My sister and I, Maureen and Shannon (yes, lovely Irish names!)
went to Ireland to spend 10 glorious days in May of this year.
There is something about this island.
Once you have gone, you will want to keep returning!
I have fascinating stories, tales to tell, and pictures to show you!
Which way to go?
And as if that wasn’t confusing enough,
We were driving on the wrong side of the car
And on the wrong side of the road!
One of our first stops was to the
Cliffs of Mohr on the western coast of Ireland.
You have probably seen pictures of this in
books or on calendars.
I was not prepared for how high we up we were.
Birds were specks below us.
There was a woman playing a harp, the sun was shining (no small event in Ireland!), and a Keep to climb!
We planned to be here for one hour, but it turned into three.
How could you leave? It was so peaceful and majestic at the same time.
This is called Brian’s Keep.
Not quite a castle, but still regal to us.
Before we left this wonderful place,
we went into the little tea shop.
Every place of interest has a tea shop and one is always in the mood for “a spot of tea”.
Proper tea pots, cups, cubes of sugar and real cream.
We were always served with cups, linens, silverware,
and some sweet and savory pastries.
We Irish know how to make any
place feel cozy and warm.
Tea and scones.
Works every time!
After we were all warm and toasty, we would venture out
into some cold and primitive settings.
When we are driving in our country, sometimes we
pass old barns or old buildings.
In Ireland, we passed old castles.
There they sat, all crumbled, covered with moss,
in total disrepair and looking quite lonely.
As you are driving down your little sheep lined road,
out of nowhere, something this magnificent would appear,
and we would to stop and just absorb the moment.
There are no crowds, no loud noises…
It is just a castle sitting off the path.
It is Ireland and it is beautiful.
We were able to tour several castles and in one castle
we were given a teaching tour.
A wee little man talked about the family
that had lived there, how they lived, and
what had become of them.
Several hundred years later, this home a man
built to protect his family still stands.
It was solid and the foundation was sure.
Needless to say, we learned lots of life lessons on our trip!
Old churches were as common as old castles.
We loved the old cemeteries- except for one.
It was really creepy.
Ireland is an old, old land.
I do not mean it is any older than the earth you
stand on now.
I mean the history of the island is old.
We could see old cathedrals, old cemeteries
and just when you thought things were old enough,
We came across something even odder and even older.
Bee Hive Huts.
Primitive little forts made 500 years before
our Lord was even born amongst us.
Not only bee Hive Huts,
but Druid Circles.
The best food I have ever had in my life
Was in Ireland.
The cuisine from this island is well known and respected.
If you like seafood- well, remember you are on an island and
the seafood is fresh everyday- everyplace.
We were adventurous in our menu picks.
One can dine very well for limited funds.
Here is a small variety of some good eats.
The BEST Thai food I have ever had in my life.
A traditional Irish breakfast.
Tomatoes are served on every plate.
Nice way to start the day, no?
And never to be forgotten was the
Common Fish and Chips.
They eat this meal like we eat
Happy Meals.
Although Fish and Chips, in Ireland
sitting on a bench by a pier,
watching the ships come in and out
made me happier than any Happy Meal ever can.
Maureen and I went to this place
because we are Irish.
Our family heritage is here.
Our own mum came to America from Ireland
when she turned 18 years old.
No one in our family had ever gone to see this homeland.
If you want to learn more about this trip we took,
We have more pictures and stories on our blog (see link below).
Our blog was how we communicated with our family every day.
Phone calls were too expensive for us so loading up our day’s adventures onto a blog was a perfect way to share our adventures.
Be sure to practice your writing and
sharing tales as much as you can.
If you are ever able to travel, you will want a recording of all that you saw and what you did.
Thank you for sharing your time with me.
I could talk of Ireland all day!
http://shannonandmosmostexcellentadventures.blogspot.com/
Shannon Coe
Fortunately For You Books
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing. I would love to visit Ireland sometime. Your pictures were gorgeous.
Sounds wonderful! I'd love to go someday, too ...
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