Béal na Bláth, Co. Cork, Ireland

Small stone with the writing: Thank you Michael written in blue between a red heart and a green, white, and yellow flag. In the top left of the photo is a gold coin

One of the many joys of road trips (that way offset the possibility of a breakdown, because, let’s face it, that’s just a possibility) is the freedom to follow the signpost that jumps off the road and screams, FOLLOW ME!

The Kingdom of Kerry, Ireland

Back in the first century AD when the O’Connor clan took over the tract of land between the Shannon Estuary and the Maine River, the area was known as Ciar Riagh – Ciar’s Kingdom. In today’s English, we know it as Kerry.

Sneem, Co. Kerry, Ireland

The village of Sneem in Co. Kerry is the knot (an tSnaidhm) on the Ring of Kerry. It’s a happening spot, replete with the colourful paint jobs so popular in this part of the world. Images of Burano in Italy came to mind more than once. Driving through on our way to Derrynane from Kenmare, […]

Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Kenmare, with its iconic hotels, colourful facades, and thriving restaurant/bar scene, is a gem of a town in the southwest of Ireland. It’s giving nearby Killarney a run for its money. The famous five-star Park Hotel Kenmare is a popular destination for visiting Americans. Sold recently (Nov 2023) by the Brennan brothers to California-based Irish […]

Derrynane, Co. Kerry, Ireland

There’s no better beach in Ireland, he said, than the white sands of Derrynane. It was a wet day; that damp wet that is so singularly Irish. It wasn’t really raining, not enough for an umbrella, if we’d had an umbrella. Instead, it was an all-encompassing mist that infused the damp into your bones. We […]

Robertstown, Co. Kildare, Ireland

The year was 1784. It was the year the Grand Canal came to this part of Ireland. The artificial waterway was first conceived in 1755 yet the 127 km route from Dublin to the River Shannon  (Shannon Harbour, Co. Offaly) wasn’t completed until 1804. A barge navigating the full route has to pass through 36 […]

Clongorey, Ireland: Eviction Walk

Local history tours are a great way to learn more about where you’ve landed, what shaped the place you’re in, and what made the people as they are. Driving to Newbridge, in Co. Kildare, I spotted a sign for an Eviction Walk in a place called Clongorey. It’s a road I’ve driven many times before […]

The Curragh of Kildare, Ireland

In Co. Kildare, south of Dublin, on the way to Limerick, heading down the M7 from Naas, you pass a large expanse of common land that stretches for almost 2000 hectares (5000 acres). Guy Williams has an interesting take on how the Curragh came to be.

The Grand Canal, Sallins, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Colourful green canal boat tied up on the grand canal in Sallins Co Kildare

There’s a romanticism about living on a houseboat, especially on blue sky days. Coffee on the deck (am I getting the lingo right? ). Sunnies on. People watching. The Grand Canal in Sallins, Co. Kildare, is one of Ireland’s picturesque houseboat spots.

St Brigid’s Garden Well, Kildare, Ireland

February 1 is St Brigid’s Day in Ireland, the day when we celebrate one of our three national saints. St Brigid was some woman for one woman. So much has been written about her and  her life that each time I read something I learn something new.