The Emerald Isle

THE EMERALD ISLE Ireland has changed since we first visited many years ago. But what has remained unchanged is the beauty of the countryside and the hospitality of people. Traveling the country lanes through the rhododendron bushes, you can still come across the flock of sheep or the herd of cows led home by a very intelligent dog after a day out on the fields. You may still discover the old prehistoric dolmen on the side of the road, silently standing witness to centuries of civilization. You will marvel at the hundred shades of green and the soft rain responsible for splashing the land with color and fragrance. The Ireland most visitors seek is the land of the empty country, of small forested groves at the bottom of the valley, and the spray of the ocean over the rocky shoreline. You might get lost amid Gaelic-language signs but who worries over directions if the land is charming and the next pub just around the corner. The land will lead you to remote monasteries of bygone days and past mysterious Ogham stones full of magic messages. You might hear some far-fetched stories once you let the locals tell you about their home, over a pint of dark beer or a golden whiskey. Afterwards, you will hear jigs and reels and rebel songs, performed not for you but for the community that existed before you and will continue to exist, with a silent prayer for the ones that passed or had to move far away.