BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Irish Culture Where are you from???

There is a real case for genetic memory as far as I am concerned. Ireland just has a way of tugging at the heartstrings. I've never really been able to figure out exactly what it is that makes so many people so attracted to such a small, damp place, but there it is. You're another. And you're not alone, not by a long shot! Just wait until you visit...

I just hope that I'll get there before I croak, and this weekend has left me wondering how soon that will be OY!

Sometimes I wonder if the reason I feel so connected to Ireland is that my family left against their will. If they left against their will, then maybe that is why my blood is screaming to go back, because theirs was.

I don't know the reasons for their leaving, and maybe never will. I think it was too early for the famines...they were in the 1840s, right? Or were there many episodes of famine? I don't know where to turn anymore to find out the reason they left Ireland. Hopefully during my research I'll find the answers.

In the meantime I just keep hoping that I'll get to go there someday and maybe walk the same paths they did, breathe the same air, and dream the same dreams. I know without a doubt that if I am able to go I will be able to finish my story.

If you knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for someone, what place in Ireland do you think the person should put at the top of their list?

Even with all of the troubles, it is the most beautiful place on earth <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You may have a point about the yearning being a by-product of the unwilling emmigration. It makes me cry to think of it. In fact, for some of us, it may not be healthy to think of it too much; so many broken hearts.

Even before the famine, there was significant emmigration due mostly to population density and poor prospects. The people who worked the land did not own it, and the lure of open country was powerful. Families were broken and so the hearts followed.

For a once in a lifetime visit, where would you not want to see? I could not tell you! I'm a big fan of the wild west coast myself, but there are so many distinct areas that have their own charms. At this point, though, I would avoid the main roads and the cities. From what I gather, the new fast roads are not the way to see the country. It really depends on what you like to do. Some people could make an entire holiday of chasing down holy wells (I could.) Others would like a spa holiday where they could go be pampered. Some people want to get as many "places" under their belts as they can. Then there's the whole of Northern Ireland, which is absolutely gorgeous.

It makes me cry, too. My heart hurts for them and all the Irish have gone through over the years. It has been my prayer for peace and unity of the whole island for a long time now. I pray for a united Ireland...

I can't think of a part that I wouldn't want to see. I'm not really a city girl so I think I'd rather concentrate more on the rural, scenic areas. But I'd love to see Dublin, too. Spas aren't my thing, history is. I want to take beautiful photographs of the places there be they tourist attractions or not. I think a tour of the haunted castles would be really neat <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />