Situated on the high Burren limestone plateau, Poulnabrone Dolmen is one of the country’s most iconic archaeological monuments and the oldest dated megalithic monument in Ireland. It is classified as a portal tomb, featuring two large portal stones standing on either side of an entrance, capped with a massive sloping capstone. Excavations by archaeologists revealed the remains of 33 people at the site and radiocarbon dating of their bones indicates that the tomb was in continual use for a period of 600 years between 5,200 and 5,800 years ago.

Glacio-karst landscape features, which are the combined result of glacial activity and rainwater dissolution features, are abundant around Poulnabrone Dolmen. The limestone pavement has been scraped clean by moving ice sheets and the blocks of limestone known as clints are separated by fissures known as grikes. The grikes are formed by rainwater dissolving thin calcite veins that permeate the limestone. While the last ice sheets melted here almost 16,000 years ago and the karst process has been active since then, there is evidence that karst processes were operating in warmer interglacial periods before the last ice age.

After visiting the Burren National Park Visitors Center, we drove to the seldom-visited Cahercommaun situated on the edge of a valley. Cathair is the Irish for ‘stone fort’, and this fort contains 3 walls ranging in height from approximately 5-1/2 to 13 feet. It is not certain when Cahercommaun was built, but an excavation in 1934 suggests that it dates back to the early 9^th century. However, this date is highly contested, as a number of artifacts that were found within the site pre-date this.

Earlier in the day, we visited the Cahermore ringfort, featuring massive drystone walls up to 9 feet high and thick, with well-fitted limestone blocks and an impressive entrance featuring a complex gateway that could be used to trap would-be invaders.

Our final destination for the day were the Cliffs of Moher, which proved to be somewhat of a disappointment for me. Since our last visit, 34 years ago, the site has been dramatically developed to include a $32M visitor center and flagstone barriers installed to physically discourage and prevent visitors from getting closer to the edge. It felt like the difference between seeing a declawed tiger in a zoo compared to one roaming in the wild. The sun angle did not favor the traditional view of the cliffs so I focused my photographic attention on a less dramatic but better illuminated section of the coastline.

Ashford Castle is a historic 13th-century fortress in the quaint town of Cong. It has been transformed into one of Europe’s most prestigious and luxurious five-star hotels, renowned for its grand architecture, lavish interiors, and storied heritage. The castle has hosted royalty and celebrities over the centuries and sits amid a spectacular 350-acre estate by Lough Corrib. It was our first destination for the morning as we made our way south to Galway.

Somewhat more diminutive but every bit as elegant, Ross Castle was our next stop. Thirty-four years ago, Mark and Marie posed in this very arch for their wedding photos. It was the first time they had returned since, and it was fun to watch them relive cherished memories.

The Old Church of Dunlewey, built in 1853 from white marble and blue quartzite at the foot of Mount Errigal in County Donegal, is a striking and now roofless Gothic-style landmark erected as a memorial by Jane Russell for her husband James, overlooking Dunlewey Lough and renowned for its haunting beauty and rich history. It was our first stop on the way to the dramatic Crohy Head Sea Arch.

A secret waterfall in a blowhole viewed through a sea cave only accessible at low tide. It doesn’t get better than this.

Killybegs is a town on the south coast of County Donegal, renowned as the largest fishing port in the country and serving as a lively maritime hub with a rich history and vibrant local culture. We stopped here for a little snack.

Jeanine found this delightful waterfall along our drive where we paused while Marie took a work phone call.

Benbulbin is a dramatic, flat-topped limestone mountain rising 1725 feet, formed by glaciers during the Ice Age and renowned for its unique shape and significance in Irish geology and mythology.

Today, the crew covered a lot of ground, stopping frequently to take in the sights of Ireland’s northern coast. Pictured above is Carrick-a-Rede, originally constructed to provide salmon fishermen with safer and easier access to Carrickarede Island for netting Atlantic salmon, reducing their reliance on boats to reach the best fishing spots. Below, is an aerial view of Ballintoy Harbour where we paused to stretch our legs and take a group photo.

Liquid fortification for the rest of the journey was sampled at the Bushmills Distillery before a brief stop at the ruins of Dunluce Castle, a dramatic, ruined medieval castle dating mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries. It once served as the seat of the powerful MacDonnell clan and the Earls of Antrim.

Mussenden Temple is a striking circular building perched on a dramatic cliff edge near Castlerock in County Londonderry, built in 1785 as a library for Frederick Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, and dedicated to his cousin Frideswide Mussenden. Inspired by Rome’s Temple of Vesta and renowned for panoramic views over Downhill Strand, it is now one of Ireland’s most photographed landmarks.

