Thursday October 6th

Today dawned bright and sunny. Not to be fooled though it was quite chilly. It started out at 8° and only got to 13°. It probably would not have been so bad but for the wind.

 

After dropping off the laundry we went to see the Dunbrody Famine Ship. There was lots of information about the ship and the way people were transported to America. Again there was lots about Canada. The ship had been built in Quebec. This ship was very well handled by the captain and few people died on the crossing. There were two women that told us about their lives and how they came to be on this ship. The first was Annie White. She, her husband and 4 children had a berth in steerage. Their fare was paid by the landowner they worked the land for. Unfortunately, neither she nor her husband made the crossing. The 4 children did survive and made a life in America. Steerage passengers where only allowed up on deck once a day for ½ hour to do their cooking. However, that was only if the weather was good.

 

The other lady was in the 1^st class area. She, her husband and 2 children had a room with two berths in it. They had their meals cooked for them and ate with the captain. There were only 2 first class cabins. First class passengers were allowed up on deck at anytime. This family was on their way to NYC where her brother had a business. He was looking to expand to Buffalo and wanted this family to look after the interests there.

 

We decided to do the Hook Point circle route. We took in the Dunbrody Abbey, the Duncannon Fort then went on to Hook Point. Don't know why when we get out to the sea shore the winds are so hard. It was hard to take pictures as the wind buffeted us. It was very beautiful out at the light house. On the way back we tried to see another abbey but it was closed for the season.

 

We head on to south Dublin tomorrow as our trip comes to a close. We are looking forward to getting home.

 

Wednesday October 5th

We have a nice day to travel. We saw an Augustan Priory. It was in Kells. There is some restoration work going on. We think most of it is to ensure the walls remain standing. All the buildings in the priory were interconnected when it was in use. A walled section was added in the 15^th century. It is thought that during this lawless time the monks wanted to keep their livestock inside the compound. The Augustan monks went out and helped the community. They also held Mass. There would only be about 9 monks in this priory.

 

Jerpoint Abbey was a Cistercian order abbey. It was a cloistered abbey. The monks stayed inside and prayed. Cistercians was supposed to be a simple order so that the abbey was to be simply decorated to not distract the monk from their prayers. The abbey was not simply decorated. It was quite ornate in the sculptures on the columns on the cloister arcade. As well the architecture was full of carvings and different styles. In its hay day there would have been up to 37 monks in this abbey.

 

We have noticed that all abbeys have a cloister area. Abbeys in which the monks stayed inside the walls all the time had a much bigger cloister areas. Also there were entry ways into the area. Friaries or priories where the monks went into the community and held mass the cloister area were smaller and had no entryway.

 

We decided to go the Cheek Point in Co. Waterford where Charles cousins live. As we did not have a phone number we just took a chance that someone would be home. We were not exactly sure which house was theirs. We were able to ask the neighbours. Anthony was home. We had a nice visit with him. The last time we were in Ireland we took Mom to visit her Cousin Elli here. Elli had passed away this July. It was a misty rain when we arrived but soon it cleared. We were so lucky that someone was home.

 

We settled in for the night in the town of New Ross. This was another port where many famine ships left from.

 

 

Tuesday October 4th

Today we started out by visiting Kilkenny Castle. It was the home for the Butler family for over 800 years. They did not build it but purchased it. There were some defensive features of the castle but really it is a very large manor house. The last Marques sold it to the government of Ireland for £50. He was living in Chicago at the time. Again we were not able to take photos in side. We only saw a small portion of the castle but it was very impressive. The Art room was just amazing. It held just a portion of the art work owned by the Butler Family. The new roof that was put on in the 1800's was a work of art in itself. The ceiling was one big piece of art work. The peak was made of glass to let natural light in.

 

We decided to see the Dunsmore cave. When we got there, we found out there were about 300 steps. I knew I could not get back up so I stayed at the top while Charles went below. He really enjoyed what he saw.

 

We went on to another town to get something for lunch. I was not well at all so that we headed back to the B&B. Later in the afternoon we went downtown to see the Black Abbey. It is one of the few in Ireland that is still running today. It was reroofed in 1778 after being left in ruins after being sacked in 1650. In 1816 it reopened to public service. We tried to see St Canices Cathedral which is with the Church of Ireland. It was not open by the time we got there. We did go into the St. Canices RC Church which was close by.

 

After seeing enough churches for the day we walked around downtown. We went into one mall area to find only 1 store in use. We had an early supper as we never got lunch.

 

We had a nice relaxing evening back at the B&B.

Monday October 3rd

We had a wonderful day. The sun was shining. It was still cool however. The four things we wanted to see were open. Sadly we were unable to take photos inside the Swiss Cottage. It would have been nice. The cottage was quite interesting. It only had 4 rooms. None of the Butler Family ever stayed overnight. It was day entertaining only. In order to not obstruct the view 9 tenant cottages were taken down. The tenants were given accommodation elsewhere on the estate. I thought I would rather live here than in Kilkenny.

 

The Rock of Cashel turned out to be a cathedral and not a castle. Cathedral or castle it could be seen for miles all around the valley. The cathedral is in ruins however restoration is taking place. They are trying save as much of the wall paintings that had been covered up with plaster over the years. Now they have to be preserved from the elements.

 

Soon we found our next lodging in Kilkenny. When we were leaving to go out for supper we met some people checking in. After we returned from supper, a young man that had checked in earlier entered our room by mistake. After yelling "Oh God!!!" he closed the door and headed to his own room. Later we went back out to the bar where we had supper for the live music entertainment. Low and behold the young man was also in the bar with the people he was travelling with. He came over to apologize for earlier. We had a good laugh about it all.

 

We really enjoyed the entertainment at the bar. There was a group of older women from Dublin enjoying an evening out. They did a lot of dancing at the back of the bar. Three of them sang when the musicians asked if anyone wished to sing. They were very good. Also a man from Nashville and a woman from Iowa each sang two songs. Both of these people were wonderful to listen to. We called it a night just before 11.

Sunday October 2nd

Yesterday was so wet and rainy that all we did was take a drive into the country. The two sights we wish to see were closed for the season. On the way back we stopped again at Blarney Woollen Mills shops. We came back to read and play cards. In the evening we went for a walk when it had stopped raining. However,on the way back to the B&B it started again.

 

Today as we left Cork, we saw a crowd of runners. It seems there was a marathon going on. Luckily they had not started yet. We headed for the coastal town of Cobh pronounced Cove. This was the last Port of Call for the Titanic. The Lusitania was sunk of the Head to Kinsale in 1915. Many of the dead were buried in Cobh. The heritage Centre was not open. We are not sure if it opened later in the day.

While walking along the harbour front we saw a statue of Annie Moore and her two brothers She emigrated from Ireland to NYC at the age of 15. She was the first person to be processed at the new centre at Ellis Island in NYC on 1 January 1892. I have been listening to a song called Ellis Island sung by The Irish Tenors. This song is about her. You had to grow up fast back then.

 

We left the town soon before the marathoners got close. We did not want to be part of the group. Struggling through a bike race was bad enough. At Youghal town we saw the town clock and some of the old buildings dating back to the 1600's. Again it was to foggy and rainy to enjoy anything.

 

Further east along the coast, we came to the town of Ardmore. It is the oldest Christian settlement in Ireland. There we found a Round Tower, Ardmore Cathedral and St. Declan's Oratory. We had no idea that these were here. The cathedral had some beautiful carvings outside on the wall of the church. You could still make out a number of the carvings. It was quite a sight.

 

Heading inland now we crossed a pass called The Vee. As we climbed up the coastal side it got very foggy. Charles had to watch out for sheep on the road. As we crested and started down the fog left and we could see the valley below. It was overcast now but not raining. We stopped in the town of Lismore to see the Castle however it was closed for the season.

 

We decided to see if we could see the Michelstown Caves today. We thought we would have better luck seeing them on a Sunday. We found out that they are open every day except for Christmas. Getting to the caves from Lismore meant a trip across country and you guessed it more one lane roads. It was well worth the trip. The caves were fantastic. I was so happy as they are better lit than the last caves we were in. When we left the caves our GPS took use over more one lane roads. One road we went on, we thought was a farm lane. It turned out to be okay though.

