Laina Mullin Pruett: Ireland

August 21, 2011

I have been in Ireland now for almost two weeks, and am having a wonderful and productive time.  I’m doing a lot of reading and brainstorming, and I have a story going, as well.

I can’t seem to stay away from the many tiny bookstores I’ve come across, and have discovered two new-to-me Irish writers: Maeve Brennan and Claire Keegan.  I read some of Keegan’s collection Walk the Blue Fields this afternoon while sitting on a park bench in Westport, County Mayo.  The first story is titled, “The Long and Painful Death”, and is about a writer on a 2-week long writer’s retreat on Achill Island, where I am heading tomorrow.  What a coincidence.

Following are a few of the best pictures I have taken:

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle

Trinity College Kitty

Trinity College Kitty

behind Mullin's Mill in Kells, County Kilkenny

behind Mullin's Mill in Kells, County Kilkenny

Galway

Galway

the burren

the burren

Corcomroe Abbey

Corcomroe Abbey

I am posting more about my trip at lmpruett.com.

March 31, 2011

This summer I will be traveling for three weeks to the Republic of Ireland. The taming of the Celtic Tiger in recent years has altered the country drastically, and many young people are leaving Ireland to pursue their dreams in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. I am working on a project about a divided family, specifically brothers who have made very different choices, one to move to Boston and the other to remain in Ireland. Now their children must make the choice. While overseas, I hope to gain a deep understanding of how emigration has affected Ireland and its people so I can apply this knowledge to my project. Because my trip has to be so brief, I am going to plan only a skeletal itinerary, preferring to simply see where I end up, exploring Dublin, the small towns surrounding the city, and places further afield.