The Wonderful Land of the Irish

As some of you know and some of you don’t, we just had our 5 day break and we were graciously invited by Tom and Tina Cummins, Rachel’s Irish relatives, to come and visit the great land of the Irish.

We flew through London and then into Shannon Airport on the west side of the Republic of Ireland.

Here is our host family - Tom, Tina, and their daughter Orla (they also have a son Robert, who was at home). This picture was taken at Bunratty Castle, which is an old Irish castle that the state took over and rebuilt to its former glory for tourists to see.

Here we must thank our host family: Tom and Tina we have to thank you again, in case you read this! We can’t tell you how wonderful it was to spend a few days with you in Ireland. Because of you we got to see real Ireland (more than just the tourist spots) and get to know some amazing people. You and your family were the perfect hosts and we were warm, well fed, and satisfied with great conversation the whole time. It’s amazing that after meeting just once before you can feel like close family. Thank you for the time you spent with us, even though you have very hectic schedules at this time of year. It was a special time that we will remember forever!

This is an old Irish house right next to Bunratty Castle. If you take a look at the roof, you’ll notice that it’s made out of thatch. This was the common housing material of the time, and can still be seen on some of the houses in the Irish countryside.

At the top of the castle the flag of Ireland was flying high and mighty.

Here Tom was showing us the graveyard near the church where his parents and son, Owen, are buried. While we were there we prayed for them.

Tom Cummins our host and guide for a lot of the time. He is a generous, honest man of God who takes his faith very seriously; it was such a great experience to be around him as he always has the Lord in his thoughts and speech. During the trip, whenever we entered a new building like a church or castle he would invite us to pray with him for the Holy Souls in purgatory, souls who had spent time in these places. Spending time with Tom really opened my eyes up to the things that are important in life, things like prayer and faith in the Lord.

For the first day it was raining and we were fogged in, but the second day came and this is what it brought us! Great weather and picture perfect views for miles.

Here’s an Irish tribute to my Dad, Pat Egan. The night we arrived Tina and Tom took us out to experience our first Irish pub.

Rachel and I tried to catch a leprechaun, but in the end we didn’t have any luck. So here she is trying to impersonate one.

This is a picture of the Rock of Cashel (and me). It used to be a huge fortress, then a Cathedral and monastery, but the elements have worn it down over the centuries.

The Rock of Cashel had some outstanding views of the countryside, above is one of them. The whole place was on the top of a hill thus making it extremely windy, in fact, it was the windiest place that I have ever been to in my life.

This is the Downey household; this house has been passed on from generation to generation of Downey’s for over 300 years (if I remember correctly). Tina Downey (now Tina Cummins), our hostess, grew up in this house.

We were blessed enough to attend vespers at a Benedictine abbey on our second night. After the prayers were finished, Tom recognized one of the Priests and introduced us to him. The Priest, Fr. James, then asked us if we had time for a private tour of the Icon Chapel. Of course we said yes! He brought us to the chapel, which was located under the main altar. When we got there we saw that the chapel was decorated with Icons of Jesus, Mary, and the saints collected over hundreds of years. Above is an Icon of St. Nicolas, yes, that St. Nick.

Here is a picture taken by my crafty camerawoman. Tom and I were taking a nap on the couch while waiting for a call from Rachel’s Uncle Mike in America. Tom, Tina, and Mike pray a Rosary every night over the phone. We were invited to join them in this amazing prayer for a few evenings.

On our third and final full day in Ireland we caught a ride with Tina into Cork and explored. This is Rachel, dressed for the weather, waiting for the bus to the city center to come along.

A picture of the river running through Cork. The city was bustling with people and things to do. In the morning we found ourselves walking around, sightseeing, relaxing and doing a bit of souvenir shopping. At noon we ran across a church in the middle of the city, the Cathedral of St. Francis, and went to a beautiful Mass. After that we found some food, Italian pizza no less, and then continued our exploring. It was a perfect day for sightseeing and we made the most of it.

Unfortunately, we had to leave Ireland. Far too soon in my opinion, but the time spent with the Cummins was a blessing in every possible way. After saying goodbyes we boarded the plane and headed out.

The plane ride back was quite adventurous. On the first flight we ended up sitting next to a woman, Julia, whose mom had just died. We said we would pray the rosary for her mom and her, not knowing if that would be ok with her, but she perked right up and said it with us. The rest of the flight we had a lively conversation. I think that God put us there at the right time to distract her from her sadness for awhile.

On the second flight a man was caught smoking in the bathroom and he was confronted by the flight staff who told him that there would be police waiting for him when we landing in Rome. True to their word, the police were there in force. Above is a picture of Paris at night.

- The Egans

P.S. The time in Ireland was great because it was very much like home. Things were a little different, but to be in a place where everyone spoke some version of English and that Mass was said in English alleviated some need for home. And we were with family that really took us under their wing. It was as close to being at home, without being at home, as we could get. It was a gift that we thank God for and will not forget. Because it was so beautiful (even in November), we hope that we will get to go back someday for a visit!