 

The sun was shining by supper time in Cashel. We were not sure what to do with the bright light and blue skies. Sure hope it holds for tomorrow. There is much to see and do tomorrow before we head to Kilkenny.

Friday September 30th

It is hard to believe that September is done. We only have a short time left. It was a very rainy today.

 

When the rain let up a little we walked down town. We went on the hop-on Hop-off bus to tour the city. Found out that the city is built on 14 islands. The estuaries have been culverted over So that a lot of the city is built on water. Two estuaries have been left open one to the north and one to the south creating an island for the city centre. There are lots of bridges. Cork is a very busy sea port. At one point on the tour the streets were very congested so the bus driver backed up the narrow lane way so she could take a different route. She did a great job.

 

We hopped off at the City Goal. The tour took about an hour to do. It was interesting. It was raining quite hard when we were done the tour. We stood out in the rain for 20 min waiting for the bus. It was the same bus driver we had earlier. She let us off at the end of the street we had to walk up to get back to our B&B. We were just about at the corner. Charles was a little bit ahead of me. A car came along and splashed me. Auggh!! My shoe and pant leg were soaked. This evening it got nice so we went for a walk.

 

Thursday September 29th

We went to see Charles Fort today. It reminded us of the citadels in Quebec City and Halifax in a smaller scale. The fort only lasted 8 years as a defence before it was taken over. It could defend itself from the sea but it was in a low spot on land. James fort across the river was an older and smaller fort which had its powder magazine blown up very early. Then the enemy used it to shell Charles Fort from across the river. The English used the fort for barracks so their soldiers would be kept out of the towns and taverns. Barracks were then built. During WWI soldiers where billeted here as well.

 

It startled to mist over again so we headed to Blarney. We went to the castle. At this point the weather was not too bad. Unfortunately, it was a long walk for me to the castle. I could not climb up the stairs. Charles did. He kissed the Blarney stone at the top of the castle. He actually kissed it twice, once for himself and once for Mom. I would have liked to walk in the gardens but could not do it.

 

We check out the Blarney Woollen Mill before heading back to the B&B. It was raining by the time we headed back.

Wednesday September 28th

The fog and mist are still here today. It seems a bit heavier than yesterday.

 

Our first stop was the Drombeg Stone Circle. It was quite that sight in the mist. I am reading the second book in a series about a woman Clair who travels back in time to the late 1700's through a stone circle. This gave us pause as the mist covered the area. Along with the circle are the remains of 2 huts beside each other. The smaller of the huts had an oven area. There was also a well and cooking trough close by. They think all of this area was built at the same time. The hut area for cooking and the circle for ceremony. This was the first time we had seen anything with a stone circle. We found out that the circles in this area are 5-9 stones large. When we thought that the other smaller circle might have had an outer ring, we were incorrect.

 

We had to stop at the West Cork Model Railway Village at Clonakilty just for the boys. Aidan and Soren's interest in trains is catching. There were a number of trains that made their way through the model villages, castles and towns. They go through tunnels and over bridges. It was very interesting. We thought the boys would have enjoyed it.

 

Our last stop was at the Timoleague Friary. It was a Franciscan Friary which meant the architecture was very plain. One nice thing that they did in this ruin was to put label stones in the ground so you knew what each part was. This way you did not have to remember the map of the Friary.

 

We had lunch outside the friary and beside the river. It was nice as the mist had lifted. We watched some birds with long beaks poking around in the sand while the tide was out. One bird pulled out a worm which it took to the water edge to wash it before eating. Soon it was off to Cork and our next B&B.

Tuesday September 26th

Today we woke up to a foggy morning. We were hoping to take cruise out among the islands and then see if we could see some whales. None of the cruises were going out. The weather was one reason and the lack of numbers was the other. We could have taken the ferry out to any of the islands but decided the weather was not in our favour.

 

We had an interesting problem with the shower this morning. We could only get hot water. When you turned it to cold the shower shut off. This befuddled our host. When we came back from see the village, we were told we would have to change rooms. The plumber could not come out for a couple of days.

 

In the afternoon we went to see the Dún na Séad Castle. Translated it means Fort of Gems. It was a Norman fort built in 1201. It was not really a fort but a place for the ruler of the area to live and due business. He wanted to be able to see the port so he could collect his port taxes. He could also do smuggling as well.

We went to the pool. It was wonderful to swim and get in the hot tub. We have been taking it easy for the rest of the afternoon.

 

We went to Skibbereen a town up the road for supper. On the way home we got caught in a funeral procession. We had an average speed of 20km/h. There was a long line of cars as well. They did turn off before town though.

Monday September 25th

Today we say goodbye to the West of Ireland. By the end of the day we will be at the most southerly point on the Irish mainland.

 

As we headed south we decided to see a little bit of the Beara Peninsula. We discovered that there was a stone circle in the area. Off we went to find it. At the beginning of our tour of Ireland we were told "If there is a wide patch of grass down the middle of the road you are probably on a farmer's laneway". Well today we made it. You travel up the road into the hills toward the Gleninchaquin park. This road is the typical narrow road which winds its way over the country side. The road also follows beside a number of lakes. Like everything else we have run into, the signage is very sparse. After travelling 3km we found a sign telling us to go right to the stone circle. The road now was gravel and there was a wide strip of grass down the centre. A farmer's lane at last!!

 

The farmer asked you to pay €2 each for the upkeep of the pathway to the stones. Off we set. It was along path with some very steep climbs – well steep for me. The area was so beautiful once we arrived. It was a very small stone circle but the size of the stones was impressive. We could see why it was built here. It was on a knoll where you could see the waterfalls to the south and the beautiful lakes to the north. Again we were all alone to observe and wonder. We got the impression that there might have been another ring of stones outside the remaining one. So many of these stone rings have had stones taken away to be used elsewhere. Once we returned to the car an elderly gentleman pulled up and asked if we would like to buy some postcards of the area. It turned out he was the farmer's father.

 

On this same farm there was a boulder tomb which we tried to walk into. The way there was not an easy walk so we turned back. I sure did not want to turn an ankle or break a leg and ruin the rest of our trip.

 

As we travelled down the coast of the Kenmare River we saw some beautiful scenery. We went inland to cross the Healy Pass. The arch pass was built during the famine. As the road twisted and turned down the hill side we headed for Adrigole. On the way we were flagged down by a farmer herding his sheep. He talked to us for a while. We finally got away when another car was approaching. Charles saw him flag down that driver as well. I was sure hoping to find a bathroom in the town. Not an easy thing to do. Finally we stopped to ask an old man. He let me use the one in his house. He must have been a cobbler as he had all the equipment. He must have sold shoes as well as he had lots of shoes in boxes. I was so very thankful.

 

In the town of Glengarriff, we went in search of a bank. None could be found. I had fun looking in the shops. We did see the town gas pump outside a store at the edge of the street. Heading out we went through Bantry, where we found a bank. Now it is off to Mizen Head.

 

Mizen Head is not the most southerly point on the main land of Ireland but it sure is close. Close by is Bow Head which is. We were thinking that the weather would not be good. It had been so bad at the most northern point. We hoped it would not be a repeat of that. Although the mountains were misty it was very nice once we got to the end of the road. Inside the tourist info centre we read about how the area was formed. Once we started walking to the end of the point we could really see all the rocks that had been folded. One of the folds looked like part of a sine curve, for those who remember trig.

 

It was a long steep walk down to the foot bridge. There were three hairpin turns along the path. Going down was not too bad but I was worried about getting back up. I am so glad I went down the whole way as it was great to see. Charles climbed up the stairs and pathway to the top of the hill. If I was to get back up I couldn't do this as well. We didn't realise we could go into the Irish Lights Signal Station. I did make my way up. There were 99 steps to climb to get back up. You can climb up the ramps as well. I don't know which was better. We did the steps.

 

We stopped to eat before heading into Baltimore. We have a beautiful view from our room window. A beautiful way to end the day.

Sunday September 25th

Today is out easy day. I wanted to find the Ogham Stones in Dunloe. We missed them yesterday I was very interested after googling them. We did find them. It had been pouring just before we arrived but stopped for us to look at the stones and take pictures.

 

We toured Ross Castle and Muckross House. In both places we were unable to take photos. Ross castle was a 15^th century tower house. At one point the owners did not want to pay a roof tax so they burnt it. They left it to ruin. We heard what it would have been like to live in it in the 15^th century. Not a good way to live.

