Ireland

We went to Leap Year today. It was a cute movie, but the scenery was wonderful. I loved seeing the places we visited on the big screen even if they had been photo shopped. Don't my traveling buddies look great?

St. Patrick and the Rock of Cashel

Was it really a year ago when my feet met the old sod. One of the places we visited was the Rock of Cashel. The legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel dates back to approximately 432 AD. Now a market town, Cashel was once a center of royal and religious power. According to legend, St. Patrick arrived in Cashel in AD 432 and baptized King Aengus, who became Ireland’s first Christian ruler. During the baptism, the devil hurriedly flew over Ireland and, hindered by the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the flying fiend took an enormous bite out of the stony peaks. After he reached the opposite side of the mountains, the devil spat out his mountainous mouthful and inadvertently formed the Rock of Cashel. The legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel, then, also explains the gap (known as the Devil’s Bite) in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which can be seen to the north of the rock.
Besides tales explaining the legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel, other stories exist that link this location to the emergence of the shamrock as an Irish symbol. According to legend, during the baptism, St. Patrick plucked a shamrock to explain the mystery of the Trinity and so gave Christian Ireland a powerful new emblem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8CkowwX2hs

Waterford Closing

http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2009-01-30-waterford-sit-in_N.htm
What a sad thing to find out on St. Patrick's day...read on.

Ireland

The Cliffs of Moher will be our first sight in Ireland. I am hoping for clear weather so we have a good view. Isn't this awesome?