IRELAND 2005

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During the month of April 2005 I was lucky to be able to spend the entire month touring Ireland. Having been made aware of my Irish heritage since the earliest days of my life I had always wanted to see Ireland but knew that I would not be able to do it correctly unless I could dedicate considerable time to the trip. A month was about right although I did not get to see everything I wanted to see. That said, I experienced many things that I had not anticipated. Among those were the beaches. I was totally unprepared for the quality of beaches that Ireland has, especially those on the Dingle and Donegal Peninsulas. The Irish people are very proud of them and seem to take great care to not trash them. Waterfalls were another surprise though in retrospect, given Ireland's reputation as one of the rainiest places on earth, I guess they shouldn't have been. I had been warned about driving in Ireland but nothing anyone said could have really prepared me for my first experience at driving on the left and on many roads that have not been widened since they were used by horses and wagons. Given Ireland's booming economy and the number of huge trucks and busses, sometimes it seemed miraculous that anyone gets by them. But the biggest surprise was the Irish people. I had been told and I had read much about how friendly they are but there simply are no better people anywhere. The U.S. accent and the Alaska connection were good conversation starters but the depth and length of some of the conversations were incredible. Simply saying "hello" to someone on the next stool at a pub could result in a three hour laugh-fest with people who my friend Maggie McQuaid says "have mastered the science of conversation." Getting the last word was impossible but it was great fun trying. It wasn't just in the pubs where this occurred. Clerks in stores, bus drivers, tour guides, and anyone else I came into contact were some of the nicest and most helpful people anywhere. People running the B&B's where I stayed were eager to discuss the areas where they lived and give advice on places to see. I found that many Irish people are unwilling to discuss what they call "The Troubles" with Northern Ireland in public but would discuss it with great passion in the privacy of their homes.

I found very few Irish people who had not traveled outside of Ireland and most of them had been outside many times and for extended periods of time. They are a very world-wise people and are very concerned about the state of the world today.

I was there when Pope John Paul II died and was astonished at the humor this overwhelmingly Catholic country displayed while at the same time mourning this man who most of them have a picture of hanging prominently in their homes. One particularly funny bit was when someone pointed out that the new Pope moving into the Papal quarters immediately after being made Pope was "another example of a German moving quickly to take over previously occupied Polish territory."

The pictures will show some of what I saw. I shot over 2700 digital images in the month and will be working on them for a long time. Here's a sample. Click on the thumbnail to see an enlarged image.

The tiny Connemara village of Glentrasna where my grandmother was born.

Pete McCarthy said you should never pass a pub with your name on it. This one in Clifden was closed when I was there.

A big rugby match in Galway on my first full day in Ireland. I got sunburned badly watching it without a hat.

An Irish woman visiting an ancient cemetary on Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands off the coast of Counties Galway and Clare in the west.

Not every road is like this but there are a lot of these. Not much room for modern modes of travel.

The beautiful town of Doolin in County Clare. Called the Traditional Irish Music Captiol of the World, three pubs have music every night of the year.

The spectacular Dinle Peninsula. I was completely surprised by the beautiful beaches in Ireland and there were a number of them here.

Portsalon Beach in northwest Ireland. It has made a number of "Best Beaches" lists.

There are some great waterfalls in Ireland. This one is Eos Falls.

A "Famine Grave" in Skibereen. Nine thousand famine victims are buried in that patch in the middle.

On the cover of Pete McCarthy's book, Pete is in the doorway and a nun, with a Guiness in her hand, is sitting where I'm sitting.

Looking south along the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare.

This tomb is in an area called "The Burren" in County Clare and is said to be over 5000 years old.

Statue of Tom Crean, a hero of several Antarctic expeditions in the early 1900's. Behind him is the pub he built after he retired and came home.

Updated May 29, 2005

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