My Irish eyes are smiling...

When I was growing up, I was very aware of my secret Irish roots. Every St. Patrick's Day, my mother would make corned beef and cabbage, never mind that it was served with gohan (rice) and ocha (Japanese tea). Whenever anyone talked about my brothers and me, it sounded like the start of a very good joke..."John, Pat and Mike are eating dinner..." (you can add in the punch line).

So, after visiting 36 other countries, it's time to visit my other homeland. And, off I go to check out the reality versus the mythology, the truth versus the blarney, the contemporary, the historic, the magic, the arts and the crafts.

I've braced myself for the rainy weather, the limited culinary selections, traveling on treacherous back roads by car, etc. but am very excited to see the rustic towns, old castles, beautiful scenery and escape the election-year nonsense here in the US.