“May neighbours respect you, trouble neglect you, the
angels protect you, and heaven accept you.”
~ Irish Proverb ~
Ireland is said to have two periods… before 1916 and after. The Easter Rising was a ‘glorious’ failure as many historians have penned over the last century. It was the beginning of freedom as rebels took up arms against the British and changed history forever. They were no longer troublemakers in the public eye, but martyrs and national heroes.
I’ve been blessed to have visited the Emerald Isle on several occasions. I’m a “Born to be Mild” type guy, so there’s no rebellious behavior in my past. Family visits to County Fermanagh and Tyrone were always the end game.
Only recently did I get to explore the remainder of the country. It’s hard to believe an island the size of Maine… 175 miles wide and 300 miles long… could allude me for decades. Luck of the Irish didn’t prevail.
Streets of Dublin - County Dublin
Guinness Storehouse - Dublin County
Kylemore Abbey - County Galway
Earlier this month, a Covid delayed family wedding was on the calendar for July 1, 2022 in County Donegal. The wedding afforded a joyous celebration (congratulations Anthony & Grace) and 12 additional days of blissful travel to explore all the beauty Ireland has to offer!
After a lovely wedding, we set off to explore Dublin, Kilkenny, Galway, Dingle and Doolin. Let the site seeing festivities begin.
The powers that be afforded endless amounts of sunshine, blue skies and granted me the ability to drive a car on the other side of the road. “Stay Left” was the theme every day and the sticker in the windshield provided a constant reminder to follow the new rules (Note: The driving wasn’t as difficult as I thought. Although the ‘round-a-bouts’ did make me sweat a wee bit!).
Aran Islands from Doolin… County Clare
Ring of Kerry… County Kerry
I’ve always enjoyed traditional Irish music and wanted to hear as much live music as possible. My research concluded the west coast continues to promote the Gaelic language in various communities and traditional music. In short… finding live music in Galway, Dingle & Doolin didn’t require any work at all. It was as easy as finding your next Guinness… and the craic was brilliant!
One thing I learned along the way… country music was often played between Irish classics. How could it possibly be so popular in Ireland was my thought? As the naïve tourist quickly learned, traditional Irish music had a huge influence on country artists in the United States. In a connect-the-dots manner, line dancing in a traditional and modified manner, along with jive dancing is alive & well in Ireland. One song I heard at the wedding and then several other times during our travels was John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” It’s a catchy little number now stuck in my head.
Pine Island - County Galway
Blasket Islands - County Kerry