Yeats’ Lake Isle of Innisfree, Sligo, Ireland
The Isle of Innisfree is an uninhabited island within Lough Gill, in County Sligo, Ireland, where the poet W.B. Yeats spent his summers as a child.
Ireland
Under Ben Bulben: W. B. Yeats’ Grave
Famous Ben Bulben mountain can be seen from the gravestone of the Irish poet W. B. Yeats, author of the poem “Under Ben Bulben,” which features his burial instructions. “Horseman, pass by.”
Soaking up the Yeats Experience in Sligo
More than 35 years after our first visit, we returned to Sligo, the town and the county of Ireland made famous by the poetry of W.B. Yeats. We wanted to … Read more
2013 in 50 Photographs
Kris and I visited 13 foreign countries in 2013. In order: Spain, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Canada, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Japan, back to Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. … Read more
Advice for Driving in the UK and Ireland
I can talk about this now, and I’ll start by saying Tom is a very good driver. And I am a very good navigator. I can read a map, have a good sense of direction, and am good at planning routes, scenic or otherwise. But things are different here in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland, and I’m not just talking about driving on the left. For both driver and passenger, I offer these true stories and tidbits of advice.
Site Blocked, and Other Little Surprises in the UK and Ireland
The message read, “This site has been blocked as potentially politically controversial. If you think this message has appeared in error, please see your network administrator,” or something like that. Had I accidentally Googled my way into a terrorist site? No, as a matter of fact, I was trying to look up UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ireland. I was in my room at Bewley’s Hotel in the Ballsbridge neighborhood of Dublin, a fairly nice place, the nicest place I’d been in for quite a while.
County Wicklow, Ireland
From various high points in County Wicklow, you can see the sea both to the west and to the east. It’s just a faint blue line from here, so you … Read more
The Dark Hedges, near Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
I’m told that fans of Game of Thrones will recognize this scene from Northern Ireland, where much of Game of Thrones is filmed, evidently. Sorry, but I’ve only seen snippets … Read more
Graffiti Artist, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Just after finishing a spray paint portrait of Margaret Thatcher, a graffiti artist sprayed a white rectangle next to Maggie to prepare his next canvas. We stopped a bit and … Read more
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
When we’re somewhat close, we usually go out of our way to visit Unesco World Heritage sites. In this case, we tore ourselves away from the Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey Distillery … Read more