 

Muckross House was built over 4 years from 1839-1843. It was much bigger than Ross Castle. Muckross is the word for pigs head in Gaelic. The house was a beautiful inside. Two nice things for me were the chairs in each room that I could sit on and an elevator to take between floors. Our tour guide was funny as she was quite abrupt. When she was finished a room we all moved on. Part of the first floor was like it was when Queen Victoria visited in 1861. They were very proud of this visit. A month before she arrived she sent a letter stating "Please to not go to any extra effort for my visit." The town of Killarney had spent 6 months preparing for her visit.

 

Lastly we went to see Torc Waterfalls. These are in the National Park. It was very busy. The day had turned out to be very nice. I was a little worried as children were playing around on the rocks at the base of the falls. One miss step and you could be going down the rapids. No one fell however. The falls were impressive.

Saturday September 24th

We decided to have a quieter day today. We set out to drive the Gap of the Dunloe. When we got to the start we were told that the only way to see the Gap was by Pony and Trap. We decided to do this. I was so glad that my hip was better. The driver also had steps to help me get into the trap.

 

Charles asked the driver "Is the other end of the road was closed".

"No"

"So one could drive in from the other side"

"No. The end of the road is not good for driving. It will stop you."

This was like waving a red flag in front of Charles. I knew that before the day was out we would have tried driving the road.

 

Since the day was so nice we decided to continue down the middle of the peninsula in a beautiful valley. We went over the Ballaghisheen Pass. One side was agricultural and the other was more forested.

 

We stopped for lunch in Waterville at the beach park. We ate lunch looking out at the ocean and hearing the waves roar into shore. There were even Public Toilets as well. What more could we have asked for.

 

We found the circle fort Charles had seen the day before. We almost missed the turn off again. One nice thing was there were no tour busses at the site. The closer we got the more narrow the road got. There was a good parking area which was nice. This fort was different as there were rock remains of two buildings inside the fort. Again I thought if you just remained quiet you could almost hear the people carrying on their daily activities. Maybe even hear the children running around.

 

Our last stop was at Staigue Fort. Another circular stone fort. This one did not have any evidence of buildings inside of it. It was also bigger and the walls higher than the one we saw earlier. It was amazing to see the size of rocks used to build the walls.

 

Now it was time to head for the trip through Dunloe Gap. There are no signs from this side about the gap. We headed down the one lane road slowly. There was a fair bit of traffic coming out. We did not know if we would have to turn around or not. Along the way there were a few junctions with other roads. We had to decide which way we went. There were a couple of rough areas and a few very narrow parts but otherwise the road was not that bad. Soon we were in the Gap. It was very nice to see again.

 

We saw one rock formation and I asked Charles to go back for pictures. We thought we would see it again after the bend but alas we did not see it again. We wondered where it had gone. Luckily we had pictures.

 

The last part of the road was spent dodging pony and karts and oncoming cars. Charles was very happy to have driven the road.

 

Friday September 23rd

Moving on today we really only had 32km to drive to Killarney. That is if you went the direct route. We decided to take the Ring of Kerry Route. Two Hundred km later we were in Killarney.

We stopped at the bog village. The cottages there had been actually lived in. They were moved to this site. One interesting thing was that peat was put first before the thatching. This helped keep the cottages warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

 

Most of the day was spent enjoying the view. We went out to see cliffs they were beautiful. After lunch we realised that there was just too much to see in one day so that we headed straight to Killarney with only a couple of stops. At one stop a the top of Coomakesta Pass, Charles spied a circle fort in the country side we had just been through. This was something we put on our list to see another day.

 

The road had been very bumpy today. My hip had been awful since lunch. Both of us were happy to get to the B&B. We both were very tired.

 

Thursday September 22nd

Today Aidan and Soren turn 4. We thought about them throughout the day.

 

This was the day we went out to the Dingle Peninsula. Our first stop was at the Blennerville Windmill. The interesting thing was the info centre. Inside there was lot of information about the immigration to Canada of the Irish during the famine. We have heard lots about the immigration to the USA but very little about immigration to Canada. Sadly Canada lost the most immigrates due to cholera of all the countries. We had heard about this on our trip to Quebec City. A number of ships left from Blennerville for the Americas

 

The windmill was restored with the help of young people learning about the trades. A wonderful job has been done. Charles climbed to the top and saw the inner workings. They are able to use the mill to demonstrate how it worked. This is done on special occasions.

 

We did a side trip that turned out to be uninteresting. We took the road to Connor Pass. As we started up the road there were warning signs about size, weight and length requirements. The road is to be only used by cars. On the last stop before the pass, there was a sign saying "If you are in an overweight or over length vehicle TURN BACK NOW". We weren't really sure what the road would be like. This was the last chance to turn back. The road became quite narrow with steep cliffs down on one side and up on the other side of the car. The road still went both ways so passing was interesting. The views made it all worthwhile.

 

The pass leads to the town of Dingle. Now we wished we had not done the side trip earlier. We would have liked to spend time looking around this quaint town. Instead we continued on toward Slea Head. We stopped at Dunberg Fort. Then went on to the Beehive Huts. There are some 50 beehive hut communities in this area. These hut are ancient living area. They seem to be enclosed in a ring fort. Most of these sites are not open to the public due to vandalism.

 

Soon it was time to head back to Tralee and pick up the laundry.

Wednesday September 21st

Off to Tralee today. Adare was our first stop. It was a town with a number of churches(not in ruins), thatched cottages, and a castle. We saw the inside of Adare Church which is the Church of Ireland and the R.C. Trinitarian Abbey.

 

The Adare Church is the old Augustinian Priory. There are many reminders of the old catholic priory. There was a cloister area that is completely enclosed. There are no doors into the centre which is a grassy area with trees and plants. We wondered how this was tended. The old refectory is now a school and parish hall. The inside was very nice in its simplicity. There were many antiques inside as well.

 

The R.C. Holy Trinity Abbey was two churches in one. The new church was built right beside the old one. The connecting wall was taken out. Inside it looks like a main church with a large chapel beside it. There are still lots of renovating going on. We were not able to see the entire abbey because of this. The inside was more ornate than the Adare Church.

 

Moving on to Askeaton. The castle there was closed due to all the renovations that are being done. When talking to a worker with the OPW we found out that the castle had been undermined during an attack. It was then set a fire. The castle then collapsed under its own weight. They are trying to save what is left.

 

We stopped at the Askeaton Abbey before leaving town. The tower had been destroyed by cannon fire. Most of the abbey had been destroyed. There were still some things of interest. This is where we talked with the OPW worker. On the wall of the abbey was a sign "No burials inside this abbey". The man said people still sneak in and bury their loved ones.

 

Our last stop was the Carrigafoylis Castle. So much had been closed over the last couple of days so that as we approached this castle with its side missing I said "We are open for your viewing pleasure". This castle was built in a different way than others we have seen. It was built with slabs of sandstone instead of rocks. It was thought to be impregnable in the 16^th century. However it fell after 3 days when attacked by cannon fire. People are able to climb up to the top of the back part of the castle.

Tuesday September 20th

We set out today to see two castles and gardens. When we arrived at the first one and realized they were both closed for the season. What to do??

 

Heading across country with our trusty GPS we headed for Killaloe on the Shannon River. When travelling there we saw some "Travellers". There were about 6 travel trailers parked on the side of the road. One of the trailers even had weights outside of it. Killaloe was a quaint town that is a summer holiday destination. Across the Shannon is the town of Ballina. After we crossed the bridge we were in Tipperary. We thought "It is not a long way from Tipperary in Killaloe"

 

When in Killaloe we found a corner store that had info about the Lough Dreg cruise. We reserved two seats then went walking around town. We went into the Cathedral Church of St. Flannan (Church of Ireland.). In comparison to the R.C. churches we have seen this one was quite simple in decor. Later when we were on the cruise we found out some other passengers had been in the church while the organist was practicing. Would have loved to hear the pipe organ being played.

 

We ate lunch at a park bench beside the river and in front of the Cathedral. When we crossed the river to catch the cruise we realised that there were picnic tables along the water front on this side. We had some time to pass so we went for a walk around the waterfront in Ballina.

