This is the first round of edits gleaned from my trip to Ennis, County Clare, Ireland in October 2018. Due to my (now former) fear of flying, this was my first trip overseas in my life, and obviously was my first visit to Ireland. I guess you could say that my burning desire to be in Ireland was stronger than my fear so I just did it. While I do know that there are many pretty things to see in Ireland, my only goal was to get off the plane with my fiddle, my cameras, and a change of clothes and immerse myself in the music and the town. My plan (or non-plan, as it were) did not disappoint, as I was literally pulled from one pub session to the next, day by day, night by night, as if by an invisible thread - just as I had hoped would happen. My goal was to become part of the music, the people, and the streets of Ennis - and a friendlier, welcoming group of people I have never experienced - and my hopes, however vague, far exceeded anything I could have imagined. I will be back, as Ennis (from the Irish word Inis, meaning island, I was delighted to find out) and its music, people, and streets are now burned indelibly into my soul.
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