Continuing with the discussion of my interests, Ireland is near the top of that list. My father's side of the family came from Eniskillin Ireland. One "black Irish" lad married a Cherokee woman. That pairing produced my paternal grandmother. I've always wanted to visit Ireland, to stand on a rocky cliff and feel stiff winds blowing in off the sea. Photos from friends in the UK, and Michael Corrigan's visits to Ireland are the closest I will ever get to visiting the Emerald Isle.
Corrigan recently visited Ireland, the home of his ancestors. Knowing my love of Ireland and the sea, he graciously sent me this picture. It sparked my imagination and almost jump-started my lagging desire to write. He's standing on an ancient stone fort, Dun Aonghasa on the Isle of Inis Mor in the Aran Islands. I can only imagine the view from this watch fort, built before the birth of Christ. If these time-worn stones could talk, imagine the stories they would tell us!! Think of the sturdy Celts who lived and fought there, and how the sea must have looked in every season.
I'm hoping many stories develop as a result of Michael Corrigan's visit to his ancestral home. He has that special way with words Irish writers seem to have. Perhaps he will spin a tale of Inis Mor, ancient stone forts, and the sturdy Celts who fought against a steady onslaught of invaders. Or maybe he will write about the sea winds and storms that have shaped the coasts of Ireland. I'll hope for that, to see Ireland vicariously through his prose.
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