We had a lot of good luck on our recent two-week visit to Ireland.

The weather was sunny and warm almost every day.

A lamb with its mother, minutes after being born.

We were able to spend a good deal of time with my wonderful Irish cousins, who have become so dear to us though we only met in person two years ago.  It was a joy to be at their farm in Ventry again, sharing meals, meeting their newest grandchild and watching a lamb being born.

For four days we were able to take in Feile na Bealtaine, a volunteer-organized art festival in the seaside town of Dingle. A highlight of Feile na Bealtaine was the standing room only launch by local historian Pat Neligan of a collection of stories called The Spy In The Snug.

Pat Neligan

The book features “tales of courage, resilience and hope” on the Dingle Peninsula, and features “explorers and spies, soldiers and sailors, murderers, pirates, heroes and heroines.”

For those unfamiliar with Irish pubs, a snug is a tiny private space with direct access to the bar, historically used by women (for whom it was unseemly to enjoy a pint in the public part of the pub) and anyone else who wants to drink or have a meeting safe from prying eyes.

The title of Neligan’s book is taken from one of the 14 stories within, a tale of a Nazi spy sneaking into Dingle during World War Two.

Neligan’s Bar on Main Street in Dingle

The hotel in Dingle where the launch was held is a stone’s throw from his family’s pub. Neligan is a well known gatherer of stories and interpreter of folklore, and copies of the book flew out the door. Clearly, when Pat Neligan speaks and writes, Dingle listens and reads.

We also attended a book launch for a gorgeous ornithology/art book called Birdstyle by Gordon D’Arcy, whose illustrations of the birds of Ireland and prose describing them is stunning.

The audience was filled with accomplished birders, and it was a pleasure to listen in on their spirited conversation with D’Arcy about favorite birding spots and memories.

Gordon D’Arcy’s painting of a Gray Heron graced the cover of the Feile na Bealtaine program.

One evening we attended a concert by a terrific local concertina player named Caroline Keane. She’ll be performing in Farmington on July 16 and Belfast on July 17, so MCW readers interested in some high energy Irish music should take note.

We took a lot of photos, as we always do, and I’ll close this post with a sampling of those, because you never can fill your brain with enough images of beautiful places, can you?

Sheep and sea in Co. Mayo.

The sea off Slieve League in Co. Donegal, the second highest sea cliffs in Ireland. Spectacular!

Dunes on the Ventry Strand, site of one of our many beach walks.

The beach at Achill Island in Co. Mayo. The fog bank rolled in off the sea on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and cleared as quickly as it appeared.

Brenda Buchanan sets her novels and short stories in Maine. Her three-book Joe Gale series features a contemporary newspaper reporter with old-school style who covers the courts and crime beat at the fictional Portland Daily Chronicle. Brenda’s short story, “Means, Motive, and Opportunity,” was included in the anthology Bloodroot: Best New England Crime Stories 2021 and received an honorable mention in Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022.  A short story called “Cape Jewell,” was published in Snakeberry: Best New England Crime Stories 2025, and another short story “Crime of Devotion” was published this spring in Murder Most Senior, an anthology presented by Jacqueline Winspear in association with the Malice Domestic conference.