Back to the Green Fields: the Final Leg

When Michele and I put our itinerary together, we really wanted to get to places in Ireland that, despite touring there for years, we'd never had the chance to visit. How do you miss these spots when you've been touring for more than twenty years? Because when you're traveling with more than fifty college students, there are places you just can't go.

So some of the last days of our trip are devoted to places we've never had the chance to visit, deep in the West of Ireland.


There may be some of you reading this (especially members and alums of the Folk Choir) who may disagree with this, and pretty much think that we could go everywhere. But let me tell you, it would be difficult to bring the entire choir on a hiking trip of Croagh Patrick, out in the middle of nowhere. Or to visit the special little towns of Doolin or Milltown Malbay, where Irish traditional music still thrives: a bus would be hard pressed to make it into those areas, to say nothing of the fact that host families would be pretty difficult to find.

So these destinations, among others – including the Aran Islands – are on our itinerary for the next week. They all fall into the category of "can't do this with a bus and the whole crazy lot of our beloved choir."



We've flown, then, from Nantes, taking us out of France, and directly to Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland, and we've been met by two longtime friends, Joan and Pat McNamara, who live in the town of Tulla, County Clare. From here, we'll explore the Burren, and if Mother Nature cooperates, climb Croagh Patrick as well.

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Location:Tulla, County Clare, Ireland