TRAVEL
Dublin, Donegal, and Northern Ireland BY LISA MARTIN
In my last article, “Drama and Elegance in Western Ireland”, I described in detail the first half of my trip, my own hand-crafted tour where we stayed in captivating castles, explored parts of the Wild Atlantic Way, and the Ring of Kerry. We left off in Killarney; now onto the second half of my trip.
W
e headed by train to the city of Dublin to join our escorted tour to Northern Ireland. While in Dublin, we stayed steps away from the EPIC Museum, which tells the story of Irish Emigration. The museum is interactive, with music, videos, and photographs, sharing the experience of the 10 million people who left Ireland and the impact they had on the world. It is one of Dublin’s highlights and was named Europe’s Leading Attraction for 2019. The following night I met up with some of my tour mates and went to a bustling bar with live music - a single guitar player leading the crowd in song who made sure we all had a good time. The music was a combination of local Irish tunes and classic songs I grew up with; we were surprised that we knew most of the words and could sing along. One client of mine spent five days in Dublin, and her favorite part was getting to know the people who taught her new songs each night. The next night, with my new singing buddies, I visited the Guinness Museum, a landmark destination in Dublin. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the rich chocolate and coffee smell of roasted hops in the air while we learned about all the intricacies of making this iconic beer. I had never tasted Guinness before, and
Bleeding Hearts
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Vol. 10, No. 2, 2020 west hartford magazine 25
