I’m back safe and sound from Ireland - and I miss it already. It was a great trip: the weather was brilliant, the food was yummy, the pints were creamy, the music was rollicking - and, of course, the company was delightful.

I’m amazed at how much we managed to see in just a few days. Jeremy and I came up with a pretty ambitious sightseeing plan, but the only thing we didn’t get to do was drive around the Dingle Peninsula. This was due in part to the fact that on our way to Dingle, Jeremy and I (the "navigators") got us all completely lost in the Middle of Nowhere, County Clare, Ireland. We drove in circles on one-lane, sign-free farm roads for much longer than any of us really cared to - but despite the detour, we still managed to make it from Galway to Killarney in one day, taking in the Cliffs of Moher and some delicious Irish stew in Doolin along the way. We also managed to eat at McDonagh’s in Galway, see several castles, meet up with friends in every town we stopped at, do some golfing (Jeb and Justin), do some sightseeing and jewelry-buying (Jeremy and me), hear a session, visit Jeremy’s mom, see the Guinness Brewery, and drink stout in eight different smoke-free pubs on our four nights in Ireland. That’s not too shabby.

And below you can see some "impressions of Ireland". Can’t you just hear the tin whistles?