The great part about Ireland is the way people live within their environment. There are some places that are insanely isolated with a picturesque view. Still the thing I’ve learned from one of my professors is “you can’t eat the scenery.” To me this quote means that, as amazing and as vast the green place is, you can only attempt to take it all in and can’t do much with it or change the nature. It’s great to look at but is not functional. A certain kind of person can get a rush and even goosebumps at the summits, but in my opinion I get a certain feeling of helplessness. When I say helplessness I simply mean there is no way to control all of the beauty surrounding, and like me I like having some form of control in anything I am doing. When living in some of these hilly areas you can’t even farm and you just let sheep roam on the edges of the cliffs. Sometimes I try to harness my fear of heights when I am up on top of the abundant cliffs, but I am a boots on the ground kind of guy and keep my distance.
Most of rural Ireland is filled with hilly and mountainous areas that are incredibly magnificent but there is no way to tame them. Some people are simply out of sight, out of mind hidden in the hills where no one can contact them, and its crazy to imagine being in that kind of environment. A common theme of places in Ireland that we have been visiting is isolation and seclusion. There are homes surrounded by farmland, but they are mostly by themselves in rural areas, and it is hard to think about how families raise their children in that kind of atmosphere. Even some villages seem lonely and empty. Growing up in a rural area such as some of the places we have visited will shape your personality and impact your character. It makes me wonder if the people growing up even care about the view anymore or if they pay no attention to it.