/vincent-s-portumna.aspx" target="_self">Vincents</a> and Thrift Shop on Abbey Street.
Nowadays, with the circular economy being embraced by communities, charity shops are the best places to find pre-loved books to entertain, titillate and educate you on your journey through life.
Well known historian, <a href="https://www.johnjoeconwell.ie/" target="_self">John Joe Conwell</a> has has written a number of local histories including his latest book, Portumna A Galway parish by the Shannon, and specialises in the study of landed estates and the Big Houses of the landed gentry. A Galway Parish by the Shannon a book of almost 900 pages documents the parish of Portumna's history since man first set foot in that part of Ireland.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Not far away in Cloughjordan you will find a little treasure trove in <a href="https://sheelaghnagig.com/" target="_self">Sheelagh na Gig</a> Ireland's book specialists for permaculture, green building, sustainable living and activism.
For more on James Joyce why not dip into this article: <a href="https://xploreapp.io/portumna/news/how-to-read-ulysses-fksl" target="_self">How to read Ulysses</a>&nbsp;

Love in all its many seasons - A Galway Romance

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