The others climbed down to the beach, and I had my "moment" of arrival in Ireland: "This is where it all began!"  It was so beautiful I felt the tears just well up.

On the Second Morning of our tour, we traveled to Coney Island...( and yes, Coney Island in New York is named for her!)  Our guide Martin Byrne serenaded me with Maguire's March, in honor of my Irish Language Teacher here in Richmond, Denis Maguire.…

In October, we spent time traveling in Ireland via a tour from Wild West Irish Tours in October, a prize for winning last spring's "The Wild West of Ireland: You Won't Forget Your First…

I cannot Thank Gerry Regan, Michael and Trish of Wild West Irish Tours and the staff at WOW Airlines enough for the trip of a lifetime!  I've been without Internet access, and will be getting together with Dan again over Thanksgiving to retell the trip to family and friends and get our pics together ... I was able to get some great shots before my camera quit, and luckily Dan was able to get what I did not. I'll also be showing him how to upload and attach pics to e-mail!

BUT THE…

Thanks to everyone who posted good wishes on my win of the Wild West of Ireland Tour: Kathryn Ann, Fran, Bit, Angela and anyone else I've neglected to mention.  A special thanks to Ger Regan, Mike & Trish of WIld West Irish Tours, Jon Ragnar Jonsson and all the others at WOW Air who are helping to make this happen.

My mother has decided that it's just too much for her to travel across time zones.  My sister and both my aunts had…

I often tell my friends that the only way I'll ever make it to Ireland is to win the Lottery or to write the great Irish-American Novel. I am disabled, and on a limited income, so there's very little chance to save up for something like this. If I go to Ireland I would like to take my 78 y.o. Mother for the mother/daughter trip of a lifetime. I would like to give her the trip that she and my Grandmother had always hoped to make to my Great-Grandmother’s home. I remember my Great-Grandmother.…