Ireland Day 9

Today we were joined by another set of cousins, who arrived from Wales. In fact they showed up at 7:45 am. After lots of hugs and hellos we unpacked their car, showed them their rooms in this palatial palace and had a cup of tea. The weather was a little gray and cooler than it was yesterday. Leaving outdoor trips a little on the iffy side.

We decided to take a drive to Avondale House and Forest Park. Alison  was navigating and after a few false starts and missed or poorly marked signs we arrived at Avondale House.

Avondale was most famous as the home of Charles Stewart Parnell. Charles was a famous politician in Ireland who was considered the "Uncrowned King of Ireland" for his work in the development of forestry in Ireland. Parnell also has ties to the American Revolution and the USS Constitution.

As we were leaving there was a rally of old cars pulling into the parking lot, the cars included MGB's, Bentleys, a Rolls Royce among others.

We left Avondale to go to "Meeting of the Waters". At this point two rivers join to head down the Avondale Valley. We stopped at a lovely pub for lunch,

after lunch we took a stroll along the rivers.

We left the area and headed down the valley to Avoca Mill.

This old mill still makes hand made rugs and scarves. We toured the mill where we watched a craftsman work the loam to created a roll/bolt of scarves.

Avoca makes items from several kinds of wool including Cashmere, Angora and regular sheep's wool. Avoca uses powered loams to create their wares. Avoca ships pretty much anywhere in the world, we saw parcels ready to go the U.S., Australia, England and France.

From Avoca we went to Arklow to get some much needed groceries. After loading the supplies in the car we took a drive back to the cottage via the valley.

When we got back to the cottage, unloaded the groceries and had a drink, Wes started to make BBQ pork chops. BBQing in the UK is different than at home. BBQs are rare and LP gas BBQs even rarer. We bought two disposable BBQs full of ready to light lump hardwood. Wes then sat down to cook the meal. If you haven't cooked with charcoal it does take a little getting use to. There is a balancing act between too much hot coals and not enough white coals to keep the job ( chops this time) cooking.

After dinner our Welsh guests, Carrie and Derek looked a little tired after grabbing the over night ferry and not sleeping much on the 3 hour ride. Soon one by one over the next half hour people started calling it a night so I guess I'll do the same so until tomorrow........

Ireland Day 8

Another morning of rain, not as crucial to be dry as we are shifting home bases today.

We left Cashel (Connemara) at 9:30 this morning heading down the road to Galway. We had to make a pit stop at the mines to pick up another souvenir as the first one did fair well when it met the ground. On through Galway and heading towards Limerick.

About noon we decided to stop for a tea and a well sounds like tea. Pulled off at an interchange and found Bunratty Castle.

Across the road from the castle was a cafe inside a wool outlet shop. While we took  turns at liquid in liquid out, the girls went through the store. While we were in the Car Park we heard some funky music and a little temporal distortion. A green call box appeared and out popped the Doctor.

 ( well not really but it does make for a good story on a short day.)A sweater or two and a quick tour of the outside of the castle for me we got back in the car and headed east.

Through Limerick and on to Tipperary where it wasn't a long way at all, we were only on the road for 3 1/2 hours.

Next stop Cashel Rock. So we left Cashel (Connemara) and 4 hours later we arrive in Cashel (Tipperary). Cashel Rock is a large hill overlooking the area surrounding the town of Cashel.


F

or 100's of years the Kings of Munster used Cashel Rock as the their seat or throne. Somewhere around the 5th Century the current King was converted to Christianity by St. Peter. Then around the 12th or 13th century the King of Munster ceded the rock to the church who built St. Peter's Cathedral.

Below the rock is Hoare Abbey, a Cistercian Monastery that lays in ruin.

Hoare Abbey is distinctive among Irish Cistercian monasteries in that the cloister lies to the north. The siting of the Abbey, with the Rock of Cashel close by to the north, may explain this departure from the usual arrangement.

We left Cashel and headed to our new home in Sheillagh in Wicklow County.

The roads we took were small farm country roads with picturesque scenery and windy blind corners and bends.

We arrived at our cottage and what a treat. Electronic gates, touch lighting, a huge kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 2 with en suites, 2 TVs with satellite, home theatre and 3D, fireplace, dens, WIFI, two fridges with freezers , eye level ovens, I think we have died and gone to a 5 star Hilton.

 

After we settled in we drove into town for dinner. Nice food, good friends this is the life. We have encountered some interesting differences in food culture, one that steps out is what is offered for condiments and who makes them.

