Zaner...Go breá le grá!

September 6, 2022

Dia dhuit!

That's "hello, good day" in Irish. I'm back from Ireland a couple weeks now and was buried with work and life immediately upon my return, so I'm just now getting to writing about my trip to honour Zane's wishes to visit Ireland.

First off, Ireland is enchanting. It's just a wonderful, beautiful country with breathtaking views and the most welcoming people I think I've encountered anywhere. My many thanks to our hosts in Clontarf (Dublin), County Wicklow and Limerick who made this trip a dream come true.

When Zane was still in treatment at St. Jude (before the pandemic), we had a discussion about where he would like to go on a "celebration" trip. There were other favorite ideas, but Ireland won top billing. So plans were made, a pandemic happened and Zane fell gravely ill, causing the trip to not happen as it was meant to.

But the time finally came that I could cash in on those plans, perhaps not the way we envisioned, of course, but I kept my promise and took Zane to Ireland. His ashes were left on a clifftop at the Cliffs of Moher and again on the Ring of Kerry, very close to the spot of land he owns, in which he's a Lord of County Kerry.

While in Ireland, I also got a tattoo of a Celtic knot and shamrock with text that says in Irish:

Zaner...Go breá le grá! (which translates to Zaner Forever with love).

Butterflies were ever present (and not so common). I woke once to one laying still on the pillow by the window. It stuck around for awhile before setting off out the window. The weather was a 10+ and the butterflies were a wonder. I took them to being Zane coming along for the journey.

Here's a few photos and a video of Zane's ash scattering and some landscapes and friends who were integral in making this journey magical!

CLIFFS OF MOHER:

RING OF KERRY:

Video of Ash Scattering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH7JFcAHMW8

DUBLIN, CASHEL, KILKENNY, CLONTARF:

WICKLOW FAMILY (not everyone pictured...hats were being gathered...the next photo was a SCREAM! But I'm not putting it here since I haven't gotten permission to do so. Just TRUST me!):

That wraps up the trip in a one-off reading best as I can do. I could go on for days about all the things I saw, the people I encountered, the laughs I had, the terrifying moments driving the car, the amazing food (it's hard to get a bad meal in Ireland)...and then even days aren't enough. It's a spellbinding country, rich with culture and heritage, and just plain lovely in every way. I can't wait to return!

Zaner...Go breá le grá!