Ireland is my Happy Place!

 In honor of St. Patrick's Day this month, we're going "green" on the blog.  And what's more green to start with than Ireland?!

When people talk about Ireland, they are usually referring to one of two things: 1)the entire island next to Britain, which actually consists of 2 countries, or 2) The Republic of Ireland which is the country that makes up most of the island and is not part of the United Kingdom. Today I'll be sharing about our trip to the latter. (Northern Ireland will make an appearance in a couple weeks!)

As the title states, Ireland is my Happy Place!  I adore the rocky coast line, the lush green fields which are dotted with livestock and sheep, and the clear blue skies and water next to the green.  It has a rugged beauty and serenity all rolled into one that is hard to beat!

Our first stop upon arriving in this beautiful country was Blarney Castle.  My husband and other family members all took a go at "kissing the Blarney Stone".  It seems to have worked in making a sweet talker of my eldest son, but the jury is still out on my husband...even a few years later.  (He's a great man and husband with gifts beyond sweet talking! lol) 

A rainbow in Ireland!  Sadly we found no leprauchans or pot of gold with it.

One doesn't usually associate a day at the beach with Ireland, but we managed to make one happen. A peaceful, serene day at this quiet beach. Playing in the water, running in the sand, finding artifacts, and even the newly engaged couple taking a stroll and planning their future.

The highlight of the trip was our adventure to Skellig Michael. We boarded this boat. (My personal travel tip: Make sure older to seat younger seasick prone children next to their older siblings on the opposite side of the boat from yourself! You'll thank me!)

Our first discovery on the island was their wonderful puffins.  And no my camera is not superzoomed in.  They are that close as you can see in the second photo.

Then we climbed a bazillion more stairs to get to the monastery at the top. (I may be hyberpolizing here - but there are over 600 steps on the island.)

And the image many of you might recognize....any Star Wars fans reading today?  What a thrill we had seeing Luke Skywalker on "our island!"

On our return to Portmagee we circled another Skellig island where we saw these basking beauties and hundreds of birds.

And after several hours on the boat and an island with no modern conveniences, this sign was a sight for sore eyes!