Emerald Isle Style

Apologies for the hiatus! During the past three weeks or so, I’ve traveled 5,994 miles by air, 1962 miles by road, 530 miles by rail, and 165 miles by bus … so it’s been a bit busy. A large chunk of that time was spent in Ireland, where I traipsed around Dublin, Cork and briefly, Kerry. I‘d been to the Emerald Isle before, but never to Newport’s sister alluring city of Kinsale. Like the City-by-the-Sea, it’s an extraordinary place full of extraordinary people with cobblestone streets, amazing restaurants, welcoming accommodations and fresh, salty air.

It’s easy to see why Ireland’s unofficial mantra is Céad Míle Fáilt—a hundred thousand welcomes. From cab drivers to pint pour-ers and everyone in-between, it may just be the friendliest country in the world. There’s also a hundred thousand reasons to experience Ireland, and if you (are lucky enough) to boast Irish American heritage or simply appreciate Irish interests, 2013 is the year of The Gathering. Described as “a spectacular, year-long celebration of all things Irish,” The Gathering invites those who have moved away, their relatives, friends and descendants to come home and discover from whence you came. Find out more by clicking here.

And of course, I made notes of Irish style, which was perhaps best displayed around Dublin’s Trinity College, Temple Bar (which was hosting an amazing TradFest event, part of The Gathering festivities) and fashionable Grafton Street areas. Trends included peplum dresses and tops:

Fabulous faux lashes and extensions (get lash extensions locally at Wavelengths, Invidia, KiRa, RaNEW and more):

And platform, studded footwear EVERYWHERE– on heels, flats, boots, and shooties (the last of which is very popular paired with everything from skinny jeans to dresses). I guess it’s a global trend because I featured it on Newport Stylephile just two weeks ago in THIS POST. Here’s some shoes I snapped in Dublin: