Irish times...

So I've been looking back at some of my photos from my recent trip to Ireland and thought I would post some of my 

favorites...but first a quick history of the trip. My dad and I arrived in Dublin which was to be our base since my daughter Aja and her lad Robert were living there at the time. Our first trip was dad, Aja and I off to the Aran Islands. These are a group of 3 remote island off the west coast and very much locked in a time gone by. Many of the people there are 7th and 8th generation Islanders who rarely get off the island..one man we met last went to the mainland in 2004. Most of them only make one or two trips to the mainland each year. A gracious and friendly sort who mainly speak Irish gaelic and live simple lives with tourism being one of the major ways to make a living. Aran sweaters are known the world over but I think most of the wool comes from the mainland now and sheep farming has dwindled. The most obvious thing that you notice once you begin the bike trip from the ferry is the rock walls. They are everywhere and are amazing pieces of functional art. What else are you going to make your fences out of when you have millions of rocks and no trees? The other thing you will see are the thatched roof cottages of which we stayed in for the 2 nights we were there. The movie 'Man of Aran' made in 1939 was filmed in and around our B&B which goes by the same name. The movie is supposed to depict life on the Arans and although does give the basic gist, it was a bit more enhanced than the locals liked to think.Anyway a beautiful, rugged place with ancient history dating back to prehistoric times. One of the forts, Dun Aonghasa, is believed to be older than the pyramids of Egypt. Anyway I will continue these short photo journeys in coming blogs.