Our trip to Ireland in the early fall was sort of a pilgrimage for Brendan.

He grew up going to Ballymaguigan, a hamlet tucked away in County Derry, throughout his childhood. His grandmother lived there and his mom had grown up there till age 5 when she immigrated to America. He hadn’t been to the land of rolling emerald hills and farmsteads since he was around 25 years old. His nana, Mena, passed away last December, and he wanted to return to her homeland before the family sold her house to a non-relative. So we, along with Brendan’s dad Frank, went, and stayed in Mena’s home on Barrack Road, where we roamed her farm, visited with distant cousins and toured the cities surrounding this small hamlet. Here’s a look at our first few days.