Failte, Ireland

 It was a lot more complicated getting from Glasgow to Dublin than we imagined, but we finally arrived safely.  The flight on Ryan Air was the best of all the flights we took!

 Jim and Laura Pettit met us at the airport and took us home with them.  It's been several months since they left Chattanooga for Dublin, and it was so good to see them!

Here is the view from their apartment, lit by the setting sun.

I spent a couple hours in the National Library, researching Herb's great-great grandfather Jospeh C. Ranson.  Unfortunately, records from his birth in 1823 are not in Dublin.  They would be in his home town of Cootehill in County Cavan.  Fortunately, it's not far from Dublin, so we will have to try again next time we visit Jim and Laura.

We enjoyed hearing about their immersion in Irish society, developing relationships with artists and musicians as they minister in a very culture-centered society.

They took us to nearby Malahide Castle.

We also visited the National Museum of History and saw all the exhibits on Irish history, including one on the "Bog people."  These were human sacrifice victims who were immersed in various bogs throughout Ireland and later unearthed in various states of preservation.

Our third and last day there, we took the train to Killiney, a town on the coast north of Dublin.  There we were treated to spectacle upon spectacle: a rainbow . . .

. . . a pair of dolphins leaping out of the sea . . .

. . . and a beautiful sunset over the ocean.  It was sad to say goodbye to old friends, but we definitely plan to go back now that we know how to get there from Scotland!