Cliffs of Moher

August 30, 2026August 30, 2026 / Greg / Leave a comment

The weather in Ireland isn’t for the faint of heart. We had our fingers crossed for at least a semi-reasonable day for our visit to the Cliffs of Moher. When we were leaving Galway to head out, the forecast was a bit of a flip of a coin on what we’d get. There was going to be wind (that was for sure) and on the drive, the clouds kept closing in to the point that visibility was almost nothing when we arrived. But a few minutes later, after we had ducked inside to put on ponchos for our hike around the cliffs, the clouds started a magical pulling away and while we were in danger of being blown off the cliffs and were pelted with rain, the view opened up and we were in awe.

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Galway in photos

August 3, 2026August 3, 2026 / Greg / Leave a comment

Galway, Ireland.

I knew before arriving here I’d fall in love with this place, and I was proven right. From the moment I stepped off the train from Dublin, to driving away three days later, this place touched the Maritimer sensibilities inside me and reminded me in all of the best ways of the roots I have in Nova Scotia. It was also a wonderful change from what was a very busy Dublin. Galway felt quieter and indulgent, and even the uncooperative weather lent this visit some additional charm. In fact, the rain, some of it quite epic, pushed us into lazy afternoons in pubs where we got into some wonderful conversations over drinks that made these three days a truly special experience.

Night one – we stopped on this bridge over a canal and the sound of the rain, the smell of the salt air, and the heavy fog just made everything feel like nights in Halifax.

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The Guinness does taste better there

April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 / Greg / Leave a comment

Traveling to Ireland had been our tentative plan in 2020 before the pandemic. Since then, we had opted for a few different destinations, but this past fall, we finally followed through on a two week visit to Ireland. We decided this was the year for this long awaited trip as my wife’s football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, were playing a game in Dublin. In our realm of travel planning, that made for a good enough reason.

This was a vacation we were very much looking forward to. The past year had been a bit of a struggle in all kinds of ways, so we decided to be indulgent in a few spots including upgrading to first class for the flight overseas. On account of lots of time spent on planes in 2024 and some points sitting around, we got our vacation started in style at 37,000 feet with Champagne, lots of room to stretch out, some great good, and amazing views. Nowhere near Dublin yet, but the vacation was already well underway!

Enjoying our first class pod experience!

Views shortly after taking off from Vancouver

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St. Stephen’s Green

March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 / Greg / Leave a comment

Favourite 2025 travel photos. Dublin, Ireland. September 2025

So much of the craic

October 10, 2025October 10, 2025 / Greg / Leave a comment

Writing this jet lagged in the middle of the night as my body tells me I should be getting up for another day of adventures in Ireland not realizing that I’ve landed back home after a day of flying.

Oh Ireland and Northern Ireland… I left loving everything about you. How your Guinness tastes so much better than what is served here. How the waves sounded crashing ashore along the Atlantic coast. How a conversation with the person sitting on the barstool next to you could brighten a rainy day. How you treated a now prairie boy to day after day of amazing seafood. How even a terrible storm and the loss of power for a day became a reason to hunker down and enjoy many a whiskey from Galway with my favourite person in the world.

Beaches, cliffs, cows and sheep. Single pot still whiskeys, all the Irish red ales I could find, and cheering for the home team at a soccer match in Dublin. The soda bread, a night in a Galway pub with new friends from Quebec, and driving the twisty roads in county Donegal.

It was all perfect and as the two weeks went on I could feel myself falling in love. I got everything I hoped I would from this trip, but it wasn’t enough. Ireland…. I’ll be back for more some day down the road.