This was a bittersweet part of the trip. I’ve had such an amazing time here and feeling very sad to know that it’s almost at the end. But more than anything, I’m feeling grateful and exuberant for having the opportunity to do this!

Started the day by meeting up with Jennifer, who needed a ride from Belfast to the Dublin airport on her way to Berlin. It was a nice chance to visit with her during the two hour drive and I hope we will be long time friends.

Dublin itself is wonderful in so many ways, but also kind of a bummer with so many tourists, many of which are really obnoxious. There are still many quality honest pubs – but here you also have many big mega pubs bursting with people – all having the time of their lives! It’s also a melting pot of cultures and nationalities – cuisines of every type imaginable line the streets.

And the music! Music is absolutely everywhere in this city and much of it very very good.

I stayed in the heart of Temple Bar at the Eliza Lodge – a cool little place I would highly recommend. GREAT location!

For the final two days, I put my camera away for the most part and just tried to savor every last moment of my time here. So not many photos, but many many memories – and THANK YOU soooooo much to all of the people who befriended this scraggly traveler – I’m honored to be your new friend.

My best guess is that I visited 82 pubs over the past sixteen days… that’s a lot of craic! I can’t wait to come back.

Slainte!

Tried to learn as much as I could about the turbulent history of this fine city – notably the tension between catholics and protestants, each of which represent equal numbers of population here.

Giant imposing walls were built to keep the two factions apart from each other back when the troubles were active. Giant murals with messages of peace and positive messages and remembrances now grace the walls and many city buildings – Now they represent the hope for a peaceful coexistence between camps, but there is still certainly a tension in the air and still many pubs with locked doors that you have to knock on to be granted access (after they check you out).

The city center is as fine as I’ve seen – LOADED with excellent restaurants, shops and pubs and everyone quite friendly…. even when I inadvertently drove on to a pedestrian-only section of town and then had to keep going for about a block because there was no way to turn around!

I had a fine lunch and then then started checking out the pubs – classics like the John Hewitt and the Duke of York were fantastic! Thank you once again to my friend Brian, a Math professor from Belfast who I met in Ardara just five days earlier, for the suggestions on best pubs! btw, I tried to call you to meet up for a pint but the number didn’t work – one of us (probably me) must have got it wrong that night. If you read this, please shoot me an email!

This night was also the start of two arts festivals in the city: Festival Of Fools (Street Performances) and Cathedral Quarter Arts Fest. I caught the first show of the Festival of Fools at St. Anne’s Square and it was wonderful! Lots of people, especially small children and a great comedy act.

Grabbed a cab to the Engine Room Gallery to support Jennifer’s opening – which was quite nice. The event itself was very similar to any opening I would find here in the states, with kind people milling about, sipping wines and admiring the art. Jennifer’s work is quite impactful, the subject being African child soldiers – but it was her mastery of light that really wowed me – very nicely done!

I explored a couple more city pubs after that and then met up with the group at Sunflower Bar, where a bit of lively music was playing – I ended up talking all night with Adrian and his sister (Celine) and Jennifer – plus some new friends I had just met – Mauve and John. We were finally kicked out by the owner at around 1am… great night!

Torr Head was absolutely beautiful and once again, i didn’t see a single person on the roads.

From there it was straight to Belfast where i secured a hotel room and then set out on foot to explore. This is a wonderful city! A great energy bustling with people, loads of shopping. Many professional people and young people walking the streets and musicians everywhere. Enjoyed a pint at Madden’s Bar, a traditional Irish pub with a great crowd of people – I made many new friends there! Two of them were Adrian and Jennifer and they asked me to join them for a couple pints down the road. Adrian is a native Belfast resident and Jennifer is an artist from Baltimore, Ireland, who is in town because she is having an art opening on Thursday night of her paintings.

We strolled down to Kelly’s and met up with a bunch more people, sat outside in the sun and had a great time! We then went to Adrian’s place to keep the party moving and listen to music. He lives in a very interesting part of town, overlooking the very apex of the dividing line between the Catholics and Protestants. I learned more about life in this interesting city and some of the scary times of the past.

