Two Day Magazine

An Etheral Romantic Adventure

 Is milis an rud an t-anam.

Irish for Life is sweet. And there is not a people on Earth who know this truth better than the Celts. But, to get to know them and their yet-mysterious culture, you need to forget the guidebooks and tour packages and strike out with your lover to see and experience the forgotten places of this ancient green land. So, put on your hiking boots and pack some Armagh apples, a dram of spring water you’ve collected yourself, a loaf of freshly baked soda bread, and get ready to do some walking.
           
From the airports in either Dublin or Shannon, or from any other destination to which you have arrived, buy a bus ticket to Ard Macha (and get ready to share that bus with laughing, jostling school children!) The town at which you will arrive will be Armagh, but to avoid stopping in Omagh, make sure you have requested a ticket to this special village using its ancient name. If you are driving, follow your waterproof map to Armagh, which is just a few hours north of Dublin.

Whether you arrive by bus or car, get directions from any of the very friendly locals to Navan Fort, your first green destination. If you are walking, it is about a 2 mile trek. If you and your lover choose to drive, park at the Navan Fort interpretive center. Either way, you will have arrived at one of the most sacred spots in all of Ireland, where one feels that talk must be kept to a minimum and the internal senses given full reign.
          
Just a few miles south of Dublin lies a haunted glen known as Gleann na Gruagh, or the Glen of the Downs. Only the most adventurous find themselves there after sunset. There will likely be no physical danger, but the fierce highwaymen who once roamed this dark wood are still felt there, and a myriad of faeries excite the atmosphere with their electricity. Here you will see ash trees at least 1000 years old, and one or two oaks near the same age. Take a whole day to explore this ethereal, lush place, on both sides of the motorway. There are trails and places to stop, most notably the Octagon--the greystone remains of a Revivalist castle. Don’t forget your camera! You’ll be really sad if you do, for this is Ireland in all her natural splendor!
           
And then, of course, if you start to miss the excitement of a city, explore Dublin. In the Northern part of the city, meaning north of the Liffey River which runs through it, there is the quaint neighborhood known as Stoneybatter. Ask for directions and walk there from City Centre. You will not be disappointed if you have an eye and heart for simple, hardworking culture. Just watching the children ride their horses to school is worth the visit! From Stoneybatter, continue walking just a short way to Phoenix Park, over 1700 acres of exquisite protected beauty which is really the cultivated ‘crown jewel’ of all Ireland. At one point along the park path, you can look out over the wee village of Chapelizod and its romantic, medieval chapel where one famous couple, Tristan and his fiancée Iseult, or Izod, were happily married so many hundreds of years ago.
           
And aye, all across Ireland there be pubs, pubs, pubs! Everywhere you turn, brilliant food, fantastic music, and gorgeous drink surrounds you! Oh! And don’t order ‘Irish coffee’! That’s the surest way to brand yourself as an idgit!
           
Traveling green in Ireland is not so different from how the rovers of Ireland have always traveled. Life is simple and to the point in this great, magical land. Breathe deep, laugh aloud! ‘Tis only then the Irish will know ye, and love ye.