• Beginning in Dublin, we stopped to pay our respects to the inspiration of ghostly folks songs and Wonderbras, the well-endowed fishmonger Molly Malone.

• After crossing the Liffey, Dad tried to chat with some of the locals, colloquially known as the "hags with bags," part of a series of grand Irish statuary in Dublin.

• Moving on to Clonmacnoise, we studied an ancient Celtic cross, now preserved inside while a replica takes its place outside in the Irish rain.

• The mood at Clonmacnoise was sombre -- after all, this long-vacated religious settlement consists primarily of ruins and gravesites. Besides, it was drizzling. Here, a raven strikes a dramatic pose.

• Kylemore Abbey, once a wealthy family's home, now shelters an order of Catholic nuns.

• This is one of the various colorful pubs capitalizing on Lisdoonvarna's fame as a city for romance. Lisdoonvarna is home to the annual matchmaking festival, once a vital tradition for farmers unlikely to meet many single girls, but now largely a tourist attraction. There are still professional matchmakers at work in the town.

• Our trip ended in the lovely west coast town of Doolin, and our departure for Shannon Airport was heralded by a vivid Irish rainbow across the sky. (The rainbow came to Earth somewhere off the coast. Since ships from the Spanish Armada are known to have sunk in this vicinity, the promised pot of gold is quite possible there! Unfortunately, we had a plane to catch and, darn it, no diving gear in our car.)