Ring of Kerry - Dear to my Heart

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I’m wearing green, I’m sporting my Ireland socks, I blared some Chieftains on the way to work, and I briefly considered having lunch at the Irish bar next door. I love Ireland!

Of the places that I’ve been, Ireland still holds a magical place in my heart. Maybe it’s “Foxy Mike,” perhaps the little leprechaun man on the boat, or the live music and Baileys at the pub… Whatever the reason, I still consider Ireland to be near the top of my list. I was thinking yesterday that I should really send a letter to the study abroad office at Valpo and explain what a difference studying in England made in my life. I know that most of my fellow Cambridge-ites still have the travel bug and I really should warn the students that I send to Australia that going abroad can be damaging to all future career goals and general direction in life. But, I consider myself blessed to have been where I’ve been and to have the desire to trek to more places.

Back to Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day, though. We’re living here in the Land of the Fighting Irish and it’s 70 degrees out. Ken and I were originally planning on having a quiet evening in because from what I hear, the pubs and bars are madness. We plan on celebrating on Saturday when things have died down a bit and I fully intend to hit the restaurant next door and enjoy some lamb stew with a big pint of cider and maybe a couple of hits of Ken’s Guinness.

I made Irish soda bread on Sunday and although it was edible directly out of the oven, it wasn’t fantastic and I knew it would be a weapon once it cooled down. I’m not feeling lofty enough to try to make corned beef and cabbage at home.

Hope everyone has a great day and enjoys a bit of luck and magic!