Travel Memories:
Traditional Irish Thatched House

The thatch roofed houses peppering the sea of emerald grass fields seems so oddly reminiscent of another era but yet are actually still found in areas all Ireland. Landing on the Aran Islands off of the west coast of Ireland is like taking a full leap into a small and traditional pocket of intensely Irish culture; Irish is their first language and the traditional Irish céilidh on the weekends counts among the best Irish music jam sessions I have ever heard…although some of it is done …

In an effort to add some regularity here, I’d like to start a weekly post called “Monday Travel Memories.” A photo and mini story from current or past travels…perhaps a neat person I’ve met along the way, or a photo that has a bit of a story but not enough for a full blog post…or perhaps just a random memory.
Monday Travel Memories: The Sheep of Connemara, Ireland

Ireland is one of those countries that I just can’t help describing melodramatically; the country just speaks to my …

It’s the peat. Ireland just has this certain something that makes the country feel incredibly unique; a something that I couldn’t quite identify for the first three weeks I spent in the country.
I’ve concluded that if Leprechauns, fairies and the such exist, then surely they all congregate in Ireland’s “Wild West.” From Galway City I drove through hours of brown-speckled hills weakly lit with the few and tiny bits of sunshine able to wrestle from behind gray rain clouds and drove into the heart Connemara.
And just for the …

Affectionately referred to as “Irish mothers’ milk” by some and “the pint that drinks like a meal” by others, Guinness is a cultural right of passage on a visit to Ireland…and as a fiercely Irish yank (although to be clear, I’m not actually a yank…but in Ireland, if you’re American, they call you a yank no matter where in the states you call home) the Guinness Factory Tour was tops on my “must-see” list.
And before you wrinkle your nose and proclaim “I don’t drink Guinness,” I loved the …

The heart and sole of Ireland lives in the country’s pubs – and I don’t mean because of the Guinness, although let me assure you that plays a role. But it’s the country’s music and warm enthusiasm that keeps the yanks like myself enthralled with Ireland’s  rich history and amazing music.
I have to admit, my fondest memories from Ireland include a cold pint of Bulmers Irish cider and the bundled warmth of crowded bodies packed around the live Irish music filling the small space while a friendly local started …

Oscar Wilde described the Connemara region as a “savage beauty” – he was surely referring to the rough landscape that is largely covered with peat bogs, rocky hills, and interlocking chains of lakes. I’ve got to say, if ever there was a lonely landscape, it would have to be this region of Ireland.
To really and truly appreciate Connemara you have to get some height – as in go climb a mountain or a hill. Although the Twelve Bens mountain range is right in the area too, I couldn’t resist …

You know it’s about to be really good when a local tells you it’s his favorite drive in all of Ireland. I was cozied up to the bar at a little pub in Connemara, map spread awkwardly all over the bar top, attempting to plan a route from Galway to Clifden that would take quite a bit of time since getting there was really my only task for the day.
The bartender placed my steaming cup of soup in front of me, turned my map around to face him, and …

I walked into the small room of Kilronan’s town hall and was surprised to see that half of the town’s residents had already materialized around the dance floor while three weathered old men jammed out on their instruments. The men were stationed on the raised stage while the rest of the town chatted animatedly around the room; the smattering of tourists, like myself, filed in to the chairs lining the room and awkwardly waited for “it” to happen.
So, what is this mysterious “it” you might ask? The dancing …