West Ireland

We started our trip in the west of Ireland for Mary and Pats Wedding. We stayed in Cromleach Lodge in Sligo and this was the amazing view from our room. Our next stop was Galway but unexpected car trouble came along. Luckily our tour guides Siún and Ian McDonald (their son Christopher is dating my sister for years now) came to our rescue. I had not seen The Burren since I was in transition year in Presentation, so I was really excited to capture it on camera and better yet, have true locals show me around.

Our first stop was Dungaire Castle where Christopher worked as a butler for the medieval banquets. It was built in 1520 and sits on the shore of Galway Bay and boasts gorgeous views of Kinvara, the nearby sea port village.

The trek to The Burren soon began with small winding roads and a lot of stops due to an extremely hung over girlfriend. The Burren meaning great rock, is one of the largest karst landscapes in all of Europe and lies in Co. Clare. The rolling hills of the Burren consist of Limestone rock. It was truly a magnificent site and a must see if you are in the area.

The last series of photos are from Bunratty Castle, where we stayed that night. some are photos of the castle by night and the folk village the next morning before we met the rest of our crew. Our friends flew in from Boston for a week and we all drove back to Kerry together. My next blog will feature some of the beautiful views and places to visit for your trip to Co. Kerry also known as the Kingdom.

Thanks again to Aoife and Kim for all the driving in Sligo and to Ian and Siún for being amazing tour guides.

Thanks to Mom and Jeremiah (my godfather) for rescuing us from Bunratty, so we could avoid the dreaded bus.

Inside Dungaire Castle.

The Burren.

Karst Dome in the distance.

Kinvara Village.

Kinvara village and Ian mcdonald.

Bunratty castle.

Bunratty Folk Village.

Farah outside J Browns Pawn Shop

The crew arrive from Boston into the nearby airport.

Bunratty by night.

©Alison Slattery. All Rights Reserved.

The Kearneys

Meet Tracey, John, Michael, Jack and Sean. Tracey was an amazing cousin growing up. She bought all the things my parents wouldn't, like a pair of oversized Michael Jordan shorts that I soooo wanted for basketball, I looked like a muppet in them but she still got them for me. Id say they are still in the attic and they probably fit me better now. She took me the bazaar and she will say she spent a fortune on me, she most likely did, I wasn't a cheap child. She gave me my first pair of Nike shoes, a pair of hand me downs but I washed them and treated them as if they were gold, I thought they gave me some serious SWAG. She got me part time jobs and pocket money which was well needed but above all else, when I was being bullied in secondary school, she got her friends to save my ass.

I have known John since I was about 11. He is hilarious and I could do with his amazing construction now and again. John is a hands on guy, he builds playgrounds and tree houses for the kids. He built his own A frame chicken coop, it is amazing. It gets fresh eggs every morning and sits near their amazing pea garden. If you need something built then John is the man.

The shoot went amazing. The guys were so chill, they got ready on a whim and we headed to Banna Beach. All Jack wanted was to get wet and play in the water. Id say we had only been there 5 mins before we lost his dry pants to the river. Michael was quite the model, he was ready and willing to pose at any moment. GQ better watch out cause theres a new star in town. Sean is a soft quiet sweetheart, an absolutely gorgeous child with dark eyes and mousey brown hair. He def looks like his moms side of the family. Sean has been through the mill for the past few years and is heading for another open heart surgery next year. He was a trooper during the shoot, climbing beams and walking along the beach.

Thanks a million for getting ready in a shot and taking us to a new part of Banna beach that I had yet to explore. Hopefully we didn't overfeed those ducks at the lake.

©Alison Slattery. All Rights Reserved.