I studied abroad for a summer in Ireland and it was one of the best times in my life.

The country is truly the greenest place I've ever been. The people are friendly and always looking for a bit of 'craic. It was an even more special trip because I was able to meet relatives and go to the place where my great-grandfather once lived and worked.

I have hundreds of photos from my time in the "Old Country" but here are some of my favorites:

Glendalough is located in County Wicklow in Ireland. It was an early monastic settlement.

The Upper Lake in Glendalough.

The Ha'Penny Bridge in Dublin, Ireland. A pedestrian bridge built over the River Liffey built in 1816. Love locks cover the bridge, though the Dublin City Council has started to cut the locks off.

Grafton Street.

Kilmainham Gaol. Many Irish revolutionaries were imprisoned here.

At the Waterford Crystal factory in Waterford, Ireland, a craftsman carefully cuts into the crystal.

The Mound of the Hostages on the Hill of Tara.

Lia Fáil - the Stone of Destiny. At the hill of Tara. Legend suggests that this stone would cry out if a series of challenges were met by the would-be King.

Farmleigh, the official Irish State guest house. It once belonged to the Guinness family.

The Farmleigh house hosted the EU presidency.

Áras an Uachtaráin, the residence of Ireland's president.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

A row of homes in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Besides the political tensions and history that surrounds the city, Belfast is known for the murals that cover "peace lines" - walls or barriers built between Irish nationalist and unionist neighborhoods. Not all of the murals are about Ireland politics necessarily, like this one expressing solidarity between Ireland and Palestinian prisoners of war.