Autumn In Ireland

Bonner Travel was founded to give visitors  a glimpse into what life is really like in Ireland ,instead of the jam-packed
tour schedule that is the norm.  We believe in slowing down and taking the time
to really get to know an area and with small tour numbers it allows us to go areas a big coach cannot.  The best
places are often off the beaten path and that’s where we want to take you!

Autumn brings the end of the tour season
and sees our visitors heading home.  With
the tourists gone, we Irish have settled back into the natural rhythms of the
island and life is now moving at a slower pace again. It seems as if the land
herself is preparing for the winter ahead.
The leaves have turned their brilliant colours and until a big wind
blows, the trees will keep their Autumn dress a while longer.

While the land prepares to sleep, the birds
are busy eating as many holly berries as they can before they’re gone, jays,
thrushes, and blackbirds abound in every garden.  The young are told of the old wives’ tale
that berries in abundance on the holly bough means a cold winter lays ahead.

Now it’s dark by 5 p.m., I’m home in
Kinsale again  and all around the
neighbours’ fireplaces are lit. While there is the occasional whiff of wood
smoke, more commonly the air is permeated with the smell of burning turf.  Turf burns long and crackles bright,
releasing the warm, welcoming odour that belongs to Ireland alone.  Every time I smell the peat, I am instantly
reminded of my childhood in Donegal and my Granny’s chimney drawing the
fragrant smoke up into the night sky.  In
the towns and villages across the island, people take advantage of the last few
mild nights of the year, staying out and enjoying the company of their neighbours.  In this season of Thanksgiving, I would like to thank all those who help make Bonner Travel a reality.  There will never be enough gratitude for my
family who put up with my erratic travels and  my mother for forgiving my absence in the summer months. I have the winter to make it up to them.