Roots in Goa: the island of Chorão
As we plan our trip to Goa in 2023, I wanted to remind the kids about their ancestral roots in Chorão. Dada’s family came from a small island called Chorão, accessible only by ferry that travels back and forth across the Mandovi River in northern Goa. We visited Chorão in 2022; I clicked a photo…
Goa 2023 – An Overview
I’m really grateful to be returning to Goa for the second time in two years. As we plan the trip, I wanted to share some insights, photos, and context for the kids and other family. Goa is a relatively small state located on India’s west coast (left picture below) with a population of about 1,458,545…
The 6 Irish revolts referenced in the 1916 Proclamation
The 1916 revolution was preceded by earlier attempts to break free from English political rule. The 1916 Proclamation notes (in the third paragraph): “In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms.” – 1916 Irish…
Reviewing our 13-day Irish tour itinerary
We have been traveling in Ireland now for 12 days and have packed a lot in. Here is a quick summary. Days 1 through 4 were in Dublin and we stayed at the Jurys Hotel (soon to be Leonardo Hotel) on Parnell Street. It was a terrific location, next to restaurants, shops, and even a…
Wall Street of Inisheer and more at the Aran Islands
We traveled on Tuesday to Inisheer, the smallest of the three Aran Islands off of Ireland’s west coast, to walk the hills, explore ancient ruins, play at the beach, and enjoy local food at a seaside pub. It required that we wake up and leave Galway by 7am to make the 10am ferry from Doolin.…
Enjoying a session in Galway
Heading to Galway, Ann had mentioned wanting to enjoy a session in one of Galway’s pubs. On our second night, after a fantastic dinner with a close friend at Black Rock Cottage, we drove back into Galway City Center and followed a line of music to a pub called the Dew Drop Inn. It was…
The Cavan Heritage Tour, v2023
Ann, Arjun, and I traveled to Cavan today to visit Grandpa B.J.’s family tree, most of which was uprooted long ago when family emigrated to New York. But today we discovered an important memorial that connects our American family to shared roots, now resting forever in Cavan. I’ll write this post as a guide for…
Kildare’s seriously good food scene
When we arrived in Kildare and set about to eat our first meal, we were so pleasantly surprised to discover this quaint town with a 1500-year old history also boasted a fabulous food scene. We ate at three restaurants around Kildare: The Green Barn (located about a half hour south of Kildare the town, in…
Connection in a Name: St. Brigid of Kildare
While planning this trip, I had imaginative space for our itinerary and so I asked Ann if we could include Kildare. The reason was self-interested in a reflective sort of way; I wanted to visit and learn more about my namesake saint. St. Brigid of Kildare, who lived in the 5th century, was someone whose…
Leg 3: From Kildare to Cavan, via prehistoric Tara
Dad’s family is from Cavan so we decided to take some time to visit; Ann and I have not visited Cavan since Mom and Dad took us in the 1980s, so we decided to visit Killashandra (Grandpa’s family’s home “town”) in the 1800s in County Cavan. Here it is, mapped: We will be taking the…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
My Notebook 