Cead mile failte romhat!

according to my online gaelic translator, that means “a hundred thousand welcomes to you!” it’ll take me a little longer than twenty-five hours on irish soil before the words roll freely off my tongue, but already i feel at home. something about the vibrant green grass, the roiling river that makes my ollscoil (university) an island unto itself, the low grey clouds, the gentle murmur of irish voices …

unfortunately, dad and i need to make our escape from the fast-filling computer lab (conference attendees and actual students take precedence over our leisurely email-checking), but sometime soon i’ll write about our lovely hostess mary (and the huge breakfast she cooked us), her little dog rollo, and the irish tv station that broadcast a gaelic version of “dora the explorer” to us while i ate my hazelnut yogurt (!) and dad stirred his coffee (which he pronounced “not starbucks, but still good.”)

missing you all, especially a certain handsome organist.