Climbing Ireland’s Highest Mountain: Carrantohill Peak

We went on a couple of walks every day while we were in Ireland, but this one took the cake for sure.

Taido got us primed for our big hike by having us watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty the night before, so we all woke up feeling like grand adventurers. (Highly recommend!)

The mountains were so foggy when we started out that we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get to the top because of visibility.

But then as we made progress up the mountain, the skies slowly cleared right before our eyes. It was crazy, like our walking up was pushing the fog out of our way.

When we reached the saddle right before the last push to the top, the skies were almost completely blue. It was crazy gorgeous!

There’s nothing quite like that top-of-the-world feeling!

On top of Carrantohill Peak.

A little shelter and a cross are on the very top, and by the time we had climbed down about halfway, the clouds had rolled back in and we couldn’t see these markers anymore.

The descent was a little more harrowing than the climb up. I was super shaky by the time I got off of the part called the Devil’s Ladder.

I took this picture looking back up at the Devil’s Ladder, but you can’t tell how steep or how very long it is. It took us an hour each way at least. Of course, Ben and Cole did it much faster than the rest of us. Because you know, fearlessness and folly.

But no one broke a limb and we were so happy to have all made it up (and down). Mary Polly and I both decided that when it comes to climbing Ireland’s highest mountain, that we are glad we did it but once is enough!

We were exhausted from the day and went home to eat our weight in Irish stew as our reward!

More photos of this walk on Google+

PS. I’m trying to blog #48walks this year. Join me?

Check out Jen’s, Sarabeth’s and Ellen’s walks this week as well!

The post Climbing Carrantohill Peak {Ireland} (18/48) appeared first on Alison Chino.

Driving the Ring of Kerry was a must-do on our Ireland itinerary, but it is over 100 miles long and even with several stops along the way, we found ourselves much in need of a longer leg stretch after lunch.

So we were thrilled to find the Bray Head Loop Walk on Valentia Island.

On a clear day, Bray Head is well loved for its views of the Skellig Islands on one side and the Dingle Peninsula on the other. These sights were shrouded in mist the day we were there, but we still enjoyed this windy walk to the edge of this part of the world.

The cliff views were unobstructed. The raw beauty of this walk reminded me of the day I spent walking Malin Head, the most northerly bit of Ireland. You have to keep a reverent distance from the edge, especially with the high winds, but I love the wild freedom of it all.

The way back is over a boggy area full of heather fields, so after keeping a close reign on everyone near the cliffs, we let them run free back down.

I tried to snap a shot of all four kids together, but the wind was not cooperating.

I would love to go back and walk this route on a clear day and even take one of the boats out to the famed Skellig Michael, but this afternoon of walking with my people was pretty perfect.

When we got back in the car to drive the rest of the Ring, everyone got quiet and Simon even fell asleep.

More photos of this walk and our whole day driving The Ring of Kerry on Google+

Oh and here’s a map of where to find this walk on the Ring of Kerry:

Where are you walking this month?

Here are a few more walks from our community of walkers: Ellen and Jen

Wanna walk with us?

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We started our second day in Ireland at a fun area near Killarney that surrounds an old fancy estate house. Muckross House sits on a lake by the same name and there is a path that runs all the way around the lake.

All the paths are paved for biking or for riding in jaunty cars (horse drawn carriages) if you don’t want to walk the whole way around. It’s about ten miles total.

We explored the area nearest the house before taking off around the lake. My favorite part of the walk was seeing the old ruined abbey. We arrived early in the morning so we had it all to ourselves. There are two floors, so we found old dark stairwells to terraces around a courtyard. It was a perfect spot for hide and seek.

On the other side of the lake you reach a place called the Meeting of the Waters where three different bodies of water come together. The Muckross Lake is joined to the bigger lake near Killarney, Lough Leane. This bridge marks the where these waters are all coming together, so of course we had to stop and play Pooh Sticks.

There is a place to turn off the walk from the lake to go up to Torc Waterfall and Torc Mountain. We hopped up to the waterfall, which was gorgeous and then the kids came back and climbed Torc Mountain with Taido on another morning while I went to watch an Irish dancing competition with his mama. We never even toured Muckross House and Gardens, so you could easily make several trips to this part of Killarney National Park and do something different every time.

