Slainte and Ceud Mile Failte

Soren hurling with Liam, Darragh (say Dara) and Niamh (say Neev).
Beach of Tramore.
Waterford mockup of the Millenium ball.
Waterford crystal harp. The factory was interesting. What a human can do with a little sand, water and fire.
Waterford--I took Soren to hear a junior choir at Christ Church today. They sang plainchant, Anglican chant and a modern mass. The organist soloist raised the roof (above)with a Mendelsohn piece and a modern piece. It sounded like you think--intense, massive, and then with the children's voices every layer of musical range represented. The roof is an Irish vernacular of a ribbed vault. The ribs have ivy shaped plaster lining them. So pretty.

Knowth is a Neolithic complex of passage tombs/sacred space. Some patterns made by posts in front of the entrance are a square and crescent inside a circle (Sun, Moon, and Earth)
Newgrange--I made it. Corbelled cantilevered roof. Shaft of light illuminates the inner room on winter solstice. Since the axis changes (someone help me explain this better) the light doesn't shine right in the middle of the small chamber and the end of the inner room right now. It will though in the future and it is as if the people built the tomb knowing this shift would happen because as long as the sun shines on earth, it will hit somewhere in that small chamber on the winter solstice.
Can you see the triple swirl closest to me and the triangular pattern to the left?
My adventure companion. He has become a breakfast tea aficionado.

Streets of Dublin.
Temple Bar. GOOD MUSIC is played here although with an 11yr old in tow, I didn't hear any since it's at night this place comes alive. Maybe next time. Other pubs in the area are the Hairy Lemon and the Bleeding Horse. GREAT NAMES.
Soren at the exhibit about the Viking raids in Ireland. The tour guide says "Did you know about 40,000 Irish troops died in your Civil War?" I said that I knew there were lot but not that many--and that they fought on both sides. Another guy says "Yeah, we always fight on both sides-that way we can always say 'we won." Here's me by St Patrick's cathedral and his well:
This one's for you Katy. Guess who my favorite is:

OK, I am officially obsessed with Ireland. It would take a potato famine and British oppression to make me leave this place. About ten minutes after I got here, we were waiting for a bus and I started talking to the lady next to me. She was fresh from holiday smelling like Spain and stout. Dolores says, "Am I the first person you've met since landing in Ireland?" I say yes. She gives me a hug and wishes me good luck--and nudges me off the bus at the right stop. After the garbage man walks us to the hotel (since Grafton hotel is not really on Grafton street as one might expect) I have not had one ounce of concern while here. The people are open, the food is good and the land is beautiful. I can tell there has been an economic boom here. Compared to Edinburgh, the streets and buildings are clean and people are generally happier here it seems to me. After getting the car and driving off not knowing where we would sleep that night and spending 15 minutes saying "on the left" to myself , we decided on Tramore--we hurled with the locals (no not throwing up) and were invited to their house for pizza. We chatted while the lads played, a neighbor came by with some rhubarb from his garden for Patty (2 masters degrees, adopted siblings from Bela Russe (sp?)). Kids pics above. We "put the kettle on" and Ronin told me about the time he took 4 kids out to the strand to pick cockles and mussels. The tide rose from his ankles to his chest in one hour and he had to haul kids 2 at a time so they wouldn't be washed out. He was a great storyteller--Soren just looks at me with an "I don't understand what he just said" look. Olive the B&B owner was great too. To say that her son used to be a bit lazy she said he was "absolutely horizontal." And when she said that someone got upset she said "There was mortar." We found this hotel with free internet so now we are between Limerick and Shannon. Hopefully we'll have a webcam date with Cyler and Ellery tonight. Tomorrow, Cliffs of Morgh (sp?) and the Burren are on the books. Then to Amsterdam on Tues.