The Road to Ireland

I have decided to do my first webpage on Ireland. More specifically, I will be concentrating on travel information that I have researched from books, magazines and the Internet. Why have I decided to do this? Well, my wife and I have begun planning a trip to Ireland for this Fall and this endeavor will help me in my planning process. Of course, my wife has always said that I plan everything to the n^th degree, which takes some of the fun out of a trip that I have put together. But as I always say, it is better to prepare thoroughly than to experience the surprises of not being prepared.

This webpage will be an evolving sort of page, sort of a work in progress as I add what I hope are interesting tidbits and relevant travel topics. Also, I will share the highlights of the trip upon my return from Ireland. That should be the fun part to do.

The existence of spirits, and in particular the "little people," plays a big part in Irish folklore. Centuries ago, it was believed that fairies lived under mounds of earth, or "fairy raths," and that touching one of these tiny figures brought bad luck. The most famous of the "little people" is the leprechaun. Legend tells that if you caught one of these , he would lead you to a crock of gold, but take your eyes off him and he would vanish into thin air.

Visitors from all over the world flock to the Blarney Castle to see the legendary Blarney Stone. Kissing the stone is a long-standing tradition, intended to confer a magical eloquence.

The Irish language is a remnant from the ancient Celtic civilization. Across Ireland, there is renewed interest in this ancient native tongue, known as the Gaelic. The language is beautiful to listen to but quite hard to learn.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention St. Patrick , the Patron Saint of Ireland. But he was not Irish. He was kidnapped as a youth and sold into slavery in Ireland. It is a measure of his faith and missionary zeal that after gaining his freedom he returned to the land of his captivity to preach the Gospel.

For a land the size of Ireland to have produced three Nobel prizewinners in Shaw, Yeats and Beckett is a considerable achievement. Below is a sampling of one of the poems written by W.B. Yeats.

W. B. Yeats


Edain came out of Midhir's hill, and lay
Beside young Aengus in his tower of glass,
Where time is drowned in odour-laden winds
And Druid moons, and murmuring of boughs,
And sleepy boughs, and boughs where apples made
Of opal and ruby and pale chrysolite
Awake unsleeping fires; and wove seven strings,
Sweet with all music, out of his long hair,
Because her hands had been made wild by love.
When Midhir's wife had changed her to a fly,
He made a harp with Druid apple-wood
That she among her winds might know he wept;
And from that hour he has watched over none
But faithful lovers.

Please select a city from the map below to find more about that location. The cities available are Derry, Belfast, Donegal, Dublin, Limerick, Waterford and Cork.

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Pete Barile
Lilburn, Georgia
Last Updated June 19, 2000

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