04/07/2026
Today, Americans celebrate a remarkable milestone—the **250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence**.
Congratulations from all of us on this side of the Pond.
Now, 250 years is a very long time in America...
In Ireland, we call that a lunch break. 😉 After all, we have castles that were already centuries old when America was born!
Humour aside, it's an anniversary worth celebrating.
Over the past 22 years, I've had the privilege of spending thousands of hours driving Americans around Ireland.
We've laughed together, solved the world's problems together, shared stories about our families, and occasionally sat in comfortable silence while taking in some of Ireland's most beautiful scenery.
One thing I've learned is this...
The America you experience through headlines isn't the America sitting in the back seat of my vehicle.
The America I know is made up of kind people who say "thank you" too often, who are endlessly curious about Ireland, who treat our history with genuine respect, and who often become friends long before the trip is over.
Many arrive hoping to find where their great-grandparents came from. They stand in tiny graveyards, walk forgotten country lanes, visit villages their ancestors left generations ago, and sometimes shed a quiet tear because they've finally come home.
Ireland owes America more than we sometimes remember.
When famine, poverty and hardship forced so many Irish people to leave these shores, America opened a door. It gave our ancestors the opportunity to build new lives. In return, Irish men and women helped build a nation that would go on to influence the world in extraordinary ways.
America has given us remarkable advances in medicine, science, technology and space exploration. It has inspired the world through music, literature, film and innovation. Time and again, its generosity has reached far beyond its own shores whenever people needed help.
No country is perfect. Ireland isn't, and America isn't. Every nation has chapters it celebrates and chapters it learns from. But I don't believe an entire people should ever be judged by politics or by whichever government happens to be in power at a particular moment.
The friendships I've made with Americans over the years remind me of something much more important.
There is a goodness in people that rarely makes the evening news.
So, to every American who has travelled this beautiful island with me—or hopes to one day—thank you.
Thank you for your warmth, your humour, your generosity, and for reminding me, year after year, just how deep the bond between Ireland and America really is.
In my business I often say that I collect strangers and drop off friends.
After 22 years, I can honestly say that's exactly what has happened.
Happy Independence Day, and congratulations on 250 remarkable years.
From one proud nation to another...
🇮🇪❤️🇺🇸
Kevin@
Adventures in Ireland
