AMIDST THE STONES OF CELTIC IRELAND - Chapter One - A new journey together

Aug 7, 2026

Chapter One opens on Abby and Mark’s first day of their Ireland trip, blending warm humor with quiet uncertainty about a newly formed relationship. Over Irish breakfast, café conversations, and reflections on disappointing stone-circle memories, Abby balances reassurance, personal longing, and thoughtful attention to the moment. Their travel experience is punctuated by memorable welcomes at Shannon and affectionate texts from Abby’s family, grounding the romance in real-life responsibilities and emotions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages218

Reading Time5 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter One

Abby and Mark’s first day in Ireland

Kenmare, County Kerry and the stone circles

Shannon arrival and the Irish “hundred thousand welcomes”

Family messages and emotional reflections

AMIDST THE STONES OF CELTIC IRELAND Jeanne Crane [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Copyright © 2018 Jeanne Crane, New York, USA [JeanneCrane.com](JeanneCrane.com) All rights reserved. Cover Photo: Nicolas Raymond, [http://freestock.ca/ireland_g53-poulnabrone_dolmen__hdr_p1689.html](http://freestock.ca/ireland_g53-poulnabrone_dolmen__hdr_p1689.html) ISBN-13: 978-0692191477 ISBN-10: 069219147X [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) GRATITUDE The Celts found magic in threes. I found magic in three very special people. Judy Cadle, who offered constructive, insightful and loving feedback from start to finish. Sylvia Strobel, who first brought Jane and the message to “tell the story” to my attention. Janice McNamara, who helped me go deeper into my own story and trust my inner wisdom. Three others were particularly helpful to me in the final stages: Judith Knight, Sally Hamlin and Lynn Ashley. What blessings all. And, a huge thank you to Suzi van der Sterre of van der Sterre Design for book design, for her cover design and for bringing the book to its published state with ease and grace. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) CHAPTER ONE You don’t look very happy, Abby. Not for a woman who has finally made it to Ireland, who sits over an Irish breakfast with her handsome American chauffeur, in a postcard-perfect town, with four glorious weeks ahead of her.” Mark has a teasing tone but a look of concern in his eye as he says all this. “Listen to you, and you haven’t even kissed the Blarney Stone!” I reply with a chuckle.“Actually, I was thinking about the Kenmare Stone Circle we visited yesterday. I have been so looking forward to seeing these stone circles. And, well, yesterday’s visit was somehow disappointing.” “Good grief, a third of our trip is planned around these stone circles. Are you saying you aren’t into them?” I hear a bit of alarm in his voice as he tries to keep his question light. “No, I’m still interested, just somehow yesterday wasn’t what Iexpected,” I say as my voice trails off into further reflection. We are sitting in a charming little café in Kenmare, County Kerry on our first day of our first trip together. The relationship is new. We met in October, started dating after Christmas and then started planning this trip around Valentine’s Day. Here it is May and we are still feeling out what it is like to be together. I decide to try to reassure him that I am not a moody, difficult to please traveler. So, I add,“I really love it here. Already I can tell I am going to like the people and the pace of things. And even though I was getting too tired to hold my head up after such a long day’s travel, I loved the pub last night and the music. And everyone was so welcoming.”“Speaking of welcomes, I took a video of that lovely flight attendant welcoming us to Shannon. Let’s see how it came out,” Mark suggests as he pulls out his smartphone. Sure enough, he has captured the redheaded, green-suited Irish “lass” as she makes the announcement: “Prepare for landing. Once more, please be sure your seat belts are fastened, you seat backs straight up, now. We will be landing in Shannon momentarily. You are very welcomed here.” And then she repeats it all in Irish, or at least, we assume that’s what she says. I myself don’t speak or understand a word of it, but it is fun to hear. I think I got the end of it: céad míle fáilte, the famous Irish “hundred thousand welcomes”. “I am so glad you recorded that moment, Mark. It was thrilling. I have never been abroad before. And now that everyone keeps welcoming us like that, it has even more meaning. I am so, so glad we are here!” “Well, that’s good to hear. Me too. I couldn’t be more content than sitting here with you, an Irish newspaper and a café Americano. What a great start to our first day of vacation.” Mark gets lost in his newspaper as I pull out my journal. Truth be told, if I were on my own I would be anxious to get started. I mean Jeez, we

FAQs

What is the central focus of Chapter One?

Chapter One centers on Abby and Mark’s first day in Ireland and how their new relationship unfolds through travel moments and heartfelt conversations.

Why does Abby feel disappointed about the stone circles visit?

Abby is still interested in the stone circles, but the visit does not meet her expectations, leaving her reflecting on what felt off.

How do family messages affect Abby during the trip?

Abby receives a text from her younger son about his own trip, which deepens her feelings of pride and longing while she tries to enjoy the journey with Mark.

Aug 7, 2026

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