Greetings O'Kossacks! Irish history is filled with saints and sinners, warriors and poets, scholars, singers, storytellers, patriots and rogues. According to Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization, we'd all be speaking Visigoth if it weren't for the Irish.
But you don't have to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick's Day. Whether it's wearing green, dyeing rivers green or even drinking green beer, everyone's welcome to celebrate in their own special way.
Inspired by Khloemi's response to my comment in her lovely Pootie Diary, I took a sip of Jamesons and decided to post my first diary - to share some of the beautiful photos from our 2007 trip to Ireland. Warning: if you've never been to Ireland, these photos are bound to make you want to go. If you've been, you'll want to go back.
Take a short break from politics, HCR, Deem and Pass and all the stresses of the day and follow me.....
To explore his Irish heritage (and Irish pubs), my youngest son decided to spend his junior year spring semester at University College Cork. Not to miss an opportunity, we joined him there for 10 amazing days in April 2007. This was our first trip to Ireland. Two things struck me right away. First, I have never met friendlier people. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was ridiculously nice. Second, it really is green. I have never seen so much green, so many shades of green. The weather was perfect every day - not a drop of rain or a cloud in the sky. The nice Irish people assured us that this was highly unusual.
We began our journey in Dublin where we were warmly welcomed by a snarky Oscar Wilde:
We soon ended up here:
Where we had some of these (can you find the shamrock?) Guinness for Strength!
We traveled south by train to Cork. Did I mention how green Ireland is? They don't call it the Emerald Isle for nothing.
UCC Campus:
In Cork, they are partial to Murphy's:
The artistic town of Kinsale was a treat for the eyes.
No drinking for us the night before we drove the winding narrow road around the spectacular Ring of Kerry - though it might have made driving on the "wrong" side of the road a little less nerve-wracking:
On our last day, we visited Blarney Castle. A fear of heights and germs kept me from kissing the Blarney Stone - but my older red-headed son did!
Our final stop - Jameson's Whiskey Distillery. In Scotland, it's whisky. In Ireland, it's whiskey and it's triple-distilled!
We'll return someday - but our memories will have to serve til then. If you enjoyed the pictures, forgive me my newbie diary mistakes and treat yourself to a pint! If you think this was a waste of space, treat yourself to a pint and reconsider!
He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. --William Butler Yeats
Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone... Sláinte!