I returned home from Ireland Sunday morning. I was scheduled to stay another week, BUT, my daughters are heading off to college this week. It was all arranged- their Dad was taking care of the details and his friends were going to help. My youngest daughter decided she needed me to be with her, as this is her first time away. So I came home. There is nothing more important than your kids…and it’s an honor to have such good kids who are smart and sassy and…who need their Mom.

I had a GREAT time. We went to Belfast first- to the old Harland and Wolff ship building yards. Those hull cranes are one of the most awesome sites anyone can ever see. Watching them work is something I shall never forget. The sounds and scents of this area are also forever grilled into my memories. I have been there before, but not up close and personal like this time.

We also saw the dry dock where Titanic was once parked…it’s empty now and silent- with a slight growth of grass and other greenery. I’m hoping they will keep this place as it is- a memorial, sort of. Another attraction of Belfast is the Crown Pub. YOU gotta go there. The wood works, glass, and fittings are FABULOUS. The atmosphere is humble and fun- I’ve always thought the world’s coolest people live in Ireland. Now I know it’s VERY much a FACT.

Another coveted stop in my travels was Old Kinsale Head, near Cobh. These are the cliffs off the ocean, where the Lusitania was torpedoed and sank in 1915. We sat in the early morning, in dense fog, and just watched the region open up. We sat where the little kids were sitting all those years ago, for a lunch picnic, as they witnessed the Lucy’s attack and sinking (10 miles off the coast). There are several Lusitania memorials in this area that we went to. It’s a beautiful place and I plan to go back next year!

The final leg of my trip was the Giants Causeway. HUGE cliffs and rocks to climb; funky earth under your feet, and scenery and views of the ocean that we just don’t have here in the US. I wish we did…there is nothing even remotely like it though. We ended up back in Belfast where we hit up several of the little unknown pubs where they cooked up GREAT foods and served BIG glasses of Guiness. Refills always free. Some of us passed out at a couple of these bars, too. Live music by real Irish bands, lots of dancing and laughing- I had a wonderful time and SO WANT to go back.

My friends are still over there. I just got off the phone with them- they are up in County Donegal having the time of their lives. I could hear the fun in their voices. They’re going to Dublin next. I miss them and miss the fun I would be having- but there’s always another time for this. There is not another time to be with my kids as they go off to their colleges. We have a full week of this moving in funstuff. And starting next week, as in the past, I will be going to the colleges to see the girls and bring them homecooked food and things like it. A Mom’s work is never finished. And it’s good to be home.