 

The cruise took us under the bridge and into the reservoir for the hydro plant down river. I noticed that the Tipperary side of the Shannon had all the water front property. Then I realized that there was an old canal running up the Killaloe side. In the 18^th Century the river was used as a link between Dublin and Limerick. A canal had to be built with a number of locks to raise the barges up the Shannon. This turned Killaloe into a centre of commercial activity.

 

The cruise turned out to be a wonderfully relaxing time. The shores around Lough Derg was full of power boats parked out in front of the properties. We did not think we could afford to live in this area.

 

What a relaxing day we had.

Monday September 19th

What a change in weather. It was a overcast misty day the whole day. We had decided to go look at the Blarney Woollen Mill shop in the morning. They had some beautiful woollen things. Too bad I can't handle wool at all. There were lots of other goods as well.

 

The afternoon we spent at the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. It rained a little at the start of the afternoon but then it stopped. The clouds did not disappear though. The Folk part of the depicted 19^th century thatched homes and cottages from the rural areas. The richest house had wallpaper .

 

There was a school house with separate sides for boys and girls and a doctors house. Then came the village street. Each of the shops had goods to sell. There were manor houses from the early and late 1800's and a church. There were two mills one with a vertical waterwheel and another with a horizontal waterwheel.

 

The most outstanding building was the castle it's self. It was built in 1425. It was purchased in 1954 and restored by Lord and Lady Gore. There are at least 4 sets of spiral staircases. One in each tower. Climbing up and down put my poor legs in worse shape. However, seeing some of the levels and rooms was worth it. It is furnished with mainly 15 and 16^th century furnishings.

 

When we were half way through the folk park Charles got me a wheel chair. He really had to work after that. I was so grateful to be able to see the rest of the park.

 

In the evening we returned to the castle for a Medieval Banquet. There was good food and drink. The butler groomsmen and ladies of the castle served us and provided the entertainment for the evening. There were a lot of people in a small area which made things cramped and loud. It was an enjoyable evening all anyway

Sunday September 18th

We woke up today to a beautiful day. We had decided to go to Limerick.

 

King John's Castle was our first stop. It is named for King John although he had never been to the castle. This is the best preserved castle we have seen so far. The new visitors centre had lots of info about the castle and what life would have been like over the various centuries.

 

One of the most interesting things was the archaeological discoveries when the site was being prepared for the new visitors centre. Discovered were 3 hidden houses they think were Viking in origin. Also were found the mine passages that were built in the great siege of 1642. The remains of a medieval garrison and soldiers quarters
was recently discovered close to the sallyport area of the castle and can be viewed from the courtyard. Another siege 1690-1691 lead to the signing of the Treaty of Limerick.

 

In the 1930's row houses were built in the court yard of the castle. This was housing for the poor.

 

We went to another part of town to see the Milk Market. It was to have a Sunday Market. It turned out not to be much of a market. Then we went in search of the Tait Clock. The clock was built in 1867.

 

We returned to King's Island to see St. Mary's Cathedral. It was built in 1168. It was a beautiful cathedral in its simplicity. How it made it through the terrible 17^th century we are not sure. We were told there has been a Christian service here every day since the cathedral was built. It changed between catholic and protestant sects at the will of the kings. The cathedral has been added to over the centuries. The inside walls are very rough. There were beautiful stain glass windows, antique chandeliers and some antique furniture. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Saturday September 17th

We decided to go back and see some things again from the bus trip on Wednesday. We were able to do this during our trip to Bunratty.

We did not see the Coromroe Abbey on the bus trip. This became our first stop. There is not much left of the abbey site except the church. Roofs have been put up to protect some of the area in the church. The Cistercian Order, that built this abbey like to be in remote unpopulated areas.

 

Aillwee Cave was the next stop for us. We did not stop here on the bus tour. As we started the tour of the cave I realized that this would be very hard for me. It was quite dark with only a few lights every so often. This made walking for me quite difficult. I had to go slow. By the time we caught up to the rest the guide had already started his talk. The cave was different than most of the ones we have seen before. It was a channel carved out by water. There were two stunning waterfalls that did not flow into rivers but disappeared into the rocks below. Probably creating more channels below.

 

Bear bones were found in the cave. There were also rounded indentations where the bears would sleep. There have not been bears in Ireland for a long time. There is no indication that humans have been in the cave before it was discovered.

 

After revisiting three stops that we had done on the bus tour we headed for Bunratty. It was nice for me to see two of these stops as I was not able to see them on Wednesday.

 

Again it rained on and off all day. It seem our luck is holding with the rain coming when we are out of the car.

Friday September 16th

Woke to a rainy start of the day. It has been variable today weather wise, some sun, some clouds and some rain. So glad we went to Inis Mór yesterday.

 

We decided last night to have a down day. So just took the laundry to be done and had a walk on the promenade. Last but not least caught up on that last few day for pictures and blog.

Thursday September 15th

On the advice of our host we decided to go to the Aran Island Inis Mór today. It was a 40 min drive to the ferry terminal and another 40 min ferry ride. The day was nice and sunny and the seas were calm. The island is 9 miles long and 3 miles wide.

 

Upon arriving at Kilronan Village we decided to take the "green" tourist route – a horse and cart. Sean was our driver and Bob Marley was the horse. Bob is 13 years old and has been taking tourist around the island for a lot of years. Once I got up the step (not an easy task for me) I settled in for the ride. The other green way to see the island is by bike. Many people were out biking. There were at least three places to rent bikes from. There were also tourist busses as well.

 

The horse and cart way is nice and slow but not so much work as biking. On such a beautiful day it was nice to be outside. We got a good look at the landscape and the houses scattered around. There were stone walls everywhere. All of them free standing meaning there is no cement to help hold them up. Just rocks piled on top of each other. Holes are left to let the wind through. Many of these walls have been up for years. There are only a few sheep now on the island. Mostly there are cattle and goats. The women who still knit the Aran sweaters buy their wool. Most of the sweaters now are machine made.

 

We slowly made our way to the circular fort about 2/3 of the way up the island. What we did not know was that there was a ¾ km walk slowly uphill to the fort. Most of the walk consisted of flat walking with some inclines every so often. Not too Bad!! The last part was like goat country. You made your way steeply uphill over natural limestone steps. Not even by any means. You had to look ahead to plan your route to the next level. Now I had made it this far I was determined to make it to the top. I thought to myself "We paid for this!!!" More penance I guess.

 

Once up there it was well worth the climb. You could see the whole island. Since it was such a nice day you could see the mainland as well. One of the first things to notice was the lack of barriers at the cliff edge or signs warning you of the sudden drop down to the sea. People here figure if you fall off it is your own fault.

 

You can see why the fort was built here. It would be very easy to defend. Attacks from the sea are impossible at that time. You could see any attempt to attack from the land. The fort was built by the Celts in about 2000 BC. One could easily get rid of an enemy by just tossing them over the cliff. You would not want to get drunk on night and stagger into the dark. You just may never be seen again.

 

Soon it was time for our beautiful day on the island to end. Back at the B&B we rested up for the evening. We are going to see "Trad on the Prom" starring Máirín Fahy and Band. We had dinner first as part of our ticket. We had our choice of meals so that we both had beef and Yorkshire pudding with a starter of seafood medley in a puff pastry cup. For dessert Charles chose the black forest cake and I had the brownie with chocolate sauce. Everything was delicious.

 

The show started at 9pm. Máirín played the fiddle. Her sister Veronica played percussion, accordion and bass. Her husband played guitar and was the announcer for the evening. There was a guest musician who played the Irish bagpipes and the flute. The Irish flute is usually made of wood and played like a recorder. To complete the band there was a keyboardist. There were 4 female and 3 male Irish dancers and a vocalist. Another highlight of the evening was a young female dancer who dances old style Irish dancing. Not really sure what that means. I wish I knew everyone's names but sadly I do not. We enjoyed our evening very much. It was a very different show to the one we saw in Donegal. This was more a stage show.

 

At the end when all the dancers were tapping it created quite a sound. All the shows we have seen so far the dancers were on stages that are hollow which enhances the snap of the taps.

 

We came home tired but happy, having seen the sun, felt the wind, and experienced lots of music.

Wednesday September 14th

Today is the day we are taking the bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher & Burren Tour.

