One of my favorite places to travel is Ireland. The times I have visited have been in either June or August when it stays light out in the vent until about 10pm. Throughout my time in Ireland, I have been about to spend time in Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Galway and Cork.
With a lot of family still living in Waterford, the majority of my time is spent here. My family has been occupying the same home for nearly 100 years, so it is an incredible experience to be able to visit with my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents and stay where my grandfather was born.
Visiting with my family in Ireland has also helped me learn a great deal about the Irish culture, politics, religion and economy. The pastoral scenery in the small village could not be more different than what I am accustomed to in the United States. I have gained a great appreciation for the country and the changes that have taken place over the years.
That castles, abbeys and churches that are national historic landmarks have been the most impressive and interesting to me. My favorite place, however, is “Dunmore Cave” located in Kilkenny. This large cave is thought to be the site of a Viking massacre in 928 A.D. The remains of women, children and elders have been found in the cave.
Another place that I have particularly enjoyed is “The Burren” in county Clare. This area has incredible and very unusual rock formations that are believed to be layers of shell and sediment deposits from under the ocean followed by a long period of erosion.
I am looking forward to my next opportunity to visit Ireland and hope to get the chance to visit “Giant’s Causeway.” Located in county Antrim, this is another natural rock formation but it sits out over the sea. There are thousands of rocks in tightly packed columns and the top of the columns look like flat hexagonal stepping stones. Scientists believe that these formations are a result of volcanic rock and cooling lava.