Malin Head is Ireland’s most northerly point, renowned for its wild coastal scenery, geological significance, and diverse marine life. We hiked up to an optimal viewing point where we enjoyed the breathtaking views.

Our final destination for the day was Grianan of Aileach, a large stone ringfort atop Greenan Mountain in County Donegal, dating mainly from the early medieval period, which served as the royal seat of the Northern Uí Néill and is associated with both ancient mythology and early Irish kingship. The impressive drystone structure, originally constructed without mortar and partly reconstructed in the 19th century, offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and has stood witness to over 4,000 years of history, myth, and power struggles in the region.

This morning, our crew (Mark, Marie, Jeanine, and I) joined a guided walking tour of Belfast focused on “The Troubles.” It was highly educational but not exactly visually stimulating. The opposite can be said of the Giant’s Causeway, which is a photographer’s dream. I separated from the group that joined a tour, so I could explore on my own. I racked up 7 miles and hundreds of photos. The Giant’s Causeway was formed about 50 to 60 million years ago when intense volcanic activity caused molten basalt to pour through fissures in the Earth’s surface. As the lava pools cooled slowly and evenly, they contracted, leading to extensive cracking that produced around 40,000 polygonal basalt columns—most famously hexagonal in shape. The distinctive appearance of the columns is the result of this regular fracturing during the cooling process.

Jeanine and I woke up early to catch the Dublin Express bus to the airport. There, we picked up our rental car and waited to meet up with my brother Mark and his wife Marie, who were arriving from Minneapolis. Both activities proved fraught with challenge. The exact location of the bus stop was so poorly identified that we used every second of our twenty minute buffer running up and down the Aston Quay to find it. We were both dripping wet with perspiration by the time we boarded. Renting a car proved equally infuriating. You are unable to decline insurance coverage without a letter from your credit card or insurance company stating that your policy covers Ireland. Unable to produce this document, I had no choice but to accept their coverage for +$500.

Connecting with Mark and Marie put all this nonsense in the rear view mirror as we departed for a late breakfast in Drogheda. From there, we drove to Belfast and directly to the Titanic Experience where we learned all about the tradition of ship building in Belfast and of the Titanic in particular as well as the entire story of its infamous maiden voyage. It was a fantastic experience and my brother was captivated (or possibly exhausted from no sleep in 40 hours).

Mexico leveraged its home-field advantage to defeat Team USA 2-3. Despite the loss, the US finished second in the tournament and will qualify for the World Cup to be contested next July in Costa Rica. Nico was in exceptional form throughout the tournament and picked up another goal on a penalty kick in this final match which can be viewed here.

Our flight to Dublin arrived very early this morning. After dropping bags at our hotel, Jeanine and I walked 8.4 miles through the heart of the city. We managed to stay up until about 8 pm and then slept like a pair of rocks.

In Mexico, Team USA secured a ticket to next year’s World Cup in an exhilarating 3-2 win over El Salvador. The nail-biter can be viewed here.

Jeanine and I watched Team USA take on Costa Rica at Logan Airport while waiting to board our flight to Dublin. Nico had one assist and one goal from his center midfield position to help cinch the 2-0 victory. The full match can be viewed here. The hysterical after-goal celebration at the 1:00:05 mark is well worth the look.

UPDATE: I found this nice reverse angle of Nico’s goal.

My sister, Alissa, just received the first copy of her new book, “The Power of Impact Circles.” It will go on sale August 1, and I am looking forward to reading it. You can learn more about the book and read the early reviews at https://www.thepowerofimpactcircles.com/.

To my great disappointment, the YouTube Live feed for the soccer match between the USA and Guatemala last night was not operational. The US won, 4-0, and Nico had one goal and two assists. Jeanine and I will try and watch the match against Costa Rica tomorrow from Logan Airport, where we will be waiting to board a flight for Dublin.

