Working in Emyvale :: November 16 to 20, 2009
For another week I worked at Universal Graphics back in Emyvale, and being employed really cut into my time as an annoying photo-taking tourist, so I don't have many pictures from this time. I did, however, get a shot of my design for the "All Weather Clothes Line" truck, which was completed just before I left Universal Graphics for Mayo.
Dingle Peninsula :: November 15, 2009
On another amazingly beautiful day we toured the Dingle Peninsula, which is as lovely as it is remote. With incredible scenery and ocean views, it is a tremendous, if twisty, drive. Dingle is in the Gaeltacht, where there are still people who speak Gaelic or Irish as their first language, although it is a steadily shrinking region that is mostly in small communities along the western seaboard. One of our first stops was in the tiny gem of a seaside town called Inch, then onto a drive that took us to the prehistoric beehive huts which are still standing after thousands of years.
Ring of Kerry, Lap 2 :: November 14, 2009
When my second cousin Deb, from London, came to visit Ireland with her friend Sylvia from Canada, I joined them to tour around the Cork and Kerry area in a rental car. While I had already been to the Ring of Kerry, it is worth many visits, and an interesting challenge to see how much trivia I could remember from my first trip. We had amazing weather for mid-November in Ireland, so I probably took even more photos than the first time as well!
A bit more Dublin :: November 12, 2009
When I had to return to Dublin to do some exciting immigration and tax paperwork, I had an opportunity to tour around a bit more and take some shots of famous city landmarks, such as St. Stephen's Green Park, the Georgian era "Dublin Doors" and even the statue of Oscar Wilde (nicknamed by Dubliners as the "fag on the crag"). I also took in a literary pub crawl with my hostel roommate from Australia, and I wasn't even kicked out for not having read Ulysees!
Derry, Northern Ireland :: November 6, 2009
Since I was only about five miles from the border in Emyvale, I decided to take the opportunity to see a bit more of Northern Ireland. Last year I visited Derry very briefly for an hour or so, but there is a lot more to see. Derry has had more than it's share of "the Troubles" during it's turbulent history and is the inspiration behind the U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday", a peaceful protest that turned deadly in 1972. Since the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, Derry has recovered somewhat to become a thriving city, though the last British army garrison only departed quite recently. Derry is also well known for the murals that commemorate the city's tragic past, and for being the only remaining walled city in Ireland.
Emyvale, Monaghan :: November 1 to 11, 2009
After a trip to Cork City that was so short I didn't even take any photos, I had an opportunity to go to a job interview at the other end of the country, in County Monaghan, which is one of the northernmost areas still in the Republic. I worked for Universal Graphics for a couple of weeks, helping them with a busy period of design projects, while staying at a local B&B also owned by the company. I enjoyed working there and had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, including some large scale vehicle graphics, which is their specialty. Emyvale is a very small, but cute town, surrounded by lovely countryside.
