Tell us why YOU want to experience the ‘Wild West’ of Ireland, and you might win a free 9-day trip there, courtesy of Wild West Irish Tours and WOW Air. Get the details!…

Now that I can finally get to post, I will simply say that I am interested in a summer tour of Ireland to see the land of my ancestors.  Simple as that.

thanks and I hope I win the contest.

Tell us why YOU want to experience the ‘Wild West’ of Ireland, and you might win a free 9-day trip there, courtesy of Wild West Irish Tours and WOW Air. …

I discovered this article about the Potato Orphans. Its a story about young girls orphaned during the Famine and sent as wives or maids to Australia. …

Every couple of years this man would come to Loughrea, County Galway and set up shop on the footpath outside Molloy's Harp Bar on Main Street. He was an itinerant blade grinder, or knife sharpener.

Folks would get wind he was in town and quickly a queue would…

Now I am in the public-house and lean upon the wall,

So come in rags or come in silk, in cloak or country shawl,

And come with learned lovers or with what men you may,

For I can put the whole lot down, and all I have to say

Is fol de rol de rolly O. – Yeats.

                It’s probably a wince-worthy cliché to begin with a Yeats, but I feel that I must. The songs of Ireland have long since compelled me to dance to their rhythm; the fluting of Yeats and…

“Ah, my darlin, surely you've got the map of Ireland on your face.”   He always dropped his “g’s” when speaking. Perhaps it was still a hint of Ireland in his voice.  

As a boy, he along with enough…

When visiting the West of Ireland, consider making time to explore County Leitrim.  This lesser-known gem is the homeland of my ancestors, and I first traveled there in 2008.  In addition to the beautiful countryside, lakes, and waterfalls, County Leitrim is home to …

The Wild West of Ireland

 All my life I have yearned for and felt a calling to visit Ireland-The Emerald Isle.  And although I am hundreds of miles away, I’ve always held Ireland and my Celtic roots passionately close to my heart. It is my sincere desire for this trip to become a reality-and then my heart will finally have its rest.

Our family roots are from Clifton County, Galway (Riley). These roots were passed down…