The Fountain Hills Community Chorus and San Tan Chorale delivered an “American Sampler” of Broadway selections, spirituals, folk tunes and Native American songs June 12-21 to Irish audiences.

Choir members, under the direction of Matthew Frable, and guests visited Galway, Killarney, Waterford and Dublin, with some extending their travels one day to Belfast.

ACIS organized the tour itinerary. The local individuals traveled from Phoenix to Chicago and then overnight to Shannon Airport, Ireland, where they were greeted by tour director, Stanley Pretty. For the next 10 days Pretty, a former Shakespearn actor, informed and entertained us with his wit and knowledge of Ireland.

The multi-shades of green fields became apparent on the drive to Galway. The Irish landscape has been said to consist of 40 shades of green, much thanks to frequent showers. The only rain that fell during our stay was on the 55-passenger bus as we traveled from one location to another site.

The first day

En route to Galway, we visited Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, a living museum of a century-old rural Irish village. Weary travelers tumbled into bed after a welcome dinner, some 40 hours after many began their journey.

Pretty told us little changes in the Connemara region, a land of lakes, rivers, bogs and mountains where Gaelic is still the spoken language and appears on traffic signs.

The choir’s debut concert was at Kylemore Abbey, the oldest of the Irish Benedictine abbeys with a community of nuns living there since 1920. A wealthy businessman and liberal politician built a castle on the 15,000-acre estate in the late 1800s.

The next day, the tour bus snaked along the southern shore of Galway Bay on the way to Killarney. A historic 16th century fortress, Dunguaire Castle, provided a background for an impromptu sing.

Breathtaking is the best superlative to describe the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland’s most popular natural attraction overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs rise 702 feet at the highest point over five miles on the western coast of County Clare. The bus crossed the Shannon River by ferry for the next overnight in Killarney.

The scenic circular route, Ring of Kerry, around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry was a long but satisfying day viewing rugged, barren coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages. At the 17th-century Kerry Woolen Mills, one of two traditional woolen mills still in existence in the country, the fourth-generation owner showed the process from rare cotton to finished woven scarves. St. Mary’s Cathedral, a Gothic revival Roman Catholic church in Killarney, was the location for the choir’s first evening concert.

Kissing the Blarney Stone

For more than 200 years, pilgrims have climbed the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone. Some choir members completed the strenuous, circular trek. One has to lean backwards holding on to an iron rail to kiss the stone below in the battlement wall. Tradition claims those who accomplish the maneuver are gifted with the gift of eloquence.

Others preferred to spend their time strolling through the gorgeous gardens, though scaffolding and restoration of the castle ruined any photo opportunities. The nearby Blarney Woolen Mills, with its three floors of Irish products, was a popular shopping destination. Touring the Jameson distillery where original buildings date back to 1795 ended in a sampling of the whiskey.

Waterford Crystal

One day a handful of guests broke away from the scheduled tour itinerary of visiting additional castles to tour Waterford Crystal factory, reflecting 200 years of crystal-making history.

Master glass blowers demonstrated their craftsmanship using wooden molds to shape the crystal in the furnaces and polish the pieces. Those that do not pass quality standards are crushed and melted so “seconds” are never available for sale.

The more interesting exhibit was the specialty edition pieces from crystal football trophies and helmets to a 911 commemorative display.

Capital city of Dublin

The highlights of a two-day trip was a performance in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and viewing The Book of Kells at Trinity College.

St. Patrick’s has been a part of Ireland’s history for more than 800 years. The present cathedral has survived wars, revolutions and a reformation dating from 1220.

The Book of Kells contains writing of the four Gospels in Latin believed to be completed in 384 AD. It’s written on prepared calfskins (vellum), with lavishly gilded decorations as images of plant, animal and humans accent the text.

The exhibit led to the magnificent main chamber of the Old Library, the Long Room, home of about 200,000 books. Marble busts of writers and philosophers line the book stacks. Ireland’s oldest harp, dating to the 15th century, is displayed in the center of the room.

No visit to Dublin would be complete without visiting the Guinness Storehouse to learn about the production of Guinness beer before savoring a half-pint.

Next week, stories of personal Irish experiences from the local tour group will be shared.