"Here we are, because it is too beautiful to move"

Virginia Woolf said that of West Cork.

It's been a few weeks since I blogged, and though there are many stories to tell, I'm going to keep this blog a simple one.

The more of Ireland that I see and experience, the more lovely, enchanting & charming it becomes. Though it doesn't have the overshadowing mountains like the Rockies or the white sand beaches like Greece; though the weather is not as predictable as, well, anywhere I've been, and the skies are often gray- Ireland has captured a raw and untamed beauty, a step back to a time where fields weren't plowed over to build condominiums, and hotspots weren't transformed into tourist villas. One can still find towns on this island where Irish is spoken, instruments are pulled out each night, and tea is offered to every person who walks in the doors of a home. There are still hills and valleys that have yet to be touched by roads and electricity; fields where the hay hasn't yet been bailed and the children roam freely, writing their own stories. Some places in Ireland remind me of other places I've been- some of home, some of the open west of America; but then some places are new to me- the rough and open hillsides of County Kerry somehow manage to stay a vibrant green through all of the year. The small ponds nestled in the crevices of wild hills somehow provide the same awe that geological wonders do. The wind blowing through the gap becomes the melody of this land, the hoof-claps of the horse drawn carraiges keep the beat. Western Ireland has absolutely captivated and awakened my senses again to to beautiful work of our Creator's hands!