my bag
before i headed to the airport
all that made it to ireland
mini-luggage
courtesy of the airline
the rest
decided it would rather
spend the night
in new york city
and show up
at its leisure.
—-
“for a comfortable journey of life,
just reduce the luggage of desires.”
― ednan ali
today i leave ireland
where i went
to find my heart again
and
while here
i found
so many beautiful hearts
all around me
everywhere i went
each
unique and lovely
in its own way
and
in the most unexpected of places.
—
“though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
-ralph waldo emerson
the river liffey
the pub/hotel
the spire
the bullet hole from the uprising
the great library at trinity college
the history – book of kells
the whimsy
—
“i go off into dublin and two days later
I’m spotted walking by the liffey
with a whole bunch of new friends. “
-ron wood
—
dublin and swords, county dublin , ireland
one day and night at the tiny fairy castle
staying in the tower
like rapunzel
with a peaceful view
and a walk by the irish sea.
—
“why should we strive, with cynic frown,
to knock their fairy castles down?”
– eliza cook
—
woodenbridge, county wicklow, ireland
the beauty
the music
the local
the peace
the old
the explorers
—
“all journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” -martin buber
—
kilarney, kenmare, muckross, molls gap, rossbehy, glenbleigh,torc falls
county kerry, ireland
for irish katie who loved the world
and
left way too early
and
for her daughter rachel
who inspired
the happy nods of her mother’s head
and
who carries on
under the beautiful light
of her mother’s smile.
—
“death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
-from an irish headstone
—
– and for all of those who have loved and lost someone dear to them
county donegal, ireland
the view of the sea
from the kitchen of
our 260 year old farmhouse
in a remotely quiet
and beautiful area
way out
on old head
through fields
to where the lusitania and its crew lie at rest
and
down winding roads
to where the sailors catch the wind
in the city of kinsale.
—
“we are tied to the ocean.
and when we go back to the sea,
whether it is to sail or to watch –
we are going back from whence we came.”
-john f. kennedy
—
old head, kinsale, county cork, ireland
flew across the world
to visit the beautiful country of ireland
and
on my journey
i went to
kinsale, county cork
where i met
one of my fellow bloggers
a wonderful woman
tric
of
who writes
with honesty
and
a wicked irish sense of humor
about
life’s ups and downs
and
how to get through it all
and
it was quickly clear
from the moment we met
that
we are long-lost irish sisters.
—
“friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘what! you too? i thought i was the only one.”
– c.s. lewis
—
kinsale, county cork, ireland
our street in cushendall
filled with flowers
and friendly locals
high tea at culloden estate filled with tradition and treats
st. patrick’s cathedral in armargh
filled with flowers and family roots
glencraig school and community
for developmentally challenged people of all ages
filled with caring and compassion
titanic exhibit in belfast
filled with history, heroics, love, and loss
—
glen outdoor school
ages 6 months – 6 years
ireland’s first outdoor school
80% + of day spent outdoors
outdoor math
nature provides their learning opportunities
and
what a pleasure it was
to talk to them and their teachers
and
to watch them all learning
from nature
and each other
with such a natural joy.
—
“in nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy:
a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace.”
― richard louv – Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
—
letterkenny, glenswilly, county donegal, ireland
I didn't have my glasses on.... 