"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 geography of my destiny" and a quest to understand my family roots.

More important, it would fulfill a promise to my son to take him to Ireland some day. That promise was made more than 20 yers ago. Now he is 29 and I am 66 but we haven't had the means to travel there yet. We had better hurry up!

Why Ireland?? My son and I have always identified with our Irish half, much as we love our other ancestors as well. We are true "Wild Geese" who want to come home. My son even added his great great grandather's name to his middle name in grade school (Barry). As for me,

is in my soul as well as my genes. I dreamed of green landscapes and blue seascapes before I ever saw photos of Ireland and wrote poetry and believed in mystical things before I even read Irish literature and lore.

I discovered our Barrys came from County Leitrim in the Wild West of Ireland. Then I met Mike and Trish, owners of Wild West Irish Tours, several years ago at the Irish Embassy in Washington, DC, I started following their Facebook page and dreaming of going on one of their tours. They told me that in Ireland I could expect "expect great things in simple places" and "what is seldom is wonderful." I like their emphasis on small, intimate tours that explore nature and inspirational places. I don't want a commercial tour, I want the real thing-- I am a wild goose, after all! I am also a writer and my son is a photographer and videographer so we would like to bring Ireland home to other wild geese!