Finian's Rainbow

I was excited to go to Ireland for two main reasons...which can be boiled down to one main artifact from the past: Finian's Rainbow. You see what I mean. My mom, the brilliant woman that she is, trained us in old film classics like this one and I still go around singing Look To The Rainbow thanks to her.

My memories from the film include Irishman Finian and his beautiful daughter, who have stolen a pot of gold and sing a whole lot about it, a mute girl who dances instead of talking, a guy who gets turned black, and of course, a leprechaun. Somehow, from my perspective now, I think there must have been a bit of political satire in this one, but as an 8 year-old, there was mostly just that dancing lady, Fred Astaire and the leprechaun.

Well, Finian's Rainbow made me dream about Ireland. This weekend I finally got to go and I asked the Irish people, "How are things in Glacca Morra. Is that little brook still leaping there?" Turns out it isn't a real place. But there are Killybegs, Kilkerry and Kildare.

You'll never grow old and you'll never grow poor if you look to the rainbow beyond the next moor.

Dublin

We were off to Dublin this weekend to visit one of Xavier's best friends from childhood who is working there now. Nicolas. He is the bomb. Dublin was too.








This was the terrace at Nicolas' apartment (well, actually his boss' apartment, with whom he resides - let's be honest about it).


My favorite view from the terrace was this one.
Most specifically, that dog.


We were also "lucky" enough to go over St. Patrick's Day weekend...(those quotation marks are important, because if people are generally overly inebriated in Ireland, this was times ten. Wow).

Howth

Not far from Dublin lies the little sea town of Howth. Voilà:










He was a lovely fisherman.
















I liked window looking, snatching, reflecting.







Land of Heart’s Desire,
Where beauty has no ebb, decay no flood,
But joy is wisdom, Time an endless song.

(Land of Heart's Desire, 1894)

Irish Sea Lions

The most appealing aspect of Howth was the sea lions. They were like dogs, floating in the water, with their heads surfacing and their bodies rising to catch the fish tossed at them. I was in love.