Loads more photos of the Muckross House Walk and especially the abbey in the Google+ album.

We LOVED walking in Ireland. I have a couple more Ireland walks to share this month but at the moment I am still walking with my sister on St. Cuthbert’s Way. Where are you walking in May?

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A Walk in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland

Our first day in Ireland was perfectly saturated with sunshine. Within a few minutes on the trail we were shedding layers.

Parts of the landscape were strangely dry and full of prickly yellow plants. Were it not for the moss covered forest floors, I might have wondered if we had landed ourselves in New Mexico instead of Ireland.

Tomie’s Wood is the bit of fairytale forest that circles the mountain by the same name.

The walk descends a long way down these mossy stairs and to a waterfall that is running out into Lough Leane, the biggest lake near Killarney.

It was almost warm enough to swim! (not really!)

But we did play for a bit in O’Sullivan’s Cascade.

 Bonus: Loads more photos of this walk in the Google+ album.

Other walks this week: A walk with horses and A walk at Devil’s Den. I always love seeing where you are walking! Show me by tagging your photos with #48walks.

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We met my mother-in-law, who came all the way from Hawaii and rented us a gorgeous house in Killarney with the most beautiful views!

The owner of the house left us the most divine lamb stew and brown bread for our first night there. When we discovered that she owned a pub in town with her family, we made a beeline to eat there. So yummy!

We hiked for miles and miles. Seeing waterfalls and mountain tops.

We drove the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, soaking up all the cliffs and coastal views.

And exploring older than old ring forts!

We saw about one million lambs.

And about one gajillion moss covered stones.

We climbed Carrantohill Peak, the highest mountain in Ireland!

We saw mist on the mountains and more lakes (loughs) than I can count!

We played in the sand along the Wild Atlantic Way!

We celebrated Palm Sunday, Maundi Thurday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday together as a family, mostly in the car and on trails. And even in airports.

It was strange not to be in Arkansas for these holidays but it’s also the first year I can remember that we have had Holy Week together as a family with Taido not working at a church. I alternated all week between missing our regular rituals and enjoying the freedom.

Mostly, I was super grateful for such a precious week with our kiddos. I’ll be sharing more of the hikes and walks we did over the next four Mondays, so check back for more Ireland photos!

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I am sad to say that I did not visit a single place on my list of sights to see in Dublin.

I don’t regret for a minute that I spent the bulk of my time in Ireland on a tour of the Wild Atlantic Way, because it was the trip of a lifetime, to be sure, but I simply hadn’t anticipated how TBEX would fill up the rest of my time in Dublin.

If I had really wanted to have time to see the city, I should have stayed a couple more days after the conference.

However, I was more than anxious to get back to my sweet family, so I made peace with the fact that I was simply going to have to come back.  In fact, the idea that we can easily visit Ireland while living in Scotland is something we’ve discussed at length around the Chino House over the last couple of  weeks.

Though I didn’t get to wander the National Gallery or walk the hallowed halls of Trinity College, I did spend a good bit of time walking in the city back and forth between where I was staying and the hotel where the conference was held.  It took me an hour to get there (more when I got lost), which was longer than I had anticipated, but grew to enjoy.

I saw much of the city this way, not always taking the same routes, and at all different times of the day.  Early in the morning, the sleepy city would still smile and nod.  Late at night, people were laughing and teasing one another.  In the middle of the day, the city center was packed with people, their coming and going so quickly that I would practically get knocked over if I stopped for a moment to admire a sweater in a window or consult my map.

Later in the day, street musicians filled O’Connell Street and Temple Bar. Crowds and music spilled out of pubs as the day turned into evening.   Dublin is so full of life, and I imagine I could watch for a year or more without getting tired of it.

After my days of walking the city, I got enough of a feel of the place to understand why my friends, who come from there, love it.  I was thinking of how I couldn’t wait to tell them how wonderful I’d found their home country when I was walking home my last night.

I was still glowing from the warm fuzzy feelings you have when you say goodbye to new friends and promise to see them again soon.  I was walking slowly and watching people pour out of cabs and into bars and nightclubs.

My backpack was overly full of flyers and brochures from the conference, pieces of paper that I should have tossed, but could not yet be sure I did not need.

