I grew up in a house with large shamrocks painted on our front door… in Canada. Such was my mother’s love for her Irish heritage. Ireland was well represented in our home as well; from Belleek fine china to the large framed sepia photo of my great-great-grandfather Thomas O’Sullivan which hung in a prominent position in our hallway.
Handsome, no?
For us, Ireland was a mystical land that meant the world to our mother, Patricia. It was her dream to visit Ireland and further the family tree research she had started years ago.
It wasn’t enough for her to recite the names of the places her family came from, she wanted to feel them, to touch them…to know them for herself.
We had started to talk about the possibilities of a trip together to Ireland and Scotland. We would come from Italy and meet her there. Other family members were talking about making the journey as well.
Then, out of the blue, she was diagnosed with leukemia, despite the fact there was no family history of the disease. It seemed that at the age of 76, my mother’s life was to be cut short. I won’t tell you now of the astounding courage she showed in the face of this horrible disease. I will share that another time.
In the short time she fought the good fight, we talked about Ireland and I told her she could win this battle and we would take her long desired trip the following spring. “That would be wonderful. God willing,” she said, knowing as I know now, she knew she would never make it.
Sadly, my mother passed away only four months after her diagnosis.
Just over a year after her death, I put her Celtic cross around my neck, her emerald ring on my finger, and Peter and I boarded a plane from Rome to Dublin.
My mother was finally going to Ireland. I would carry her in my heart all the way.
Ireland – green, lush and gorgeous
There are things you expect to see on your first trip to Ireland, rolling green hills, lots of sheep and maybe a leprechaun or two. But you don’t expect to see… palm trees.
Apparently, Ireland is loaded with palm trees – something to do with the warm ocean current that reaches its east coast. Okay, as my Irish Grandma would say, I’m telling a wee bit of a ‘fish story’. The Irish ‘palm’ trees are actually not palms at all but part of the cabbage family but hey, they look like palm trees. And it sounds better.
A drive down the Irish coast
We mapped out our Irish adventure to drive from Dublin down the east coast, through Waterford and on to Cork. From there, we would head up the west coast to the famous Cliffs of Mohr and across inland back to Dublin. We had a crappy hire car, better suited to a used car salesman, and 10 days to make the U-shaped journey.
The first order of business was of course to have a Guinness, which for me as a non-beer drinker, was a revelation. It’s delicious!
Next up was a visit to the Irish Sea. I had visions of strolling on a shell-covered sandy beach, a salty Irish wind whipping my hair while a fine misty rain fell on my cheeks. And that’s exactly what I got.
How to describe the seaside in Ireland? I have one word: Wow. So haunting in its beauty. I got on my knees and touched the water, overcome with emotion.
This was to be the first of many moments on this trip I felt my mother’s presence so acutely. It is here she came to me more than any other place since we lost her and for that alone, I am forever grateful to Ireland.
Good things happen when you veer off-course
From the Arklow area, we planned to drive directly down the coast to Cork where we were booked to overnight but I woke up to an email from my brother John saying he’d been looking at Mom’s research notes, and our great, great grandfather Thomas O’Sullivan came from a town called Conmel. We also had relatives who had lived in nearby Tipperary. A quick look at the map, confirmed if we gave up our plan to go through Waterford and headed inland, we could visit Conmel on our way to Cork. As Peter said, “It’s now or never, let’s go.” So inland we ventured, roughly following our GPS but letting the winding country roads take us off course whenever anything interesting caught our eye. Such as this landmark, a castle ruin perched on a gentle hill. Obviously, we had to stop.
Kilcash Castle 
Seems we’d stumbled upon a famous Irish monument, Kilcash Castle. Aside from a storied past, Kilcash is best known for being the subject of one of the most famous songs in the Irish language, written around 1800:
Oh what will we do without timber?
The rape of the woodlands has come.
Kilcash and its nobles forgotten.
Its bells now lie idle and dumb.
As we continued on the scenic back-road, another Irish ditty came to mind, a lullaby sung to us by our Irish Grandmother, Dorothy. She would sit on the side of our bed, rubbing our backs and sing ‘Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra – That’s an Irish Lullaby’ whenever we couldn’t sleep. And we would drift away to the words written by an Irish composer almost a century before. And now, I was here – the home of my Irish ancestors, Clonmel.
Our first stop in the charming town of Clonmel was the beautiful Franciscan Friary where we lit a candle for my Mom.
As we left the church, we decided to explore on foot and rounded the corner to find the first of many family run businesses sharing the name ‘O’Sullivan’. Clearly, my ancestors, the ‘O’Sullivans’ live on in this beautiful part of Ireland.
I would love to have stayed longer in Conmel and do a bit of family research at the local library but we had a place booked for the night in Cork so onward we went, continuing our journey south.
By the time we arrived in Cork it was dark. We decided to venture out on a stroll before bed and happened upon this beauty.
Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, a Gothic Revival three-spire cathedral belonging to the Church of Ireland. What a stunning piece of architecture!! Apparently this site has been a place of Christian worship since the 7th century AD, long before this amazing church was completed in 1879.
That night, we stayed at the lovely Blarney Stone Guest House, home to luxurious rooms, a delicious Irish breakfast and a short drive to Blarney Castle. Highly recommend it.http://www.blarneystoneguesthouse.com
The stunning Ring of Kerry
The next morning we hit the road for Kenmare in the south of County Kerry. This picturesque town is part of the famous Ring of Kerry making it a perfect spot to settle in for a few days.
Kenmare, Ireland 
I’d like to say I knew Kenmare was considered to be the gourmet food capital of Ireland but the truth is we just got lucky. The food was consistently outstanding in Kenmare. And the people, some of the nicest we have come across anywhere before or since.
During one memorable meal at PF McCarthy’s on Main Street, we sat beside a lively group of locals. We got to talking and before long, we’d joined tables and they were shouting whiskey rounds. Turns out one of the women had just published her first children’s book. As a wanna-be-author myself, I soon shared the storyline for my novel and received nothing but encouragement and fantastic feedback from the group.
The next day we came across Niamh Ahern’s book, ‘Timmy’s Trouble with Technology’ in a local bookstore window. Now we can say we drank whiskey with a famous local author https://www.instagram.com/timmystales/
We used charming Kenmare as the jumping off point to travel the gorgeous Ring of Kerry before venturing up the west coast of Ireland along the stunning Wild Atlantic Way.
The amazing Wild Atlantic Way
The Wild Atlantic Way is just that: wild and lush. With slow-curving narrow roads that hug the stunning coastline, waves crashing on rocky beaches and colorful villages dotting the shoreline.
And then we arrived at the incomparable Cliffs of Mohr…and were astonished by the sheer power and beauty of nature.
With our senses on overload, we thought a drink or two was in order so we headed from the Cliffs a short drive down to the coastal town of Doolin where we found the famous O’Conner’s Pub.
Our Irish adventure came to a close with a weekend in Dublin complete with a night stroll through Temple Street and a visit to several local hot spots. But to be honest, we fell in love with the Ireland outside of the city center. The Ireland full of magical places like the most stunning coastal drive in the world, nook and cranny streets with names like Ticknock Lane and even a country side leprechaun crossing or two.
But mostly, Ireland is a place where you will find some of the kindest and most genuine people on the planet. It makes me both happy and proud to know I have a wee bit of the Irish in me. I have my mother Patricia Anne McMillan to thank for that.
And so in closing I share an Irish blessing with you – one that graced the back of the prayer card at my mother’s funeral – until we meet again.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
[…] My Wild Irish Adventure […]