My Journey Through Ireland
"And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." -- TS Eliot


I flew into Dublin on my birthday, and began the first step of a journey that would last just over a month, but that would live forever in my memory as one of my favorite experiences of life. I gush with sappy enthusiasm when I talk about it, but I do it anyway because I can't help myself. To me, Ireland invites introspection--not just because of the beautiful landscape and friendly environment, but also because of the passionate artistry it inspires and celebrates. Somehow, as I planned my trip, I intuitively knew that this is where I needed to be. I felt welcome every moment that I was there, and I enjoyed meeting people as much as I enjoyed being with myself. I began to appreciate whatever experience handed itself over to me. I had time to myself--lovely, endless moments stretched out before me--and as I began to feel the rhythm of each of these moments, my experience of the land, the events, and the people around me became even richer. In this way, I came to know myself again for the very first time.



Shannon and Laurie, copyright 1997 Shannon Engelbrecht
Shannon and Laurie Go to Ireland!

Siobhan and Laurie, copyright 1997 Shannon Engelbrecht
Siobhan and Laurie in Downtown Slane 		My friend, Shannon, was the one who first suggested the trip to me. She was going to England, Scotland, and Ireland for three weeks. She invited me, and I decided to join her. As I began planning the trip, and as I got to know more people from Ireland, I extended it. I saw an opportunity to spend a month by myself and I grabbed it. I knew immediately that Ireland was the place where I wanted to spend most of my time. Shannon flew home at the end of October, and I went to Galway to begin my month-long journey alone. Before long, though, I began meeting people. Local Irish and fellow travelers that became my friends, and who I have kept up with since my return, mostly via email.

Siobhan and I were introduced by a mutual friend, Bryan, who we had both met while traveling. A group of us met on the Aran Islands and from there, decided to share the cost of hiring a car. Getting to know Siobhan as we traveled together enriched my experience of the trip. I ended up going places that I had not planned, and might never have gone otherwise. My favorite experience, Newgrange, was a jaunt that she suggested.

Sometimes I wonder how my trip would have been different if I had not met Siobhan and the other people I traveled with, if I had not come to know my Irish friends who now live in Limerick, or if Shannon had not been there to suggest the trip in the first place. This awareness, drawn from my travels and from the interdependency I developed with strangers who became friends during the course of my journey, has caused me to open up to other people as I continue down the path that is the journey of my life. I find it profoundly beautiful that others can affect the course of our lives in ways we can never plan. My time in Ireland made me appreciate that even more. Because part of the joy of being here, is coming to know places, people and, finally, yourself in ways that you did not before and could not alone.

In these pages, you will see my photographic journey through Ireland--the things that became most representative of my experience, the people and places that changed my life.

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