THE PLACES I DISCOVERED
THE PLACES I DIDN'T PLAN
Some of my favorite places in Ireland weren't places I had planned to visit. They were the little stops along the way.
A shop I almost drove past. A coffee stand.
A road I wasn't expecting. A place someone told me about. A little something that caught my eye and made me think, Wait. What's that?
Those are the places I tend to remember.
JOYCE'S CRAFT SHOP
I drove past it. Saw the yarn. Saw the giant statue. Kept driving.
About thirty seconds later, I thought, Wait a minute. So I turned around. I didn't even go inside that first time.
I came back the next day and bought three yarns that reminded me of things I'd been seeing around me—the mountains, the gorse, the buildings around Clifden.
That's one of my favorite things about traveling.
Sometimes you don't know you've found something until you've already driven past it.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, a devastating fire broke out on July 9, 2026. and destroyed Joyce's. As of now, no new updates have been made.
THE MERMAID'S PURSE
It was a little coffee trailer (or shed, really) and I almost could have driven right past it. Instead, I stopped.
I was crocheting, of course. The owner saw me and asked, “You enjoy your crochet?”
I told him I did because I was crocheting in Ireland.
He looked at me and said, “Yeah, it doesn't get any better than that.”
It's been a dream of mine. To. Crochet. In. Ireland!
THE ARAN SWEATER SHOPS
I knew the Aran sweater shops were going to be there. I didn't know how much I was going to enjoy walking into them.
I looked. I touched everything. I admired the sweaters. And then I left without buying one.
Which, considering how much I love wool, may actually be the surprising part of this story.
I decided I wanted to come back someday with an empty suitcase. That feels like a reasonable plan.
THE LITTLE COFFEE SHOPS
Ireland taught me that I don't always need to be going somewhere important.
Sometimes I need coffee. Sometimes I need a scone. Sometimes I need to pull over because there's a little place on the side of the road and I want to see what it is.
I like those places.
They make a trip feel less like a list of destinations and more like I'm actually out there.
THE ROAD I DIDN'T PLAN
There were roads I had never heard of before I got to Ireland. Somebody would mention one.
I'd look at the map. I'd think about it. And then I'd go.
One of my favorite drives was the road from Leenane toward Louisburgh and Murrisk. It wasn't the shortest route. It wasn't the route I had planned. It was just the road somebody suggested.
And sometimes that's enough reason to see where it goes.
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I'M GLAD I STOPPED
Most of the good stuff was in the places I almost drove past.
