I should have posted more about that vacation by now.

But I haven't.  I've been busier than shit since I got home, for various reasons.  There are a handful of stories that remain to be told about my trip to the Emerald Isle.  That air travel diatribe was one of them, but that one was just ready to boil over so I had to say it.  The other topics that I have in mind will need a little more time and consideration to be told properly.  It's not the writing that takes time.  I can type like a secretary on crack when I'm in the mood.  It's the composing of a coherent thought.  When your brain works like mine does, you need some time to focus on this sort of thing.

Until I get around to providing some insight and/or analysis about what it was like to spend a week on the island, I'm going to pass the time by posting this slideshow.  In honor of our Irish friend (the only one who comments here, as far as I know), it's all Luke Kelly, all the time.

Now for the disclaimers.  I don't take pictures when I'm on vacation.  Never have, never will.  I can remember every meaningful image from every meaningful sight that I've ever seen.  It's right up here in my noggin and that's good enough for me.  On occasion though, it occurs to me that I should capture a photo to show someone else.  For the last... what?... six or seven years, most of those photos have made their way to this blog.

On my recent vacation, my brother was shooting pictures with my other brother's digital camera.  The cameras around here are set to shoot in RAW and not jpeg (for a reason, don't ask), so I had to develop a bunch of digital images once we got back.  This was in addition to the other work that I had to do.  So yeah, I've been pressed for time.

Here's what I can say, based on what I saw while I was putting the slideshow together.  Lots of pictures of the west coast, way too many from the Giant's Causeway, and quite a few more from other parts of the north coast.  We spent our last day in Dublin, so there are a pretty healthy number of pictures from there.  Quite frankly, I have no idea what most of them are depicting.  I recognize the few from the Kilmainham Gaol and the Guinness Storehouse, but you're pretty much on your own for the rest.  There's one from Aviva stadium at the Notre Dame game and another from Croke Park at the Dublin-Mayo game.  (Gaelic football is awesome, incidentally.)  Probably a couple more from outside the stadium.  There are generic shots from the drives across the countryside and a few others that my brother decided to capture for one reason or another.  I recognize a handful from Belfast.  And... that's about it.  Anything else is a mystery to me.

I did include one pic from my cell phone though.  It's the one that started this post.  There's a friend of the blog named Brent who sent me a message many years ago.  His family (or his wife's, I can't remember) originates from the area near the Cliffs of Moher.  You'll see plenty of my brother's pics from the cliffs, but the one from my phone takes it one step further.  We snaked our way around those ridiculous coastal roads and made our way to the little town of Doolin.  It was dark outside, so the photographic options are limited, but I caught one shot that I thought might bring a smile to a local brewmaster.  I haven't seen Brent in a while, but hopefully he still stops by from time to time.  The music and Guinness at the little pub on the north side of town were fantastic, for whatever that's worth.

Anyhow, here's nothing...