SNIPPET: Readers shared their thoughts on the Emerald Isle in the Jan-Feb 2008 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine: Bob CECIL, Baltimore, MD: "Last summer, my wife Maureen and I visited Ireland for the first time. We spent two weeks travelling from the west, from Doolin and Lisdoonvarna, along the southern loop across the Shannon, to the Dingle and up the Conor Pass, down to Baltimore, Co. Cork, (we had to, we live in Baltimore, Maryland, USA) then on to the Wicklow mountains and finally Dublin. It was magical. Maureen is a weaver and knitter and loves textiles, so on our way we stopped at the Avoca handweavers mill where we saw 100-year-old looms and beautiful woven craft. While the flowers outside the shop could not have been more vivid, this simple scene of yarns on a windowsill struck me, because of the colour and the texture. Anyway, we love your beautiful country, the land of our ancestors -- a place of music, history and especially colour." Sherrell WOMACK, Atlanta, GA: "Although I am not, as far as I know, Irish, I have always felt myself to possess an Irish soul. I cannot help it; in my dreams I am the red-haired lass riding across the rolling green hills with the bonnie prince at my heels and wolfhounds racing ahead of us. I see myself in the pub hoisting a pint and finding my way to the stone cottage down the lane by the light of the bright moon. My sisters (who have decidedly French names) and I will be coming to Ireland this year, a trip we have been saving for since I confessed my secret "Irishness" to them a while ago. I subscribed to your magazine so that I would be knowledgeable about your wonderful country and also to keep their interest peaked. I share your articles with them and write captions like, "We'll do this," or, "Can't you see us here?," on your beautiful photographs. Your magazine has exceeded my expectations and I cannot wait for it to arrive. Thank you for bringing this little bit of Ireland to me every two months." Bernard COOMBES, Hixson, TN: "In August 2006, we toured Ireland for a week. My wife's paternal ancestors came from Ireland in the mid-19th century. Little is known of them except for nominal inscriptions on tombstones, but my wife and her brother believe from old family accounts that their great-grandfather came from Co. Cork. During our tour, we looked up two telephone directories for the family name 'LEAHEY.' Although there were four and a half columns listed with the spelling 'LEAHY,' there was not a single 'LEAHEY' listed. We spent our final night in New Ross, Co. Wexford. Our guide asked if any of us were interested in visiting the nearby 'Dunbrody' ship before our departure the next morning. During the tour of the emigrant ship, the guide told us about a computer database of émigrés from that location. However, much to my disappointment, the database was not available via the Internet. Although we had barely five minutes available, I accessed the database, and immediately found a 'John LEAHEY' listed. As time was going by, I became frustrated, because I was unable to print off the listing for this John LEAHEY. At that point, the lady behind the shop counter sensed my plight, and kindly asked me which of the entries I was interested in. When I identified John LEAHEY, she promptly printed out this data for me ... Although we were not overtly searching family roots, the availability of a fruitful database and one lady's benevolence have given us a beautiful memory of Ireland."