Battling, again...

Having one of my battles with my characters in UG, right now, so not in the mood to think. Here are some photos from my first trip to Ireland in 2002.

The Liffey River in Dublin's City Centre.

Ha'penny Bridge.

The Guinness Brewery. You take a self-guided tour of the history of how Guinness is made up and up, until you're at the top and get a free pint and 360 view of Dublin.

Galway City.

St. Columba's in Galway. I use both these locations in Return To Darian's Point, as Perri is finally realizing what's going on with him in Ireland.

Griann an Aileach, a 5000 year old circle fort just west of Derry. When I visited here is where Brendan began to finally talk to me, for Place of Safety. And scared the hell out of me by telling me his was a story about a simple boy who wants to live his life even as his world careens into chaos. No way could I have done justice to it, then. But now? I know I will.

Poulnabroh -- a portal dolem or tomb, if you prefer. I used a smaller one in RDP, for Perri to see.

I shot this from Inish Oirr as I walked over to a cemetery. It could almost be Inish Ciuin, the island Thomas' and Perri's families hail from in Darian's Point and RDP.

And The Cliffs of Moher, that figure so heavily in DP and RDP. They truly are breathtaking and terrifying.

I'll only be there 4 days, this go...no time to do anything more than have lunch at the Guinness Brewery's restaurant. They had a killer Irish Stew with a pint of the good stuff. I almost got to spend a few days in London, too, but that fell through.

The joy I feel at going back to these places makes me wonder if I ever belonged in America.