PrintJuly 29, 2006
Ireland Today
'Dear, dirty Dublin,' James Joyce infamously maligned the capital of his native country, Ireland and, while it's still dear in many ways, his city and his country have come a very long way. More than a quarter century ago, inspired by Alex Haley's Roots, I decided to take my family back to this land of our own roots and finally meet the aunts, uncles and cousins I had never seen and visit the places and tourist sites I had only heard about.
It was then still a sleepy, little country with its picturesque and quaint villages and counties. With its thousand shades of green, due to its many fine, soft rains, with its countless pristine lakes, streams and rivers, with its tumble—down ancient castles, its peat bogs, its tiny roads where people drive on the wrong side of the road, its Blarney Stone, Ring of Kerry, Galway Bay, Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands, it was a beautiful, simple place then. And, Mr. Joyce, Dublin was bustling—but far from...(Read Full Article)