 

We were picked up at our B&B and taken to a central bus stop. Here we got the bus for the tour. There were about 50 people on our bus. There were 2 buses with this tour company. Off we set. We passed through the country side along the Galway Bay. The first stop is at the Dunguaire Castle. It is a very well restored castle of this type. It is now open to the public during the summer. Also Medieval Banquets are held each night here. I thought it was privately owned. However it is owned by the Shannon Development Department. One thing about bus tours you have very little time to view something. Especially when it takes about 5 min. for people to exit the bus.

 

We stopped next at the Ballyalbane Earthen Ring Fort. You can see the dirt mounds but they are over grown with grasses and tress. We were told the mounds were three feet higher in the past. It was a safe place for people to live and bring their animals in for the night. It would be like the rock ring fort we saw north in Donegal. Later down the road there is a rock circle fort which we didn't stop at.

 

The Poulnabrone Dolmen is a wonderful portal tomb or wedge tomb. It was built by Neolithic people about 2500 BC. When excavated it was found to hold the bones of 16-22 adults and 7 children. Most of the adults died in the 30's. It was an impressive piece of stone work.

 

Before lunch we stopped at Kilfenora to see some ancient crosses. They are being protected from the elements in an old church. A glass roof has been extracted to protect them. The crosses were beautiful.

 

We stopped in Doolin for lunch. We were all hungry as in was after 1 when we stopped. Doolin is a cute village. It has a pier where daily a ferry goes to Aran Islands. We had a wonderful lunch at a pub there. It was hectic though as both buses on the tour plus a few smaller tours were all there for lunch. We had 45 min. here but did not have much time after lunch to look around the town.

 

The Cliffs of Moher was our last stop. This is a well organized tourist area. They had a beautiful information centre built into the hill side. There were beautiful lookouts and path to walk along. In the main area there were areas there were wall to keep people from getting to close to the cliffs. Soon the paths go along the edge of the cliffs. We were able to see the Aran Islands today.

 

Our trip home followed along the coast line. The French were making a movie along this route. We were stopped to wait for a shot to take place. All of a sudden a boom camera came up and 2 men came off the cliff edge. It was fun to see.

 

The Burren area is full limestone. This makes a very unique landscape. It covers a 320 square km in size. We had a wonderful day.

Tuesday September 13th

We woke up to sunshine. However that did not mean it was warm. We are heading to Galway today. We headed inland via a town called Tuam.

 

We saw the remains of St. Jarlath's Wheel Monastery. It was started by St Jarlath when his chariot wheel broke at the site of the future monastery. There was not much left of the old building. The carved heads that were over the windows were interesting as was the architecture around the windows. While in town we tried to see the Mill Museum but it was not open.

 

Further down the road we found the Knockmoy Abbey. In order to see it we had to climb over 3 rock stiles and dodge more cow pies. We met three people leaving the abbey and one lady said "This was our penance." It was nice to see an Abbey instead of a Friary. We could even recognize the difference. The Abbey dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and founded for the Cistercians from Boyle in 1189-90 by Cathal Crovdearg O'Connor, King of Connacht. The church has a nave, chancel and a transept with two chapels. The nave is simple and austere, with little ornament except at the top of the pillars. In contrast, the rib-vaulted chancel has beautifully carved stonework with fine capitals and east windows. It has a 13th century tomb niche.

On the north wall of the chancel is a unique Irish medieval line-painting. The bottom of the picture shows an angel with scales (now almost invisible), Christ with his hand raised in blessing, and the martyrdom of St. Sebastian. Above is a scene from the medieval morality legend of the Three Dead Kings and the Three Live Kings. Under the Dead Kings was the inscription 'We have been as you are, you shall be as we are', while the Live Kings seem to be part of a hawking scene..It was commissioned probably around 1400 by Malachie O'Nollan and Conaire O'Eddichan.

 

Our last stop of the day was the Medieval Heritage town of Athenry. Athenry is one of the most notable medieval walled towns surviving in Ireland, owing its foundation to Meiler de Bermingham who built his Castle there c.1250.

Bermingham did not want Irish inside his town. He offered free land to anyone from Europe that wished to settle there. This came at a price however you were taxed heavily and never allowed to leave. This town was build at a cross road between Dublin and Galway and the north and south of Ireland. Bermingham made lots of money charging people to enter and exit his town as they passed through.

 

In the Medieval Heritage Museum we learned about life in the town and at the time in history. Charles got to wear some chainmail and various helmets. We learned about weapons of the time. How heavy some of them were. We saw a replica of a dungeon and heard of all the ways to torture someone. Lots more history to learn.

We have now settled in at Galway. It was a great day with little rain but strong winds.

 

Last Friday when we were leaving the Moyen Friary Charles started to pull out from where he was parked. Upon seeing a transport truck coming down the one lane road he quickly pulled back in. He thought the truck should have the right of way. Might is Right.

Monday September 12th

After a very windy night, we awoke to bad weather. What does one do on a windy rainy day? We went to Glengowla Mines. The mine was abandoned in 1865 after 14 years of working.

During that short 14 year period, 545 square metres was stopped to produce 390 tonnes of lead containing 28 kilograms of silver. It closed because of a legal fight with the owners. When the legal matters were cleared up the mine was full of water. It remained that way until the present owners decided in the 1990's to pump out the water to see what was down there. By opening up a new entrance to the mine and doing extensive renos the mine has opened to the public.

 

Our tour guide today just loves the mine. He has worked here for a few years by doing tours and also helping to open up new areas of the mine. We were the only ones on the tour. The guide's enthusiasm made the tour very exciting. The miners used brute strength to hammer the drills into the rock. The mine opened just after the famine ended so that men were willing to do anything to make some money. The working conditions were not that bad. There were no gases to worry about. The rock was hard enough that the ceilings and walls did not have to be shored up. There is always water running in the mine to keep dust to a minimum.

 

After we finished the tour we walked around the grounds to see buildings and mine shafts with the remains of ore extraction techniques. We also found out that highway N59 to Galway was closed due to high winds. They were very worried about trees blowing over on the road. We decided to not head out to the Connemara headlands as the winds were just too strong. We headed back to the B&B.

 

On the way back we were able to see the actual bridge that was used in the filming of "The Quiet Man". We spent the afternoon watching the movie "The Quiet Man". We could recognize many of the spots in Cong that were used in the making of the film.

 

The weather is supposed to improve over the next few days. We sure hope so.

Sunday September 11th

Ten years ago we were in Southampton England getting Jennifer settle in at Uni. We remember being in a store when Jennifer said "we had to come and watch the TV". Our trip was changed. TV covered the 9/11 event for days. Air travel had changed. We wanted to make changes in our travel plans as I had an infection in my leg. It is hard to believe 10 years has passed.

 

We did not have far to travel today. Charles had researched a number of sites for us to see. So we set off to find the Belcarra Eviction Cottage. After driving around rural roads we finally decided to consult the GPS. At one T intersection, if we had turned right we would have found the town of Belcarra. The GPS helped us find our way.

 

When we found the cottage it said "to see call Jacquie". Without a cell phone or a phone handy we could not contact Jacquie. We just looked in the windows and around the cottage. We found something interesting - a battering ram to knock cottages down so families could not return. Also there was a much smaller cottage close by that the community had built to house the family evicted.

 

Off we set to find the Mayo Abbey and then the Ballintubber Abbey. We did not really find the Mayo Abbey. The Ballintubber Abbey is still in use today. People were arriving for Mass at 11:30. So although we did not see much, we had loads of fun following the GPS through all the rural roads.

 

We arrived in Cong by 1pm. After eating lunch in our room we headed into Cong. When we were here a few years ago, it was a bustling little village full of tourists. Today it was quiet. I wonder if young people are no longer interested in a village where the movie "The Quiet Man" starring John Wayne was made. It was a little disappointing.

 

With the weather windy and rainy walking around is not very pleasant. There is beautiful place called Ashford Castle close by. It is now a very upscale hotel. You can view the gardens and the grounds but not inside. After checking out the prices, I figure we will never see in the castle.

 

We returned to Cong from the B&B for another walk around as it had stopped raining. We also had supper. Now settled in for the night.

Saturday September 10th

On the move today. It is an overcast day. We are getting the effect from ex-tropical storm Katia today and for the rest of the weekend.

