‘Luck of the Irish’ or ‘May the Force be with you’?!

Thankfully it felt as if during the last two weeks I’ve had both!! Okay, let’s rewind a second here and explain… Being in Ireland for the last couple of weeks or so, the first part makes sense. And after a bumpy start (my phone not getting any reception and having to call T-Mobile service people) I got so very lucky with the weather. Ireland had a REALLY wet July with flooding and constant storms, luckily that pattern broke just as I arrived, and for the most part we had lovely weather. Most importantly, we had great weather when it mattered most, which brings me to the Star Wars connection. Did you know that many of the scenes filmed in Star Wars were actually filmed in Ireland? I didn’t either, at least not until I got there!

Some of the most iconic scenes filmed in ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’ were actually filmed on Skellig Michael, an incredibly beautiful island off the southwest coast of Ireland. For those of you that couldn’t care less about Star Wars, this island was also the location of an ancient monastery dating back to the 6th century. While much is not know, it is believed that approximately 12 monks (being a holy number in Catholicism – the Apostles) lived and prayed on this island, in isolation, for over 800 years. The bee-hive shaped huts, they built of dry stone masonry, still stand today, along with the over 600 steps they built to reach their dwellings at the summit of this craggily island.

The views were stunning and so very rugged. On the day my Mom and I visited, we truly had ‘the force’ with us, as it was blue skied and beautiful. Each day, only 180 people are allowed on this UNESCO protected World Heritage site and trips on the four days prior had all been cancelled due to bad weather. Truly, the luck of the Irish and the force were with us that day! We didn’t even get seasick and I have never been on rougher seas.

Outside of hiking, live music was the other constant while in Ireland. We found really great music in Dingle and in Miltown Malby (near the Cliffs of Moher). The violins were my favorite and it was fun, on a couple of occasions, to see Mom invited to play her penny whistle as well. As many of you are likely thinking… she was in her glory, absolutely loving it! One of the most entertaining performances though, was when she decided to play her whistle for the Irish cows along the Cliffs of Moher. Amazingly, they loved it and were looking her way paying rapt attention. My theory is that the farmer plays them music when they get fed! Only kidding! What’s not to like about live music in the Irish countryside?? Those cows knew quality when they heard it.

Back in the States and signing off for now,

Katie O’Greaty

~Formerly O’Grady per my uncle Bill’s nickname for me but slightly modified per my own preferences!~

In Dublin along the River Liffey trying to help the Linesman.

Which do you think is more valuable… a tanker of gasoline or a tanker of Guinness? Also, I learned many things while hanging about the pub. First, that when you order a Guinness they actually pour it, let it sit, and then pour it the rest of the way. This is how a massive head on the beer is avoided. Second, if you don’t like Guinness but would prefer something a bit sweeter, you can ask for it with black currant. They will pull your drink and them put some black currant concentrate in it which gives it a nice sweetness as it goes down!

Riding the double-decker bus with my friend Viki, from graduate school, who came to meet me for a couple of days was great for our RAINY day in Dublin. This was a highlight! But I’m weird (:

Skellig Michael

Skellig Michael

Skellig Michael

Cliffs of Moher

See!? I told you, the Irish cows are loving it! No wonder they make such good butter!