Two weeks of holiday have now been booked off from work to put my plan into action.

I am more than ready for my ‘holiday with a purpose’. My mission, is to spend a while soaking up the atmosphere and vibe of the country as a whole. Chat to the locals, enjoy the scenery, immerse myself in the local way of life as best as I am able in a fortnight.

Cork, Galway and Kerry are the key areas I intend to visit after the research mentioned in previous posts.

I’ve booked the ferry from North Wales (Holyhead) to Dublin and intend to head north-west from Dublin towards Carrick-On-Shannon, then Clifden, Galway, Limerick, Kerry and Cork. I’ll head home on the ferry from Rosslare to Fishguard in Pembrokeshire and drive back to Somerset in 14 days time.

The locations to visit (starting in Dublin) are shown on the map below, using yellow stars:

I loaded up the van and set off.

The ferry crossing was my first ever and it was a fairly grubby experience if I’m honest. Felt a bit like the boat version of being on a budget coach / bus trip for 4hrs, other than I had paid £350 for the privilege. I had nowhere to sit down – there were so many people on board. I also discovered that I get sea-sick pretty bad. 40mins after departure, I ended up wobbling and retching my way up to the top deck, aiming to get outside to breathe some fresh air and to keep my eyes on the horizon. It was windy and raining. I sat on the floor, on my own, huddled in a cold steel doorway for the entire journey exposed to the elements, but still couldn’t wipe the smile off my face at the thought of changing my life for the better. No pain, no gain! 😀

Here are some images taken on the trip:

            

To cut a long story short, I was utterly taken-aback at the space and sheer beauty of the landscape. The Irish folk were incredibly friendly, welcoming, open and honest.

It was no longer “if” but “when” I would make the commitment to move. I said out loud to myself that “this has to happen”.

I scribbled on a piece of paper “life first, career second” and made an “oath” to myself that I would act on this when I returned to the UK. I showed this to many people during the trip and they all said that it was the right attitude to life.

1500 miles driven in total and would have happily done another 1500.

So, time for action……..