The Emerald Isle

In honor of the holiday, I thought I would share some of my favorite photos from the summer we spent in Ireland.

For sheer beauty, I’m not sure if any countryside can compare to Ireland’s. It is so, so lush, even in the dead of summer. The quaint low rock walls everywhere, the charming steeply-sloped roofs, and the green, green, green of everything make you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairytale.

All that green does come with a price tag in precipitation. So rain boots were standard attire when going out.

I believe the fields of Ireland were the origin of Axa’s frog-catching obsession.

We met an assortment of other small creatures in the long, wet grass.

Our friend Rory is an amateur history buff, and knew all the cool sites in the area, like this gorgeous decaying Regency manor house.

He led us on all sorts of illicit expeditions. Here he is helping me under the fence at one site,

And in the window of another.

Nearly every town seems to have its own monument to the potato famine. This is one of the more haunting, along the River Liffey in Dublin.

Here’s a less sobering shot of the River.

One of our favorite pastimes was picnicking by the 200 year old Royal Canal. Yes, that’s authentic Irish soda bread that I made myself.

They still use the canal today.

A friend at Church asked Tony to baptize him. The baptism was performed in a nearby Loch, and it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever seen.

Happy St. Patrick’s day to all our Irish friends!

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