 

We did not see much today just travelled around. We decided to take the scenic route over the Corraun Peninsula and on to Achill Island. It was very windy but no rain to speak of.

 

Turns out that there was a big bicycle race on Achill Island. There was an expert loop and a recreational loop. So that on these roads some narrow ones there where bicyclist going the same direction as us, or toward us, or both. Charles had to dodge riders, cars and walkers. It was crazy. To add to the confusion all the signs were in Gaelic.

 

We stopped at a square castle. It was blowing so hard Charles and I had a hard time staying on the rock path. We needed to stay on the path as it was so muddy off the path. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. Was not going to take pictures but the inside was different than what we had seen before.

 

We stopped at look outs to see the rugged sea coast. One area where we stopped the bike riders had to dismount and walk. It was so windy we don't think they could have remained on their bikes anyway. We felt sorry for the racers as they battled hills and awful winds. Sometimes we saw bikers almost loss their bikes by the cross winds.

 

We stopped at a picnic area to eat lunch. We tried to have make and eat our lunch outside. Silly us!! It was just too windy. Eating in the car again.

 

We arrived in Westport at our B&B by 3pm. Charles asked about a local sightseeing site. We decided not to go as it was a hill with a 3-4 hour climb. It turns out that our decision not to go was a very good one. While I had a little nap Charles noticed that there was an increased presence of police and civil defence personal.

 

We decided we could walk downtown to have a look around and have supper. Again a very good decision. As we got closer to town parking spots were being closed off. Downtown parking was being closed as cars left. Barracades were being erected. Turns out that Cannonball Run has arrived in Westport for the night. There are no vacancy sign up all over the place. Thank goodness we had a reservation . There are 150 super cars involved. This is to raise money for Barretstown that helps children suffering from cancer.

 

Although, it was raining we enjoyed our walk and supper. We were very thankful, we did not drive anywhere. We probably would not have found a parking spot back at the B&B if we had taken the car.

 

Charles took a walk down to see what was going on. He said it was crazy. I could see the traffic congestion from the window. The whole downtown area is closed off.

Friday September 9th

It is another beautiful day. We headed off northwest of Ballina.

 

Our first stop was Moyen Friary. We could see it across the farmers field but there was very little parking. It is a little hard to just park on a single lane road. Charles found an area where he could just pull off the road. The first sign we encountered was BEWARE OF THE BULL. Makes one a little leery to venture across the fields. Up over the rock stile over the fence to start our journey. There are a number of cows in the field but no BULL. The sign should have said "WATCH OUT FOR FRESH COW DUNG". Took lots of dexterity to avoid this. There was another stile to climb before we arrived at the Friary. Since we had a lot of info from the Sligo Friary, we were able to figure out a lot of the area in this Friary. This was a much bigger one. As one of the floors was stone we were able to go upstairs. In one area upstairs there were 4 holes in the floor with outlets to the outside. We think these may have been toilet areas giving drainage to the stream that runs through the Friary and out to the sea. No sure but it makes sense. This friary was very much intact. All the wooden parts have been lost to fire but the rock parts are there. Since this friary is out in the country side, maybe no one used the stones to build other buildings.

Stop 2 was called Céide Fields. This was an amazing archaeology site. The first evidence of rock walls was found by Patrick Caulfield in the 1930's. No one took his find seriously. His son Seamas became an archaeologist and started to expand the search for rock walls under the peat in the 1970's. Using a metal pole to probe through the peat they were able to find evidence of a well laid out plan of rock walls. The walls ran parallel up from the coast to the crest of the hill. There were cross walls as well to make up field or animal pen areas. There was also found evidence of where wooden houses would have stood. One court tomb was found in the vicinity. The area of these walls incorporates about 1000 hectares. Although we could not see much, the significance of this find is the unique insight into a highly organized farming system about 5000 years ago. This appears to be a very friendly community as no weapons were found. Do to climate change and the fact that the people of the time cleared all the trees, peat bogs slowly took over and covered up this piece of the past.

 

We thought we would get a down pour of rain while we were on the tour but it blow away from us. It was very windy and hard to hear the tour guide. One thing she told us about was that 2 plants in the bog eat insects.

 

Third stop was at the Foxford Woollen Mills. These mills were founded in 1892 by Mother Agnes Morrogh Bernard. Mother Agnes was a woman on a mission to improve the economic conditions of this area. She was a force to reckon with. First she started a school. When only a few students showed up she told the people that each child would receive food and cloths. It did not take long for the school to be full. Borrowing money and knowhow she started the first woollen mill. She used the river Moy that runs through the town to power the looms. It only stopped using water power in the 60's. It is still producing world famous Foxford tweeds, rugs and blankets.

 

This area was also known for the start the land revolt. This was a peaceful revolt that changes Irish history for the better. It let the people own the land they worked. It started as a result of many evictions during the famine.

 

We learned lot of history today.

Thursday September 8th

It was raining again when we woke up. However, by the time we were ready to leave it was clearing up.

 

We set off for Sligo town to the north. It takes about 1 hour to get there. We visited the Sligo Abbey ruins. It is really a Friary. The difference is that friars commune with people and monks in abbeys do not. It was found in 1252 or 53. It is a Dominican Friary. This is one of the best preserved abbeys in Ireland. Sir Donagh O'Connor influenced Queen Elizabeth to save Sligo friary from dissolution. So many of the Irish catholic religious houses suffered the fate of dissolution in the 16^th century. It was not just religious houses that suffered this fate but many of the manor homes did as well. The early 16^th century was a terrible time in Ireland. We are so glad we went back to Sligo to see the abbey.

 

We went out to Knocknarea to try and see the cairns there. Unfortunately it was about a ¾ hour walk up a steep hill to see the cairns on top. You can see the cairn for miles around. It makes the mountain look like a pot top with a knob on top. We were disappointed but after all it is a pile of rocks.

 

On the way back to Ballina we went in search of Cabragh Wedge Tomb. There were no signs around to show us the way. In the town of Coolaney we stopped and asked directions. Following these excellent directions we thought we would not find the tomb. Giving up we decided to stop so I could take pictures of the landscape. Charles spotted a fenced off area that looked like a wedge tomb. Eureka, we found it. We did not get close as we would have had to ask permission from the farmer. This was a different example of a Neolithic burial site. So many of these sites were buried under peat that preserved them from people taking away the stones.

 

We continued our overland trip on a one lane road. This one even had grass growing down the middle. To think you can do 80 km/h on these roads.

 

Our last stop was at the Kilcullen's Seaweed Baths in Inishcrone. It was a very interesting experience. We had a double room which meant that Charles and I each had a bathtub with very hot water sea water and seaweed in it. We started out in a steam box. There was only one of these. I have seen them in movies but never had experienced one. It helped your pores to open up. What a relaxing time we had. I stayed in too long and felt very dizzy after getting out. It soothed our skin.

 

I needed a nap when getting back to the B&B.

 

It did not start raining until this evening. It was a gentle misty rain.

Wednesday September 7th

A moving day for us. It was raining when we left and rained off and on most of the day. However each time we stopped to see something it was not raining. We did not have long to look around before the rain started again.

 

Our first stopped fooled us. It was right on the main road heading south. We almost missed it. The Creekykeel Court Tomb was much bigger than the tomb we had seen up north. The shape was much the same but there were more burial chambers. They found a number of objects that were buried with the ashes at this site.

 

Soon we were heading overland to see the Glencar waterfalls. We were back on the usual narrow roads. Before we got to the waterfalls we saw two big falls cascading over the cliffs. We thought we would be seeing the largest of these, but no. There was only a short walk up to the falls once we arrived. There was a great amount of water over the falls. The river was swollen.

 

Park's Castle was the next thing we tried to find. Again this required an overland trip. When we passed though a gap, there was a marvellous view of the landscape toward the ocean. The castle has had a great amount of restoration done. While doing this they found the foundation for the 16^th century house. The stones from this house were used to build the new manor house.

 

This ended the sightseeing for the day. It rained all the way to Ballina our next stop.

 

Some things about the roads in Ireland. If the roads are wide and have a line the speed limit is 100km/h. If they are 1 ½ lanes wide or narrower the speed limit is 80 km/h. Many of the roads we have been on we did not do 80km/h. Town speed are the same as home. The reflectors in the pavement look like two beady eyes looking out as us. They remind me of the little UFOs from the movie "Batteries Not Included" or the eyes on the sand people from Star Wars.

