By Sandy Klim

Ireland is a magical and lyrical country with breathtaking vistas, exquisite cuisine, and gracious, friendly people with frequent smiles. I had arrived in the land of my ancestors; a country of castles, mountain heather, stirring literature, scholars and saints. Ireland is an ancient place with mysteries from the dawn of civilization. It is also a modern country with cosmopolitan sophistication that retains its rural charm.

Ireland sits on the western shore of Europe, 3,000 miles from North America. To the east lies Ireland’s powerful neighbor, Britain. Throughout the centuries, the history of Ireland and England has been intertwined. The 26 counties in the south form the Republic of Ireland, and six counties in Northern Ireland are a part of the United Kingdom. The Republic has a population of five million people. Nearly one-and-a-half million live in the north.

Shannon International Airport, in western Ireland, was the gateway for our Irish journey. Dublin on the east and Belfast in the north also host international airports. We rented our car in Shannon and began our journey to Galway Bay.

Stonewall-lined roads and farm fields accompany the drive from Clare County to Galway at the mouth of the Corrib River. Once a medieval center of narrow stone streets, Galway is now a lively city with cathedrals, universities, shopping districts and fine dining. One of the most popular tourist destinations is the Galway Irish Crystal Centre. Here, you can watch artisans cutting glass with skilled precision. Years of rigorous training are required to create world-renowned stemware. After a visit to the showroom and gift shop, most visitors are unable to resist bringing home hand-cut treasures of Irish crystal. The best-known Irish crystal is Waterford Crystal. It’s more expensive than Galway and is available throughout the world. The history of the Claddagh descendants of the region is housed in the Centre’s museum. The Claddagh ring design features a heart with two clasped hands. This distinctive design is known as a symbol of love, friendship and loyalty. Claddagh is also the Gaelic word for rocky or pebbly shore.

You’ll find these pebbles on the western shore of Ireland. You’ll also see boulders as large as houses and stone cliffs hundreds of feet high. The most famous are the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, an hour south of Galway. The cliffs extend for some five miles and form one of the grandest and most breathtaking coastlines in Europe. Soaring seven hundred feet above the pounding Atlantic Ocean, the cliffs seem indifferent to the ocean’s great power.

The ocean air fuels the appetite. Fresh salmon, mussels, oysters and Atlantic lobster are common fare at restaurants and pubs up and down the coast. The western shore of Ireland has unspoiled beaches, golf courses that redefine the term championship, and bed and breakfasts that give new meaning to the word hospitality.

The west is also the land of castles. There are more than 900 castles in the counties of Clare, Limerick and Galway. Some have been turned into luxury hotels; others sit quietly in ruin along the roadside. Bunratty, near Shannon Airport, is one of the most famous castles in Ireland. Built in 1425 by the MacNamara Clan, the history of Bunratty stretches over 500 years of turbulence. The stone fortress was in shambles until it was bought in 1954. This walk through time is a must for all castle lovers. Bunratty houses one of the finest collections of medieval furniture in the country. In the 15th century, the Earl of Thomond ruled from Bunratty and entertained lavishly. Following this tradition of hospitality, the Earl’s Medieval Banquet is held nightly throughout the year.

On the castle grounds, Bunratty Folk Park re-creates 19th-century Ireland. This historical village includes a river-driven flourmill, a hardware store, blacksmith’s forge, printer’s workshop, and many elaborate, golden thatched farmhouses.

A few miles west of Galway is Connemara, a wild and beautiful region of patient mountains, expansive lakes, turbulent rivers and rushing streams. One of the three Gaelic speaking areas in Ireland, Connemara has many summer schools where students come to improve their Irish language skills. In the heart of Connemara, at the foot of Dough -rough Mountain, rests Kylemore Abbey. This neo-Gothic castle was built in 1860 of Dalkey granite. Mitchell Henry and his wife Margaret entertained on a grand scale until her death in 1874. The lavish mansion now houses a community of Irish Benedictine nuns and one of the most prestigious girls’ schools in Europe. The Abbey is one of the most photographed sites in Ireland.

The nearby town of Spiddel is made up of brightly colored stores, restaurants and pubs with signage in both English and Gaelic.

Thirty miles from the Galway coast are the Aran Islands. A 45-minute ferry ride will take you to the largest of the three islands, Inis Mór. Gaelic is the everyday language of the islanders and much of Ireland’s folklore and culture is enshrined in their songs and stories. There is also an air service, operated by Aer Aran, not far from Spiddel.

