On November 21st, 1998, I returned from the most romantic, mystical, eye-opening, wet, friendly, beautiful and green country I have ever been to in my life. There is no doubt in my mind that I will return soon! All the photos appearing on this page were taken with my Kodak camera.
I loved the whole experience. But if I had to sum it up and express my feelings, I would start by saying that Galway City was my favorite place. Why? Because of the people, the pubs, and the live music. There is also a rumor going around that Galway City is rapidly growing, and that job opportunities are good at the moment. I like the layout of the city - it's very centralized, making it easy if you want to do some
shopping, or pub crawling.
My favorite pubs were Taaffe's, where I met many people from all over Europe, and took in a lot of live music; The Lisheen where the music was even better and where I saw some set dancing; and The Quays where we took in a live ska band and did some dancing of our own. The company was great everywhere - I met Kathryn from Maine, Silke from Germany and Henry from Galway, and they will never be forgotten.
The sights were amazing. In these, I include Glendalough, the ride from Barna into Galway City, the Aran Islands, the Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, and Wicklow County in general. All of these had quite an effect on me, they made me feel a connection with the land. When I think of them, I can't help but feel like it's where I really belong. Their sight have awoken my heart, and I am yearning to be back there again.
In my search for information on the Rose of Tralee festival which takes place in Tralee, Co. Kerry, I've discovered that the requirements to be a contestant are that you have to have Irish decent, have a great personality, be willing to spend a week in Tralee in August, and be between the ages of 18 and 25. I was hoping to enter in this festival, but I am just outside of the required age bracket... However, I'm still considering obtaining an EEC passport - I wanted an Irish one, but my grandfather was born in Liverpool. A British passport would still allow me to reside and work in the Republic of Ireland. I'm currently considering visiting the east coast of Canada as well, and scoping it out as a possible place to live and work, as there are many similarities between the maritimes and Ireland.
Alot of people have commented that I'm brave to do or to have done this trip all alone. Well, I don't know if I've measured up to the title of Kelly the Brave, as I sit here wrapped up in my Aran blanket, or at my desk at work, and lose myself in thoughts of Ireland and how much I'd like to be there. The experience of travelling alone was such a good one that I'd recommend it to anyone who's ever considered it.
I think the last line in the movie Hope Floats (it played on the flight home from London) applies to the trip as a whole, and to every portion of it as well:
"Beginnings are scary and endings are always sad.
But it's the middle part that counts.
You have to give hope a chance to float."
