More scenes of Howth

Here are a few more pictures from Howth, one of our favorite places for an afternoon by the sea.

What has Mary been up to?

We're sorry to have been absent for awhile. Our time in Ireland has been getting very busy, especially now that my research project has started. Above is a picture of some field plots that I'll be sampling very soon now...you can see some green squares within the field, which are small plots of mustard residues that contain a heavy form of carbon (13C). My colleagues at UCD will study these plots to see how Lumbricus terrestris worms (nightcrawlers) bury residue carbon into soil, and I will look at how much of the carbon goes into microbial communities living in soil and in earthworm burrows. It's a fantastic carbon tracking study that will show how earthworms affect carbon cycling within soil bacteria and fungi! 

But we have been doing some fun things on the weekends, so it's not all been work. More pictures to come...

Killiane Castle, County Wexford

Our friends Kiera and Steve came for a visit, and we spent a weekend at Killiane Castle and Home, a bed and breakfast near Drinagh, Co. Wexford. Jack and Kathleen Mernagh own the home, which is also a working farm. The Norman tower part of the castle complex (2nd picture)was built around 1470, and the house is from the 17th century. We were able to explore within the Norman tower and catch the great views from the top. Thanks, Jack and Kathleen, for being such gracious hosts!

Carne Beach, Wexford county

During our weekend trip to Wexford, we enjoyed a warm and beautiful morning at Carne Beach. For the first time, Jacob didn't mind getting dirty. He played in the sand and splashed in the tide pools, getting completely soaked!

St. Patrick's Day Part 2

After getting out of the city, we went to Jack O'Rourke's, our favorite local pub near home. It has a lot of charm, and even a snug (an enclosed booth, shown in detail in the second picture). What a great day!

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin city

I've been having problems adding photobucket slideshows, so here are just a few pictures of the St. Patrick's Day celebration in the city centre. What a crowd -- 675,000 people watching the parade! I don't know if I'd do it again, but at least we can say that we were in Dublin for St. Patty's Day at least once in our lives!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Here we are enjoying some live traditional Irish music at the Comhaltas branch in Monkstown, just a few minutes from our house. This St. Patrick's Day, we wish you a fine Irish evening shared with family and friends. Slainte!