The Emerald Isle

A bit of Irish green for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend….pictures from Ireland taken a few years ago that I scanned into my computer.  Not as pretty as the originals, but they’re still green and gorgeous and worthy of a Guinness  for a toast to Ireland!

The Ring of Kerry near Waterville, Ireland

Dingle Peninsula and Dingle Bay were our unanimous favorites.

Sheep country on Dingle Peninsula.  And yes those are my two little sheep….although they’ve practically doubled in height since then.

How many shades of beautiful can there be…

The view from Blarney Castle.  The “gift of gab” is the reward for kissing the stone….my kids thought it wasn’t necessary for me to try it…

ξ

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295 Responses

  1. I have never been to Ireland either…your photos are stunning! I’m going on a party bus tomorrow with girlfriends…so I’ll have a beer (not sure if it’ll be green though)! Happy Weekend!

    • Thank you! Have fun on the party bus!! I have always wanted to do that….can’t think of a better time than St. Patrick’s Day to ride the party bus. They have one around here called the “fur bus” because it’s lined with shag carpet. Funny.

      Have fun!
      elisa

  2. Oh, my! Everything is so verdant and lush!

    I used to have this weird quirk as a kid: I desired the ability to step into the T.V. — basically time travel, but not limited to only travel. If I saw a food or item I wanted, I wanted to be able to stick my hand inside the television and snatch it! Sometimes I would sit there, hand at the ready, and just wait for something good to pop up. I was odd, I know . . . lol. For whatever reason your pictures evoked that feeling I haven’t had for years! I just wanted to slip into the computer screen and BE there. Wow. The view from Blarney Castle is just breathtaking!

    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Cara

  3. Wow!! Stunning photos!
    Adding it to my bucket list. I need to win the lottery or something to travel to all these places. Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great weekend Elisa!

  4. Gorgeous — and so timely!

    …I think I might have to show my kids your pics this weekend after we eat our Lucky Charms. It’s the one day of the year I allow them the sugary cereal, and it’s how we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Showing them your pictures will make me feel more cultured about the whole thing…
    ;)

  5. It is as beautiful as I remember it to be. I’ve been to all of those same spots. Interesting that I have a photo of the Blarney Castle gardens on my blog today, but I put it out for the weekly photo challenge, not even thinking about St. Paddy’s day. Congratulations on your FP debut!

    • Thank you so much!! If I didn’t have to scan them all I would have posted more. I will check out your post of the Blarney Castle gardens.

      Have a great weekend!

  6. When I went, I couldn’t believe there were so many beautiful colors of green! They’re indescribable! It is such a lovely place. Thanks for sharing!

  7. Looking forward to my Corned Beef and Cabbage! Just wish I was in Ireland to have it! One day. Beautiful photos! Lucky you!

    • Thank you! We made it as far north(west) as Connemara and loved the rugged beauty. That’s what I think I’d like about Donegal…hopefully another trip soon! You live in a breathtakingly beautiful country!

    • Thank you, and yes we were there to explore the castle and check out the Blarney Stone! It was misty that day which made it all seem so magical.

      Thank you!

  8. Amazing photos! Went to Ireland as a small child, and only remember few things about my trip. I am currently helping my mother plan a trip in June. I ♥ Ireland and hope to go back in a few years.

  9. Oh my goodness, you said it, “How many shades of beautiful can there be?!” Absolutely gorgeous images, Elisa! And what a wonderful keepsake photo of your children with that glorious landscape as their backdrop! Always a treat visiting you lovely space here! A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you :)

  10. LOVE your photos! I traveled the entire island last year, and Dingle was certainly one of my top 3 favourite places (the other spots are filled by the Hook Peninsula, and the Ring of Kerry…obviously). In fact, I loved it so much that I’m actually heading back there again in the summer…my ticket has already been purchased! :)

    Your photos brought back some beautiful memories of the place! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

  11. Happy memories! I did a campervan trip with a couple of ladies round Dingle and Ring of Kerry a few years ago. The rain was soft and lovely but it did marr the photos a bit so I enjoyed yours.
    Happy St. P’s! Being FP is a great Mother’s Day present.

