Our phenomenal Celtic Adventure comes to a close today, as we have just taken off from Shannon. For our summary of CAPS, we’ll take a chronological trip to the lighthouses I photographed along the way, with a note or two on our experiences near those beacons. Perhaps you’ll find another picture when we didn’t find ourselves on the coast to remind us of those fine places too. We start with the Inisheer Lighthouse. Here is a picture taken from the Cliffs of Moher during our memorable walk with Pat Sweeney. Take that walk someday folks. I will forever remember it as one of the finest walks of my life.
From there we headed to Dingle, and got a good look at the Tarbert Rock Lighthouse while taking the car ferry across River Shannon from Killimer to Tarbert before walking the beach at Ballybunnion and dreaming of a round of golf there!
Our first “extended stay” of CAPS was in Dingle, and our time there was very special. I can’t summarize our instant love of that peninsula in one sentence or one photo, so I’ve taken the liberty of sharing two pictures of the lighthouse we found there. In the first, you’re reminded of our day on the water that we won’t soon forget. The Dingle Peninsula is amazing, and we sure hope to visit again someday.
There are some gaps along the way that we will fill with images from our memories, as not every stop included a lighthouse. Recall our drive through Killarney National Park to the lovely town of Kinsale before retrieving our passports in Cork and walking the streets and docks of Cobh. I still think of Grandma courageously walking those same streets nearly 100 years ago to find a better life. From there, we headed east and looked out at Ballycotton Lighthouse from a secluded beach before a plunge into the harbor from her pier. What a refreshing swim!
Our journey took us into the heart of Ireland next, and we had quite a memorable day learning a bit about my heritage while visiting Grandma’s church and finding the home she grew up in more than a century ago. Stacey and I remain truly moved by the hospitality we were shown that day.
Three days in Dublin came next, and included a tour of Trinity College, an awesome musical pub crawl, and many more treats. From Dublin, we shifted into the Northern Ireland portion of the trip, starting with a day walking the streets of Derry. That city has a charming but also troubled history. After learning some of that history, the photo below means even more to me now than it did when I took it only a few short days ago.
It is from Derry that we started our Causeway Coastal Route along the stunningly beautiful shores of Northern Ireland. We walked along Magilligan Beach and looked across the water towards Greencastle and the beautiful Shroove Lighthouse protecting her harbor.
The town of Portstewart is certainly on our list of places to return to, but we still loved the harbor and our amazing accommodations for only one short night.
After a memorable walk along Giants Causeway, Stacey agreed to face her anxiety in walking across the rope bridge to Carrick-a-Rede island, just as the fishermen had done some two hundred years ago! We were rewarded with wonderful views of the ocean, as well as these three lighthouses on Rathlin Island.
In Cushendun, we found a special beach where we hunted seaglass for a peaceful and unhurried morning before making our way slowly towards Belfast. On our way there, we found two more pretty beacons along the way.
This trip has been uniquely special. I feel so blessed to have shared the experience with my best friend and the love of my life. Thank you for everything Stacey – both on this trip and in life. I love you! ❤️
❤️🇮🇪❤️