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Éire: Association and Inspiration?
Éire is my country of birth and I do get to return there from my adoptive home in the U.K. a few times a year, for social reasons more than anything else. Initially, I left its shores to further my education in Scotland but later moved south to England to forge a career for myself. The "Celtic Tiger" came upon the place in my absence and some may have wondered why I didn't return at the time after completing my studies; a gentleman with whom I was speaking in Dublin was wondering how I might have left during the good times when I mentioned how long I had lived in England. It was the opportunities in the U.K. and their accessibility that swung it for me and, to be honest, I am glad in some ways that they did. After all, the boom years are just a memory over there now and austerity is what seems to be facing everyone, especially those who have the misfortune of being out of work.
At the time of my move into the world of work, I did get to attend job fairs and even did an interview In Ireland. Before that yielded anything, an opportunity arose that has seen me through since then. Now that I look at the state of the Irish economy at the moment, thoughts arise of others having to leave to earn their way are coming to mind. For now, that's staunched by the state of the world economy but an improvement could change things. It's true to say that Britain is having a bumpy patch too so my wits need to be kept about me. If nothing else, the problems in Ireland should keep me from getting any way complacent, especially with thrift being the byword for the times ahead.
Surprisingly, I seem to have savoured more scenic sights and architectural delights in the likes of Scotland, Wales and England than my own native land. In fact, I keep telling myself that I should see more of the place and I seem to inching my way forward when it comes to this pursuit. Being originally from the county of Limerick, it is the southwest of the island that I know best with the scenic spots of Cork and Kerry seeing visits; the list of locations include Killarney, Gougane Barra, Dingle and many more. More recently, I have got to thinking of exploring other parts and a trip to Wicklow arose from this with my walking to the top of the Great Sugarloaf to partake of its panoramic views. Saying that, there's always more to see and areas like Donegal, Mayo and Connemara come to mind. Being a regular reader of Walking World Ireland means that the ideas are building up so it's a matter of making some time to use them as best as I can.
Speaking of visiting the nation state, places to look when planning your itinerary are an obvious candidate for inclusion on more and so they are featured. Falling into somewhat the same category are web destinations offering you the chance to plan your accommodation too. Then, there's the matter of getting about and public transport gets its place too. After that, online information sources allowing you to get more of a feel for the place cannot be ignored either with local and national news purveyors having their place.
Collections of website directories are all very fine but it is more unique content that not only draws visitors but they even find it to be of more use. To this end, I have been adding articles to this space and adding more commentary and insight to those listings. Everything has to start somewhere and what you find here started with a short history of my family name. From there, I have gone on to mulling over the options for getting to Eire from Britain, pondering the attractions of Northern Ireland and, most recently, collating thoughts on what makes the county of Kerry a picturesque visitor magnet. These are the kinds of things that I want to see dominating what you find here so I hope to continue adding more of the same.
