Category: Ireland

  Understanding Northern Ireland is in many ways understanding Ireland. In fact, the existence of Northern Ireland is a story that dates back before 1601 and you need at least a passing understanding of that history to understand what happened in Belfast in the 1960’s which grew into what they call The Troubles, a sectarian,…

  We only stayed in Cork for one full day and most of that time we spent in Blarney visiting the castle but we had a couple of nights walking around and enjoying the town. Cork was quite a bit larger than the towns we had been visiting along the west. Second only to Dublin…

  When we first arrived in Ireland we were both excited to visit Skellig Michael, the island in the extreme southwest of Ireland used in the new Star Wars trilogy where Luke Skywalker was hiding. But movie location aside, it’s a spectacular place to behold with an ancient monastery built 600 feet up sheer rock…

  Killarney ended up being one of our favorite towns of the trip. A small town of under 15,000 people, but large enough to have loads of things to see and do without being overwhelmed by tourists or college kids. Easily walkable, with access to a national park, a castle, an abandoned abbey, and great…

Galway is in many ways a traditional small Irish town but it’s also a college party town. The national University sits at the bottom of town and you can feel its influence throughout the general vibe of the city. It feels young and energetic. But also just flocks of drunken teenagers in skimpy clothes drinking…

I grew up wandering the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in western West Virginia, the most ancient mountain range in the United States, formed 480 million years ago, once as tall as the Alps, worn naturally over the millennia slowly down into a vast system of hills with low peaks. The land is so ancient…

  Admittedly, we chose a strange time to visit Dublin. First in after covid restrictions lifted, so the crowds were less, but the city had not adjusted back to the usual party pub Dublin. The first half of our stay, there was no indoor dining or drinking. The city had adapted to outdoor seating and…