On Your Trip

So now that you've taken my advice and booked your trip to Ireland, what should you do? I'm glad you asked. Go to Cnoc Suain.

Sitting in the wilds of the Connemara Gaeltacht, Cnoc Suain calls itself a "cultural retreat" but the culture isn't retreating here. It's running up and smacking you right in the kisser. This is a glimpse into the lives of rural Irish people as it existed for centuries and it's fascinating stuff. As Irish Fest president-elect Barney Walsh pointed out after our visit there, it would have been really easy to make this place really cheesy. But they didn't. From the restored 1691 stone cottage, made of dry-stacked granite boulders, some as big as a Smart Car to the Sean-nós music in the "new" (only 150 years old) cottage to the St. Brigid's cross making workshop and brown bread demonstrations, the whole experience was great. The fact that it takes place in one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful landscapes in the world didn't hurt. They even arranged a rainbow for us.

I can't recommend a visit highly enough.