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Ireland is shaped like a teddy bear. A few days before I was to leave California
on my trek to Ireland, I was sitting in a pub talking with Seamus, one my friends from
Tipperary, and he pointed this out to me. Then, he took me over to a map that was posted
on one of the walls and traced the shape of it with his fingers. If you look at the map,
you can see the profile of this teddy bear, turned to the left, his arms stretched out
for hugging.
Topographically, Ireland is shaped like a tea cup, explained another friend, Cormac, when I was talking with him about where I should go and what I should do. The mountains and cliffs border the edges of the island, and the center of the country consists of miles of soft, rolling hills and pasture land. (Click on the map for a larger, more detailed view.)
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I flew into Dublin and from there, for over a month, I negotiated trains, bus schedules, rental
cars, mini-vans, boats, and hikes to cliffs and forts and castles. By far, my
favorite experience turned out to be driving through Ireland on lonely country roads,
narrow winding passages on the sides of cliffs, and small towns with locals thronging
the streets, talking to neighbors. A few times, I drove alone. But more often, I was joined
by friends I met while traveling, who wanted to share the cost of hiring a car and who loved
the scenery and out-of-the-way places as much as I.
My travels included: Dublin,
Cork, Limerick, Galway,
The Burren, Connemara,
Aran Islands, Tralee, Ring of Kerry,
Dingle, Killarney, Limerick, Newgrange,
and Dublin again.
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