No Dannyboy

No Dannyboy by Sheree Burlington designed on Polyvore.com

In less than a week, I'm heading to Ireland. It will be my first time across The Pond and my first vacation in 11 years. I'll travel with two close women friends - collectively, we are a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. We will be noticed. For ten days, I will live out of a suitcase the size of a lunch bag, risk my life driving on the wrong side of the road and somehow manage to stay up past 9 pm.

While in Ireland, I will be constantly reminded of the man who first introduced me to this ancient country and its culture. I've heard tales about his island so vivid that I can see - the long trail of brothers & sisters, shivering naked beside the stream for their Saturday night baths. He and his brothers singing like beautiful angels for the tourists in Bunratty Castle. The local girls who took one look at his chiseled, handsome face and believed his urgent promises.

Himself and I parted company a year ago. Early on, I came to understand that even though the Irish speak English (sort of) and are right next to England (I'm from New England) Irish culture is foreign to me. It took weeks to tune my ear to his brogue so that I understood him. Under his tutelage, I leaned how to correctly wash a dish, never to turn my nose up at his home made blood sausage, and that a steady diet of fried and boiled everything will make you gain 10 pounds. A final, more difficult lesson - don't believe him when he says the stew has only been sitting on the stove "for a while." Just because they can eat beef that's been at room temperature for 5 days, doesn't mean I can.

I'm traveling light, so I won't buy much. I'll come home with a sweater, possibly some jewelry and a lot of memories. I'm single, so maybe one of those memories will include a laughing, handsome face with a charming Irish brogue. I failed my first Irishman's attempts to transform me into a fresh faced lass & cannot be trained. No matter what the temptation, I'll follow the advice of a friend who I'm sure was smiling when she said "don't come back with another Irish Dannyboy."