If I had to pack my bags, jump on a plane, and pick anywhere in the world to live out the rest of my days, Ireland would be the perfect place for me.
My family and I went to Ireland the summer of 2017. The day after my high school graduation we took an eleven-hour plane flight to Dublin, Ireland. This trip had been planned six months in advance and I had helped my dad pick out all of the different places I wanted to sightsee, the restaurants where we should eat, and the biggest attractions.
We had gone to Italy five years before this for my sister's graduation, but I wanted to go to the place where I felt that a part of me belonged. I didn’t know how, but I could feel it.
And I won’t lie to you, while I did feel like part of me belonged in Ireland, the other reason I was going was to hopefully see Niall Horan.
It didn’t happen, but there’s always hope.
As we flew over Ireland, descending into Dublin, I couldn’t be more excited as I looked out my window at the beautiful rolling hills, the dark green grass, and all the old buildings that took my breath away.
Living in America I feel like every part of nature has been covered with roads, businesses, and houses which is a huge contrast to Ireland.
I love nature and would love to wake up every morning with a perfect view of the mountains rather than a construction site putting up “bigger and better” buildings.
While we were in Dublin, I have never felt so happy. I was surrounded by little coffee shops and pubs where everyone knew each other, I had the absolute best food from restaurants that I would never be able to go to in America, and not to mention all the spirits were fantastic.
Our first night there, we stayed in the Killarney Castle and rode horses through the trails behind it. The complete serenity of trail riding through the rolling hills of Ireland was absolutely perfect.
Nothing will ever compare to that moment.
Another day we visited Belfast in Northern Ireland, where the Titanic was made. It was amazing to go through the museum and see all of the ins and outs of the making of the ship. One of the things that stuck with me most was a quote on the wall from "The Convergences of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy that said:
“…as the smart ship grew in stature, grace, and hue, in the shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too.”
From Belfast, we went back into Ireland and headed to the National Park. If I had the opportunity to buy a tiny house and plant it anywhere in this park, I would. The park was surrounded by mountains and rushing waterfalls, and they had horse-drawn carriages.
My family and I traveled all over Ireland visiting more castles, the oldest pub in Ireland and the Kilmainham Jail. It was truly the experience of a lifetime and I cannot wait to go back.
Everyone has places that they feel a part of themselves belong, whether it’s halfway around the world or right down the street and for me that place in Ireland.
In a few years from now, if you ever travel to Ireland, you might find me sitting at a table in The Old Storehouse Bar and Restaurant enjoying a William Hardy Shiraz.
