Prehistoric Ireland

Ireland was cold, wet, and wonderful. Though this was my third visit, it still seemed completely new.

The trip was -- for once -- not scholarly. At all. But because the Scholar Gene seldom goes dormant, I did take this wandering with my brother as an excuse to visit some of the sites that I've been thinking about. Lately I've been obsessed with prehistoric architectures, so I and my unwitting but patient companion explored a few of the famous ones like Newgrange and Poulnabrone dolmen -- both of which are really modern recreations of 5000 year old structures. I'll post more on that topic in the near future, and will also put up a syllabus for a course I taught last spring on "Fantasies of the Aboriginal" -- all about reading history as human story even when no textual record could linger.

Those interested in a selection of my non-scholarly, non-professional, and ultra-touristy photos may peruse some from a few of the places I passed through here. Warning: the captions and comments grow progressively sillier as the pictures advance. Second warning: you will lose all respect for me as a disembodied intellect when you see how quotidian and enthusiastic these reveal me to be.