Some years ago now, after visiting Ireland, Johnny Cash's fertile musical mind penned a romantic ballad he called "Forty Shades of Green." Here is a portion of his lyrics:

I close my eyes and picture
The emerald of the sea
From the fishing boats at Dingle
To the shores of Donaghadee

I miss the river Shannon
And the folks at Skibbereen
The Moreland and the Meadows
With their forty shades of green

But most of all I miss a girl
In Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips
As soft as eiderdown

Again I want to see and do
The things we've done and seen
Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar
And there's forty shades of green

Johnny Cash had it right; There's just something about this beautiful and welcoming island that pulls you in. After a 3-week visit of my own, I am ready to return. Meanwhile, I want to share a small selection of the 1,300 images I brought home with me.

I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed making them. This is quite a place and, yes, there are literally forty shades of green in the landscape, if not more...