An appreciation by Enda Cullen. Apologies to readers from other counties but my mother used to say that Donegal and Clare people were the friendliest people in Ireland. She has passed on to a better place now and I never found out why she thought that, but like most of her beliefs I have found them to be true. As a family we always went to Donegal on holiday. It could be … [Read more...] about Donegal: The Forgotten County
Travel
Golfing the Emerald Isle
Five days of golf in Ireland's southwest and a day of football in Dublin. I credit my brother-in-law Tom Coyne for inspiring my golf trip to Ireland. Not too long ago, Tom completed what can only be called THE ultimate Irish golf trip – a whole summer circumnavigating the entire country, on foot, with his clubs on his back, playing the legendary links courses as one continuous … [Read more...] about Golfing the Emerald Isle
The Charms of the West
Patricia Danaher explores the high season of Galway City and the delights of the western landscape. The west of Ireland has a quiet magic at most times of the year, a tranquility that sneaks up on you, making tomorrow the soonest you could possibly consider doing what you were fully intent on doing today. It’s not that things don’t get done, it’s just that you’re on a … [Read more...] about The Charms of the West
Joe Duffy Made Me Famous, Dingle Saved Me
When Mary Tolan’s backpack – containing her wallet, passport and six months of writing – was stolen in Ireland, she thought all was lost. Over the course of five weeks on the Dingle Peninsula, she found something even more important. "So you’re the American who lost everything, are you?” asked Vincent O’Gormain, who with his wife, Sile, owns a Dingle Peninsula bed and … [Read more...] about Joe Duffy Made Me Famous, Dingle Saved Me
Irish America Day: 4th of July in Ireland!
Anyone who has ever stopped to ponder what a 4th of July celebration would be like in Ireland will get an answer this Independence Day. On July 4th, the town of New Ross, Co. Wexford will celebrate its first Irish America Day, in recognition of the strong ties between Ireland and the United States. For New Ross, those connections are particularly important. Patrick Kennedy and … [Read more...] about Irish America Day: 4th of July in Ireland!