Castlebar, Ireland: green is everywhere

Castlebar is a medium sized town of about 12,000 people. More notably, it is the home town of Dwayne Corcoran. Born in 1986, his family immigrated to the United States when he was three years old. Our traveling trio had planned on spending three days in Castlebar, but after only two days in Dublin we were ready to move on, adding the extra days to Dwayne’s hometown.

The unofficial motto of this trip tended to be “relaxed travel.” We had spent a week in each city: Budapest, Prague, Munich, Paris, Brussels (not Dublin). This gave us ample time to not just see, but experience each city. To come as close to living in the town, without actually having to find jobs.

Castlebar is not the capital of a European country. And even though we were living with Dwayne’s Aunt Helen near the town center, we spent most of the time visiting his aunts and uncles who still lived in the surrounding farm country. This part felt like an entirely different trip. If the previous five weeks had been five course meal of Central and Western Europe, this last week was glass of brandy to settle our stomachs.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f9 at 1/400 of a sec


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f9 at 1/125 of a sec

Early in the week we visited Dwayne’s uncle Joe, who lived on a farm outside of Castlebar. We walked amongst the cows for a long while. Dwayne showed Ian and I an 800-year-old watch tower (now only a single wall), which resided on a small hill on his uncle’s land.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 400 ISO, f4.5 at 1/400 of a sec
Dwayne searching the remnants of the 800-year-old watch tower for fossilized goods.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 400 ISO, f4 at 1/1000 of a sec


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 400 ISO, f2 at 1/3200 of a sec
Hoping electric fences to reach the hill top.

We spent the rest of our evening resting on the hill watching the burning sun set fire to a line of trees on the horizon.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 400 ISO, f2 at 1/3200 of a sec


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 400 ISO, f2 at 1/640 of a sec


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 400 ISO, f2 at 1/800 of a sec

The next day, Aunt Helen took us to Croagh Patrick, a holy mountain near Westport, about three minutes west of Castlebar, straddling the Atlantic Ocean. Every year a pilgrimage is made up these rocky slopes, many people with bare feet.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f8 at 1/160 of a sec
At the base of Croagh Patrick

The hike was difficult, and at times treacherous, as the rain began to fall on us in bucket loads. But the final view was worth it.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f4 at 1/1250 of a sec
View from the top of Croagh Patrick.

Every day we were meeting more of Dwayne’s past. His old families, old friends and old homes. We stopped by one home which he used to live in as a small child. Currently, a relative lives there with two young boys. Dwayne had not been back in Ireland for three years, so neither child remembered him (one was not even born then). Hopefully Dwayne was able to make an impression that may last till next time he comes back to the homeland.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f4 at 1/3200 of a sec
Dwayne with the younger of the two children living in his old house.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f4 at 1/1600 of a sec
Cows residing at Dwayne’s old house.

Faster than any other destination, Castlebar was gone. It may have had the least to offer a random passer-by, but we left with the most. Having met so many of Dwayne’s family was a fantastic treat. Getting to experience the rolling hills of the deepest green Ireland has to offer made it the most magical destination by far.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f4 at 1/100 of a sec
Our plane departing Shannon, Ireland, for home.

Now I am back in San Francisco, but tomorrow I leave for a family vacation and will be unable to update this blog for a little over a week. I’ll make sure to bring back some nice images from Lassen Volcanic National Park on my return.

Dublin: The land of real Guinness

I am now back home in San Francisco (arrived Monday), but I still want to make a few more posts describing our last week of the trip in Ireland. This Friday I will be leaving for another trip, to Lassen Volcanic National Park, in which there will be absolutely no internet (no electricity either) so the Europe trip posts will be done by then.

Dublin- So incase you did not know, Ireland is an island. Yeah, mind blowing right? While planing our trip, we came across the problem that trains do not travel on water. So how do you get form Brussels to Dublin? Well, you fly.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f22 at 1/125 of a sec
Walking up the flight of stairs to our plane

Flying, even for only an hour and a half, felt very odd after 5 weeks of trains through Europe. Security checks and that sticky airport air replaced the relaxed attitude and open-air fee of train stations.

First thing after getting into Dublin, Ian, Dwayne and I visited the Guinness Store House. This is more of a museum with a souvenir shop than anything else. No Guinness is made in the building. But there are some pretty good exhibits explaining the process. For example, the water that is used to make the beer. I can’t imagine they use this actual water, but the waterfall was cool nonetheless.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 500 ISO, f 2 at 1/250 of a sec
Waterfall at Guinness Store House

And of course you get the free Guinness at the end of the tour. Best... Guinness... ever.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f5.6 at 1/125 of a sec
Dwayne and Ian enjoying their Guinnesses (Guinnessi?)

We spent the rest of our time in Dublin walking around the city, through St. Stephen’s Green. This provide many images of Dwayne and Ian’s gay honey moon (the real reason for our trip).


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 100 ISO, f5.6 at 1/200 of a sec

And of course, more pints of Guinness were in order.


Nikon D3 with 35mm f2, 6400 ISO, f2 at 1/60 of a sec

We were scheduled to stay in Dublin for five nights, but after only two nights we decided to move on. We probably could have spent more time in the city, but we were eager to spend more time in Castlebar (Dwayne’s home town). So after our second night in our hostel, he hustled out out of there.


Nikon D3 with 35mm, 100 ISO, f2.8 at 1/30 of a sec
Rushing out of the Dublin hostel to make our train for Castlebar, Ireland (Dwayne's hometown)