Postcard Moment: On top of a cliff, with a view, in N. Ireland
Text and photos by Nina Sarmiento If you find yourself in Belfast, Northern Ireland, you might want to go on a day trip at Carrick-a-Rede – a rocky island connected to the cliffs by a rope bridge. Once there was rope in Country Antrim, used by fisherman to link the mainland to...
How to have a craic in Paddy Day
text and photos by Nina Sarmiento I heard of St. Patrick's Day but it was only when I relocated to Ireland that I got to enjoy the festivities. More than honoring the country's patron saint, St. Patrick's Day is a day of fun (or as the Irish call it, "craic" -pronounced as crack). So if you're...
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Text and photos by : Nina Sarmiento Today is March 17 – St Patrick's Day. What better way to celebrate this festival but to present a mini-slide show on how St. Patrick's day is being celebrated in Ireland. We hope that you'll love the photos and the lovely folksy tune "The Leprechaun (You're no...
Photo Essay: St. Paddy Day in Ireland
text and photos by Nina Sarmiento St.Patrick's Day (more known as St. Paddy's day) is a religious feast day celebrated on March 17, to honor the patron saint of Ireland (Yeah yeah we hear you, we know St. Patrick is not Irish). He came to Christianise Ireland, and it's said he used the shamrock in...
Cliffs of Moher
posted by Gypsygal Nina I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that one of the first things that will come into mind when someone mentioned "Ireland" would be the Cliffs of Moher. Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair in Gaelic) – roughly means the "cliffs of ruins." Located at County Clare, at...
Postcard Moment: Walk the rocky road
The Burren (Irish: Boireann) meaning "great rock" is a karst landscape (landscape with layers and layers of soluble bedrock like limestone) region in Co.Clare, Ireland. The spring-summer season, with its floral blooms, is the best time to hike in this place.
I took a stroll down the old long walk Of the day I-ay-I-ay
text and photos by: Gypsygal Nina I took a stroll down the old long walk Of the day I-ay-I-ay I met a little girl and we stopped to talk On a grand soft day I-ay And I ask you friends, what’s a fella to do? Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue...
Photo Essay: Dancing in Damhsa (Part 2)
Text and Photos: Gypsygal Nina The dance festival or Damhsa is a yearly dance festival event in Cork which aims to celebrate diverse cultures. One of the dance troupes I admire is the Kupalo Ukrainian Dance Ensemble . The Canada-based group is touted as the cultural ambassador of the Alberta-based St. Basil’s Ukrainian Catholic Parish.
Photo Essay: Dancing in Damhsa (Part 1)
Text and Photos by Gypsygal Nina I love living in Europe. It’s such a cosmopolitan place and culture vultures like me can’t get enough of it. While I do travel to many places in Europe (that will be the subject of my future posts), there are times that I just can’t get out of Cork....
Weekend In Ireland: Festival of Music
The Fleadh Cheoil (Festival of Music) is an annual Irish music competition organized by the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ----that means “Gathering of Musicians of Ireland” in the Old Irish language.
stumbling on the rock of cashel
Going to dublin from cork, it’s hard not to notice the castle atop the hill, we were wondering how to get there, it took us another trip to get the glimpse of the name:The Rock of Cashel. Standing on the limestone rock, the castle’s presence dominates the whole town .The Rock of Cashel is apparently...
Romancing the Blarney Stone
The castle was built by the local lord Cormac MacCarthy, other tourists find it disappointing being relatively small compare to the other castles (He must be in tight budget perhaps). The castle itself sits on a cliff of rock, serving as an excavation site for the castle. The castle structure implied that it was built...