It's been a while since my last blog post and I don't know where that time has gone. From trying to set up a small new side business, to taking care of sick lambs, to making lists and going to last minute appointments to prepare for my trip back to the States, it's been quite a busy time here. But I thought I'd sit down and write a follow up to my last blog where I wrote about some of the things that I find to be difficult changes since I've moved to Ireland. This blog is what I love about the country!
Sheep - Before moving to Ireland I had never seen a sheep. Sheep just aren't common farm animals at home, we're more cow people! I remember the first time I saw a field full of sheep in Ireland. Steve picked me up from Dublin Airport and we were on the bus headed to Derry. Once we were out of the city and on the motorway I saw the white fluffy shapes off in the distance, got a bit overly excited and said "SHEEP!" while pointing out the window. I'm pretty sure the entire bus laughed at the crazy American who thought a seeing a flock of sheep in an emerald green field was the most quintessential Irish scene you could imagine (and to me it still is). But as I've come to know our own sheep I'm in love with them even more. They are such sweet, loving creatures and they make me so happy just being around them.
Stars at night/Northern Lights - I saw the Milky Way once when I lived in the States. It was through a telescope at 5th grade camp. Other than that there was so much light pollution that you never saw too many stars. Here though... the night sky is breathtaking. The most beautiful night sky I've seen so far was the night Steve proposed to me. We stood outside and you could see the Milky Way so clearly and thousands of stars twinkled overhead. We also saw two shooting stars that night so I'm pretty sure that was just another sign we were destined for each other ;-) Ireland is also a perfect place to view the Northern Lights. I've only managed to see them once so far but even that one time was magical. One of these days I will get out with my camera and try to capture them.
Living by the water - Growing up in the middle of the country the only time we were able to go to the beach was when we went on vacation. Now however, the ocean is just right up the road. I don't even mind the fact that the water is usually ice cold, just having my feet in the sand and listening to the waves crash along the shore is enough for me. I'm always reminded how close we actually are to the water when I hear the cargo ships blow their horns. It's a sound I never thought I'd grow accustomed to but now I'm as used to that as I was to the sound of airplanes flying overhead at home.
Potatoes - Who doesn't love potatoes? And potatoes straight out of the ground? The best! You can go to pretty much any restaurant here and the majority of your side choices will be some form of potatoes. From chips (chunky fries) to dauphinoise potatoes (sliced potatoes in a creamy, cheesy sauce) the choices are pretty much endless. Many times your dish will already include potatoes, but you still of course have the option of 1-2 additional sides... so 3 different types of potatoes anyone?!
Accents - Need I say more? I will never get tired of Irish accents. Ever. And listening to my husband speak Irish as well is also amazing.
The smell of burning turf - So many people seem to hate this smell here! My mother in law hates the smell and will open every window in the house if turf is on the fire. I however love the smell! It's so hard to describe. It's just a really rich, smoky, earthy, fresh scent. We've been meaning to cut some of our own turf the past few years but haven't gotten around to it yet, but our hill ground has plenty of turf banks. There's even an old overgrown turf road where they used to take the wagon and horses through. Hopefully this year we'll be able to cut some of our own so we can enjoy the wonderful scent throughout the winter.
The History - We are about 15 minutes away from a beautiful stone fort that dates back to 1700BC. I can't even wrap my head around that. Seeing ruined castles sitting on tops of cliffs, it's not only stunning but also hard to believe. I always try to picture what everything looked like back then when the castles were in use and there were settlements around. Kings and Queens, Knights, sword fights. I would love to know the history of the land we own. What happened in those fields way back when. The stories the land must hold.
Not having to worry about natural disasters - Though the weather here is usually pretty rainy, it's a huge relief to know that I don't have to worry about many natural disasters. At home I lived in tornado alley. Our house has been hit twice by tornadoes and we've had several other very close calls. It's something I've always had to be aware about and something I have been raised to be very educated about. In Ireland though tornadoes are the last thing on my mind. There was a time last year where a tornado was supposedly spotted in Buncrana and my in-laws were very concerned about it. When they showed me the photo in the newspaper I couldn't help but to laugh. It was nothing more than a whispy cloud that was just very low hanging. I'm not saying it could never happen but if it did, I have the feeling it would be extremely tiny and would do little to no damage. Ireland just doesn't have the conditions that are conducive to producing tornadoes and for that I am very glad.
Being so close to the Gaeltacht - The Gaeltacht is an area of Ireland that is still Irish speaking. This is mainly in the west of Donegal. We are only about an hours drive and we love going out to that area so Steve can practice his Irish. It's just so fun to be in an area where you can hear the original language of the country. Not only that, but it is one of the most beautiful places I've been in Ireland. It's still so natural and rural. Old stone walls are still used as fences, bog wood is everywhere, ship wrecks are washed upon the beaches, it's just indescribable.
Folklore - I heard a story one time about the council in County Cork wanting to build a motorway. There was a town that the motorway was planning on running through that had a very famous tree which was in danger of being destroyed during the construction of the road. It was a fairy tree (either an Oak, Ash, or Hawthorne tree). In Irish Folklore it is said that types of otherworld creatures live in or around the fairy trees. It is also said that Pookas, Cluricaunes and mysterious white-clad women appear at these trees late at night. It is a desecration to remove a fairy tree. Due to this, the council ended up building the motorway around the fairy tree. It's stories like this that make Ireland such a magical place to live. I will never get tired of hearing them, and maybe believing them :)
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