Self-portrait with beach, and camera
Have I mentioned we were in Ireland? (Insert the emoticon with the big dopey grin here!)
Of course, I’ve mentioned it. And clogged up the internet with photos to prove it!
I love that blogging is not only a way to communicate with you but a way to communicate with the future me, the me who has a tendency to forget the small, perfect moments of a day.
My blog acts, in part, to capture thoughts, emotions, and experiences, so I can come back and visit them, and myself, again. So, I’m going to do this one final post about our trip. It’s sort of a “best of the rest” of the trip, beyond Penn State, Yeats, weaving, and ancient sites.
We’ve been to this splendid country before and have done what we wanted to of the obligatory tourist attractions. That meant that, this time, we could walk on paths less traveled.
And we especially found ourselves on beaches. You have to love an island country, where you’re never far from the sea!
We found lots of moments of quiet beauty that slowed our steps and haunt us.
And we had chances to relish those moments that are quintessentially Irish.
Thanks for allowing me to share so much of this trip with you! Angela, from A Silver Voice of Ireland, gave me all kinds of input. Perhaps her best tip was about the creation of the Wild Atlantic Way, a new approach to seeing Ireland while staying near the coast all the way! We followed it for many miles.
I’m so glad you enjoyed your visit to Ireland. I love it when people visit where I live and enjoy it so much.
We’ve enjoyed it enough to visit 4 times! The country is beautiful and the people are, too!
Ah thank you 🙂 , even after 4 times you’ll probably still feel the need to visit again 😉
Wonderful photos, each one is so beautiful, I am glad you shared them with us 🙂
Thanks for looking at them! There’s something about sharing photos that makes me view them differently myself!
Beautiful Pictures!!!
Thanks! It’s easy to get a good photo on a beautiful place!
Shamrocks taste like limestone with a hint of granite.
😉
Oh, so they taste like real rocks? Not sham rocks? (yuk, yuk!)
ha, I already was under the impression you were quite fond of Ireland….now I know for sure;0) What marvellous photos!!! I could almost smell the sea too..the only downside of Cincinanti is, that it is too far from the sea. I miss that!!!
Charley agrees with the Kerry Blue Terriers ( or am I mistaken in breed?) A pint of beer is delicious! Thank yuo so much for sharing your vacation album.
I don’t know what kind of dogs those were but they so well behaved and cute! And their “parents” did share the Guinness with them!
Love the colourful doors and houses, and the donkeys! I’m a big fan of donkeys too 🙂
One of the cool things about Ireland is all the animals, everywhere. I have photos of us interacting with so many different creatures!
I too have been to the emerald isle but it was a long time ago. thanks for the trip back.
We hadn’t been in a long time and were surprised at how much it’s changed! The remote places don’t seem so remote anymore and we saw far less in the way of high-quality knitwear and wovens. But it’s a still a lovely land!
Your photos take me there! Ireland is definitely on my to-see list. I love the coloured doors.
I’ve taken photos of those colored doors on all of the four trips I’ve made to Ireland–they never get old for me and there are many of them!
What gorgeous photos of that beautiful country. It is definitely one place I would love to visit. xo Laura
I hope you get there–there’s no end to the beauty!
My Gaelic heritage stands up and waves fondly at those beautiful images! I swear there is nowhere in the world as vibrantly green as Ireland! And don’t you just love the British Isles where you can’t take your kids into the pubs, but you can take your dogs 🙂
We saw lots of kids, babies even, in the pubs in Ireland–do you think the rules are different in England and Scotland? I think it might be a good thing for kids and dogs to be welcomed–maybe it helps everyone act more civilized!
Children are allowed into pubs in Ireland until 8pm, I think. After that, they are just for the adults!
We loved Ireland, too. Of all the places we’ve visited, that was one that we felt like we could just … stay … Funny that Taos, SO DIFFERENT, is another of those. And believe me, we haven’t felt that way often.
I haven’t been to Taos but I know what you mean about Ireland–I found myself noticing “for sale” signs and thinking “Hmmmm . . . I could live there.”
Beautiful. What did you bring home to remind you of Ireland?
Very little, this time! We’ve been other times and brought home a ridiculous number of Irish sweaters and tweeds–and they’re all still in great shape. We did buy some cotton/linen yarn, to weave with.
I love the photos, especially the beaches. You picked a very good time to visit, as right now we are having rain and stormy weather!
We commented almost every day about the very fine weather we got! It’s a fine place to visit under any conditions but, I have to admit, I prefer a sunny day!
My parents tell me that there was unusually good weather in Ireland almost for the whole summer and for September, ye were lucky!
Wow! Those beaches! I had no idea Ireland had such sandy, glorious beaches, I guess I envisioned all rocky coast lines. The one of Dunfanaghy is my favorite — those rolling green hills and lovely blue water make it seem practically untouched. Glad you shared your adventures with us (and your future self!). I also tend to use my blog as a travel diary — helps keep things straight long after I’ve forgotten the details.
Gorgeous photos and wonderful memories. Like you, I relish the chance to remember special moments in my blog: I’m writing for myself as much as any potential audience. If anyone else enjoys the post – as I have yours – it’s a bonus
I love that attitude! Sometimes I get too hung up on worrying about stats and reader preferences and forget that I started this for me!
Gorgeous, gorgeous scenery. And a good Guinness to go with it.
It was all gorgeous, with hints of drama and sadness. The beach photo you commented on was taken at Maghera beach. There are caves there, where Irish people tried to hide from Cromwell’s troops. But they were discovered . . .
Gorgeous pictures – we went to Donegal in the summer, the beaches are stunning and your post brought back some nice memories. Didn’t see any shamrock crisps though, would have loved to try those!!
Thanks, Joy! We just love Donegal, everything about it.
A blog does work so well as a combination photo album and journal. What did we do before the internet???? As always, marvelous photos…love those pub pups!
I have an app on my iPad for writing a personal journal and I’m very proud of myself that I’ve been vigilant since I retired 3.5 years ago. But I don’t use photos on it so the blog gives me that extra element (and helps me remember–that’s not getting any easier these days!) One of the things I like best about Ireland is the animals everywhere! I’d say people are much more into dogs than cats but I love seeing the dogs in the pubs.
Oh my gosh, don’t stop, don’t make this your final Ireland post, I WANT MORE! I love the beaches, the images are beautiful. I had no idea, I mean yes I had an idea but not about the beaches, don’t cut me off now!! Find another Ireland theme to share, please!
This is a lovely post, series of posts. Thank you for taking the time to go through each image and label them and write the details, just wonderful!
You’re so sweet! I’m so happy you liked the Ireland photos–and, yes, the beaches are a surprise, with water the color of the Caribbean and expanses of untouched sand. It took us an hour of slogging through huge grassy dunes to reach one beach and, because that was the only way to get access to it, we had it to ourselves. Sigh–I wish I was there right now!
Those beaches…wild and wonderful… xxx
Yes, indeed. Does England have comparable beaches? I know Cornwall made me think of Ireland but I haven’t really been anywhere else in England.
I’ve been enjoying reading about your travel adventures and breathtaking photos of Ireland so much! Were you making yo-yos in a pub?
Thanks for letting me know you’ve enjoyed all this! I made yo-yos on and off on the trip but, no, in all honesty, I didn’t actually sew any in a pub. I have a rule about sewing while intoxicated! 😉
ok, the deal is sealed. I will go there 😀
I can’t imagine you’d ever regret it!