One for the road...: October 2008

My Visit to Ireland 2008, with some “Fintan Facts”

Meeting the Family
I can’t remember being so nervous for anything in my whole life as going to meet Fintan’s family-on my own! I went to Ireland a week before Fintan (He had a show in Amsterdam before he met me in Ireland). My nerves were wreaked…

Arriving in Dublin: Meet the Parents: Meet the Family
His parents met me at Dublin airport and I knew that I would like them from the first introductions. Fintan’s family made me feel at ease and really made me feel like part of the family right away…for which I am so thankful. When I met Fintan’s brother John, his wife Orla and their 4 kids, they were so wonderful to me; made me feel right at home instantly. Carmel was no exception…I am really happy that they all are my new family. I could not have been more blessed.

Day Trips with Anna May
Trim Castle
Anna May, Fintan’s Mom, took me for a few lovely day trips during my first week in Ireland. Stop number one…my first real castle! We went to Trim Castle. I could not believe how huge it is. It is the remains of the largest Norman castle in Europe. It is dated back to the 1100’s. I cannot imagine living in something that large and cold looking…must not have been very comfortable to say the least.

Fintan’s Facts: Trim Castle was in the Mel Gibson movie “Braveheart”. The castle is overlooking a fording point of the River Boyne.

Hill of Tara (Seat of the Ancient High Kings of Ireland)
The next day trip was to the Hill of Tara. We had perfect weather to go walking around Tara. I loved it…not only because it is an ancient monument with a beautiful view…but to my delight it is also a sheep pasture! Peaceful sheep roaming around as I look on at the Dumha na nGiall (Mound of Hostages) and the Lial Fáil (Stone of Destiny)…couldn’t have been more storybook like for me.

Fintan’s Facts: In Irish, Teamhair na Rí, meaning "Hill of the Kings” is located near the River Boyne. The neolithic passage tomb, Mound of Hostages, dates to ca. 2000 BC. The Mound of Hostages has a passage way that is aligned with the sunset on the astronomical cross-quarter days of November 8 and February 4.

After we had finished walking around Tara, Anna May and I enjoyed a long chat in the sun, drinking tea and a latte at a coffee shop at the bottom of the hill. I couldn’t ask for a better soon-to-be-mother-in-law, she is such a lovely woman. I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend alone with her…I see why now, after meeting Anna May and Eugene (Fintan’s Father) why Fintan is such a good man.

Hill of Tara

Mound of Hostages

A Beer with Eugene
Eugene is one of those people that you can’t help but to look up too. He is very intelligent, a scientist none the less, yet approachable. He told me some wonderful stories about Fintan growing up and I really appreciated my time getting to know him.

A Fairy Land of Castles
Ireland’s castles are amazing…there seems to be a castle every 5 miles! And I made Fintan stop at nearly every single one of them. Some are ruins and some are fully furnished. Some you can rent for weddings and others do tours through them. Some all that is left is the watch tower and some are in immaculate condition. All are equally impressive and dreamy. I fell in love with each and every one of them for different reasons.

The Rock of Cashel

Slane Castle

Bunratty Castle

Pucker Up! Muuaah!
Probably one of the most famous castles that we visited was Blarney Castle, home of the famous Blarney Stone. I had to kiss this stone, as I am very shy and this kiss promises to give me the gift of eloquence. I’m not sure how soon this will kick in…but I am waiting patiently.

At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. Tourists visiting Blarney Castle may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. Photographs are taken of the "magic moment". So yes I did partake is this cheesy tourist attraction (and yes I did get my picture taken during this “magic moment”)…but can you blame me? I mean even Winston Churchill kissed this stone, so if it is good enough for him…

Fintan’s Facts: The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The ritual of kissing the Blarney Stone, has been performed by "millions of people", including "world statesmen, literary giants and legends of the silver screen”.

I can feel the words coming!

Hiking with Carmel and Fintan
You’ll be fine!
Fintan, Carmel (Fintan’s sister) and I went hiking up Slieve Foye, the mountain behind the ancient sleepy fishing village of Carlingford. It was the most strenuous hike I think I have ever done. We hiked up a rocky steep mountain side…and then down a way that led us through weeds over our heads, super spiky picker bushes and 20 ft drops! I must say I felt quite accomplished after that hike and it was well worth it for there is an amazing view in all directions, across the Irish Sea to the East, to Ulster and Northern Ireland across Carlingford Lough, a big sea inlet just north of us and Southwards across County Louth and the coast towards Dublin.

The Guinness and steak dinner we enjoyed afterwards helped me to relax my nerves and have a good laugh about the whole thing! This hike really embodied sweat, blood and tears for Fintan and I…not so much for Carmel who is in excellent shape and treated it like a walk in the park. I am looking forward to the next challenge Carmel!

And you know what? Fintan was right…I really was fine.

Carmel and Fintan

Carmel and I

Lovely View

St. Patrick’s Church on the Hill of Slane
We visited St. Patrick’s Church; which is an old ruin that you can still climb the steep old steps to the top. Carmel and I climbed it to the furthest point that is still standing. There is a lovely view from the top (Fintan’s Fact: across five counties)…and my fear of the huge spiders in Ireland made climbing the steps all the more adventurous! (These “house” spiders are so huge they cast a shadow…I kid you not!)

Carmel and I

Malahide Castle
This castle is a beautifully preserved castle that you can take a tour through. Fintan, Carmel and I took a tour through it. I loved seeing the fully furnished castle…it helped me to visualize what the other castles must have been like in their day. The castle is set on 250 acres. The Talbot family who owned the castle lived there from 1185 to 1973, when they sold it to the Irish Government and moved to Tazmania! How amazing is that; for one bloodline to live in a home for so many generations?

