“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”—Saint Augustine

I am not really sure when our sons love for pretty much anything and everything Irish began. His passion runs deep and has continued to grow stronger over the years. His obsession for the music, history, food and culture is indescribable. When he was around four…

"Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey."

John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom



For me, a trip to Ireland through Wild West Irish Tours would be not only the vacation dream of a lifetime, but also the "spiritual…

Beyond the Blue  Door ~ Dreams & Memories of the Wild West of Ireland

Nothing like a wee bit o' procrastination! When I first read about the Wild West of Ireland contest I knew that it was something I wanted to do. I had ideas of an album of photos of my travels to Ireland with captions about the many wonderful memories I have of travelling in Ireland. However, I have so many photos and…

Have you ever had a feeling of déjà vu and known it was something you can’t possibly have experienced in your own lifetime? I get this feeling often, a heartfelt pining for a time period I’ve never lived through and a place that I’ve never even visited. Many of these feelings are tied directly to Ireland in the early 20th century and onward. I’ve never been to Ireland and although I’m not about to disclose my age, suffice it to say that while I may not be a spring chicken anymore I certainly…

Sitting quietly alone, gazing out the window at the sight,

Of night’s grasp soon giving way to morning’s light.

The sun slowly rising, erasing the morning gloom

With me sitting quietly alone in that room.

Enjoying the peace and solitude of this place,

A good book in hand, feeling the rising sun in my face.

The smell of eggs, rasher, sausage and toast,

Being prepared by our gracious Irish hosts.

Suddenly out of the corner of my…

My great-grandparents came from a farm in Clongoonagh Townland, in the southern part of Sligo County, west of Tubbercurry.  They had a dairy farm.  My cousin Jackie O'Hara still runs the farm, along with his wife Ann and their grown children.  My body feels like part of my sinew, heart muscle and spirit must still be along the wee lanes and stone walls of Ireland.  There is so much to explore and experience; The Strandhill Beach, with the seaweed bath places, Rosses' Point, Tubbercurry town…

My husband and I were very blessed to go to the Wild West of Ireland 10 years ago after we were first married. To borrow some lyrics from an Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny song best describes our yearning to return to the Wild West.



My time in the Wild West of Ireland

"I am ever in your debt,

For the sights and sounds of yesterday

Are shining memories yet."



We visited the land of our fathers' faith in Ireland's Wild West,

Croagh Patrick, Clonmacnoise,…

Can you be homesick for somewhere that you have never lived ? I have visited Ireland twice in my 35 years on this earth. I remember after my first visit at 19 thinking if I die tomorrow then I can be happy because my eyes have never seen such beauty.  For me Ireland has always been a place to heal your soul, at 19 during my first visit I was healing from some health issues…

I want to return to Western Ireland for spiritual and artistic reasons. In college I fell in love with Irish literature, from the pagan/pre-medieval myths to the current day. I love Irish music, too. And oddly enough, I married a man from County Cork (we met in college). My mother’s family has a lot of Irish heritage as well. We are descended from a man who came on a ship to New York Harbor on Christmas Eve, 1847. I can only imagine what was in Martin’s heart when he left Cork and when he…

I remember the first time I learned from my father that we are Irish.  I was a little girl, not even old enough to go to school yet, and he told me that our name, O'Brien,  means that we are Irish.  I cannot explain it, but from that time forward, I was so very proud of my last name.  In the years that followed, I became more and more interested in my heritage, a past that was not shared with my father by his family.  I discovered that my father's great-grandfather had come to the United…

Visiting Ireland has long been one of my deepest desires. I have Irish ancestry on both sides of my family, but sadly very little of the Irishness has been passed down, save my red hair, a few sayings, and tall tales that are no longer credited to their birthplace, but relegated to Ozarkian culture.

As a history teacher, I include a…

Growing up in a Donegal emigrant household in the New York Metropolitan area shaped my life profoundly. From the beauty of the Gaelic language spoken in our sitting room to the wild yarns spun around the kitchen table to impromptu trad seisiuns and step dancing at parties, our rich cultural heritage permeated every aspect of our family life.

I'm saddened that my seven-year-old daughter, Brídín, has missed out on these experiences. She was born and reared in Tennessee, and although I…

My husband passed away 3/31/15. I did not need a boulder up side my head to make me realize that tomorrow is not guaranteed. But a boulder it was to be.  We had many plans but alas, that was not in the cards. I promised my husband that I would not sit in the house and wither away. What better way to keep that promise than to go to Ireland and explore? What little I know of my "roots" is my family, the Parhams, left England for Ireland. Where it goes from there I know not but it will be…

I have been to Ireland twice. But I NEED to go one more time. On my first trip my best friend and I rented a car and had the most amazing visit. But even then we knew that we weren’t seeing the “real” Ireland. By the time we got to the Blarney Castle, we didn’t even want to go in – and we didn’t. There were so many tourists and it just didn’t appeal to us. By then we had been several days into our visit and we found that what we really enjoyed…

One May we rented a house on the shore of Lough Swilly in Rathmullen, Co. Donegal, within sight of the cove that launched the famous Flight of the Earls.

Just after dawn one morning, as my wife and granddaughter slept, I grabbed my camera and car keys and slipped into sweat pants and a plaid shirt and went out the door into the fresh Irish morning. I drove north up the coast road for four or five miles then turned off onto a narrow lane that disappeared between bight…

Hoping to win The Wild West of Ireland contest.

Ireland has always held a special place in my mind and heart and fantasies.  From pictures and reading; I see Ireland as an exciting and beautiful country physically, spiritually, culturally and historically.  

Irish people are strong, hard working, romantic, talented, and witty.  I love their humor.

Celtic Woman is beyond description with my feeble skills with…

(Resurrected below are a few travel tips I scrawled to my much-loved older sister/guide a decade ago.  She prevailed upon me to enter them in your contest.  If some other lucky blokes win, perhaps they'll find them useful.)

Hey, Helen - The Ireland thing is for real.  The mistake most people make in…

The Grace of My Grandfathers

I arrived at dawn at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya jet-lagged from my 30-hour journey from San Francisco.  A battered taxi conveyed me over the rutted highway into the city and to the overcrowded matatu that would carry me several hours into the bush for three months of medical relief work with AIDS orphans. …

I am a 68 years old descendent of an of an Irish immigrant to the United States. Michael Leonard was my ancestor. He immigrated to Canada in 1829 and went from there to Lockport, Niagara, New York. He worked on the canals and farmed in Wiscosin until his death in 1861. My dream was to visit Ireland and walk the land and breathe in the air that my great greats had originated from. I have a fairly active imagination since I am a photograph, teacher and artist. 

I visited Ireland in May…