Some parting thoughts about Ireland

In the clouds above Ireland.

The Irish leg of our pilgrimage was a great success. It was such a rich and meaningful experience to meet relatives and see the places from where our family came. Sometimes it was almost overwhelming. Seeing the graves, the famine ship, and our living Irish relatives brought home the importance of history in our lives today. Ireland seems alive with layers and layers of the past.

It may sound like Americans over romanticizing their native land, but there is truly something unspoiled about Ireland. It is less shiny and corporate than the United States. There are no billboards on the country roads. The roads themselves are a combination of charming and challenging. The ritual of having tea is still very important. And we were beneficiaries of the wonderful Irish hospitality from both family and strangers. Our Irish relatives welcomed us into their homes with great excitement and affection. Jamie Doyle, someone we met by knocking on his business door, gave us the fantastic tour of the Brownstown countryside. We used the word humbling a lot in Ireland.

The weather was unbelievably changeable. In Glendalough, in the span of three minutes, it hailed, it rained, and the sun shone brightly. From the weather, it is easy to see how the Irish notion of shift-shaping that Thomas Cahill talks about in "How The Irish Saved Civilization" came to be. The ever changing light, atmosphere, temperature had to influence the Irish folk tales and world view that reality is fluid and ever-changing and that beings can turn themselves into something else.

Luke has been such a good traveler on this trip, tolerating long drives, our constant photography, and endless conversations about family genealogy with patience and good cheer. Now that we are in Scotland, he is having good fun with his new Haitian-Scottish friends.

This was John's first trip to Ireland and, as I hoped, he loved it. We didn't get to see everyone and everything we wanted. This bodes well for return trips! We are looking forward to hanging out with our friends in Scotland and seeing some of this beautiful country.

During the times of Penal Laws in Ireland, Catholicism was outlawed and the Irish had to celebrate Mass in secret. This rock served as an altar in the Irish countryside and was brought by Irish immigrants to Scotland and now has a place at the Carfin Shrine.