Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Uncategorized

  • Country Roads: Travel Goals

    Detours are what you make of them. My husband has a no back track rule. He doesn’t like out and back journeys. I don’t know why. In his view, we can go out of our way as long as it leads to somewhere we haven’t already been. I, on the other hand, am paradoxical. I…

  • Neighbors come calling: Travel Goals

    When you rent a farmhouse in county Leitrim, Ireland you expect a fair amount of pastoral beauty. The iconic green hillsides, the wild flowers and of course lots of sheep are part of the experience. Having been in Ireland several times prior, we knew what to expect. On our last adventure we spent a month…

  • Echos of the Past: Travel Goals

    As a person completely fascinated with history, Ireland is a treasure chest waiting to be opened. Every town and field has a story to tell. People care about their past and work to preserve the historical record. Nowhere is this more evident than in the town of Ballina, where we experienced the Jackie Clarke collection.…

  • Donegal Country: Travel Goals

    It is our first trip into County Donegal. I am not sure what to expect after hearing songs and reading travel advice. For me the reality is both lovely and underwhelming. Donegal is beautiful without question. But it is not substantially different than other areas of Ireland. It has unrelentingly beautiful scenery and yet perhaps…

  • Along the Cladagh: Travel Goals

    Sitting at home this morning and arranging photos from a recent trip to Ireland, I sorted pictures taken from County Fermanagh. We stayed within a few miles of the border with Northern Ireland and found ourselves in Fermanagh several times during our trip. It rained a lot during our stay so the grass was green…

  • Derry Girl: Travel Goals

    I love the television series “Derry Girls”. The sitcom follows the antics of five friends during the 1980’s in Derry, Northern Ireland. It makes light of coming of age in a town rocked with sectarian violence. Five friends rely on each other as the struggle to make sense of a world that makes no sense.…

  • Not According to Plan: Travel Goals

    I am an early riser. I love the morning hours when the light is diffuse and the first notes of birdsong fill the air with promise. When we travel, I putter around the house with my coffee. I read, I write, and I explore options for the day. This means that I check the weather…

  • Cavorting in Cavan: Travel Goals

    “As I walk the road from KillashandraWeary I sit down For its twelve long miles around the lakeTo get to Cavan townThough Ougher and the road I goIs a scene beyond compare”- Cavan Girl On the words of a song and an attempt to avoid the rain, we head to Cavan. The lake country is beautiful.…

  • Pilgrimage: Travel Goals

    From a modern perspective, it is hard to envision a time when religion completely dominated the landscape. Yet in Ireland the past is everywhere. It is hard to cross a field without noticing some remnant of religious life. From Neolithic tombs to abandoned monasteries, religious architecture is hard to miss. As a historian, I understand…

  • Ennis on Adrenaline: Travel Goals

    Landing in Ireland is always a little magical. I always know there is a fine misty morning awaiting. The first shiver of cool air and a breath of soil and sea welcome me home. Ireland is in my dna. I have never lived here, but if memory can be passed down through generations then something…