I looked down and realized my phone was dying.  My primary source of navigation in the dark, I looked around and wondered if I should pop in somewhere and charge it for a few minutes.  Then fortuitously, Taido texted and asked how I was.  I texted back that I was walking home and my phone was dying.  Take a cab, he texted back.

Yes, I thought.  That’s what I will do. I was ready to get home.  I had to pack up and get to the airport in the morning.

I flagged down a cab and hopped in.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had the happy circumstance of flagging down the most hysterical cabbie in all of Dublin.  I laughed the whole way home.

I climbed the four flights of stairs to the apartment and fell into a chair to have a visit with my darling hosts, whom I had hardly seen all week.  It was strangely refreshing to talk to two people who have no interest whatsoever in blogging or social media after a week of being immersed in it.  We talked for a while about the conference and about their week.  They had bought a car and were headed to pick it up the next day.

I was starting to gather my things to head to bed when I realized that I had left my coat back at the hotel, which was in the exact opposite direction of the airport. We all deliberated for a bit about how I could get it back before stumbling upon the idea that I could ride a Dublin Bike to the hotel early in the morning to get it.

It might be a little tight, especially if I wandered at all, which I am prone to do, but if I got up early I could get there and back before I needed to leave for the airport.

There are Dublin Bike Stations all over the city, where you can pick up a bike with a card (which I borrowed from my hosts) or you can buy a three day ticket for two euros.  There was a station right outside the apartment.

I woke up earlier than usual, anxious about having plenty of time.

Out into the barely lit streets of Dublin I went one last time, and there was one lone bike left at the station.  Happily, I checked it out with the card, popped my backpack in the basket, and off I went!

I had not gone two blocks before I realized how happy I was to have left my coat at the hotel.  The city was beautiful in the early morning light and the streets were practically empty.  I was giddy, laughing as I spun by the now familiar churches and towers.  Something about being on a bike makes me feel like I’m ten years old, no matter how often I ride one as an adult.  And Dublin Bikes have both baskets and bells, which is about all you need in life when you are ten.

I started singing.  Yes, singing.  And smiling.  And just loving every minute.  Down the center of O’Connell Street I flew, nodding to homeless people and a street musician just starting to set up.  Up and over the bridge and around Trinity College, whizzing past the same bars I’d seen the night before, now quiet.

At some point I thought, I don’t even care if I find my coat, I’m so happy I got to have one last spin around Dublin.  Along with, Why haven’t I been riding a bike all week?

I pulled into the hotel, skipped into the lobby, collected my coat and was back out again.  Way ahead of schedule, I went back through St. Stephens Green, a lovely park near Trinity College, complete with flower beds, a playground, weeping willows, a pond with swans and lots of benches for late night chats between lovers (some were still there) or indulging early morning reveries.

I parked my bike for a minute and had a visit with the swans.  I saw loads of swans while I was in Ireland and I never got tired of them.  There is not much in life more exquisite than a swan on a pond.  We had seen them just outside our dining room at Harvey’s Point in Donegal.  Our guide, Josephine told us that it is illegal to kill a swan in Ireland because of the Children of Lir, and then she told us this ancient Irish story.

Long ago there lived a king called Lir. He lived with his wife and four children in a castle in the middle of a forest. When Lir’s wife died, he married again, but his new wife, Aoife, thought that Lir loved his children more than he loved her. Aoife was jealous of the children and of the love Lir had for his first wife, so she took the children to swim in a lake near the castle, and there she turned them into swans.

She went back to the castle and told Lir that his children had drowned. Lir was so sad he started crying. He rushed down to the lake and saw no children. He saw only four beautiful swans.

The children were swans for nine hundred years, spending three hundred years in Lough Derravaragh, three hundred years in the Sea of Moyle and three hundred years in the waters of Inish Glora.

After nine hundred years, they turned back into humans and a monk (some even say it was St. Patrick himself) sprinkled holy water on them.  Then they fell to the ground and the monk buried them in one grave. That night he dreamed he saw four swans flying up through the clouds. He knew the children of Lir were with their mother and father.

I sat a minute longer in St. Stephen’s Green, watching the swans and thinking of King Lir and his children.  And of my own sweet husband and children whom I would soon see.

Before riding back to the flat to collect my luggage and catch a bus to the airport, I said a little prayer of thanks for nine perfectly wonderful days in Ireland, for all I had learned and for the people I had met. And most especially, for the happy misfortune that had led to my spending my last morning in Dublin on a bike.  In this park.  With these swans.

