Off to Visit Ireland’s Ancient East

Greetings,

The time is 3:30am and I’m writing this from my cottage in the Caribbean; to say I’m excited to be returning to Ireland would be an understatement. As you know, I’m a huge fan of castles and things that were built to last, so much so that I’m building my own castle of sorts. Obviously, it’s not a castle but I’ve definitely been inspired by plenty of the great buildings I’ve had the pleasure of seeing.

photo credit here

I’ll be visiting Ireland’s Ancient East for a few days and most of my time will be visiting castles, medieval villages, learning about the area’s rich history and even staying in a castle. Naturally, there will be some Guinness in there and probably more than just a few sips of Smithwick’s as well for good measure.

I often like to keep the itinerary a bit of a secret because everyone likes a surprise, yes? That said, below I’m going to list a few of things that I’ll be doing to give you a taste of what’s to come.

Rock of Dunamase – a castle ruin dating back over 2000 years

Castle Durrow Hotel – staying in a castle is always fun

Rock of Cashel – a spectacular set of medieval buildings

Waterford City – the oldest city in Ireland

Medieval Mile in Kilkenny – a walking tour ending with a castle

Of course there is more but this is just an idea of what I’ll be up to. I was in Ireland a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed my time but spent most of it in Dublin and then along the west coast. It’s wonderful to be able to revisit Ireland and experience a completely new part of the country.

Another reason I’m very happy to be returning to Ireland is that it’s where most of my roots are from. Not all, but most of my roots are from the area so it always feels like I’m “going home” if you will when I visit that part of the world. Considering we’re near the end of spring and only days away from the start of summer it should be the perfect time to visit; everything will be a lush green and hopefully we’ll get our fair share of sunshine as well.

photo credit here

Ever since I started building, I’ve had a new appreciation for all structures. If you’re not familiar with building it’s easy to simply see structures from a superficial level and appreciate the finish. When you know what it takes to make a structure stand, you get a whole new appreciation for every building you see and look behind the finish to see what it’s made of.

When talking about people, it’s often heard “it’s what’s inside that counts”. When it comes to buildings it’s what materials are used and in what quantity and in what way that counts. I’m excited to see some incredible stone buildings which have stood the test of time, appreciate the architecture and marvel at the methods used for its construction.

photo credit here

I’d continue but I’ve got dozens of things which must be done before my departure. I’ll be in Ireland in a few days but some of my friends and colleagues are already there now. On all social media networks you can follow #IrelandsAncientEast to get real-time updates from the trip. I’ll be sharing my experiences on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and of course Snapchat while I’m there.

Tips hat,