An Gailge ... thats Irish to the uninitiated...

What I miss about home is... An Gaeilge, the Irish language. It used to drive us nuts in school; some of the teachers were great and others were more fanatical that good. I miss it now...

Our office manager is Irish and sometimes we speak as gaeilge, much to the consternation of our English workmates. It's handy at Christmas too when we want to talk in front of the kids about their presents, but they know the words for money and present now...

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

May the luck of the Irish be with you all! Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Dingle... An Daingean

What I miss about home is... Dingle. But the old Dingle, An Daingean as we say in the mother tongue. Its all change now though. A tourist town, not the fishing port and west coast village that it used to be, At least not as I see it.

Ice Cream

Hot Dogs

Chilli Dogs

Crepes

Fish and Chips

On my first visit to Dingle, I was 16 or 17. It was a school trip, we stayed in Dun Chaoin for three days and hiked around the area. I found a horse shoe by an old stone wall. Little did I know that I would marry a girl from the Kerry, but I did. Maybe the horseshoe brought me that piece of  luck!

We all change. I guess Dingle, An Daingean, can be no exception. It can't be all open fires and soda bread baking with a drop of poitin on the side board under the glare of a Child of Prague. If only.

Guardian Angels

What I miss about home is... guardian Angels Church. This was our parish church, and still is my mother's, when I lived in Ireland. A marvel of 1960s architecture, featuring concrete bricks and pilasters and stained glass windows. it was opened in 1967. This church was and still is an integral part of the community.

What I miss about home is... Walking in the country lanes just outside Tralee town. Its the place where my one true love grew up and left to be with me. Tralee is also the place where the world famous Rose Of Tralee beauty pagent takes place where girls from all over the world descend on the town. I always enjoy the times Catherine and I would walk through these lanes and roads, the peace, the quiet and the countryside is idyllic.

 

Irish Pubs...

What I miss about home... is Irish Pubs. The warmth and friendliness is known the world over.

Tralee - Inside

But if you ever go to Ireland you will notice that outside the pubs, be it at the back, or on the main street, rows of kegs...

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Dublin - Outside

Cork - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Adare - Outside

Kinsale - Outside

Hector Greys

What I miss about home is ... Hector Greys.

A toy shop second to none. At least that was the way it was back in the day. Any trip into Dublin always included a visit to the shop. It was like an Alladin's cave, you never knew what treasures you might find in there. Do you remember a particular toy shop from your childhood?