Day 1 - Letterkenny > Buncrana > Letterkenny

by Katie Watchorn

This week we’ve really looking forward to having Katie Watchorn sharing with us from Ireland: Katie Watchorn (she/her)  (@katiewatchorn) is an Irish visual artist who primarily makes sculpture. She is currently living in Belfast. This week she’s doing a lot of driving around Ireland visiting friends and family, so many of these dispatches will come from the driver’s seat and whatever service stations she picks along the way.

Day 1 - Letterkenny > Buncrana > Letterkenny

I’ve woken up early in an unfamiliar bed in Co. Donegal and in the space of 5 minutes of prone scrolling on Instagram it has suggested hazelnut porridge, green olive ragu, a chicken burger, fig bundt cake ( cast aluminium cake with fresh figs? Unsure) and a flaky pastry called a lobster tail to me. Áine and I did a lot of food talk in the presence of The Phone yesterday evening after I got to Letterkenny.

9.30ish I get back in from a run around the local waterlogged boys school pitch and there’s podge waiting for me made by Áine which is there anything nicer than brekkie waiting for you. They assure me it was much creamier 10 minutes ago and I cream it back up with some cows milk which I don’t really drink anymore so it feels a bit luxurious in a weird way, and top it with some Fanad honey, apple and crispy almonds - it’s delish nd sweet nd crunchy and perfect for the grey day and perfect for any day.

Áine’s been doing a residency in Fort Dunree on the Inishowen peninsula and I’m helping them with glazing some work they made over the last while so we drive another half hour upwards from Letterkenny this morn post-podge. On the way we pull into Buncrana Supervalu and load up on microwaveable curries, rocket, avocado, cashews, hummus for lunch. I get an underwhelming and soft Pain au Chocolat as a second breakfast to fuel the final 10 minutes of driving that I won’t even grace these pages with an image of. I get bits of it between my legs on the car seat. Loving this giant tin of corned beef and decorative orange garnish in Supervalu meat counter. Soft spot in my heart for tinned corned beef, especially the little key opening ones.

Mid-glaze around 2.30pm we stop to eat the snack spread we picked up in the shop. On a makeshift table of plywood on a plastic tub we set up a studio picnic. My lentil Dahl is semi-hot from the microwave and I shove in a scoop of avocado and rocket and hummus and mash it all up. Áine suggests crumbling a cracker in there so I do that too. It’s all good and a bit mushy but moreish.

A coconut macaroon and a cup of tea at 4.30pm when my back starts to ache from the slight stoop of glazing. The wind is howwwwwwwling on this outcrop of rock. The tea mugs look slightly lost in all the things that aren’t quite mugs and dishes yet. I shove manchego cheese in my gob at 5.30 while Áine loads the kiln.

Dinner is late late evening back in Letterkenny after driving in some torrential rain. Pre-dinner snack while writing of some 85% choc which wouldn’t be my favoured percentage but beggars can’t be choosers and I’m grateful it’s not in the 90% + range that Áine sometimes prefers. Another pre-dinner snack of a couple of crackers and hummus. Another pre-dinner snack of more manchego.

Dinner is roast chicken which I say is spatchcocked and Áine describes as ‘splayed’ lol. Roast peppers, mushrooms, hummus.