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A Nod to My Irish Blood on St. Patrick’s Day
Don’t ever forget the Irish blood in your veins.
These were words spoken regularly by my grandfather as a reminder to my mother.
And so I don’t forget either that I’ve got some Irish blood – even if it’s a bit diluted now. It’s still enough to give me a legitimate reason to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And it’s my niece’s birthday so there’s even more of a reason to celebrate.
My grandfather’s last name was Beckett. We know we have no line to the famous Irish playwright Samuel Beckett but the reality is we know very little about our Irish history – and it would be a long and involved search to find out the details. If I had the time I’d follow the footsteps of Candice who is in Ireland right now for FIVE weeks to research her ancestry. Interestingly she does say not to waste your time on ancestry.ca and calls it absolutely useless.
So as a nod to my Irish blood and to St. Patrick’s Day here are some photos giving you a taste of western Ireland where I spent three weeks a few years ago.
The Irish Countryside
Fields of yellow flowers seen along the Dingle Way
The pretty harbour in Kinvarra
The rocky Burren area in western Ireland
Croagh Patrick – a sacred mountain you can hike in bare feet if you choose
The village of Roundstone
The Cliffs of Moher in sunshine
Peat cut and drying
Beaches along the Dingle Way
A Sampling of Pubs
The Pier Head pub near Galway
Pub in the town of Dingle – along the Dingle Way
Dan Murphy’s Bar along the Kerry Way
This is what it probably looks like outside many a pub on St. Patrick’s Day
Do you have any Irish blood? Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
Leigh McAdam
HikeBikeTravel
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About Hike Bike TravelAvid world traveler. Craves adventure - & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project - a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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14 Responses to A Nod to My Irish Blood on St. Patrick’s Day
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About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
Feel free to email me at
leighmcadamtravels at gmail dot com
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Leigh. A nice post – your grandfather would be proud! (Just ordered those pick-pocket proof tee-shirts you wrote about – thanks for the review you did of them).
Jackie Smith recently posted..WA Weekend: Lookin’ for Luxury? Try Langley
@Jackie I wish I’d quizzed him more about his family history when he was alive – and I wish I had the interest at the time.
You will very much enjoy the T-shirt. I ordered another for a friend too.
Happy St. Patty’s Day, Leigh! I haven’t been to Ireland yet but your photos make me want to go. What gorgeous landscapes and I love the photo of the beach. There must be some great hikes to do there. The pubs look fun too!
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@Jennifer When I went to Ireland the whole reason was to hike the Kerry Way and the Dingle Way + bike Connemara. Did it all and had a wonderful time.
Here are links to my free hiking guides in case you’re interested – The Dingle Way and The Kerry Way. There are hikes all over the country for all ability of hiker.
Love these photos, that last photo is quite amusing. I’ve got some Irish blood in me, from my mom’s side, although not a lot. I definitely want to go to Ireland though.
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@Alouise I went in May and the weather was surprisingly good. Perhaps #TBEX in Dublin???
Enjoyable photos – even for someone without a trace of irishness in the family (despite the original red hair).
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Leigh. It’s always a good time to celebrate Irish heritage in my book. Love your photos of Ireland that bring back so many great memories of my trip there. I’ve got quite a bit on my Irish ancestors, thanks to my dad, but a lot of pieces of the puzzle still left to put together. Would be great to have the time to really investigate next time in Ireland.
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I am a quarter Irish, but I really do not celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. One way I do celebrate my Irish heritage is a yearly pilgrimage to Milwaukee for Irish Fest. They have a wonderful array of Irish and Celtic musicians every year although I missed it last year.
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Happy St. Patrick’s day to all.
Love your photos here… I also love that Pier Head pub, looks good.
Greetings from Des
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Love these Ireland pictures, Leigh! Ireland was the first European country I ever visited and holds a special place in my heart for its beauty and its people. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Hoping to take the kids there soon. Plus, I have to see the Cliffs of Moher without the rain and fog this time. Hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day!
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Oh, so that’s what people mean when they say Ireland is beautiful
Happy birthday to your niece!
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A belated Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you, Leigh. This is a fabulous post.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you discovered that you are indeed connected to Samuel Beckett?
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@Marcia It would be fabulous and one day I need to spend more time researching my roots.