31 years ago today, I cut the umbilical cord connecting Nicolai to Jeanine. I listened intently as the doctor calmly talked us through his Apgar score, a perfect 10! Still, something seemed amiss. I don’t know whether it was the power of witnessing his birth and the love you instantly feel for your newborn child, or perhaps I was in a state of shock, but it felt like several minutes before I realized that he was missing a leg. The doctor continued with a more comprehensive examination, starting with his head and working down; eyes, ears, nose, mouth, neck, arms, hands, fingers, …. She commented on the condition of every body part in a very soothing voice and continued in that tone as she remarked on the absence of a right leg and then on further examination, the absence of his right hip. I remember feeling like she took this approach to help us focus on all that was normal before addressing what was not. When she started to wonder out loud about the status of internal organs, however, any shred of relief I was beginning to feel evaporated, and I immediately went into hyper-focused, problem solving mode. Was he in danger? What further tests were needed? Who was the best doctor to evaluate him? At this moment there was no room for emotions. Once it was determined that there was no immediate risk, he was swaddled and placed in Jeanine’s arms and I joined her to say hello to our new son. He remained with us for almost an hour before a nurse came to take him to the NICU for continued observation and testing.

When Jeanine finally gave way to sleep after the physically and emotionally exhausting birth experience, I went out to my car in the hospital parking lot and allowed my emotions to surface. I cried uncontrollably until I had no more tears left. First, and selfishly, I cried for my self. How would my new son fit into what I long imagined our future family would look like? Second, I cried for Jeanine. I feared that she might blame herself for an outcome for which she had no responsibility. The care she took during her pregnancy was text book perfect. Finally, I cried for Nico. At the time, I could not imagine how he would lead a joyful life with a major “birth defect.” Now, I would say “limb difference” and confess my lack of imagination about how adaptable humans can be in the face of challenges.

Next, I struggled to understand why this had happened. The doctors had no theories to offer at the time, and no cause has been identified since. I remembered laughing at a joke, a decade earlier, about a one-legged man trying to kick down a door and wondered if doing so had triggered some kind of karmic payback. The truly funny thing now is that Nico is the first person I would seek out if I really needed a door kicked down.

That day, 31 years ago, I left my grief in the parking lot. Since then, the only tears I have shed for Nico are tears of joy, celebrating every triumph and milestone. Tonight, I will watch him take the soccer pitch against Guatemala as the captain of the USA Amputee Soccer Team and all-time leading scorer for the US, a reality I could not have imagined when he was born.

Happy Birthday, Nico!

Starting tomorrow, the North and Central American Amputee Soccer Championship, also known as the Gold Cup or Copa Oro, will be take place in San Juan de los Lagos, México. Teams from the region will compete to qualify for the 2026 Amputee Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Costa Rica. Only two remaining spots are available, and the US hopes to secure one of them.

Today, the tournament pairings were released, and the US will meet Guatemala in the opening match. Nico and Team USA have been training at high altitude in Colorado for the past week to acclimate for the matches that will be played at ~6000 feet above sea level.

The matches will be live-streamed at the World Amputee Soccer Federation YouTube page. Kick off is at 8 pm EST.

Opening ceremonies (Team USA is introduced at 23:20.) were this evening, and it would be safe to say that the city of San Juan de los Lagos goes above and beyond to honor and welcome the participants and, families, and to create an atmosphere of joy within their community. The schedule for Team USA matches is shown below.

Pretty boring when the highlight of your day is weeding and spreading wood chips. Even so, it made for a good workout.

Jeanine and I had dinner on the patio this evening while being entertained by a mourning dove in the process of building a nest. (S)he made dozens of trips from the forest floor to the nest, transporting a small twig with each flight. Perhaps we will have baby doves featured in a future post.

On the river, we watch as two fishermen plied the waters. Eventually, they caught this rather large fish. I have asked my expert brother for an identification and will share it when it comes in.

UPDATE: My brother has identified this as a Northern Pike. These fish are apex predators in their ecosystems, playing a role in regulating fish populations. This one looked to be 30 inches and was released back into the river.

This evening we were dinner guests of our good friends Tom and Karen. who live relatively close by in Westwood. Tom was my high school wrestling partner, and we have been friends ever since. When we recently booked an expedition cruise to Antarctica, Jeanine suggested we invite another couple to join us. Remembering a conversation I had with them years ago about such a trip, Tom and Karen were the first people that popped to mind. It turns out they had been contemplating such a trip and decided to book a cabin just down the corridor from us. We could not be more thrilled.

We were surprised to find Tom in an arm sling when he greeted us. Tom is a very strong guy, but not that smart. While riding his bike along a 3-lane highway at 24 mph, he thought he would push the minivan that cut in front of him out of his way by lowering his shoulder and ramming it. The x-ray above illustrates who won that matchup.

After a delightful meal, we all watched a soon to be released movie called “Damned if You Do.” Co-directed by their son Evan, it is about a group of friends who sold their souls to the devil at their high school graduation, who must reunite before their 25th reunion to try and escape Hell’s grasp before the contract’s deadline expires. It is very funny with an unexpected and clever ending.