Ireland Day One, 2019

Day  One, Ireland 2019

Dublin to Stoneyford near Kilkenny

Accommodations:  Beautiful Lawcus Farm Guesthouse, as featured in Rick Steve's guide on Ireland.

First, a disclaimer:  since we are road tripping our way around Ireland,  I’ll be adjusting to varying aspects of Wi-fi, so sometimes the blog postings may not come on a regular basis.

Just check back.  I’ll do my best to keep some consistency in place.  Thanks for your patience.

Our first day was a beauty.  Lovely clouds, blue sky and sunshine.  The green fields of Ireland, often dotted with dairy and beef cattle, horses or, of course sheep, are truly something to behold.  

All eyes would love the rolling hills, hedges and rural flavor of this magical place.

On my fifth visit here, I feel just as enthusiastic and passionate as the first time Annie and I came here back in 2012.

And, the beauty does not stop with the land.  The Irish people are friendly, generous with their time and genuine through and through.  

That includes all who live here because in our first day we’ve met a Dutchman named Robin and and Englishman named Mark here at Lawcus Farm.

Just being here on this Emerald Isle, I do believe, is good for the soul.

Yesterday, we met Amy in Stoneyford.  She’s a friendly and bright high school student who happened to be waiting at a corner for her ride home.  

After a few minutes worth of conversation and selfies, Amy’s ride had come.  A minute later, we were invited to the farm by her uncle to see the chickens and the handsome young Thoroughbred foal which had just been weaned from its mom.

We met Phillip and his mother and two of Phillip’s children.  We learned that hurling has made the Fennelly family of Kilkenny famous.  

Look up Michael Fennelly.  He came from the same farm where dairy cows have been milked, horses graze in the field and chickens come running for grain.

What a way to start our visit!  Nice, nice people.

Our evening was spent at Malzards and later at a restaurant in a village down the road. Billy and Jim sang and played along with a whole lot of other spontaneous band members, including Kevin, a tour bus visitior from Los Angeles who truly knows how to beat a drum or a box when a drum’s not handy.

People danced, clapped, sang and enjoyed their Guinness et. al.  It’s a scene where, within a short music set, people from around the world become instant friends.

That’s Ireland, and that’s why we keep coming back.  

We’re at Lawcus Farm Guesthouse here near Kilkenny where Mark and Anne-Marie have established an unforgettable and lovely rural experience. 

More on that tomorrow.  For now, we’ll just take it all in, and I’ll do my best to hit our Irish highlights with the photos.

Hope you enjoy and maybe even feel the urge to come here yourselves.  

It’s Heaven on Earth, and, as they say here in Ireland, it's "brilliant."