Remembering...

I carry you with me into the world, 

into the smell of rain & the words that dance between people 

& for me, 

it will always be this way, 

walking in the light, 

remembering being alive together.

~Brian Andreas

High cross in the south west corner of the church yard at sunset.

In Doolin town, it seems like there is always music and conversation. Traditional tunes spill into the streets. One can pick out the instruments: fiddle, tin whistle, uilleann pipes, bodhran, guitar, mandolin and others. It's hard to walk past - the music and laughter insist you come in for a pint or a wee bit of whiskey. But keep walking. Head through town and turn west just past McDermott's then continue on for about a quarter mile, and you will arrive at the ruins of the Killilagh Church, the Church of the Cliffs, and its surrounding church yard.

Celtic crosses stand in silence. Birds fly over. If you listen hard and the wind is right you can just hear the music in the distance.

Killilagh Church (in ruins), also known as the Church of the Cliffs

Monuments in the church yard.

The Shannon River, the largest of Ireland's rivers, splits the country. There are fewer than 30 crossings from its source on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan before it reaches Limerick and the Atlantic Ocean. One of these crossings is outside Portumna where the crossing is a swing bridge. Along the Shannon here are docks and paths used by boaters and fishermen. Rushes, brambles, and wildflowers grow thick along its banks.

Path from the bank of the old protective flood berms head down to the river's edge

At the water's edge.

Flowers picked at the water's edge. Yes, that is a tiny whiskey bottle vase.