Mizen Head


I left town (Cork City) yesterday to go on a scenic drive before the real fall or winter weather hits. I headed out to see the signal house at Mizen Head, which is described as the most southwesterly point on Ireland.

The coast was absolutely beautiful! And I enjoyed playing Dashboard Confessional and Glen Hansard on the drive...



Several weeks ago, I had purchased an Ordnance Survey of Ireland Road Atlas that is just plain awesome. As I drove past Toormore, it got a little harder to tell where I was going, but I never really got lost. I would get "turned around," but could stop and trace the road I was on. The roads got extremely narrow once I was past Goleen, but they were still posted to follow the path to get to Mizen Head itself.



The old lighthouse keepers' quarters are open to ticket holders, so you can see how they lived. I purchased a ticket, but I got there so close to 5:00 that I will have to use it on a future trip. Ms Pope and Sören are planning on coming to visit over Thanksgiving, so I can hopefully bring them out when they are here and we can actually go through the "museum" together.


As I was driving, my thoughts were very much on whether I wanted to go back to Austin or stay in Ireland for a few years. My boss sent me an IM this week asking me (again) if I wanted to move here for a while. It wouldn't have to be permanent, but someone keeps asking him the question and he won't stop asking it of me. My first response was an emphatic "no!", but there was something about the remote seacoast and the time for introspection that made me reconsider this position. I will probably have to work here through June whether I have "moved" here or not, so why not have my family here with me and make it official instead of trying to get home once a month so I can see them again...



Of course, that does not begin to address the things I would miss about Austin. My friends, the service opportunities I have there. Nor does it cover the logistics of how to move a household from Texas to Cork... But if worse comes to worse, maybe I could live here...


Posted: Mon - October 8, 2007 at 08:19 AM        

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