Ireland: Road trip! Exploring Sligo, Yeats’ Grave, and Glencar Waterfall
August 21 – 27, 2016 We arrive in Sligo around dinner time on a grey Sunday evening. Jill, Zephy, and I are headed for a small cottage we’ve rented just 15 minutes’ drive outside Sligo. It’s a quick walk from the train station to the grocery store, where I insist we stock up on groceries before catching a taxi out …
Read More
Ireland: Dublin Revisited: Maynooth University, Geraldine Castle, and the Book of Kells
August 18 – 21, 2016 It’s a grey, raining off and on kind of afternoon as our train rolls west through the Irish countryside. Across the small train table, Jill is reading and watching the passing scenery. Zephy’s reading next to me, while I attempt to write some post cards. It feels good to travel with friends, good to let …
Read More
Ireland: Kissing the Blarney Stone!
August 13, 2016 It’s just past 3 pm when I get off the local bus in Blarney Village. There’s about a dozen of us milling about the sidewalk, and we’re all here for one reason: to visit Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone. It’s a 5 minute walk from the bus stop to the main entrance, a small building …
Read More
Ireland: A House-Sit in Cork, Ireland’s Hippy City
August 9 – 17, 2016 I’m curled up on a couch in the sitting room, laptop nestled on my knees. Zan is curled up at the other end of the sofa And Ussi is out enjoying the back garden. I’ve been working: catching up on emails, professional and personal, and writing a blog post about my trip to Ballykissangel. Just …
Read More
Ireland: Winterfell, Direwolves, and the Iron Throne
July 31, 2016 It’s just before 10:00 am when our van pulls into Inch Abbey. We’re not quite sure why we’re here, except that this is where we’ll be meeting our tour guide. There are seven of us on today’s tour: a couple in their 20s, two Swedish gals, a local father and son who are up to Belfast for …
Read More
Ireland: Game of Thrones Tour: Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-rede Bridge, and the Giant’s Causeway
July 30, 2016 It’s just after 9:00 am when our Game of Thrones tour bus pulls away from Town Hall, and already I’m having the best day. After yesterday’s tight schedule and go, go, go feeling, it felt great to wake up, walk the 40 minutes into downtown Belfast, and place my schedule in the hands of our tour guide. …
Read More
Ireland: First impressions of Belfast, Part 3: The Peace Wall
July 27, 2016 Your steps are light and springy as you leave the Crumlin Road Gaol. Your first day in Belfast has gone like clockwork, and now there’s only one stop left: the Peace Wall in west Belfast. It’s a calm, balmy Friday evening as you head south towards Cupar Way. You cross Shankill Road and enter the Shankill neighborhood, …
Read More
Ireland: First Impressions of Belfast, Part 2: Crime & Punishment at the Crumlin Road Gaol
July 27, 2016 You’ve been walking for 30 minutes on this beautiful July afternoon, and already you feel a world away from the heart of Belfast. You’ve definitely entered suburbia. The traffic hurries from place to place, and hair salons, computer repair stores, and betting parlors line the streets alongside gas stations and apartment buildings. When you see the Crumlin …
Read More
Ireland: First Impressions of Belfast, Part 1: Opulence
July 27, 2016 It is a typical overcast Irish morning as you cross the border from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland. The express bus is moderately full but quiet as it speeds along the motorway, the scenery mostly trees and traffic. You’ve been up since early this morning, and with nothing to hold your attention you slide into …
Read More
Ireland: The Monastery & Twin Lakes of Glendalough
July 24, 2016 The sanctuary stone is cool and rough under my fingers, the ancient paving stones uneven beneath my feet. My fingers follow an ancient ritual: for 1400 years, the stone’s carved cross has provided protection to those who seek it. This is my first visit to Glendalough, one of Ireland’s most important monastic sites, and already the valley’s …
Read More