The Michaels Come to Ireland

Earlier today, I said goodbye to two of my favorite people in the world, Joanna and Ayla Michael; also, their huband/father Nathan Michael. I'm just slagging Nathan of course. I described the lifelong friendship between Nathan and I in my post about visiting France and Switzerland. In all seriousness, the reality that sank in on the train back from Dublin is that I don't know when I will see the Michaels again, as they are leaving France this winter to do Bible translation work in Cameroon. Ayla (now 16 mos.) could be five years or older. (Not that I wouldn't want to visit them in Africa, but this is a difficult commitment to make.) Anyway, there's no better way to say goodbye than a week-long tour of Ireland! I could write a short book about the past week, but I will refrain and just list the highlights.
The Food
We really ate good food (and that includes drinks) all week. The Irish love all kinds of meat and they're good at preparing it...good bacon and sausage, good fish, beef stew, etc. The Guinness is also incomparable to the same in the States, as beer nerd Nathan has now confirmed.
The Scenery
Most everywhere we went on this trip was new to me as it was my first visit to Northern Ireland (or, as they pronounce it per Patrick, Norn Iron). After staying Monday night on the border, we drove through the Mountains of Mourne on Tuesday morning to Belfast. We had lunch there and drove through to see the murals to remember (and perhaps prolong) the Troubles. From there, we took the A2 along the Antrim coast, which was absolutely beautiful, the kind of drive that reinforces one's view in a loving God. Nate and I ended the day by walking across the Carrickarede rope bridge from a mainland cliff across to a small island.
The next day, we continued along the coast and came to Giant's Causeway, one of the most famous scenic places in Ireland and for good reason. Then we took the ferry across to the Inishowen peninsula of Donegal, the region in which my ancestors once dealt. (Therefore, I claim it as my peninsula). We stopped so Nate and I (and Ayla tried to follow) could take a freezing cold swim in the North Sea , and it was totally worth it. Then we went to Malin Head, the northernmost point of the island, which was beautiful.
On Friday, we journeyed through the Wicklow Mountains, the area where Braveheart was filmed (to clear up any confusion, it is set in Scotland, but filmed in Ireland). We saw the peaceful "meeting of the waters" that Thomas Moore wrote a poem about and the well-known
Glendalough valley. It was the warmest day we've had since I've been here, 75 but felt like 90. After that, we drove to Johnnie Fox's, which I was taken to my first day in Ireland. It is the highest pub in Ireland (highest elevation), so we saw some breathtaking views (and lots of sheep) on our drive to and from. I took a lot of pictures and will put them on Facebook (and maybe a couple on the blog) as soon as I can.
The People
If you stereotype the Irish people as funny and friendly, you would be spot on (with the possible exception of Armagh), though you probably wouldn't believe the extent of it. I think the collective favorite stranger we met was the man running the Sheep Island View Hostel on the Antrim coast, Seamus McShane, who I've asked to be in my wedding (just kidding). I suppose he was representative of the Irish people everywhere we went who cracked jokes and talked to Ayla and went out of their way to be helpful.
Also, I was able to connect Nathan and Joanna with Nchedo, a Nigerian native. Nathan had plenty of questions about African culture and politics and Nchedo was more than happy to provide answers as we walked through beautiful John F. Kennedy park (my first visit there despite it being only a few miles away from where I live).
The Music
It was a childhood dream of Joanna's to come to Ireland and hear traditional Irish music. That dream was fulfilled on Thursday night at Corcoran's in New Ross. James and Sandy found a babysitter for Ayla and joined us for a fun night of singing and cutting up.
I'm leaving out quite a bit. It's not all fun and games when you have a teething one-year-old with you, but when she's happy, everyone's happy. She really does bring joy (hence her middle name) to everyone around her: family, friends, strangers. This post doesn't do the trip justice and as Nate pointed out, no matter how good the photos are, they won't do the scenery justice either. There are friends I may not see for years and some I might never see again, but good memories remain, and we created so many new ones this week.
Round two next week as my parents and younger sister visit. Pray for safety as they travel and as we travel to the west of Ireland and hopefully over to Wales and England. More good times and rich fellowship to come!