So what makes MY IRELAND REAL?????? I get asked questions regularly like ...Is Ireland near Scotland? Is it part of the United Kingdom? What kind of cars do we drive? And my recent favorite...what is the name of the river between Ireland and the United Kingdom?!!!

Come on people....geography ???

So lets put a few things straight here once and for all. The name of this RIVER is actually called THE IRISH SEA !!! Ireland is divided up into 4 provinces namely Ulster,Leinster,Connaught and Munster. Each of the provinces has its own counties (A county being similar to a state)

I was born and raised in Douglas,Cork which is located in the province of Munster. This is in the southern part of Ireland. Northern Ireland (Ulster) is under British rule,and is therfore part of the United Kingdom. The remainder is known as THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND. Dublin is the capitol. I hope this helps a little........



My mother Margot Gaffney was born and raised in Waterford. As a child she used to vacation in a place called Ardmore,so as I was growing up,I too used to vacation there. It is a beautiful location just surronded by natural beauty. The beaches are never ending. The tides are calming to the senses. I used to love to watch the fishing trawlers come in,you also knew they were coming in by looking up to see sea gulls circling them from miles out hoping to swoop in and steal a little lunch !!! I used to walk out to the head,and walk to the Round Tower which is an historical site. There are approx 52 Round Towers in Ireland. When you reach the one in Ardmore,the view is magnificent overlooking the beaches and bay below. It once housed 40 soldiers when battling with the English. If only these walls could talk !!!!!!!