My last visit to Ireland was in 1989. I needed to return to see what time and peace had accomplished there. With my travel accomplice and frequent driver Michael, we spent most of an unusually dry September in our rented VW making a grand circle clockwise around the island visiting places we had individually explored in the past. We both wanted to refresh our memories and explore new sights.
The four traditional provinces of Ireland, dating from before the Norman Conquest in 1170, may not represent distinct geographical and political regions today, but they provide a handy way to segment our trip, since we spent almost a week in each. So, enjoy this rather hasty review of our excursion; I have provided links to some thoroughly disorganized and un‑titled photo collections after each page.