Getting Ready

Crowley Castle in Aghakeera

I just returned from South Carolina, where my husband, Larry, and I finished rebuilding our lake house. Larry had to finalize a few projects, and remain for contractors to complete our drainage system and connection of our backup generator before he returns on Saturday.

Upon my return to our Rhode Island home, I found a package from Globus waiting with recommendations and more details about our trip. I already read through the booklet once and highlighted important information. Now, I have to go through it again and take action on some things: copy our passports and itinerary for our children. Copy credit cards in case one gets lost, etc. I already set up a couple of credit cards for international purchasing, and a debit card for ATM withdrawals.

Once Larry returns with some new clothes I bought down south, I can begin to think about packing. We leave a week from Monday on June 23rd and return on July 5th.

My ancestral research revealed that my father's family came from Skibbereen, County Cork, Ireland. I am hoping to be able to arrange for private transportation to take us there on the southern-most leg of our tour. But, I found out I can't discuss any private excursions until we arrive and meet our tour director. The company assured me they will try to accommodate any request if there is time. Let's see what happens.

There will be time one afternoon into evening in Dublin for a private excursion to New Grange. Larry and I learned about it and a lot of other Irish history from the audio book, Ireland, by Frank Delaney. Larry and I listened to it on one of our trips to South Carolina. It is older than Stonehenge, and I haven't seen that in person either. Since I am naturally drawn to spiritual places (the older the better), I am concomitantly drawn to be at New Grange on this my first trip to Ireland.

Should we not be able to go to Skibbereen this time, I will plan for a vist when I go the the Crowley Clan Gathering in Kinsale, Ireland in September, 2016.