Companion Itinerary:
–Ennis | County Clare, Ireland
-Shannon Airport
–Ennis Friary
–Clare County Historical Society Museum
–Treacy’s Hotel West
Ennis on Adrenaline: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary
–Quin Franciscan Friary County Clare
–Knock Shrine County Mayo
Pilgrimage: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary:
-Irish Farmhouse halfway between Manorhamilton and Kiltyclogher
Home Away From Home: Travel Goals Ireland
When we travel, we try to rent locally. Ideally, we find a property that has been in the family for awhile. I look for local hosts who have great reputations. We avoid corporate rentals. I love spaces that feel lived in. I want local connections. But it is hard to make a selection from photographs…
Companion Itinerary:
-Manorhamilton, County Leitrim
-Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim
You know you are in Ireland when….
Ireland may be one of my favorite places in the world. I feel at home as soon as I step off of the plane. From the moment I hit the concourse I instantly know I am on the Emerald Isle. Certain things are unmistakably Irish. People are greeting each other on the turd (third) of…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Sligo Drive
–Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery
–Strandhill Beach, County Sligo
–Knocknarea
-Strandhill Flats, County Sligo
-The Strand Bar (fish & chips)
-Mammy Johnston’s (icecream)
– Killaspugbrone Loop Trail
—Glencar Waterfall County Leitrim
-Manorhamilton Town Festival
Not According to Plan: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Cavan Drive
–Cavan Town
-Farnham Arms Carvery
–Cloughoughter Castle
–Cavan Burren Park
Cavorting in Cavan: Travel Goals Ireland
“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.…
Companion Itinerary:
–Sligo
–Sligo Abbey
–Penneys Sligo
–Yeats Society Sligo
–Rugantino
-Sligo County Museum
–The Model
Sligo in the Rain: Travel Goals Ireland
Sometimes in Ireland the rain sets in. There is nothing to be done except to find an umbrella and sing. We find ourselves in Sligo on such a day. Using our trusty Google Maps, we find a large parking lot near the town center. So we arrive at Sligo Abbey only half drenched. The ticket…
Companion Itinerary:
-Irish farm, halfway between Manorhamilton and Kiltyclogher
The Shearing: Travel Goals Ireland
When we travel, we prefer to stay local. We found a family farm that was willing to rent us the old homestead for a month. Our host and his father Desi, were wonderful “neighbors” and kept us connected to the community. So when Desi invited us to the annual sheep shearing, I assumed that it…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Fermanagh Drive
–Marble Arch Caves – Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
–Florence Court │ Northern Ireland
–Tullydermot Falls County Cavan
Along the Cladagh: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Derry Drive
–Derry
–Tower Museum
-The Derry Girl Experience
–Derry Walls Walk – ramparts top and dry moat
–Free Derry
-The Dungloe
–Malin Head
-Hell’s Hole
-Devils Bridge
Derry Girl: Travel Goals Ireland
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.…
Companion Itinerary:
-Kiltyclogher Town
–Seán Mac Diarmada Cottage
–St. Patrick’s Church
-The Cosy Corner Pub
An Afternoon in Kiltyclogher: Travel Goals Ireland
There is a comfort in community, ritual, and celebration. It helps us feel rooted in a place. It helps define our sense of belonging. At home, we participate with our friends and family and take our place in the community. When we travel, we often find ourselves on the fringe of a community celebration. In…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Sligo
-County Donegal
–Mullaghmore Peninsula, County Sligo
–Classiebawn Castle
–Benbulbin Mountain
-Paddy’s Place (Icecream Stop)
-Mullaghmore Beach Walk
–Creevykeel Court Tomb
–Bundoran, County Donegal
–The Chasin’ Bull, Bundoran …
–Bundoran Adventure Park
-Bundoran Shops
–The Rougey Cliff Walk
–Tullan Strand Bundoran
–Drumcliffe Church and Grave of W.B Yeats
Somewhere Beyond the Sea: Travel Goals Ireland
We visit Ireland for simple pleasures. Today was a classic Irish adventure. We took our time leaving the farmhouse. I had a nice chat with the sheep in the front yard while packing my roadtrip snacks of oranges and Taytos. Our destination was the west coast of counties Sligo and Donegal. It was overcast as…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Sligo Drive
