"If you're hungry, there's mutton stew in the pot and bannocks fresh from this morning," I offer the woman, letting her find her own place at a table. When she's settled, I bring out a jug of ale and wait to see what else she wants. I'm always curious about the travelers who come to Ty Claddagh but it's rude to ask too many questions at first. Some of them enjoy conversation while others prefer to keep to themselves, for whatever reason. I make a game of secretly trying to guess where they've come from and where they're going.

This woman is hard to guess. She looks well-fed as well as well-traveled, and her face has a healthy glow. There's a whiff of flowers about her, or something clean and sweet. She seems relaxed and in no hurry, and so I venture a comment that may open a conversation if she's willing.

"Fair weather we've had lately, although I hear its getting cold along the coast. Not bad weather at all, for this time of year and Samhain almost here. You'll be staying the night?"