Sometimes the best LEGO runs aren’t the big ones with carloads of boxes, but the small, unexpected journeys that stitch together our love for bricks, family, and the beautiful Irish countryside. Today was one of those days.
It all began with a simple plan: collect Mum (or “Nana” to Luke and Rose) from the Luas station. She was coming over to spend the day with the kids, a treat in itself. But, as so often happens, LEGO found its way into the itinerary.
Stop 1: The Trust of Villages – Glenealy LEGO Train Tracks
On the drive back, I spotted a Facebook post from someone in Glenealy selling LEGO train tracks. The arrangement was as wholesome as you could imagine: she’d leave the tracks in a bag outside the house, I’d pop the money through the letterbox, and that was that.
No meet-ups, no haggling, just simple trust. There’s something wonderful about that kind of honesty still existing in the villages of Ireland. Tracks collected, money posted, and the first score of the day was in the boot.
Stop 2: A Jedi Project in Enniscorthy
Next, our journey took us across the county line into Wexford, where another Facebook seller had listed a half-built LEGO Star Wars Dagobah Jedi Training Diorama. The first five bags were opened and mostly assembled; bag six was still sealed.
For the price, and in pristine condition, it was a no-brainer. I knew immediately that this would be our evening project, a calm build to round off the day before adding it to the LEGO Diorama section in our display. Yoda, Luke, and R2-D2 would soon be ready for their swampy home.
Stop 3: Tinahely – A New Venture
Before heading to Arklow, we swung by Tinahely, where we’ve recently taken on a pop-up store space. While it wasn’t a LEGO pickup, it’s exciting to see how our toy and collectibles footprint is starting to branch out beyond the Museum.
Stop 4: Arklow Warehouse – The LEGO Museum Tour for Nana
The final destination of the day was the LEGO Museum in our Arklow warehouse. Nana had never seen it before, and this was her first time watching our operation in full flow.
From the carefully organised shelves to the ever-growing dioramas, she took it all in with that mix of fascination and motherly worry. She’s proud, of course, but still wonders if this is “the right thing” for her son to be doing. Bless her, I’m 50, and yet here we are, still having those same conversations.
Luke and Rose beamed as they showed her their favourite displays, and I think, just for a moment, she could see the vision we’ve been building towards.
This was not the biggest haul, but a day threaded with small wins, family moments, and the kind of connections, both personal and through LEGO, that make all of this worthwhile. Tonight, the Dagobah Diorama will be finished, the train tracks will find a home in the City layout, and Nana will head home with a better picture of what we’re trying to create here at Redmond’s Forge.
