In 2009, my brother took our entire family – mom, stepdad, stepsister, and myself – to Ireland for two whole weeks.  So I blame my obsession on him.

He was overseas when we got the news that he was taking us all on holiday, and he left it up to me to figure it all out.  I was overwhelmed – how to choose where to go when the whole world is yours for the choosing (so to speak)?  He had been to Ireland before and thought that might be someplace we’d enjoy, and I’d always wanted to go, so that settled that.  But where in Ireland?  I was able to answer that one right off the bat.  Might sound odd to most people but it made perfect sense to me!  I’m a huge Gone With The Wind fan, and Scarlett O’Hara’s father, Gerald, was born in County Meath.  Problem solved!

After a fair amount of online searching, I found a self-catering farm in the tiny town of Nobber, County Meath.  The owners of the farm had renovated an old stone barn into a home away from home, and the location was perfect – just an hour outside of Dublin and close to the Hill of Tara and Newgrange, locations that were on the must-see list for our trip.  In addition to the farmhouse, I made arrangements for a self-catering apartment in the heart of Dublin for two nights so that we could experience a bit of the city as well.  My brother is a Guinness drinker – at the time, I was decidedly NOT – and was looking forward to seeing the Storehouse.

We met my brother at the Dublin Airport, and after an excited reunion, we headed to the car rental agency.  Thankfully, he took the reins for the driving as none of us had ever driven on the “wrong side of the road” before!  And we were off to Rathgillan Farm, County Meath.

This is our incredible home away from home.  It was a half-hour walk to town, down a winding country lane bordered with hedgerows – exactly what you think of when you think of Irish country roads.  My sister and I enjoyed walking into town to visit the (very few) shops.  And the pub, of course, complete with friendly bartender who offered us a lift home at the end of the night when he found out we were staying at “Paddy’s farm”.  I guess we weren’t the first guests of Rathgillan Farm to visit the village pub!

My amazing brother, the founder of our two-week feast.

We visited Newgrange, the ancient passage tomb that’s older than the pyramids.

The Hill of Tara was a highlight of the trip for me, and not just because that’s my name 🙂  The gentle slopes were once home to the High Kings of Ireland, and you can still see the Lia Fail, the ancient “stone of destiny” that legend says would cry out loud when the rightful King touched it.  It’s one of those rare places where you can actually feel the history in the ground you’re standing on and in the air around you. Altogether an unforgettable experience.

In Dublin, a trip to the Brazen Head, reputedly Ireland’s oldest pub, was definitely in order.  It was Guinness’ 250th anniversary, and evidence of the celebration was all over town, right down to the banner across the front of the pub.

The River Liffey divides Dublin into north and south sides, and was once a Viking highway into the city.  I imagine it looked a little different back then.

Of course, we had to visit the famous Guinness Storehouse.  I wasn’t a fan of the drink at the time, so my brother enjoyed the free pint they give you with admission, but I did enjoy pouring it and earning my “Perfect Pint” certificate!

We also paid a visit to Trim Castle, ancient stronghold of the town of Trim and a familiar sight to Braveheart fans.

Back at our farmhouse, the family that owned the property treated us to an authentic Irish music night!  They were so welcoming, and they truly personified the Irish stereotypes of hospitality and friendliness.  Sadly, they stopped renting their property out last year to embark on another business venture, so we won’t be able to have a return visit.

It was an actual working farm, complete with cows that came right up to the kitchen window, but amazingly there were no flies!  We didn’t notice any flying bugs at all – there were no screens on any of the windows, and in my room there was a skylight that I kept open all night long with only a moth or two making its way in over the entire two weeks. That fact alone is enough to make me want to live there.

It was the trip that changed everything – it ignited a passion for Ireland, and Dublin in particular, that is still going strong today.  It was so hard to choose just a few pictures to post – I have hundreds and every one tells a story that I’ll never forget.  And I’m happy to say that I quickly got over my aversion to Guinness.