More about Ireland? I wrote previously about the Irish people and about Adventures In Ireland.

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Linking up with Bonnie for Travel Tuesday!

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I still have one or two more stories to share from my time in Ireland, but I thought it would be fun to just do a random assortment of pictures today for Instagram Travel Thursday.

Linking up with this group of fun travelers has been a highlight of blogging from Europe for me.  It is how I first found Tina, who did my first Expat Interview here on the blog yesterday,  so I was thrilled to meet a few of the other #IGTravelThursday gals in Dublin.  So fun!

Pictured above: Katja of Skimbaco, who lives in Sweden, but is currently in Italy speaking at another blogging conference.  Satu of To Destination Unknown who is living in Norway but is originally from Finland. Stefanie of Azzurro Diary, who lives in Italy but is from Germany and Alyssa of Vagabundus who is from the US but is currently wandering the world with her boyfriend.

This is a city street shot in Dublin.  I loved getting to know this city by wandering around on foot.  I didn’t get to see nearly as much of Dublin as I wanted to, but I had an adventure or two while I was there (sharing my favorite Dublin story on Monday), and now I can’t wait to go back!

The Dublin Spire is in the distance of the city shot of Dublin, but here it is close up.  I appreciated being able to orient myself around Dublin by finding the Spire in the distance, but my taxi driver told me in very colorful language that it was a huge waste of money that the country doesn’t have.

We had such uncommonly good weather on our tour of the Northwest of Ireland that I didn’t mind that it rained a lot of while I was in Dublin.  I was inside for a conference for so much of the time that I was happy to get outside and find I had not wasted a sunny day.

The doors of Dublin.  Oh my goodness.  I could walk around Dublin for a week and only take pictures of doors.  Love.

We stopped into lots of super charming pubs in Ireland.  This one is called Slattery’s and they have Michael Collin’s jacket framed on the wall.  Super fun.

I am not a huge beer drinker, but you have to drink Guinness in Ireland.  It tastes better there.

Pictured above: I had more than one drink in a pub, as well as many adventures with these two precious gals who were are on my same tour of Northwest Ireland, Stacey and Tammy.  They both work for Travel + Escape in Canada.

This is the wall of a night club in Dublin called 37 Dawson Street.  Somehow, the after parties of the TBEX conference always seemed to end up back here.  I went one night with Tammy and Stacey, and I was mesmerized by this wall of chairs and lamps.

So, I did see a little more of Ireland than the sweeping cliff views all along the sea.

Pictured above: Our guide along the walk to Banba’s Crown on Malin Head.  She is warning Peter Parkorr, as she did many a photographer that day, to back up from the edge of the wind swept cliffs.  She pointed out a cross along our walk where an unfortunate tourist had fallen to his death.

But seeing the Northwest of Ireland was the highlight of my trip for sure. Its wildness is still calling to me when I look through pictures.  I find I keep looking for a window to go back.

The post Snapshots of Ireland appeared first on Alison Chino.

What comes to your mind when you think of Ireland?

If we play that word association game where I say red and you say apple, what would you say if I said Ireland?

Green.

Castles.

Cliffs.

What else?

Red hair, maybe.

Guinness, of course.

Pubs.

Friendly people.

If we played this game for an hour, I’m not certain you would ever come up with the word I now associate with Ireland.  It’s a word that makes me think of Colorado.  Or the Canadian Rockies.  I associate this word with riding rapids and barreling down snow covered hills on skis.

The word is…

Adventure.

I know, right?  Who knew?

But in just a few days in the Northwest part of Ireland, in County Sligo and County Donegal, I had as many opportunities for adventure as I have every summer on our family trips out west in the US.

Here is just a sampling of what’s on offer for the wild at heart in Ireland:

Hiking along a pristine seashore that tells ancient stories

Stand up paddleboarding on a river

Riding a boat that dips back and forth on large Atlantic Ocean waves

Seeing dolphins in the wild beneath soaring cliffs

Jumping in the ocean to swim alongside the dolphins

Climbing those same cliffs, the highest ones in Europe and looking out onto the very place that only a few hours ago, you were swimming

Taking a forest walk to a waterfall and sharing the path with the local sheep.

