Ireland
I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing Ireland on 2 separate occasions. The first was a whirlwind 2-week adventure through the country. Taking off to take on the narrow streets of Ireland heading to 9 different cities and driving more than 750 miles was an undertaking to say the least. The 2nd time was a short stop off to connect with friends and even then, this country consumes you. The culture, countryside and most of all the amazing people….driving on the other hand is a different story.
I’m not sure who measured the roads out there, but I don’t think they actually measured for cars…or at least not for 2 at a time. Then there is the lack of actual signage. I mean the highways are amazing, but when you want to get to the small town of Wicklow it gets much more interesting. To say the least I got lost so many times that once I got to a town I would just stop and ask if they could point me in the right direction. This direction often was drawn out and had the pinnacle turns designated by bar locations. I don’t think I ever met anyone who gave me street names, just the bars to make rights and lefts at. Gotta love it!
After the small town of Wicklow I headed on to Killkenny and then down to the lovely Cork. After going from city to city, Killarney was a welcomed change of pace filled with pure natural beauty, and could be one of my favorite places in Ireland. The landscape was awe inspiring, especially when you arrive in time for sunset and watch as the sky is painted pink behind the mountains, reflecting back up from the glass lake. Breathtaking doesn’t begin to capture it. From there I took a long day of driving and heading up to Galway, Cliffs of Moher and the Kylemore Abbey (my favorite!!). It was made even better by the sheep scattered around the roads. They didn’t seem to fear the cars, but when I came at them with a camera it definitely sent them running for the hills. They cracked me up!! Heading into Belfast, I didn’t really know what to expect. I mean you hear so much about the negative connotations that are associated with this city, but in reality they have made a lot of big measures to repair their image, starting with the Titanic Museum. Seeing that the Titanic was constructed in Belfast and it was the first point of departure on its maiden voyage, it only makes sense that they honor the legacy….especially in time for the 100 year anniversary. And they did an amazing job! It totally fed into my slightly obsessed fascination with Titanic since I was 15 and the movie came out…..I have posters, documentaries and scrapbooks to prove it.
Overall Ireland is an amazing country filled with lavish greenery, tons of sheep, epic castles, narrow roads, the friendliest people, and most importantly landscapes that make a photographer’s dreams come true.
