Cynthia's Irish Travelblog

The day I arrived in Ireland was the day I found my heart’s home.

I’ve been in love with all things Irish since I was in my early teens, so naturally I was thrilled to finally spend 10 days there last summer, part of a three-week visit to England, Wales and Ireland. It was hard to contain my excitement as we left the ferry, the Jonathan Swift, in Dublin and drove to our first destination, the lovely village of Feakle in County Clare.

The cottage we stayed in could have belonged to Siobhán Desmond, heroine of my novel, In Sunshine or in Shadow,  with its stone walls, thatched roof, and the lovely warm hearth. When we arrived, the fire was burning merrily, and the wonderful, sweet scent of peat filled the room and warmed our hearts.

I’d made a list of places to see before I left, and one of the first was Bunratty Castle, a spectacularly beautiful castle dating back to medieval times, complete with winding staircases and amazing views from the battlements. The best part of the castle, for me, was the folk park, designed to look like a Nineteenth Century Irish village. And it was there I found Tom Flynn’s cottage. Loop Head House was the cottage of a fisherman/farmer, just like Tom Flynn, a minor character in In Sunshine or in Shadow who plays a major part in the love story in my upcoming release, Coming Home.

But the highlight of my trip had to be the day I visited another castle, Dunguaire Castle, in Kinvara, Galway.

The cover of In Sunshine or in Shadow features a lovely castle on a brooding autumn day. The minute I saw that picture, I loved it, but all I knew was that it had been taken “somewhere in Galway.” But shortly after reading the book, an Irish friend of mine identified it as Dunguaire, so naturally that had to be one of my must-sees.

How can I describe my reaction to finally seeing the castle I’d begun to think of as “mine?” A thrill, of course, but more than that. It was joy and sadness and excitement and something very close to tenderness. I “knew” this castle. It was a part of me, as no other place had ever been, or ever could be. It was me, somehow, and in some strange way, it was the people of Ballycashel. And as we toured the castle, all the way up to the towering battlements, I found myself imagining the battles that had been fought for this beautiful land, and the lives and loves of the people of this place.

And I wished I could stay forever!