After a long boozy night, grabbed a cab back to the hotel, had a whiskey at the bar and crashed hard!

From there, just a short trip down the road to the Bushmills Distillery, where I learned how their whiskey is made, then had samples of course!

What better way to follow a whiskey tasting than to cross a rope bridge over the sea? Headed to Carrick-a Rede rope bridge, originally used by fisherman to get to a little island just off the coast, now a tourist attraction. Was a fun experience though and another good walk.

Onward to the destination for the day, Ballycastle. I wanted to check out another pub on my list, McDonnels, a little place owned and operated by a man and his wife, but it is now only open on thursday – staurday… another sign of the times.

Still had a fantastic night in this little seaside resort town. Stayed at a lovely B&B run by a woman named Lily, who made sure I was comfortable and well fed!

Wandered through the village, having a few guinness with the locals and betting on the ponies, then dropping down for some fish and chips at Morton’s – wow! GREAT fish and chips here. John Morton owns the place and he is a fulltime fisherman – the catch of the day was young cod… tasty!

His niece, Vicky, was bartending at the Harbor Bar just down the street. I had a good long conversation with her about life in the village. John Morton might be a great person to follow for the documentary and I secured permission to shoot and go out on the boat with them for a day.

Spent the morning exploring Derry – Ireland’s only walled city. I walked on top of the wall all the way around and in doing so, learned about the tragic history of this city over hundreds of years – I can now see why there’s a gritty edgy feel in the air here.

Headed out along the Causeway Coastal Road, stopping for a walk in Ballykelly Forest, then on to Downhill Denmense, a Mussenden Temple perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.

Stopped in Coloraine for lunch and a look around. This town has potential, with loads of pedestrian walkspaces, but there was a depressing vibe in the air… plus there were very few pubs!

Next stop was Dunluce Castle, considered one of Ireland’s most dramatic castles, also perched dramatically on the cliff’s edge. I didn’t bother with the tour because by now I’m chomping at the bit to get to Giants Causeway, just a few mile down the road!

Giants Causeway… I’ve always been interested in geology and since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to see this place in person. Now I’m finally here and it’s incredible! So surreal, wild and exciting – this landscape is awesome.

I spend a couple hours shooting photos and then book a room at the Causeway Hotel at the top of the cliffs – a FANTASTIC Hotel! I highly recommend this place for any visitors to the area.

I had a couple Magners (in honor of my friend Kathy who is from the area!) and a beautiful Cod dinner, then set off for a sunset hike. The sun sets around 8:45 here, so there was plenty of light left for a good long walk along the tops of the cliffs.

It was windy but clear and I was the only one out there. The sea was lashing wildly and foam was flying clear up to the top, hundreds of feet in the air.

I scored some beautiful images as darkness arrived, then retired to the bar for some Bushmills.

GREAT DAY.

I hugged the coastline all the way to Crohy Head, through the Rosses, a very beautiful part of Donegal and then to Kincaslough where I checked out Sharkey’s pub. Being fairly early on a Sunday, it was closed but it certainly looked like the kind of pub I’m looking for – one of only two pubs in the area with many houses close by for walkers… very small village.

Onward through Gweedore and then to Errigal Mountain – where I had hoped to do some climbing, but the weather was still fiercely terrible and the mountain shrouded in fog so i passed on by and stopped at Glenveagh national Park and Castle.

Had a great afternoon of hiking despite the bad weather – using every bit of rain gear I brought with me, I hiked way up to the top of the mountain looking down upon the beautiful lakeside castle. The trails here are STEEP! And they go straight up, no switchbacks on these trails!

Because of the conditions, I had the entire place to myself and didn’t see a single person for the whole day out there. At the top of the peak, the wind was so strong that I had to fight just to stay on my feet! The strongest winds I ever encountered anywhere.

Decided that a city stop was in order, so made my way to Derry – a bustling urban environment and my first visit ever to Northern Ireland. It is a bit strange to have to convert your money here to sterling, but that’s they way their world works here. Did a bit of exploring the city, had a nice meal of fresh monkfish and chips and then hit the sack hard.

