The Irish Connection
I'm somewhere around 50% Irish heritage by birth, but 100% by affinity. My family and I have traveled the coastline virtually all the way from Dublin, south through Cork and Kerry, looping north to one of our favorite spots--Cruit Island, County Donegal. We've also tracked the River Shannon through the beautiful interior of Ireland and fallen in love with the Boyne Valley. I chose the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry for the setting of my fictional village, Ballymuir. Dingle has it all--ruins, strand, sheep, mountains, but most of all, a warm and enterprising community.
Irish Artisans
County Kerry's Dingle Peninsula is home to some very talented people! If you're in the mood for a bit of cyber window-shopping, visit:
- Dingle Crystal Ltd. -
Not only is Sean Daly a very talented artisan, he's also a very nice man!
- Louis Mulcahy Pottery -
For some real fun, click on the webiste link that gives you all the pages in Irish!
- Lisbeth Mulcahy, weaver -
Yes, Lisbeth and Louis are husband and wife....
- Eoin Duignan, musician -
In the summer of 2002, I heard Eoin Duignan at a concert in Dingle and again at a pub there. His music, along with that of guitarist Jon Sanders, is incredible! You can sample 2 tracks at his website.
Here are links to some of my other favorite Irish sites . . . real and virtual!
Information on the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry
General Irish Tourism Information
Dreaming of Castles?
Donegal Thatched Cottages
Comhaltas Ceoltoacute;iriacute; eacute;ireann
www.comhaltas.org
(This organization promotes Irish music, culture and arts throughout the world.)
The Discovery Programme
www.discoveryprogramme.ie
(This site is for those interested in archaeology. The Discovery Programme conducted a dig very close to the home of some family friends in Country Clare. One warm August day, we visited the site.)
Writers' Links
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