Tuesday September 6th

Today started out sunny again but very windy. We headed out east of Donegal into Northern Ireland.

 

Tully Castle was our first stop. It is a ruin of a 17^th century manor house. We could not see inside. Later we saw Monea Castle also a 17^th century manor house but a larger one. We were able to see inside. Not many of the castles built during this era survived the raids by the English. Now it costs too much money to restore them.

 

It is now raining so we decided to go to the Marble Arch Caves. There are 150 steps down to the cave, so that I decided not to go. Charles went but it was a shortened tour as there has been too much rain. The lower levels are flooded. Charles was lucky as he was in the cave for the worst of the rain.

 

Soon we were heading back to Donegal. On the way we stopped at Belleek China. They had some beautiful and unique china. My favourites were the woven baskets. They were delicate and expensive.

 

We wanted to be back to the B&B to rest up for the evening dinner show we were going to. For €20 each we had a wonderful traditional lamb stew and bread pudding for dessert and the show later. The Slice of Ireland show started at 8:30. There was a sell out crowd. What a wonderful show. The band was great. We knew a lot of the songs so were able to sing along. There was a lot of hand clapping and foot stomping. It was to be over around 10:30 but went on till after 11. I don't think many people wanted it to be over. We learned about the Uilleann Pipes which are Irish bag pipes. The difference is that the player has a bellows around his waist which he operates with his arm rather than blowing into the pipes. This makes a different sound than the Scottish pipes. We first saw these pipes used in the River Dance production but did not know how they worked. The manager of the hotel also sang 3 ballads throughout the evening. Just an amazing evening.

Monday September 5th

Over the last two days we have been exploring the area around Donegal. Today started out beautiful and sunny. We went into Donegal Town and saw the Abbey Ruins and Donegal Castle. The Abbey ruins are now a cemetery. I wondered about where the walls had gone from the Abbey. It turns out that some of the stones and door architecture where taken from the Abbey just a short distance away to be used in the Manor House part of Donegal Castle. They have done a very good job of restoring the tower part of the Castle.

 

We headed west out of Donegal to see what this area was like. We saw the Slieve League cliffs. We were glad to find out we could drive closer to the cliffs. We would not have seen them if we had to walk from the first parking lot. This was a very nice site to see. As we left Charles thought we were going the wrong way so that he turned into a driveway to turn around. Next thing we knew a car wanted to turn into the same drive. We had a laugh about this.

 

We found a beautiful place to have lunch. Again it was very windy but it was not raining. Quite a number of people arrived at this lookout to see the sites while we had lunch

 

Onward we went to Glencolmbkille to see the Folk Village Museum. It was started by Father James Mc Dyer. He came to the area in 1951. He was very influential in trying to improve the poverty ridden area. He campaigned to let the government and church know about the terrible conditions. He started the Folk Village to increase tourism and create jobs. There were examples of cottages form the 18^th 19^th and 20^th centuries. It was a very interesting place to see how things changes over time. We also learned about rope thatching for the roofing. We had not seen this type of thatching before.

 

Now it is raining quite hard so we headed for home. This different route took us across more peat bog country. When we came to the Glengesh Pass the rain had stopped and we were able to see the valley below. The bowl shaped valley made us think it was formed by glaciers. The rest of the trip home was in rain.

 

Sunday September 4th

In the morning on Tory Island we went in search for the Tau Cross. We had not been able to find it yesterday. As we stepped out of the hotel, I saw the top of it just off to the right. How could we have missed it I don't know? We should have seen it as we came up from the ferry. Better late than never.

 

We had a very good trip back to the main land. It was smoother and faster that the trip out. This was a nice respite from the hectic travel we had done so far. Our skipper said we were in for bad weather later in the day. He was right.

 

As we made our way to Donegal we saw Tory Island a few times from shore. We followed the shore, and then cut inland. By now it is raining quite hard. Basically al we saw was hills and peat bogs.

 

As we came close to Letterkenny, we stopped at a corn and flax mills. The corn mill is still in working order. Although no grain was milled today we saw all the working parts of the mill. One man could operate the mill by himself. The flax mill did not work but we were able to see how the flax was processed. Both mills could be very dangerous. The mills were owned by the Gallagher family. They also owned a store and a pub. The flax mill stopped working just after WW2 when great amounts of linen were no longer needed. The corn mill continued to operate well into the 20^th century. A nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.

 

When we got to Donegal town it was bright and sunny. We were so hot sitting by the window of the restaurant for supper. By the time we got to the B&B a big black cloud had appeared. It was raining shortly after we checked in.

Saturday September 3rd

This morning we awoke to a nice looking day. On the road by 8 am to get to the ferry terminal at Magheroarty. We took the ferry at 11am to Tory Island. It was a very choppy trip at the beginning. There were 5 ladies on the boat along with 6 other passengers. Four of the 5 ladies had never made the trip before. They were on a ladies trip to the island. The 4 first timers were quite worried about the trip. In the end one of the women got sick. She was the only one.

 

Tory Island is 3 miles long and 1 mile wide. There are about 150 people on the island. After checking in we headed out to the east end of the Island to see the cliffs and climb up the headland. I was very happy as I made it almost all the way to the top. Charles continued to climb to the top and then out to the unusual rock formation at this end of the island. Charles said it was the best thing on the island. One can walk out to the end of the formation.

 

We ate lunch at the Cafe. We ordered hamburgers. Charles a cheese burger and I ordered a plain one. That is exactly what we got. Nothing else on the burger. We had a chuckle about this. We ended up putting catsup on it.

 

After lunch Charles walked out to the light house while I went back to the room. We had a very relaxing afternoon. Before supper we went for a walk around town. We were passed at least 6 times by a red car with 3 young men in it. They drove out to the lighthouse in the west end of the island to the cliffs in the east. Round and round they went. At one point they lost one of the passengers. I guess this was "cruising" on Troy Island. For such a small island there was lots of traffic.

 

At supper in the hotel bar we met up with the 5 ladies from the boat. We had a great time talking to them while eating. They had spent most of the day in the bar. Two of the ladies went out to Mass. They were surprised as mass was in Gaelic. They told us they talked with one of the Secondary teachers. Apparently they are 5 teachers for this level and 5 students. What a wonderful way to spend the evening!

Friday September 2nd

Today we headed west out of Northern Ireland into County Donegal.

 

Our first stop was to be ancient circular fort called Grianan of Aileach. No one knows much about its origin. Again it was on top of a hill. You get a wonderful 360° view of the surrounding landscape. We were very lucky as Charles spied a small sign directing us to this site. When we got there, we met up with 5 young people from the area that had camped at the fort over night. They were quite funny. They had arrived after dark and had to set up in the rain as well. When awoken this morning at 8 am by tourist they decided to pack up. One of the fellows had lost his shoes. Charles climbed to the top inside the fort. The view must have been even better from there.

 

Now it was on to the Inishowen Peninsula. At an info centre we got a detailed map of the area. This was very helpful as we took the scenic route around the peninsula. The route is called Inishowen 100 because the route is about100 miles in length. The roads on the route were basically 1 lane wide with traffic going both ways. It could get very interesting when meeting large vehicles. Once we rounded a corner only to meet an oncoming county bus. Luckily we were able to pull over enough to let it by.

 

Our first stop was at Dunree Head Military Museum. The fort here was built by the English along with 5 others on Lough Swilly in case Napoleon invaded. There is a similar fort across the Lough. Again not a shot was fired in anger from this fort. It was only used as a training fort. The guns were fired once a year until 1961. It was a good museum. We were able to eat a picnic lunch before the rain moved in.

 

Heading north we went through the Gap of Mamore. The views were amazing from the top of the gap. There is a holy well and religious shrines at the gap. There have been pilgrimages to this spot for centuries. The rain started as we continued along the Inishowen 100. It was hard to take pictures with the pouring rain but we did manage. After finding and checking in to our B&B we headed north to Malin Head. This is the most northerly point in all of Ireland. The wind was blowing and the rain was coming down while we were there. We did not spend long here before heading back to our lodgings.

