Cead mile faitle is the traditional Irish greeting that means one hundred thousand welcomes in Gaelic, the native language of Ireland. And if there were ever a country that welcomes you with open arms, it is Ireland, and their extremely friendly people. Now I could give you a travelogue about our recent trip to Ireland, but instead of boring you to death, I am going to tell you about Brendan McCarthy, our National Certified tour guide, who embodies all the qualities of the Irish that I really, really like. Most countries have a rather neutral, at best, feeling about Americans. Not true of the Irish who cherish their relationships with Americans. I think partly because in some way, they feel that we are all related and are coming back to visit our roots. Brendan certainly made us feel that way.

Early in the trip, we visited the lovely seaside town of Kinsale on the southern tip of Ireland. Before we met the local tour guide, Brendan took us to a high piece of ground that was dedicated to the 343 New York City Firefighters who lost their lives during 9/11. Brendan related the story of the woman who worked as a nurse in New York and donated her land in Ireland to be a spot of remembrance. Brendan knew her and actually planted many of the trees that are standing there today in memory of those brave men. He actually became emotional as he told us how he drove down on the day of the planting, two hours each way. He said he loved Americans and had a huge hole in his heart that day when the firefighters were killed. He wanted to be a part of the dedication in Kinsale. That day, we got a glimpse into the character of Brendan McCarthy.

The Irish are funny, witty, but emotional people. Much of that is seen in the writings of the poets and authors of Ireland, and also with Brendan, and even myself in a way. That day, I saw a bit of myself in the personality of Brendan. In fact, all during our trip, I felt that I knew many of the people somehow because not only was I viewing my geneaology, but also talking to the people, I felt close to them because, well, they are somehow….my people. Yes- they are warm and friendly, but I have to tell you they are funny as hell too! As Brendan regaled us with the history of Ireland, day after day on our van, he also let loose with some really funny sayings that we all grew to love. Like when he wanted us to take a comfort stop, he said in his very lilting Irish brogue, ” I want yous all to squeeze the lemon and be bums in seats in 15 minutes.” Squeeze the lemon!!! Hilarious. As a typical Irishman, he also humored us with many stories and pronounced “th” as “t.” For instance, ” I know what you are tinkin” ” I want you on the bus at 8 turty” ” The time is 5 turty tree.” We all got a kick out of his distinctive and lyrical brogue, and I am sure he wondered about my dahn and ahhts from Pittsburgh as well. He referred to “herself” and “himself”. There is himself. There is herself- in the altogether. He would tell us a story and then say,” Look it up.” It is the troot” ” I swear to God”. We believed him even though we thought that just maybe he stretched the troot sometimes. LOL!! But you would never find a happier guy and he made it his business to take us to all the nooks and crannies that people might not see. Like the bridge from the movie “The Quiet Man”. Or Paidi O’Se’s pub in Dingle that had a lot of memorabilia from many of the Gaelic sports heroes. Brendan made it his business to show us places that a lot of tourists may not find on their own.

But perhaps one of the most touching moments, was when Brendan stopped at St Brigid’s Well, a place dedicated to the female patron saint of Ireland. There he asked us all to depart the bus, and go into the cave that housed the well, say a prayer, and as we all exited the well, Brendan had us hold hands and circle up as he recited the Lord’s Prayer in Gaelic. He then took an older St Brigid’s cross and put in back in the well area in dedication to his mother who he lost the previous year. Well after that, my bladder was behind my eyeballs for sure, and we all got another glimpse into the character of Brendan McCarthy. The Irish are close to their mothers and this was a little stop that was very touching.

As we drove to and through breathtaking scenery that featured the west coast of Ireland, Brendan kept us entertained with history, local lore, and some very funny jokes. Very dry. Like- he pointed out a cemetery and said that the guy that invented the crossword puzzle was buried there. I asked where, giving him the opportunity for the punchline, and he said, ” 6 down and four across.” We all chuckled at that one. He also said that people are buried in Ireland at noon. So, if you get into an argument with an Irishman, the final line may just be…………..” you’ll go out at noon.” I loved that line and we used it on each other for the rest of the trip and laughed out heads off.

We were very pleased with Brendan and also the company he works for called Irish Tours for You. You can find them on the internet and I would highly recommend them. My contact was Fionnuala O’ Loughlin ( How about that great Irish name!) fionnuala@irishtoursforyou.com They even came to meet us for lunch on the last day to say good bye. You will never find a better tour and never find people easier to work with.

As I thought about the trip and all we saw on the plane ride home, I thought how much the people, the food, and the scenery meant to me. I was very comfortable in Ireland as I thought about the food my grandma cooked, the sayings that my mother and grandmother said along with the sayings of my father in law- George Bope – who loved being Irish. I can’t wait to go back again. And If I do, I will surely contact St. Brendan the Navigator to come with us again for sure. Thanks for reading. Slainte’

“May the saddest day of your future, be no worse than the happiest day of your past.”

“May the walls of your home never fall in and those within them never fall out.”

“May you live for a hundred years with one more year to repent.”