Good Craic

My brother Patrick and I recently returned from a quite ambitious, self planned, 10 day tour of Ireland/N.Ireland. We successfully navigated through points north, west, south and east and visited some of most extraordinary places the country has to offer. Given that our distant relatives were from Cork and our own parents were married in Dublin, we acknowledge that this trip was long overdue.
The travel recommendations we received from family & friends were quite encouraging - as they referenced small town experiences rather than big city tourist traps. While we certainly did not shy away from the opportunity to visit some of the more well known sites (i.e Blarney Stone, Guiness/Jameson factory tours etc.,) Patrick and I agreed that our favorite memories were created by integrating the highly advertised to-do ideas with more local experiences. Our goal was to tour the country in every sense of the word, however our main intent was to 'where do the locals go' and experience as much of authentic Irish culture as possible.
Our itinerary was quite condusive to this: Downpatrick, Belfast, Portrush, Galway, Doolin, Aran Islands, Killarney, Kenmare, Kinsale, Cork City and Dublin...

Here are some of our favorite memories/experiences:

-Biking the Aran Island of Inishmore: Miles of ancient stone walls and emerald green fields, cliffs overlooking the rough Atlantic seas
-Doolin: Experiencing the traditional music capital of Ireland - and receiving a song dedication @ Gus O'Connor's Pub
-Local B&Bs complete with warm, Irish hospitality and a traditional breakfast prepared by Mrs. Daly (Doolin)
-Socializing with the locals in the pubs of Galway
-Visiting the burial site of St. Patrick (Downpatrick)
-Touring Kilmainham Gaol (Dublin)
-The small towns of Portrush and Kenmare
-Our daily consumption of Guinness, Whiskey, Irish Coffee
-One lane, dirt road, country side driving (Killarney to Kinsale)
-Touring the H &W Shipyard/Birthplace of the Titanic (Belfast)
-Eccentric colors of Kinsale
-Traceable meat dishes
-The (colorful) doors of Ireland
-Exquisite landscapes including Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Cliffs of Moher, County Cork and the Ring of Kerry

Good Craic!

Virtual Creation #1

We now live in a culture surrounded by virtual creation. Most everyone is ‘doing it.’ Influential statements, written opinions, blogs, tweets, status updates etc. are more prevalent than ever. Write, create, write, create. This is all quite intimidating, especially for a novice blogger such as myself. I find myself wondering, why write if it’s not guaranteed to be read?  Why create if it may not have an impact? Acknowledging that I am a self-declared perfectionist, I have realized this train of thought is in fact quite ridiculous. Not only am I setting myself up for failure, but if all writers followed suit, talent would be suppressed and creations of all levels would be lost. Let me be clear; I am in no way confirming that my writings will be of significant interest to the general population, however, this does serve as a reminder that being fearful of expression is a waste of time. Without further ado, here is my first contribution to the blogging world...

 Blank

Blank page
Intimidating yet intriguing
Waiting patiently to be all-consumed
Adorned, black on white
I search for inspiration, a spark of confidence
As I begin to write
But alas, blank thoughts prevail                       
Frustrating yet calming
Feeling an undeniable sense of doubt
As I face our virtual world
A competition of creativity, a circus of clichés
I read through the words of those before me
Inspired by their assertive and unique attempts
To create a string of powerful words
Do I dare to be different?