 

We have settled in for the night. We think it has stopped raining. Hoping the weather improves for tomorrow as we are going to Tory Island. We don't take the car. It will be more enjoyable if it is not raining.

Thursday September 1st

We decided to have an easy day today and headed west from Coleraine in search of the Mussenden Temple. It was not hard to find.

 

This was a wonderful site but required lots of walking. The Mussenden Temple was in very good shape. It was built to be a library. The windows look North, East & West and the door looks South. When it was originally built you could take a carriage ride around it however the land has been eroded away by the North Atlantic. The Dove Cove was also in great shape. Dove down was used in pillows and mattresses. The doves were also eaten in the winter when meat was scarce. Inside there were many nooks for the doves to perch or nest.

 

It is too bad that the house was left to ruin in 1944. There are pictures of the house in the 1920's. The interior was beautiful. Now there is excavation being done on the living section of the old part of the house. The gardens have been recovered. One of the lions on top of the Lion's Gate has been fixed while to other one had to

be totally redone. This must have been an impressive residence in its hay day.

 

After lunch on site we went to see the Hezlett House. It is a Thatched Roof Cottage built in 1691. It was originally built as a rectory. It was bought by the Hezlett family in 1776 and remained in the family for 200 years. It was a six bedroom cottage. Issac Hezlett added an extension for his widowed Mother. It was a unique cottage as it has a cruck frame. The frame was built first them the walls were filled in. It is like an upside down boat.

 

We continued west to Magilligan Point. There is a gunnery range there as well a prison. At the Point there is a ferry to Donegal across Lough Foyle. We walked up to see the tower then came back along the beach. This is an 8 km beach running from Downhill to the Point.

 

On the way back we found a scenic route across the Binevnagh Mountain. The road is called the Bishop's Road as it was the favourite way for the Bishop to travel from Downhill House to Derry. There was a look out at an elevation of 853ft. We could see all the way to Magilligan Point and to Derry. Soon we were back. Our last day in this area.

Wednesday August 31st

We did not do much yesterday. I had my hair cut and we got laundry done. It was nice to have a day off from travelling.

 

Today we did the Causeway Scenic Drive to the east of Coleraine. We started the drive by passing through 2 fishing villages Portstewart and Portrush. Our first stop was a Dunluce Castle. It is a ruins of a castle built between the 15^th – 17^th centuries. It was built on the 30 foot high black basalt stack. This made it very easy to defend. We got the audio visual aid for the castle. Some people went to a lot of work describing what the castle would have been like. At the end of the talk we were shown a short video of what it might have looked like. This gave the ruins a much different look. Unfortunately the castle is built on a softer type of basalt. Some of the castle has already collapsed with the rock. It would have been an impressive castle in its day.

 

Travelling to the east we came to the Giants Causeway. It is a very impressive site of many basalt columns. Over the centuries many people used the blocks for building structures. You can see why as the blocks are already formed. Very little cutting would need to be done. The story goes that at 54 foot tall giant Finn McCool was building a causeway to Scotland. Meanwhile a bigger giant Benandonner was building one from Scotland. When McCool saw how much bigger Benandonner was he ran back home. His wife Oonagh dressed him like a baby so that when Benandonner showed up she told him that her husband was away but this was their son. Benandonner thought that if this was how big the baby was then how big would the father be. He left in a hurry destroying the bridge. There is a similar outcropping of basalt columns in Scotland.

 

Our last stop was at the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. Charles walked out to, and over the bridge. It was a 1km walk to the bridge. Charles said there were lots of stairs. I knew I could not walk across the bridge so I did not go. I would not have been able to get back if I went. The bridge was built so fishermen could get out to a small island where they could put out their nets to catch salmon. It was a precarious bridge that the fisherman built. Not like today's bridge. There were some beautiful views from the islands. Charles enjoyed his journey Carrick Island. I had a cup of tea while he was gone. There were so many different languages spoken around me it was like a league of nations.

 

A great way to spend the day.

Monday August 29th

We said goodbye to Monaghan this morning. We had a wonderful stay at the B&B. We were very spoiled. Charles got an Irish coffee every evening along with wine or beer. I got a coke or juice. There were snacks as well each afternoon. Will miss all this tonight.

 

Our first stop was at St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh. The outside was wonderful to look at. The inside took your breath away. The floors, walls and ceiling were all tiled making designs and pictures. We wish we had been able to get better pictures. Unfortunately there was a mass about to take place so we felt we could not take the time. We felt in awe after we left. The architecture, tile work and stain glass windows all made up this amazing place to worship.

 

On our way to Cookstown we tried to find Creggandeveskyn Court Tomb. It was not that easy to find. We found a map that showed a picture of it but did not indicate where it was. At an information centre we found out how to find the tomb. Only to find out the road to it was closed for repair. Thinking we would not be able to see it we went in search of Beaghmore Stone Circles. This we found without trouble. These were very different henges than stone henge. They were hidden under peat for many years.

While eating lunch in the car due to rain, we decided to try and find the Court Tomb . We were able to find another road to it. There are two of the tombs in this area but we only went to the Creggandeveskyn Court Tomb. It was about a 1Km walk to the tomb. It was a very interesting site. There was evidence of 21 burials at this tomb. The tomb was on a high point. We could see all around the area. For both of these historical sites we were the only ones at them. Also we knew we were on the right paths as the roads were very narrow.

 

The last thing Charles had for us to possible see was a Beetling Mill. Beetling Mills were used in the last stage of linen making. It was run by water wheel which operated hammers that pounded the bleached linen to produce a sheen or closer weave. This Beetling Mill was used from 1764 until 1962. There was too long a wait for us to take the tour so we just walked along the Ballinderry River that provided the water for the watermill.

 

Tonight we are in Coleraine.

 

Here we are in the pub as we get free internet. One thing you would never see in Canada is children in the pub. Here it is common occurrence. Tonight even though it is 9:50pm there are still children here.

Sunday August 28th

Today we headed out to take a scenic drive along the east coast south of Belfast. We had lots to see but decided to play it by ear depending on the time. It took about 2 hours to get to the start of the drive. It was a bit disappointing as the hedge rows are so high it was hard to see anything. There were some bright spots. We stopped at a rest area and saw the Mourne Mts. which are volcanic. Some people were fishing off the rocks as well. A rain storm came up off the mountains here. Going into Newcastle was very nice to see. There was a lovely beach area in town. On a nice day it would be crowded.

 

As it was a Sunday every hamlet we went through was full of church parking so that two way roads were now 1 ½ lanes. In some towns parking was on both sides so it was down to one lane. You drove down the road with the white line in the middle of the car. When we first started out people were going to church. After an hour things got interesting as church got out.

 

We stopped for lunch at a beautiful sea side area in Kilclief. Luckily there was a picnic table for us to use. We had lunch first before visiting Kilclief Castle which was just across the road. Once we had finished we went for a walk on the beach. There was a lady in swimming. She said it was invigorating. We thought getting out with the wind wouldn't be too nice. The castle was now open for viewing.

 

Kilclief Castle is not really a castle but a home called a tower house. It was built in 1429. There are quite a number of these all around Ireland. In the eastern part of Ireland, they are much the same as this one. This one was in very good condition. There is a spiral staircase up one side with four floors off of it. Storage on the ground floor, a living floor next, then kitchen floor and finally a sleeping floor. Charles climbed all the way to the top. I only got to the second floor. The stairs were very uneven. It was very interesting to see inside one of these towers.

 

We decided to head inland after this to make our way back to Monaghan. We stopped to see Castle Ward which again is not really a castle but a Manor house. We were able to do a self tour inside and were able to take pictures. On the ground floor the ceilings in each room were amazing. Each one was different. This was the second house built by the Ward family. Some of the wood work was re-used in this house from the first one. The Manor house was built in the mid 1700's and was lived in until 1973. The grounds have a number of trails for walking, cycling and horseback riding. We did not do any of the trails. We did see the sunken garden which was beautiful. There was a vintage car display going on and we thought of our friend Dave. His wife Joan may not have got him away from the cars.

 

The trip home was overland. It was a beautiful trip. We could see much of the country side as the hedge rows were not so high. We also saw the back of the Mourne Mts.

 

We ate supper at a nice Italian restaurant in Monaghan. When we went in there was only a father and son inside by the time we left there were 17 people.

 

What a great day.