Back to my Irish Roots
After a ridiculous global work travel schedule these past 6 weeks, I was able to take a (relatively) short trip to Ireland to attend a dear friend’s wedding. I have deeply desired to visit Ireland. I am an Irish (and Polish) American. My father’s side has deep Irish roots, eventually transplanted to western Massachusetts, where I was born. I favor my dad’s side of the family in looks and physical attributes. I guess I look and feel more Irish. This became all the more obvious as I stepped off the plane in Cork, Ireland last week. It was a sweet and precious moment. I felt strangely familiar and comfortable and quite at home. I saw people who sort of looked like me, with the same nose, coloring, and build. I met total strangers who acted like kin to me in no time. I saw the most beautiful countryside, lined with rolling green lush hills, with grazing cattle and big fluffy sheep. I drank my first true Guinness at a bar, and it went down like a Dr. Pepper. After attending a marathon Irish Catholic wedding in Clonakilty and Innishannon, that lasted from 1:30 PM until 3:00 AM, I was officially indoctrinated as an Irishwoman. I really didn’t want to leave.
Thankfully, I had one day to sight see and ventured off to the Blarney Castle. If you are going to do one thing in Ireland to show your heritage, it certainly must be kissing the Blarney stone! It involves lying on your back, and doing a back-bend of sorts, and leaning way down to smack your lips on the very out-of-reach piece of stone. All of this occurs after you have climbed up and up, through a narrow winding case of ancient stone spiral steps to the top of the castle. If you are excessively overweight and/or claustrophobic, good luck! I now supposedly have earned the gift of eloquence for accomplishing this feat.
My plans are to remain in the USA for the next 4 weeks. I have not been in America for longer than a week since January began. I will have some domestic travel, though, so won’t settle in for too long. I am now only coming up on my 4th month with World Vision. It continues to be an adventure.