  12. I would love to go backpacking in Ireland and Scotland after collage someday! Everything there looks so gorgeously emerald green! Congrats on being freshly pressed and I LOVE the photos :)

  13. Just been to Ireland last year for the first time…beautiful place, although I’m not sure if I prefer the countryside or their cities…can’t decide! Definitely need to go back, have never met an Irish person that I don’t like :)

  14. Before we were married, decades ago, my husband and I spent two years travelling overseas together, mostly through Europe. The Dingle Peninsula is one of our very favourite destinations from that time. Your post has brought back many happy memories of such a special place – thank you for sharing your images of the lovely coastal scenery to be found there!
    Best wishes,
    Susie

  15. My daughter and I have always wanted to visit Ireland. These photos are beautiful – never would have thought they were scanned. Thank you for sharing and Happy St. Patricks Day!

  16. Reblogged this on Personal Web BlogQ and commented:
    Ini merupakan emandangan yang sangat luar biasa. Kita bisa memerhatikan betapa indahnya ciptaanNya.

    Suarasana romantis, rindang, sejuk, tentram laksana di surga (mini).

    Itu sebuah pemandangan yang menakjubkan buatku… .

    Bagaimana menurutmu, silakan dicaci maki…
    Semoga bermanfaat

  17. Wow, your photos are amazing, especially the Blarney image with it’s vivid greens!! You really managed to capture an otherworldly quality in your photos. That particularly appeals to me as I live in Co. Wicklow, on the east coast of Ireland, and I paint fairies and magical lands. Brilliant post!!

  18. Let’s hope you get to go back again. If you enjoyed these places, there are many other lovely parts of the country you will like, such as the Antrim Coast, and the Fermanagh lakes. Happy St Patrick’s Day!

  19. Freshly pressed beautiful photos! What a wonderful memory!

    I think it was in Ireland that your daughter met Bruce Springsteen.Right? I hope you will share that story soon. Bruce is in Atlanta on Sunday. And if you are interested, he was the keynote speaker at SXSW, you can find it on youtube.

  20. I’m of Irish descent, and while I have yet to go there, I’d love be there in person. What beautiful photos. A wonderful start to my morning. Thank you for sharing. :)

  21. Wonderful, wonderful place. Spent 2 weeks there in the 80′s with my parents. Saw just about every High Cross there is south of No. Ireland. I’ve got photos to prove it!

    I guess I should scan all the photos I took like you did and put them in my blog. Now that I’m retired, whats 600+ photos to scan.

    You have a really nice site along with the photos. Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!!

    • It is wonderful, isn’t it. Scanning 600 photos will definitely fill some hours……you’ll probably spend most of the time looking and rehashing memories!

  22. Pingback: Is Your Default Photo Or Avatar Wearing Green Today? | SNOOWS

  23. Great to see Ireland being portrayed so beautifully. I am Irish and living on the South-East coast in Co. Waterford. Reading your post makes me so proud of the country! Here is a slideshow which I made coming up to St. Patrick’s day which shows some of my favourite parts of Ireland. I hope you enjoy it. http://wp.me/p1ip9d-nv.

  24. Lovely! I shudder to think what might happen if I ever kiss that stone! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from South Boston, Massachusetts…I look forward to the day when our beaches and all coast line is as pristine as Ireland’s…we’re getting there!

  25. What a treat to see Dingle! I was there in 1970 and just loved it. Shared a horse-drawn caravan with other traveler’s I’d met along the way and we had a wonderful, wonderful time. The place just forced us all to slow down and enjoy what we were seeing. Thank you for this little trip back in time for me. It was one of my favorite places.

  26. I live in Ireland, in the North… and I don’t think I’ve been to any of these places. The shame! I do think the south is a lot greener than the north…
    The last picture has a magical quality.
    Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed x

    • Ha! I know, kiss the stone and “watch what you ask for,” right? Actually I read somewhere that it’s supposed to give you the gift of persuasiveness….I think that would much more helpful!

  27. These are absolutely stunning!! I went to Ireland a few years ago but don’t remember it as well as I wish I could, these photos just bumped it up on my to do list though!!
    Congratulations on Freshly Pressed, definitely well deserved. Thanks for posting such wonderful photos!

    • After I posted these pictures I remember thinking, why didn’t I take more. But really, the best solution is to make a return visit!

      Thanks for your nice comment!

  28. so freaky, I answered this from my feed, then went to look on your blog…I didn’t even see your reply to her…we both wrote the same thing….amazing!!!!
    We really have to meet when this summer when we drop my daughter off at Emory!