Driving as far north as you can go in Ireland and feeling the wind knock you over when you get out of your car.

Hiking in that wind to the most northerly tip of Ireland, standing where so many people began a journey to a new world.  Wondering at their courage.

I absolutely cannot wait to return to Ireland, and this time, to bring my family.  I am certain that surfing lessons and long walks on the cliffs are in our future. Our guide told us that to walk the entire rim of the Slieve League cliffs  takes about five hours and there’s a hostel at the end where you can find a warm meal and a bed to sleep in.

Who’s coming with me?

BONUS: Here’s a video that beautifully captures all the adventures we had in the Northwest of Ireland,  from Julien of Travel-Vox, one of the bloggers on our trip.

Traveling in Ireland : discover the wild Atlantic northwest coast ! from travel VOX on Vimeo.

Looking for more about Ireland?  Like my Facebook page where I am sharing this week about the lovely places I stayed and the delicious food I ate.  Or you can also follow the Pinterest page I am using as a virtual scrapbook of our time in Ireland.

For part of my time in Ireland, I was a guest of Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.  They took me around and showed me their favorite things in the Northwest, but all opinions are my own.  Thanks also to Paddy and Patrick, our boat captains, Perfect Day Surf School, Slieve League cliff guides, Auriel of Seatrails Walks, Sligo Tourism and Inishowen Tourism.

The post Adventures In Ireland appeared first on Alison Chino.

Perhaps you have been told at one time or another that the Irish people are friendly and warm.

You might have also heard that Ireland is sometimes called the Land of A Thousand Welcomes (Cead Mile Failte).

But before I actually went to Ireland, I didn’t understand that this phrase is not just a slogan.  It’s a way of life.

Friends, believe me when I tell you that from my wanderings in Ireland, I will remember the Irish people more fondly than any castle or cliff.

My experience with how warm and welcoming the Irish can be began before I ever set foot on Irish soil.

When we moved this summer to Aberdeen, Scotland, we decided that Taido should come early to find a place to live.  A couple from Ireland, who had only just themselves moved to Aberdeen, welcomed my husband in, gave him a place to sleep and food to eat. They didn’t even know him. They had heard he was coming and needed a place and they were ready and willing.

When I arrived with the kids a week later, Kevin and Claire had lunch laid out for us and Claire said something to me that has now become a familiar phrase.

She said,

You are very welcome.

Just a few days later Kevin and Claire would have us again for dinner and entertain us with histories of Ireland. We were all enraptured with Kevin’s storytelling. Claire would occasionally add in a detail or correct some part of the story. Their rhythm was consistent and mesmerizing.

When they heard that I was to come to Ireland, they called friends in Dublin and told me to cancel my hotel.

At this point, I just assumed that Kevin and Claire were the two kindest people on the planet.  I had no idea that when I went to Ireland, I would encounter an entire country of people like Kevin and Claire.

Let me try to tell you briefly about just a few.

Friendly Folks I Met Along The Way

New friends who let me stay at their flat and invited me to their party on my first night in Dublin, after which, I fell asleep warm with the afterglow of conversations, sincere welcomes and 20 new dear folks in my heart.

A taxi driver who said Good Morning! cheerfully as I paraded down O’Connell street with my luggage and a thrift shop keeper who helped me find a vintage Irish wool sweater and gave me a history lesson all at once.

Josephine and Letty, who ran my tour through the Northwest of Ireland and anticipated my every need. Letty noticed when I was fretting over things happening back at home and Josephine made me fall down laughing with her wry wit and knowing looks.

Deirdre McGlone, who gave us the welcome of a lifetime at our hotel in Donegal, said to us that you arrive at Harvey’s Point as guests, but you leave as family.  It sounds like a cliche a hotel might use, but when you meet her, you cannot doubt her sincerity.  Especially after you have heard her tell the story of how she came to the hotel as a young girl, just looking to get a little money together to dance on the weekends, but fell in love.  Now she and her husband, who is also the chef, run Harvey’s Point and consider all the staff to be members of their family.   She is the picture of formality in her black suit and heels, but she only has to speak a word or two before you feel as though you could be fast friends.

