Ireland

I have posted a few pictures below from Ireland. The past week has been amazing. Ireland is a spectacular island full of beautiful scenery, wonderful people and a difficult history. I had no real understanding of it all until I saw it for myself. For our first two days we were in Northern Ireland, staying in both Belfast and Derry. We had guided tours of both cities, and tried to gain an understanding of the conflict felt in both areas. For the rest of the six days we toured the Republic of Ireland, staying in Galway, Annascaul and Killarney. The Republic has some pretty fabulous landscapes. The tour consisted mainly of Aussies and Kiwis, I was the only American on the bus. Most nights, we found 'the crack' including two pubs with kick-ass live music. One in Galway (cover band, but they put on a great show) and the second in Killarney (a rockin' Irish band that gave covers their own Irish twist and jammed-out on stage - they were great!). I drank Guiness like it was going out of season as well as enjoying a few Harps, Smithwicks (be careful how you pronounce it, they will correct you if you use the 'h'!), Belfast Ales, Car Bombs and many vodka/cranberry combinations. I am already trying to figure out when I can go back to Ireland, there's so much more I want to see and explore.