CONTESTS | IRELAND (OF COURSE) AND VARIOUS

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

I’m looking forward to the annual sipping of the green beer with my son this evening. When we get to it, we will raise our glasses to our Irish ancestors, my four great-grandparents on my mother's side, four great-grandparents from four different counties, I wish I knew each one by heart, I have to consult my notes to list them here: Wexford, Cork, King's and one described as on "the outskirts of Dublin." They met their future betrotheds in New York City. One of them, my great-grandfather Patrick Doyle, was born on St. Patrick's Day.

Family lore depicts him as a dapper dresser and raconteur extraordinaire. After the crossing, several decades after the famine, he vowed never to set foot on a boat again. When he later moved to Greenwich, Conn., he kept his promise, and never went along on family outings to Island Beach, a public island on Long Island Sound that's accessible only by boat or ferry. That self-preservation meant such self-deprivation speaks volumes to the horrors of the crossing.

I searched for a photograph of Ireland to accompany this post, but did not find one I liked enough. Ireland's beauty is elusive to the still camera. This seeming deficiency works to the advantage of first-time visitors to the Emerald Isle. I was blown away by Ireland's beauty when I went for the first (and, so far, only) time. The word "awestruck" comes to mind. For a change, a new-to-me place looked better than the cropped and filtered photographs that often overstate a landscape, a landmark, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Here are the two tips to Ireland I mentioned last week.
The Irish road trip contest ends TODAY, so get clicking.

IRISH ROAD TRIP, B&B LODGINGS, AIRFARE
www.enchantingireland.com/Home/stpatricks2006giveaway.asp
DEADLINE: March 17, 2006. TODAY!

FIVE DAYS IN DUBLIN + THE CHIEFTAINS CONCERT
www.sonymusic.com/contests/chieftains/
DEADLINE: MAY 21, 2006

REMINDER:You can enter these two contests every day to up your chances. (I’ve entered both them more than once, but not daily.)

ANTIGUA: ONE WEEK AT JUMBY BAY RESORT (On Crest Toothpaste)
http://crest.eprize.net/imagine/
DEADLINE: April 15, 2006

LUXURY LINK: WINNER SELECTS FROM ST. LUCIA, CRETE, RIMINI, MAYA RIVIERA, THE SEYCHELLES
www.luxurylink.com/LL/home_win_trip.php?save=1&suppress_email=all&WT.mc_id=TLEmail
March 31, 2006