Melissa5

sunny16: Only in Ireland do you get to have the whole bowl of cream!!! (Or any real cream at all.) The Cliffs of Moher captivated my whole family, and I don't know about you, but many of my important memories involve food. I remember what I ate at important moments.

Melissa5

CowboyCraic: Thank you for sharing the memory of your magical moment so vividly I feel I am in the cottage with you all, having a whiskey, hearing the music.

Melissa5

JOHNOD: Your ggg grandfather definitely made the same walk. I had a similar feeling when I walked through the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, especially the very old Palm House, where my beloved Irish grandmother used to walk in her teens with her sisters, before she emigrated to "Americay".

NEDSIRELAND

Finding, visiting and praying with a 106-year-old first cousin of my late Mother in her village in County Mayo. Delia was the same age as my Mother who died at age-95. They grew up together although they lived about a mile apart.

Melissa5

Shadow, Bob, and xyz99: We'll look forward to hearing all about your trip highlights upon your return. Have a wonderful Irish time!

Anybody else want to describe <b>one magical moment of Ireland that still delights your soul and lingers in your memory?</b>

bellini

Sept 1998 Invited to stay with a friend who lived on Long Island off the coast of SW Ireland. We arrived at Schull Harbour after dark to sail across to the island in a tiny little boat with outboard motor (the sort you see on the park lake). Noel, our friend, was keen to set out, even though the sea beyond the harbour wall was living up to its name of Roaring Water. A fisherman stowing his catch in a deep freeze cabinet by the jetty wall advised us not to attempt the trip. So we trooped over the road to the only hotel and booked in for the night. As we opened the door to our room, Noel, in his inimical way, announced quite seriously, &quot;You'd not know they spent thousands recreating this genuine 50s feel&quot; Next day we literally bounced across the waves to reach Long Island and 3 days of magic. My first taste of Ireland. Latest trip report at www.xanga.com/urbino

mpkp

Our time in Ireland was cut short by a death in the family but my favorite time was the private walk on the burren we had with Shane Connolly before we got the news. It was an absolutely gorgeous day weatherwise and he gave depth to just looking at it -- the archaeology and the history of the place as well as information about some of the plants. Came away with a real appreciation of the burren. The privaate tour was worth every euro and I would not hesitate to do it again!

SharonG

When I got off the plane and walked into the airport and saw all these people who looked like me (Irish pink skin) smiling and welcoming me to Ireland. I knew I had come home.

enzian

Melissa5, I'm afraid I don't remember the name of the Dingle pub---that was 10 years ago! All I remember is that is was a small place, not one in any guidebooks. It was on our route from Foxy Mike's back to our B &amp; B. I might be able to figure it out from a Dingle map. But for me, the singing was the magic, not the place. I guiss I would say I felt &quot;blessed&quot; on my birthday, and yes, welcomed in my ancestral homeland, by a total stranger.

CowboyCraic

Melissa,

You must journey to Inis Mor and stay at least a few nights in order to appreciate her special magic. I know many people who only go over for a day trip but I could never do that. It would be like giving short shift to a visit to a favorite aunt or uncle. I make it a point to return to her shore every year when I go back. Alas, I am not traveling over this summer and I am feeling melancholy, at best.

Thank you for your kind words and I am glad that you were able to find yourself in the picture I painted with my words.

Slan Beo,

Bit

kathcoll

In 2001 I visited Donegal with a couple friends. It was my third trip in three years (and I've visited many times since!)On that trip I met up with some internet friends who took us to enjoy a night on the town.
The musical evening in Hudibeg was a dream come true - a perfect evening. Wall-to-wall people listened as musicians shared a tune, and challenged each other to explore the soul of Irish music. This is entertainment of the purest kind...laid back, informal, and just for the sheer pleasure of it! I'm not sure what the special occasion was but there were 18 musicians sharing in the fun. We were treated like old friends - even passed around a drink coaster and got invited to other pubs where some of the musicians were playing later that week. We spent each evening traveling from pub to ceili and loving every moment of the week spent in the small towns of Donegal!
http://travel.webshots.com/album/17885608yTEvXUfVuM

Melissa5

CowboyCraic: I know exactly what you mean...I felt the same way about the little islands around Ireland...Inis Mor is the same as Inishmore, one of the Aran islands, in Rick Steve's guidebook? I just looked it up.

