Category Archives: Ireland 2009

Well I’m back (like Poltergeist). Writing, working, watching (bad teams) and crogging. In the interests of continuity, we’ll continue with an Ireland update or two each day, starting now … So I’m outside on Achill Island taking these photos behind … Continue reading →

The flight is tomorrow … it's late in Ireland … there's more to blog … especially on Galway … but the time for bed has drawn near. Time to read Yeats, ponder Joyce, give a second reading to Ulysses and … Continue reading →

Step 1: Have the cousin of a friend open her home to you with the typical Irish hospitality. Nora, my friend's cousin, could not have been kinder or more generous. She deserves a Nobel Prize. Step 2: Have said cousin … Continue reading →

Thatched roofs like this one are becoming a thing of the past in Ireland. We all know the idealized-John-Wayne-from-The-Quiet-Man thing, the cottage with the thatched roof. Now they are going away — replaced by slate. I'm told by a reputable … Continue reading →

Sorry Terje …. here's what the silly sign in Doolin said:

All the guide books said Doolin was a place to visit. Tiny little town southwest of Galway that is tucked inside the Atlantic. It's the home, the guidebooks say, of traditional Irish music. You may or may not like traditional Irish … Continue reading →

The sheep in Ireland are pretty much everywhere. They stop traffic, lie on rocks and (if you watch carefully) do little jigs as your car drives by. The sheep pretty much rule Ireland — and at times they show a … Continue reading →

Somehow Ireland got to be a country for rich folks. Growing up all I ever heard was that it was a poor country with poor people who lived on poor land subdivided by the British and ate poor food prompted … Continue reading →

Achill Sound is where my grandfather on my father's side was from. You'll find a lot of folks from Cleveland who trace their roots back to Achill in County Mayo. It's not a wealthy place, except in its natural beauty. … Continue reading →

Folks say the scenery in Ireland is something to behold. Folks are right. The problem is catching it with a camera and doing it justice. It's near impossible — even when you come across a scene like this. This view … Continue reading →

How does a round tower from the eighth century still stand while I-77 is constantly under construction? Did the monks from the ancient times, back when they drew the Book of Kells and did such incredible manuscript work, leave any … Continue reading →

It's no secret that Ireland is a Catholic nation. Thus, it was interesting to see this on the television (not that there's anything wrong with it) …

Travel tip to those who leave for these parts: When you buy your plug adapter, the thingee (technical term) that allows one to use U.S. stuff in Irish plugs, be sure to check the U.S. end and make sure it … Continue reading →

When folks say beware the driving and stay left and watch the brambles that overhang the road … they're not kidding. If you don't stay left, you'll quickly find yourself crushed by a truck that's not moving for anything, and … Continue reading →

It's been 30 years since I last visited the home of my ancestors on Achill Island. Thirty long years, fraught with hard work, peril and walking back and forth to school in snowstorms and hail — uphill both ways. It's … Continue reading →

Some lessons are learned the difficult way. So it is in the remote areas of Ireland. When you have a chance for internet, jump at it. Otherwise blog posts will appear sporadically enough to make a person appear ill-equipped to … Continue reading →

Well … internet access is not the simplest in the remotest parts of Ireland — which is where much of this trip goes since that's where the ancestors are from. So updating hasn't been as easy as expected. These vacations … Continue reading →

Only because you all voted yes. Or at least the ones who voted voted yes. At any rate, here's the start . More to come on staying in a castle, the Ha-Ha wall and Achill Island. But this is my … Continue reading →