The Long Walk, with its row of charming colored houses situated at Corrib Harbour, is a famous sight in Galway, Ireland. Lillian Lake photo

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it, there are many dark places, but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” [J.R.Tolkein]

I’ve returned from Ireland, where an exciting week was spent exploring the sights and sounds of a country with one foot in the past and one in the present. The first two days were spent visiting my girlfriend as Hurricane Milton followed us across the pond. You would think Hurricane Milton had had enough playtime, but nope, it felt the need to blow through the beginnings of our vacation.

Homes in Ireland are made of specially-made concrete to withstand treacherous elements, so we had little concern. It was toasty warm as we watched the trees bend and leaves sail through her yard across the nearby pastures. Tea, scones, and fruit were the calling cards of the days as we talked, chewed, and sipped through the hurricane hours. Aside from minor flooding – after all, it’s an island – and no leaves left on the trees, we embraced the adventure and prepared for the rest of our stay.

Wherever I go, I am most interested in how a country’s culture comes together. Ireland didn’t disappoint my curiosity. I remember, as a very young girl, listening to the news of the fighting between the Irish Catholics and the Northern Irish Protestants. I didn’t understand what I was hearing about the conflicts, but I felt a stirring feeling about going to Ireland one day to see Ireland for myself.

My paternal ancestry is from Northern Ireland. My grandmother worked in a boarding house, as did many young women looking for opportunities out of poverty and perhaps a way of leaving Ireland for the United States, where the streets were said to be paved with gold. She was one of the lucky ones, marrying at 16 and a few years later traveling across the pond with offspring in tow.

Women and children were often the victims of slavery and what today we call human trafficking. Power over those who feel they have none. The women were forced to perform in bars and in lesser circumstances. Reading about the “Orphan Children” who were sold to work in America’s western farms is interesting. Both situations were the result of poverty, famine, and lack of opportunity,

And yet, Ireland persists. Its lush countryside, dotted with dairy and sheep farms, beckons the gazing eye. Tourism is a large industry; scattered towns play host to taverns, vaping stores, and charming entertainment. Like many countries, they have immigration issues, particularly involving the Ukrainians.

Like in America, food, heating, and goods prices are escalating. Yet, her people are full of hope, trust, laughter, and goodwill toward others. Grief may show its sorry face, but the joy of meeting a new friend is unparalleled.

One thought stays in this traveling American girl’s heart. No matter how far we are from home, we are where we are meant to be.