When I planned our trip to Ireland, I had considered a day-trip on one of the various islands, including the Aran Islands. I decided that with a day-trip we would miss the true atmosphere of the little island, which only occurs after the day-trippers have gone &quot;home&quot;! So we skipped the little islands. But on our second trip to Ireland I want to select one of those special islands and spend several nights there. Maybe it will be Inis Mor...

If I get to Inis Mor I will listen for the echoes of your music!

Melissa5

Oh, kathcall, now I long more than ever to explore Donegal on our second trip to Ireland! Thank you for sharing. I will have a look at your album...after I make dinner...

Melissa5

mpkp: Sorry you got news of the loss of a loved one during your trip...always sad and you never know when... I'm glad you enjoyed the Burren with Shane Connolly. I had considered hiring him as a guide...but my biologist husband decided he'd rather explore on our own. I think we would have really enjoyed meeting Shane Connelly. We loved the Burren too...

Melissa5

bellini: That sounds like the beginning of a story which could become a classic in literature. Your writing is very evocative.

Melissa5

NEDSIRELAND: I don't know what is more amazing...that this wonderful Irish woman lived to 106...or that you found her! I loved County Mayo especially because it has so many peaceful areas, with fewer tourists...it is beautiful... and when you want something more lively you just head for Westport, County Mayo.

I purposely included County Mayo in our first family trip to Ireland because it ISN'T on any of the MUST-SEE lists... Plus my husband's great-grandmother came from County Mayo.

maryann1212

I have to agree with the folks who wrote about Inis Mor. We took the ferry from Galway and rented bikes. We rode all over and eventually climbed up to the Black Fort to look over the cliffs. It was windy and chilly the waves were crashing against the cliffs. We concluded the afternoon with a pint at one of the local pubs.
Good Craic!!
Mary Ann

Celiaanne

Great, interesting post! It seems Ireland somehow makes all its visitors idenify with whatever Irish is in them. I had the same experience when flying into Shannon in 1967 and saw Ireland for the first time.

I find it interesting that many of the posts have nothing to do with &quot;things&quot; -- gorgeous sights, fabulous hotels or unforgettable meals. So many are about how the person felt a connection to their roots. I wonder if this would be true if recalling magical moments from other countries... Just a thought.

I heard Liam Clancy remark once that the Irish seem to have a greater sense of &quot;place&quot; than some others. This certainly seems to be reflected in many of the songs.

CowboyCraic

&quot;A sense of place&quot; there you have it! On my first trip to Ireland, I felt that sense of belonging almost as soon as the tarmac came in sight. When I stepped off the Ferry in Kilronan on Inis Mor, it felt as if I had stepped through a portal in time to a life lived a century ago. I knew that tiny island as if it were my own back yard from my first step off the Ferry.

It is indeed the people over everything else which makes Ireland most memorable. I just received an email from the Dempseys, from whom we rented a thatched cottage for a week last summer, with a picture of their dog and her new pups. We email constantly and they have become like family. It is walking into Doorly's pub after a year's passed and being welcomd as if it were only the night before, with your drinks set on the bar without any need for request and the regulars gathering around for hugs and handshakes. It is the Ferrymen who greet you with &quot;The Cowboys have come back!&quot; and the pony cart drivers from the year before who kept track and knew you were coming and were waiting for you at the dock. It is Festus O'Flaherty, himself, one of the van drivers on Inis Mor, who ran down the hill to catch up with us and hug us around the neck, all the while exclaiming his good fortune at having been there upon our return.

The scenery and the ruins, that I have photographed and working into a book, all have their place, to be sure. The sense of History, its struggle and success, are found in solid form in those places but it is the history that you encounter in meeting her people that stays with you the longest.

I have a poem which I wrote and perform often, the last line of which is perfect for this thread:

My soul feeds upon the remembering of a Fragment in time.

Slan Beo,

Bit Devine
Cowboy Craic

maureencol

I lived a short time as a child in my granny's home in Co. Sligo. I went back for a visit 3 times with my parents as a teenager and always felt like I was &quot;home.&quot; After getting married and having children and struggling just to pay the bills, I never had enough money to go home. I would dream of being on a plane on the way and then wake up....I would dream I was there and looking for my granny's house and couldn't find it. Then, in 1982, my cousin was getting married and my husband sold his car to pay my way. I took my youngest son, who was 18 months old at the time, with me. The memory I will always have in my heart is looking out the window of the airplane and seeing my Ireland below draped in mist with the green fields peeking through. As my son looked out the window I told him..that is the land of your people, that is the land of your soul.

Thank God, I can now go home once or twice a year. But that time was special and will stay with me always.