I am reposting my photos from our trip to Ireland three years ago. I loved it and my heart is alway drawn to all things Irish. When you grow up in a Irish home you grow up with pride in being Irish. This time of year was always celebrated, from my dad sending my mom a bouquet of green Carnations, to wearing of the green and my mom even had a plastic green bowler hat that she always wore, beside the shamrock earnings. I hope you enjoy journeying back to the Emerald Isle.
Our first view of Ireland was from our plane as we descended. Being a quilter , I was immediately struck by the patchwork patterns of green. We landed and got our rental car, oh dear Lord help us navigate the narrow streets. Having never been to Europe before, we had no idea the streets were built more for one car than for two cars. No wonder they all drive tiny cars. We managed to drive around in circles looking for our hotel and were thankful we got the Garmin. WE loved seeing the row houses; we've seen many in the states, but none as charming as here. We finally found our hotel and dropped our bags off before heading out for a walk. It was only 9:30 a.m. but felt like late afternoon; the weather was wonderful and although cool for Colorado, we found that the 60 degree day was quite warm. Our first stop was the National Museum of Ireland; it had so many wonderful exhibits and we enjoyed the clothing exhibit dating from the 1700's-current day. No cameras were allowed inside. We loved the architecture. We also saw a furniture exhibit that was interesting.
After this, we headed to Jameson Irish Whisky distillery. It was quite interesting and I loved our tour gal. Another wonderful thing we've noticed is how many people speak Gaelic. I did find out that certain words that I have always pronounced a certain way from childhood is because of my heritage. One example is saying Fer instead of saying For, another is saying Ya, instead of Yes.
We loved seeing the butcher shops along the streets.
Colorful doors line the rows of homes. We returned to the hotel and had a salad for lunch and then took a rest. About two hours later, we went out for another walk.
I remember hearing so many speak Gaelic, something that we learned was required in the school down south. It was such a trip of a lifetime and I loved every minute; we would do things differently if we went back again~probably stay in one area and just explore the immediate villages and move to one other area. We loved the south, due to the ancestry but my heart was north due to my faith.
I will be posting more photos in the coming week, just to share a touch of the green with you.
If you want to see more photos of Ireland, my friend Pam from Every Day Living has also reposted her trip from several years ago. We cover totally different parts of Dublin and would give you a good overview of the city.
Blessings on your day!
Noreen