-County Roscommon Drive
-County Leitrim Drive
–Gaelic Chieftain Sculpture
–Boyle Abbey, County Roscommon
–Lough Key Forest & Activity Park
–Acres Lake Boardwalk Leitrim
Along the Byway: Travel Goals Ireland
Some of my best days in Ireland are simply unplanned drives in rural counties. I use google maps and find an area to which we haven’t traveled. A simple “things to do” or an “attractions”tag in the search bar yields lots of options. It is how I found an awesome Gaelic Warrior statue in a…
Companion Itinerary:
–Ulster American Folk Park County Tyrone
-Omagh, County Tyrone
Origins: Travel Goals Ireland
I like to dabble in family history. I have heard and sought out the stories where I could. Scots Irish traders settle in Appalachia and meet Cherokee women. English settlers meet somewhere along the way and mingle in one twisted tree. Some branches dry up as written record and oral traditions meet. I have traced…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Tyrone Drive
–Gortin Glen Forest Park
Country Roads: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary:
-Irish Farmhouse, County Leitrim
Neighbors come calling: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Mayo Drive
–The Clarke Museum of Irish History
–Ballina, County Mayo
–Céide Fields Neolithic Site and Visitor Centre
–Belleek Woods: County Mayo
Echos of the Past: Travel Goals Ireland
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.…
Companion Itinerary:
–Céide Fields
-County Mayo Drive
Ceide Fields: Travel Goals Ireland
Once in awhile, I find myself in a place that feels timeless. I could be anywhere at all. Time stands still between the Earth and sky. At Ceide Fields near Glenurla, County Mayo, it is easy to forget modernity in favor of a simpler life. It is cold and the wind coming off the Irish…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Donegal Drive
–Glencolmcille
–Glencolmcille Folk Village
-Glen Beach
–Slieve League Cliffs
-Eire 71
Donegal Country: Travel Goals Ireland
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…
Companion Itinerary:
-St. Patrick’s Holy Well, Belcoo Northern Ireland
Mishap at the Holy Well: Travel Goals Ireland
After a long day of sightseeing at Castle Coole and Enniskillen Castle, the light rain finally stopped. On the way home, I asked to stop at St. Patrick’s Holy Well in Belcoo, Northern Ireland. I promised my husband a 99 (icecream) after we made the stop at the small pilgrimage site. Unexpectedly, we hit a…
Companion Itinerary:
–Enniskillen Town
–Enniskillen Castle
Enniskillen: Travel Goals Ireland
Some days despite my research, we reach a place and it is nothing like I anticipated. Enniskillen was busy. And it was raining…..again. All roads converged near Enniskillen castle and we struggled to find a place to park. We tried two different lots including one that merged with a school pick up line. I’m pretty…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Leitrim Drive
–Arigna Mining Experience
-County Roscommon Drive
Arigna Mines: Travel Goals Ireland
We arrive at the Arigna mine without preconceived ideas. It is something to do while staying in County Leitrim, Ireland. The woman at check in shows us to an area where we see a brief film that explains the history of the mine which was shut down in the 1990’s. We look at photos and…
Companion Itinerary:
–Glenveagh National Park
–Glenveagh Castle
–Synge and Byrne
Glenveagh: Travel Goals Ireland
James Bond is on my mind as I drive through County Donegal to reach Glenveigh National Park. It is eerily foggy as we wind through the hills. When I checked the map earlier this morning, it looked like a straightforward drive on the highway to Letterkenny and onward to Glenview. Now my husband is navigating.…
Companion Itinerary:
–Strokestown Park | National Famine Museum, Roscommon
– County Roscommon Drive
Feast or famine: Travel Goals Ireland
Inequities. The rich get richer and the poor get the scraps. Until the chasm gets so wide the system collapses. It is a tale as old as time. People get richer and over time they lose sight of the labor and infrastructure that supports them. They want more for themselves and take more from those…
Companion Itinerary:
–Raghly Cliff Walk, County Sligo
-County Sligo Drive
Nature Heals: Travel Goals Ireland
