SNIPPET: Con MORIARTY was the eldest of six children, he was born and raised in the Gap of Dunloe, a region of breathtaking beauty, yet with a rocky terrain and thin turfy soil that creates a harsh and difficult landscape in which to scratch a living from farming. Here his ancestors have lived ever since the dark days of CROMWELL. Con is named after his grandfather, a man who had a tiny holding amidst some of the most rugged land in Ireland. Grandfather Con supplemented his meagre livelihood by working as guide to the very earliest 'active travellers' to this remote region, guiding them to the summit of Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain. Thus, two generations back, the seeds of the present Con's future business and life's passion, were sown. The MORIARTYs have always been people who knew every inch of the mountains surrounding them, whether searching for lost sheep or showing hardy travellers the way to the peaks through swirling clouds and gusting winds. "My mother's people were farmers from further west along the foothills of the mighty Macgillycuddy's Reeks and summer holidays spent with my relatives here allowed me to experience life that would largely cease a few years later. On my grand-uncle's sheep farm, things were done in a very traditional way. Sowing crops, cutting the turf, milking, etc. were all done by hand.... The wild nature of my place was undoubtedly a huge inspiration to me as a child. I was fascinated by the rugged sky lines of my valley, by the great shapes of the rocks and peaks of the Macgillcuddy's Reeks, of the Gap, the Black Valley, the Hag's Glen, Tomies Woods and the majestic Killarney Valley. It was a land trodden by my race from the Stone Ages and I felt the power of this strongly. The oldest copper mines in northern Europe lay nearby and the Fianna hunted where I played. Ancients raised megaliths in my valleys and scholars studied and prayed on islands I knew well. Pagans and Christians! held rituals at holy wells and lofty peaks I saw every day. Chieftans fought in this place and invaders came here. My people had suffered intensely here too, but caves I played in as a boy were hideouts during my nation's struggle for independence ... I absorbed great stories of history and folklore from my father and other elder people in my community that later led to a lifelong love of archaeology, human history in all its facets, traditional culture and the incredible story of Ireland as well as our natural history. This core interest along with my insatiable love of mountains and climbing were the dominant forces in my life...." Con MORIARTY, associates Ms. Marion "Binky" OSWALT of Mobile, AL (who has Irish roots), and Ann CURRAN, are featured in the May-June 2004 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine. Various tours offered take in the wild beauty of the Killarney National Park, the rugged Beara Peninsula, boat trips to the Blaskets and famed Skellig Michael with its 6th century monastery perched precipitously above the sea, Cork, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Aran Islands, Galway, Clare Island (once home to the pirate queen Granuaile), Croagh Patrick, Donegal, The Rosses, the highest sea cliffs in Europe at Slieve League, the pilgrim route of Colm Cille, prehistoric dolmens, stone circles, wild flowers. Tours are not limited to walking tours - there are packages featuring cooking schools, painting, antique-hunting, fishing and stately homes. Non-hikers can discover the Country Living Tour, a supremely indulgent trio based at three of Ireland's finest country house hotels ! while touring the counties of Cork and Kerry, where visitors can explore in comfort, walk, golf, fish, shop, discover castles, gardens and antiquities, with a helpful guide. The Painting Workshop, based in Dingle, offers opportunities to paint and sketch. Offered also are spiritual pilgrimages, literary tours, wildlife, cycling and climbing, visits to restaurants and pubs - even special Genealogy tours - and there are many opportunities to chat with locals, as well. One photograph in the article is of an arresting sculpture by John BEHAN (b. 1938) commemorating the Irish Famine. At Murrisk, Co. Mayo, it recalls the famine ships in which many left Ireland's shores.