  29. Ha! I saw that last picture of Blarney Castle and wondered why my desktop photo was on your blog. I took a photo from that same spot a few years ago. Awesome! =)

  30. I am lucky enough to have lived all my life here in Ireland. These lovely photos ably show a tiny part of our beautiful country. This morning I will drag my tired body out of the bed and go for a long cycle in the Dublin / Wicklow mountains. Life does not get much better than this….
    Come and visit us. We need the money and there will be a warm welcome.
    Best,
    Conor

    • When we visited your gorgeous country in 2005, Ireland and most of the world was enjoying economic prosperity. I have great hope that things are starting to head in that direction again. I envy your cycle ride in the mountains, not the tired body part!

      Take care,

      Elisa

  31. Thanks for sharing those photos, even scanned in they look amazing! And they bring back memories from my visits to Ireland. I have been to Blarney Castle too and did the ring of Kerry tour.
    Thanks for brining back those memories!

  32. My man and I have wanted to go to Ireland ever since we didn’t go there on our honeymoon. We still plan to “some day.” Any suggestions?
    Should we book a tour or just pop over, rent a car and see what happens?
    How did you do it?

    • What we did right, in my opinion was to rent a car and tour the countryside. What we did wrong, was to fly round trip out of Dublin. We should have arrived in Dublin and departed from Shannon Airport. So we did a giant circle of the country in 8 days, which was wonderful because we were able to see so much. And everything was truly beautiful and the locals were wonderful. It was just a little too much crammed in at once though. Loved it!!

  33. Beautiful colors. I was out on the Dingle Peninsula a few years ago…magical. You can walk all over and not bother with finding trails. The space is empty, lush, and inspiring. Your shots capture it well.

  34. Yes, it IS rather lovely down there in the southwest but next time you come over, fly into Belfast and travel along the North Atlantic coast, starting at Fair Head in Ballycastle and travelling westwards along the coast via Derry to Donegal. You’ll need a car though and lots of space on your camera :)

    • We did get a chance to visit Connemara, which is amazing and stayed at the nicest inn called Cashel House. We loved it, but I didn’t take as many pictures. I was too awestruck I think!
      You live in breathtaking country, and I can’t wait to return!

  35. What beautiful pictures! Real skill you have there, as much as I love to take pictures, they just don’t come out with such beauty. Thank you for sharing, definetely worthy of a reblog!

  36. Beautiful, you put me there. My mother’s mother was from Ireland and although I’m African American I’ve always imagined what my great great grandmother’s land was like. Thank you.

  37. If we had the Blarney Stone in Oz you wouldn’t be allowed to kiss it for hygiene reasons, so sad, we are all grown ups let us get grubby if we want to. Recently went to Vanuatu and we climbed up to the very lip of the volcano (sorry no photos posted yet) and looked down. We could see the magma flow inside the volcano. Could never do anything like that in Oz we would have been miles away behind a 10foot fence.
    LOVE these photos, adding this to my places to go list :)

  38. O God.. so beautiful.. thank you for sharing! I’m a traveler and a blogger too.. Since the limitation of time (we can’t take more than 5 days for one leave and only 12 days per year) so.. it is wonderful if we can know another countries from blogs..

  39. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Ireland four times in the past five years, and my trip with my parents during Christmas of 2010 was the most special – a sinus infection doubled with a snowstorm, but we got all the way out to Dingle, down to Kinsale, and my father could finally see where his family came from. Lovely memories for a Monday morning!

  40. Hah! I have almost the exact same shot of Blarney, except there are no people and it’s in the fall so more orange. I loved the look of Blarney castle, the tallest I climbed in Ireland.

  41. Absolutely gorgeous! I was in Ireland this time last year and really enjoyed our trip. Blarney Castle is so lovely! Hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day.

  42. What beautiful pictures! Never been to Ireland and definitely tempted now. Have you done most of your travelling as a flight attendant or still finding time to do so with a family?

  43. Wow, oh I LOVE this so much!! Of course being born & bred in the Emerald Isle I completely agree with you on my country’s natural beauty, but even from an unbiased perspective your photographs are sensational!! You have an incredibly talent – these really are amazing images!

    I’m so pleased also that you enjoyed your visit to Ireland years ago & saw some of what I consider to be the most incredible, enchanting places in the world! As a young child & teenager, I spent many happy holidays exploring my country with my family. Dingle was one of my favourite places, it really is such a beautiful place, & the Ring of Kerry – I have so many memories of getting lost there when we were driving through ;) Great post Elisa xoxo

  44. Totally fantastic photos dingle bay is where my husbands fathers family comes from its even our surname so great to see these photos and here nice things being said about a part of the world so beautiful your blog is great.

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