I was finally there — the place I had dreamt of visiting since I was a child. A child who had seen photos of the rolling green hills, sheer cliffs dropping into the sea, and ancient castles.

Ireland has always been a place of wonder for me. I loved how different the landscape was from where I live. I was used to big, craggy mountains blanketed in snow, with sharp, rocky edges. Ireland was the opposite, with expanses of soft green rolling hills, and roads that felt like magical portals shrouded in foliage leading me to the next incredible view.

We flew into Cork, a city in south Ireland. It felt small and empty, but on the contrary, it is the second-largest city in Ireland. Our first drive was to our hotel a few hours away in the town of Kenmare. We spent that time listening to sea shanties with all the windows down, appreciating the beauty surrounding us, and laughing at driving on the opposite side of the road.

Our first destination was the Sheen Falls Lodge, overlooking the Kenmare River, a long bay that was directly connected to the ocean. The smell of salt and the ocean filled the air as we got out of our car and took in the view. We stood, marvelling at the scene, only a few feet above sea level, trying to memorize every detail. It was and is the most spectacular place I have ever seen. Never did I think how badly this beauty could be mangled by the ferocious claws of climate change.

Most of our time in Ireland was spent driving along much too narrow roads with speed limits so high and disproportionate to the roads that we always went at least half as fast as the signs recommended. Only a few of the locals, who had driven those roads hundreds of times, would dare to hurtle along them at the recommended 100 kilometers per hour. Almost every town we drove through was on the water, with shops and houses overlooking the ocean, only feet above the sea level, if that.

The entire time we were there, it did not rain once, and Ireland is known for rain. It reminded me that the effects of climate change exist even here, in this far-off magical land. Future droughts would destroy much of the beauty, changing the beautiful green hills and foliage into dead brown scars of climate change. Sea level is rising and could rise anywhere from a foot to eight feet by 2100. Most of Ireland is on the ocean, so a dramatic increase in sea level would destroy much of this magical place that I grew to love.

Days later, as I got on the plane to leave, I turned and took a final look at the expanses of green rolling hills, and only hoped that if I returned, the beauty would be the same.