Ireland 2016

Pat in Kinsale

Highlights of the Trip to Ireland

Our Trip To Ireland

On the morning of July 10, 2016, two of my sisters, Maureen and Lori, and I took off for Ireland. Our first stop was San Francisco, where we had a few hours to visit the city before our 5:30 departure for Dublin. The flight to Dublin was long, but it gave us time to transition from our American culture to the Emerald Isle. Arriving in Dublin, we immediately hit the streets to explore. We were excited to be in the homeland of our father, Thomas, which was the reason for our visit. Before he died, dad asked us to make a trip to Ireland, to visit his homestead, to pay our respects at the cemetery where the Brennans are buried in County Mayo, and to visit with our many cousins. It was important to our father that our American family keep in touch with our Irish relatives. We spent a good part of a day in Ardee, just north of Dublin, where most of our cousins are now living. They gave us "a hundred thousand welcomes," and we had a wonderful time. From Dublin, we traveled clockwise around Ireland, first to Cork, then to the west coast, and finally Mayo. The visit to Ireland met all of our expectations, and we were impressed with the culture, the history, and the warm hospitality. Click on the pictures below to see our itinerary, or left, to see Highlights.

Msgr. Patrick Brennan