This castle has 5 ghosts haunting it! To find out more about these ghosts visit http://www.malahidecastle.com/malahidecastle/ghosts.asp . I didn’t get to see one while we were on tour, though I had my fingers crossed. Though after developing the photos, we may have found photographic evidence of ghostly figures...I'll let you decide.

Kinsale: 51° 42′ 23.4″ N, 8° 31′ 30″ W (it’s a nautical town after all!)
Is it normal to fall head over heels in love with a town? I’m not ashamed; I fell in love with this town. Kinsale is my dream hometown. Fintan and I stayed in the most romantic and beautiful B&B’s which helped add to the allure of the place.

Kinsale is one of those places that you can describe all day, and make it sound absolutely lovely, but unless you go there to experience it in person you will never fully appreciate how wonderful this little town is.

We had a full Irish breakfast every morning…and amazing food every night for dinner. I can just imagine walking down to the street food market to get fresh foods for the rest of the week. This is where I want to be in 20 years. I’ve put it in my Life’s Goals List…so it is done and decided. Plus it is home to Fintan’s 2 favorite pubs so I don’t think he will be too hard to convince.

Fish and Chips

Fintan fact: Fintan once lived in Kinsale for over a year and describes Kinsale as “a small drinking village with a big fishing problem.”

Fintan's Favorite Pub

Fintan's Second Favorite Pub

The Old Head Of Kinsale

Ghost Tour
During my visit to Ireland, I was determined to see a ghost. So Fintan got us a ghost tour through Kinsale late one evening.

This ghost tour was anything but scary, in fact, it was quite hilarious! The guides were so funny; they were very entertaining. This was such a fun way to spend the evening.

Charles Fort
This fort is beautiful. It has everything…historical buildings, green green grass, and located on prominent position overlooking all of Kinsale Harbour. The weather was so nice and the day so relaxing that we walked to the fort. It was a beautiful walk on the way to a beautiful destination.

Fintan’s Facts: The fort was built between 1677 and 1682 to replace the out of date James Fort on the other bank of the river. It is called Charles Fort because it was build at the order of King Charles II of England, who was also proclaimed King of England in St Multose Church in Kinsale by Price Rupert, The nephew of King Charles I. 339 years ago the same King Charles II also founded the School where Fintan and his brother and sister went to school in Dublin.

Newgrange
Newgrange is an ancient burial structure dated from the historic Celtic era of Irish history constructed circa 3,300 BC; it is more than 500 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. It’s central chamber is illuminated by the sun each year (weather permitting) on the morning of the winter solstice; which also happens to be my birthday, December 21.

We were able to take a tour into Newgrange. It was quite amazing…carvings from ancient times and carved graffiti from later dates mixed together to make an interesting cohabitation of generations. Newgrange was one of those places that makes me stop and think, I can not believe how blessed I am to see this in person.

Ancient Carvings

Galway
Boulder is to Denver what Galway is to Dublin; a little artsy town not far from the big city. So you can imagine how nice this town is…I could have easily spent a few more days here discovering what it has to offer (however I can say that about every place I visited in Ireland!).

Fintan and I enjoyed champagne and fresh raw oysters during our stay here. And they were so good, as oysters are one of my favorite foods and champagne one of my favorite drinks. :)

Cliffs of Mohr
These cliffs are quite impressive. They are so beautiful. Fintan and I bought sandwiches and had a picnic lunch on the steps of the cliffs.

Fintan’s Facts: The cliffs rise over 700 ft above the Atlantic Ocean! Mat Lauer visited these cliffs on day 2 of his “Where in the World is Mat Lauer” 2007 TV special on the Today Show. There are 300 million year old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs.

I was really hoping to see some Puffins, but no joy. Maybe next time I will get the chance to see these super cute, colorful birds.

Inis Mór: Dún Aengus
This was by far the most amazing location in Ireland for me. I really felt alive and internally happy at this fort on the cliffs. The whole island of Inis Mór was beautiful but the cliffs had me completely mesmerized.

This place embodies natural beauty and peace, for me. The cliffs here refill your spirit instead of drain from it. They reminded me that I have blood pumping in my veins, a heart that is free, a brain that is still creative, and a soul that will always find wonder and beauty in my surroundings.

We rode bikes on the island and had a picnic of sandwiches and cider at the bottom of the cliffs. The weather was so perfect…we even got a sunburn on our faces! Fintan assures me that this is very lucky in the autumn while in Ireland.

Fintan’s Facts: The fort on the cliffs was built during the Bronze Age and dates back to 1000 BC or before. Part of the cliff has collapsed into the sea below.

Tree Pose in High Places

My Love
Meeting Fintan’s family and friends was such an important opportunity for me. His family is wonderful and his friends are very kind and welcoming. I would like to thank everyone for being so nice to me, inviting me into your homes, and for taking the time to meet me. I was so nervous and you all helped me to feel like I belong…and that was very important to me as you all mean so much to Fintan. It was very nice to finally put faces to all of the names Fintan talks about so often.

Fintan is the most wonderful person to spend a holiday like this with. He makes everything so special and important for me. I am so blessed that he is the man that I get to spend the rest of my life with…no other man could compare to him. He is in a league of his own…and he is mine. I love him so much. He is so full of passion…he puts everything he has into everything he does. He lit up my heart and he made my life. Thank you baby for such a wonderful holiday, I will remember it forever.