Throwback Thursday: Spirits in the Wind

Being that I am an Aussie – I have plenty of Irish blood in me, but I still hadn’t expected to feel so connected to this place. It was an unexpected highlight of my time backpacking. This photo was taken on an island off the coast of Galway, Ireland…

I had been working in England for a while prior to coming to Ireland, and I had experienced more culture shock in England than I had anticipated. I missed the laid back Aussie attitude and sense of humour. When I got to Ireland, I suddenly felt more at home. People got my jokes (most of the time), and didn’t seem to mind as much if I used the word 'bugger' (FYI that is a MUCH bigger swear word in country towns in England than it is in Australia!)

I spent a couple of weeks travelling around the country, but my favourite part by far was this little island. The backpacker’s hostel we stayed in had no locks on the doors, and within an hour of arriving, we were hanging out with locals as if we’d known them for years. The whole place had a really ancient feel about it, like the rolling hills sang an old Irish song. The pubs were bursting each night with traditional Irish music and dance, and scattered all around the place were long high fences made of piled up rocks.

Towards the end of our stay we went up to the top of the island (pictured above). Some places in Australia can make me feel like they have stories to tell, but they are the stories of the land I love and a people I hold in high respect. They are not the stories of my ancestors. This place was different. It felt like this place had so many stories to tell, but they felt like my stories. As I stood on the top of the cliff looking out at the ocean, I couldn’t help but wonder if some ancient ancestors of mine had once huddled in the shelters scattered around the grass. Australia has always been my home, but there was a part of me that felt really at home on that patch of grass in Ireland. It’s hard to describe the feeling, but it was something very special.

!steemitworldmap53.126976lat-9.764027longaranislandsD3SCR