Guided tours are not my normal way to travel. I am someone who prefers to do things on my own, with long periods in a single location leading to a relaxed pace. However, the opportunity came up to travel with Overseas Adventure Tours (OAT) to Ireland with my aunt, so I took it. OAT is…
Few things in the world are more awe-inspiring than a dramatic sea view. And few dramatic sea views are as stunning as Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher. Running for nine miles of Atlantic coastline in County Clare, and rising to a maximum height of more than 700 feet, the Cliffs of Moher have welcomed more visitors…
If Ireland indeed has forty shades of green, they can’t all be found in Dublin. Rather, to get the true emerald experience, one must leave the city behind and head into the Irish countryside. Here, despite the fact that only about 10% of Ireland’s once pervasive forests remain, the greens really begin to show themselves.…
Editor’s note: it is such a treat for me that Sam Spector and I were in Ireland at the same time, even meeting for a quick pint in Belfast. My article about Western Ireland will be coming out shortly, and it gives a great chance of comparison with two writers doing many of the same…
Editor’s note: I agree with Sam that having an experience with alcohol - or even just places they serve or make it - is an essential part of visiting Dublin. I also wrote about it, and you can read my take here. For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit his index page. While…
Today, Dublin, Ireland is a thriving, vibrant, metropolitan European capital with a population of about 1.2 million, almost 25% of the country. Yet walking around the city, history is all over. While many come here seeking its spectacular pubs or its music, the history of Dublin is an exciting one, one visible all across the…
There is, perhaps, no more famous symbol of Ireland than Guinness. The dark, almost black, stout beer has been exported to all corners of the globe, an ambassador in a glass for the country and for Dublin, its home city. And although the traditional Irish pub long predates this famous beverage - and would exist…
He wanted to cry quietly but not for himself: for the words, so beautiful and sad, like music. James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man For as long as there has been an Ireland, independent or otherwise, the art of the spoken and written word has been at its center. Walking…
Editor’s note: like Sam, I just finished a wonderful trip through Ireland. However, unlike Sam, I didn’t get a chance to stop at Bru na Boinne, nor did I even know it existed. This is why there are always return trips! For more of Sam’s amazing adventures, click here to visit his index page. Just…
It’s time to head back to Europe! Of all the places in the world, I probably like Europe best, so I am very excited to have about three and a half months there this summer and fall. As I mentioned in my introduction to the trip, I’m dividing it into three for the purposes of…