The world is in turmoil. Why, I can’t say. Much of the anger and hardship seems to be unnecessary and self induced. Manufactured crisis designed to make cold hard cash for someone….certainly not me. Old wounds ripped open to manipulate strong emotion. Ancient prejudices exploited for power. It is too much to contemplate. The world…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Sligo Drive
–Lissadell House and Gardens
Revolutionary Countess: Travel Goals Ireland
We visit Lissadell house on a warm summer afternoon. The family home of the Gore-Booths, Lissadell sits outside of Sligo, Ireland. It is now owned and lived in by Irish attorneys who allow tours to offset the upkeep. The estate had a great location with both Ben Bulben and Knocknarea mountains in view as well…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Leitrim Drive
-County Sligo Drive
-Gleniff Barytes Mill Site hike
–Gleniff Horseshoe Drive
-County Donegal Drive
–Donegal Town Shops
–Donegal Bay Waterbus
–Little Mamma’s Gelato
Donegal Drive: Travel Goals Ireland
My favorite days in Ireland are unplanned ramblings. We know we want to spend time in Donegal, but it is more of a general idea than a plan. We say goodbye to the sheep standing in the driveway and head out along rural roads. We wander remote one lane roads until we find a lovely…
Companion Itinerary:
-County Sligo Drive
-County Leitrim Drive
–Glencar Lough
–Glencar Waterfall
–Devil’s Chimney Sligo
–Lough Gill
–Slish Wood – Sligo Walks
–Hooked
Hike On: Travel Goals Ireland
When the kids said they wanted to go to Ireland to hike, we gladly rented a farmhouse. I picked a part of the country known for iconic hikes. We went earlier and spent a few weeks exploring counties Donegal, Mayo, Leitrim, and Fermanagh. It is beautiful country with miles of walking and hiking trails. We…
Companion Itinerary:
–Sligo
-Sligo Rovers
–The Showgrounds, Sligo
-Mooney’s Bar
The Rovers: Travel Goals Ireland
Of all the things we could be doing in Ireland, my our son in law wants to go to a Sligo Rovers game. I was thinking music festival or dinner by the sea. But it is their vacation and we have been here for weeks, so the local soccer game is now the plan for…
Companion Itinerary:
-Stairway to Heaven Trail, Northern Ireland, County Fermanagh
–Cuilcagh Boardwalk. – Cuilcagh Boardwalk
-Belcoo, County Fermanagh
-Maguire’s Public House
Stairway to Heaven: Travel Goals Ireland
Today we take an iconic hike in Ireland. The “stairway to heaven” or cuilcagh boardwalk trail is in county Fermanagh. It is just over the border into Northern Ireland and about twenty minutes from our rented farmhouse. I have been waiting to do this hike the whole trip. I waited until our kids arrived because…
Companion Itinerary:
-St. Patrick’s Holy Well, Belcoo Northern Ireland
-Maguire’ Public House
-Cavancarragh church ruins
Return to the Holy Waters: Travel Goals Ireland
It felt like returning to the scene of an accident. Earlier in our Irish adventure we visited St. Patrick’s well, but on the way there, we accidentally hit a curb and had a flat tire. We made it to the well and parked, but it took hours to get help. Budget rental car, from whom…
Companion Itinerary:
-Kiltyclogher, County Leitrim
–National Museum of Country Life- Turlough
–Park Inn Hotel Shannon Airport, Co Clare
Heading Home
It is a strange sensation when you have lived in a temporary home for awhile and it is time to leave. Our retirement plans include seeing the world, one rental house at a time. For this month, we have made our residence near the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is a no man’s…
Companion Itinerary:
–County Wicklow
–County Carlow
–County Dublin
May the Road Rise Up to Meet You: Travel Goals Ireland
“Hands on the wheel. Eyes on the road. Don’t overdrive your abilities.” I’ve had plenty of driving under my belt, and yet I still remember my parents advice from when I was learning to drive. (This is because Dad still gives advice from the passenger seat when I drive him anywhere, even though I have…
Companion Itinerary:
-St. Louis Lambert Airport
-Charlotte Airport
-Dublin Airport
Fly the Friendly Skies?: Travel Goals Ireland
Travel is a passion. The anticipation makes me giddy. New places and new faces call to me. There is very little about travel that I do not enjoy….except airlines. Airlines make me miserable. If there is a way to make humans more inconvenienced, more anxious, and more impoverished; they have incorporated it. I don’t fault…
Prisoner of Hopes 