***** On a sad note, I spoke with Debi who informed me that our long time friend Zoe Parsons had passed away. She was a fantastic vibrant person and put up a brave fight with pancreatic cancer. She will be missed, but I will raise a glass in her honor tonight!

Woke very early and had another full Irish breakfast at the hotel, then hit the road toward Slieve League. Along the way I stopped at Yeat’s Gravesite, just north of Sligo (I told you I would Gerard!) and stood for a moment to soak in the aura.

Hit Bundoran to check out one of the pubs on my list, Brennan’s. It’s a lovely old pub, carved wood bar and ceilings, stained glass windows. But the community and the neighborhood is pretty well run down and didn’t have a good vibe. I wandered into the casino across the street and hit for about 50 euros! Sweet – that’s twelve pints (yes, I think of money in terms of pints now).

Stopped for a pint in Donnegal city, just to rest a bit and get my bearings.

Then made my way along incredibly treacherous roads to Slieve League, and started hiking to the top. It was STEEP STEEP STEEP, but it was a gorgeous day, perfect for hiking! I walked for more than four hours, making my way all the way to the top and then along the ridge of the cliffs – got some amazing photos!

Finally ended up in Adara, named Irelands most livable Irish village by the Irish Times. Got a room at the Brae House (35 euro, just leave on the bed when you leave), and proceeded to drink and eat my way around the town. It was Saturday night and things were hopping everywhere! This is a village of 1200 people, but there are twelve pubs along the four block stretch.

Ended up at the end of the night at Dougherty’s, where there was a hen party (bachlorette) and the women were absolutely going crazy over a guy who stripped as he sang Tom Jones songs… the place was going mad all night and it was a load of fun. Also met a great guy from Belfast, Brian, and hope to meet up with him later in the trip for another couple pints.

But the stars today were the Black Faced Mountain Sheep and the gorgeous beaches on Achill Island, were I spent most of the day!

Drove to Clifden and had a nice lunch of Seafood Chowder, then explored the town. It’s a nice enough little place with fine galleries and colorful pubs, many choices for food.

The highlight was the surrounding area! Gerard suggested that I take a drive along the Sky Road, and WOW was it spectacular! High above Clifden, there are views across the sea that took my breath away.

I then dropped down to the Beach Road and walked along the beach for a little while – it was a windy day and the waves were churning.

From there, headed north to Conemarra National Park. I hike the trails way to the top – about three miles roundtrip – once again was treated to beautiful views, and the weather was perfect.

Just north of the park was the next stop, Kylemore Abbey. At 12.50 euros, it was a steep admittance price for what I saw, but it was interesting – a beautiful abbey and walled Victorian Garden.

The drive from there to Westport was stunning – about two hours of coastal and lakeside driving through winding roads. I stopped frequently for photos and captured some really nice landscapes.

Stopped briefly in Clew Bay for a pint – nice little place but nothing special, and then proceeded to my final destination for the day, Westport.

I had one of the finest meals of my life (Crab Claws, Crab Cakes, Scallops, Chocolate Mousse and great wine). I got to meet the owner and we chatted for a while – he suggested some locations for me to explore along the coast which is what my game plan is for today.

Closed the night with a couple weary lints at Matt Malloy’s where traditional music was on the bill, and crashed mightily!

Another fine day.

From there we hit Linnane’s Pub in New Quay for a few pints. A lovely seaside pub with heavy aroma of clams and garlic in the air and horse racing on the telly.

A quick visit to Bishop’s Quarter in Ballyvaughan, one of Richard’s domains, then a beautiful dinner of pasta carbonara prepared by Richard and Gerard, washed down with a good bottle of red.

After dinner, Gerard and Gally (Richard’s dog) and I headed up the mountain to see one of Ireland’s oldest landmarks, the Poulnabrone Dolmin, at sunset. More than 5000 years old, this monument stands eerily alone in a barren field of limestone.

Finally around 9:30 in the evening, it was time to return to our favorite pub in the area, O’Loclainn’s Bar, where Margaret cheerfully poured numerous Green Spot whiskeys for us.