Orbs, Oubliettes and Irish Legends

by Matt Neal

Location:  County Offaly, Ireland

Just in time for Halloween!!  Here's a repost from my old website!!

[By posting this I'm not saying I believe in ghosts, it's just all in good fun.  So please keep the comments civil.  Comments are moderated.]

A ghost is a ghost is a...dust?

Well, here's the story.

My wife and I, on our last real vacation before getting in the "family way" went to Ireland, birthplace of our ancestors. While there I insisted (begged) that we go to Leap Castle, pronounced "Lep". Leap Castle is reputed to be the most haunted castle in Ireland. A quick google will give you the rundown. The current owner was gracious enough to give tourists an extensive tour, replete with a history lecture, tales of legends, and an enjoyable musical performance on some sort of Irish woodwind instrument (the name for which escapes me), all for 10 Euros a head.

Adventures in Cozumel

by Matt Neal

Location: Cozumel, Mexico

Years ago while visiting Cozumel with some friends, we stumbled across some interesting old ruins buried deep in the jungle.  Cozumel is a tiny island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, and its landscape is just like the mainland – dense, low lying jungle on a flat terrain.  Looking from the window of my hotel, the few houses there on the coast butted up to that jungle.  Its hard to imagine that sort of terrain right in their own backyard.  And somewhere in that jungle, in those peoples’ backyard, were over a dozen archaeological sites of old Mayan ruins.