Aran is known for its hand-knit sweaters, stone-lined fields, horses and buggies and four Celtic forts that sit defiantly on towering cliff tops. Perched precipitously on a cliff three hundred feet above the Atlantic is the spectacular triple-walled fort of Dún.

During the summer months, tourists swell the population of Inis Mór from around 800 to over 3000. In the past, the islanders had to eke out a living from the limestone terrain. With relentless toil, they managed to partially clear the land. Today, most islanders are commercial fishermen or work in the tourism industry.

We headed toward County Mayo, where we were excited to meet my husband’s aunts, uncles, cousins and nephews. County Mayo is perhaps most notable for Croagh Patrick, a perfectly cone-shaped mountain. Legend has it that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, chased all the snakes away as he was converting the country to Christianity. According to tradition, St. Patrick used the shamrock, which is now the national emblem, to illustrate the doctrine of the trinity.

Another holy site is the Knock Shrine, where several local residents reportedly saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1879. Today, the mountain and Knock Shrine are important pilgrimage destinations. One Sunday every summer, thousands of people flock to the area to climb the mountain. In the past, many did so in their bare feet, and even today, on “Reek Sunday,” many still do. This is to commemorate St. Patrick, who was said to have visited there on his travels around Ireland.

Mayo is also where my husband spent summers as a little boy and where his mother was raised. Nestled at the base of Mt. Nephin is the farming village of Coolnabinnia. Turf fires still warm the family hearths in this gentle valley. Here, you will find spiritual people blessed with an endearing brogue, quick wit and frequent smiles. The hard-working Irish people of this valley have carved a humble living from the rocky mountain soil. Their pride is understandable.

After three days of laughter, memories and grand meals that included traditional soda bread and Irish tea, it was, unfortunately, time to leave this tranquil valley. Relatives on Ireland’s Eastern Shore awaited our arrival. We headed to Dublin, the city the Vikings founded more than a thousand years ago, and where James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and William Butler Yeats called home.

Along the way, we stopped at abandoned castles, brightly colored shops and roadside pubs. The Irish pub is a center for music, mesmerizing meals and great conversation. Irish pubs are the source for the national drink, Guinness, the world’s most celebrated pint. The brew house in Dublin is designed to produce two million pints a day. And there is no shortage of warm, friendly establishments happy to serve a glass of “the dark stuff” and toast your health. The toasts are as Irish as the beer. “May the roof above us never fall in and the friends beneath it never fall out.”

Ninety miles from Dublin is Strokes Town, a fine example of an estate village and home of the Irish National Famine Museum. The fully restored, Palladian mansion and exhibition trace the history of the English family that lived here and the political, economic and natural events in 19th-century Ireland that produced the Great Famine and Emigration.

It’s on to Dublin. This city combines Old World charm and cosmopolitan chic, high-tech commerce and unpretentious magnetism. Visitors will have no challenges finding affordable, guided or private tours of this fair city.

Cousin Vincent grew up in Dublin, and fortunately for his students and us, chose teaching as a profession. As we walked past street vendors and musicians, Vincent explained that more than one thousand years ago, Viking invaders founded Dublin. Later, the Normans enlarged and strengthened the city. In 1191, they started work on St. Patrick’s Cathedral, whose most famous dean was Jonathan Swift. Dublin’s first university was founded in 1320 and lasted until 1539, when it was abolished due to lack of funds. Trinity College replaced it in 1592. The university houses some of the country’s most precious historic treasures, including the seventh-century Book of Kells, a spectacular group of brilliantly colored manuscripts depicting the four gospels. In the same library, visitors can view handwritten works that were created prior to the invention of the Gutenberg press.

Some of Dublin’s most popular sites include the Guinness brewery, Dublin Castle, the Bank of Ireland, Leinster House, Phoenix Park, the Garden of Remembrance, the National Gallery, the General Post Office and St. Stevens Green.

St. Stevens Green is a short distance from one of Dublin’s many fashionable shopping districts, Grafton Street. The bustling enthusiasm is contagious as international visitors soak up Dublin’s multicultural influences.

Like many European cities, summertime is an especially pleasant time, when cafés set up sidewalk tables and the warm, gentle sun guides your path. But any time of the year, you’ll find the warmth of the Irish people is legendary.