Jane and Myles were all smiles and welcomes, even though we arrived late to a meal they prepared for us at Shells Cafe.  Their story of coming to the seaside village of Strandhill to run a cafe and bakery together is one of many similar tales I heard of folks cobbling their dreams together in Ireland to make a life for themselves out of their passions. I love it when people are so clearly doing what they love.  Their eyes shine and they welcome you into their little corner of perfect with the hope that you will see and appreciate it with the same passion. You want to go with them down a country lane to pick blackberries, just so they will keep telling you their stories.

The sincere welcomes of the Irish people are infectious.  When someone smiles at you, you naturally meet their eyes with a smile of your own.  This might explain why I met so many people along the way who had come to Ireland to visit, and then decided to stay and make it their home, such as surfers who came to County Sligo for the waves, and then stayed and set up shop in town, giving lessons.

I could have listened for hours to Margaret of Glencolumcille, who runs a historical folk village that takes you back in time to see what life was like for those who lived in this small fishing village years ago, perched at what seems to be the very end of the world.  She made me feel as if she could not wait for us to arrive, pouring us tea and giving us bits of homemade cake.  She is holding dearly to the arts of spinning wool, knitting patterns and weaving stories into living things, memories preserved for generations to come. There is not a single object in the entire historical village that she could not touch with a smile and tell you a story about.  People from the area are bringing their own memories and keepsakes for the village, so that Margaret can hold onto their stories for them.  When you meet her, you know you would be happy to trust her with yours.

And lest you think people were only kind to me because I was on a press trip of sorts, an opportunity for everyone along the way to gain some bit of publicity for their local business, let me just mention that on an afternoon in Dublin when I was particularly exhausted from a daunting conference schedule, I wandered into a little bakeshop.  It was late in the day and they were about to close, but I asked for a cup of tea and sat down to soak up a minute of quiet.  I needed to plug in my dying phone and write in my journal.

Even after my tea was long gone, the owner came over to me and touched my shoulder, Take your time.  She said.  No need to hurry.  She was cleaning up and putting things away and she didn’t want me to feel as if I might should leave.  She anticipated that I might feel that way.  There is an amazing sort of grace about having someone meet a need that you have not yet acknowledged to them.  To do that for a stranger requires an open heart, a willingness to love without the promise of its being returned.

I was overwhelmed by her kindness.  I marked it in my journal as one of the tender mercies I am always trying to record.

And then it happened to me again that night.

After I finished at the post-conference happy hour, I caught a taxi home.  I asked the driver a little about his life in Dublin and he asked me about my travels in Ireland.  As we went back and forth, I kept forgetting the names of places I had visited.  Why, you’re like a goldfish! he said, Forgetting everything just after you’ve gone away!

I laughed.  It was true.  Without my notes, I was useless, but anyway, I’d had a wonderful time and I loved Ireland.  And I want to bring my family back here when the kids have a school holiday.  He told me to forget about the holidays, just take them out of school and bring them.  You only get one shot at this life, he said.  You can’t worry about things like school.  Again, I laughed and said that maybe he was right.

When he pulled up to the flat where I was staying, we had been talking so much that I hadn’t dug out my keys or my money.  I was a little bit flustered, digging through all my junk and he told me not to worry.  To take my time.  Then he said he would wait until I was inside the building before he left just to make sure I was alright.  It was dark and there were some people hanging around the outside of the building.  He anticipated that I might need a little extra looking after, again, a need I had not spoken aloud.  I thanked him and said goodbye.

I know that I experienced my share of the 1000 welcomes of Ireland, but I can’t wait to go back.  To see the people again that are now in my heart.  And I know I will encounter new smiling faces and sincere welcomes.

For now, I feel in my own heart some of the welcome that has been extended to me.  I am inspired to be the kind of person who anticipates the need of a stranger or is willing to invite others into my passions, whatever the response.

I have more to tell about Ireland.  I had some unbelievable experiences (I swam in the ocean with dolphins!), but I can tell you for certain that what will draw me back to Ireland is the Irish.  Go for yourself and see if you do not feel the same way! I promise you will come home and find yourself wondering when you can go back to spend more time in a land where every time you walk through a door you are more than welcome.

Have you ever been to Ireland?  Tell me, did you receive your share of a thousand welcomes?

For part of my time in Ireland, I was a guest of Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.  They took me around and showed me their favorite things in the Northwest, but all opinions are my own.

 More about Ireland? I also wrote about Adventures In Ireland and about A Happy Misfortune in Dublin.

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