Back in March, we were lucky enough to have my uncle Mike and aunt Marilyn visit us. As I’ve written before it’s always so special whenever family or friends visit — we love getting to see them experience Ireland and to get to spend quality time together. Mike and Marilyn came at the perfect time — it was just before St Patrick’s Day and Isaac was on spring break from school for most of the time they were here. He (and Rafi) were so excited to get to spend lots of time hanging out and playing with Mike and Marilyn!

They even got to be here for Isaac’s pre-St Paddys day school ceili (an Irish song and dance performance). All the kids and teachers were dressed in green regalia and performed traditional Irish group dances…the parents and guests even joined in as well! Most of the dances were kind of like line dances/square dances with a “caller” calling out the moves (forward, back, spin around, etc). It was great fun to take part in this unique Irish celebration!

St Patrick’s Day with Mike and Marilyn was a blast! They had the wonderful idea to get a hotel room in town to be able to get to the parade bright and early and to fully experience the daytime and nighttime Paddy’s day festivities. As it turned out, the hotel they got was right on the parade route, and the room had an amazing view of the street below! So from the comfort of the hotel room, we got to watch the incredible floats, dancers, and marching bands. This was especially convenient for the kids, as they had a fantastic view and could take breaks whenever they needed, so restlessness/boredom never set in. Marilyn did a great job getting us all outfitted and accessorized for the day, with green hats, Irish flags, pins, flashing glasses, and more!

There were so many highlights of Mike and Marilyn’s time with us, mostly just getting to hang out. We took them to a few of our favorite parks and playgrounds, to Howth for a few delicious fish meals, and we all caught a Gaelic football match at Croke Park. We also took an overnight trip with them to Wexford, which is in the southeast of Ireland and is known as the “sunny southeast” (it gets the least amount of rainfall in Ireland…which isn’t saying much :)).

We stayed at a fabulous resort called Kelly’s, which has been an institution in Irish tourism for several generations. I had heard a lot about it from various friends who had stayed there, so I had high expectations, but it didn’t disappoint. Located right on Rosslare Strand (a long stretch of yellow sand on the ocean), it’s just a great hotel with something for everyone. Excellent activities and facilities for kids, yummy food, events for adults (for example, we had a pre-dinner champagne and appetizer reception listening to a piano player while the kids watched a movie in the kids club). With an excellent pool, a luxurious spa (which I didn’t try this time), mini golf, tennis courts, and more, it’s overall a great place for a family getaway. We wished we could have stayed longer!

Mike and Marilyn did some of their own exploring as well, venturing off for some day trips and also a few days in the west of Ireland. We were so happy they came all this way to see us and to see this beautiful country we call home. It was a wonderful visit!!