While eating dinner we heard what sound like a steam locomotive, we looked out the window and saw two steam engines, not locomotives, closer to tractors.

These photos were taken with the Iphone and not the best sun conditions, I apologise for the quality. Also at the pub we saw a genuine shillelagh, on the wall.

We hadn't realized that the name of the town were in is pronounced She lay lee ( not Sheila as my cousin was calling it) and it is the common spelling of the club The urban legend has it that these duelling clubs actually came from here. Whether they did or didn't they are still made here.

I'm going to close with my new profile picture, a self portrait so people can see what the blogger/photographer looks like.

Good Night All, need to get some sleep my Welsh cousins are arriving at 7 am on the overnight ferry.






 

Ireland Day 7

This morning we woke up to not liquid sunshine but out and out rain.

We decided to go ahead and drive to the ferry to go to the Aran Islands. When we arrived at the terminal the rain had moved back to mist so we had a decision to make.  Do we take the 40 minute ride to an island that we won't have a car and will be stuck there for a minimum of 3 hours with a good chance of getting wet, or do we go towards Galway and look for indoor things to do. Discretion being the better part of valour we opted for dry museums and castles over  wet walking tours.The port of Rossaveal is also a major fishing port for those going out into the Atlantic as well as the ferry terminal for the Aran Islands.

When we drove to Galway our thought we shall start with a good breakfast. We stopped at a hotel that said it had all day breakfasts. Menu looked ok but the flag should have been when the waitress who is also the cook wipes the table with her hands and has to replace more than half the cutlery because it wasn't clean. But we stayed ordered breakfast, it was good and hot but Wes ordered scrambled eggs and we forgot this is not Canada and these eggs were cooked in a saucepan and extremely wet, for us not appetizing at all.

After the rest of us finished our meal we decided to go to the Atlantiqarium. This aquarium was very interesting as it housed the salt and fresh indigenous to Ireland's waters.

 They showed small sharks, rays, skates, cod, flounder, plaice, carp. trout, salmon etc.


From the aquarium we drove south and went to Dunguaire Castle.

This castle was built in the mid 1500's and is one of the most photographed in all of Ireland. The castle was built to house one of the early farming/fishing clans of the area. There would be up to 15 families living inside and outside the walls, the clan chief and family would be living in the tower. In case of raids, all of the families would come inside the walls to defend the castle. In the mid 20th century an aristocrat from England bought the building added to the tower, and put a new roof on a loft room atop of the tower. The castle is now owned by the state, where they put on medieval dinners in the evening after they close to tourists. Outside of the castle near the car park was a typical thatched roof cottage although it is of modern construction.

Our next  stop was the castle at Aughnamure.

I can't tell you much about this building, they were closed to the public by the time we got there, yet there brochures all say the grounds were still opened for another half and hour.

We got back in the car headed a few klicks north and went in to the Connemara Marble Visitors Centre. Connemara is one of the premiere marble manufacturers

/makers in the world. Their marble adorns the parliament buildings in Ireland, and the steps of St.Paul's in London among others.

As with the last two days they weather started to lift just about the time we were going to call it a day.

 After making a pit stop at the cottaged we headed towards Roundstone for dinner. We couldn't find either a restaurant/bar that we like or that could/would seat 6 of us. So we headed up a paved track, I say track because it was barely wide enough for one car let alone two. This road had no markings and you pulled over off of the shoulder if you met another car and played chicken as each vehicle decides who should go first. A day wouldn't be complete with out another rendition of Irish Sheep Poker.

We had another lovely meal at Mitchel's Seafood, good food, good beer, good company good times. Tomorrow we head to the east coast.


Today's edition is dedicated to the Security Team at the Great Lakes International Air show. This years show is this Saturday and Sunday at the St.Thomas Airport. The timing of this trip means this will be the first show in close to 20 years I will have missed working. Team Good Luck, Good Show, Good Weather, this is Mother Goose going 10-7. Take lots of pictures for me.

Ireland Day 6

Well we woke up to an Irish morning of liquid sunshine. When I got up at 7:00am, a sleep in for me, you couldn't see the hedge across the drive way.

We decide to hold off doing anything for a while, had breakfasts, some had second breakfasts, then by 10:30 we could see across the bay.

Today was an indoor type of day;


First we went to on our way to Oughterard to look at shops, on our way we saw a sign for Glengowla Mines, tours and gift shop.

 We took a quick right turn and went in. These mines had a vein/core/bunch/lots of 80% pure lead. It was the time of the Crimean War and unrest in the United States, lead was need at what ever level of purity to make ammunition. Couple that with a potato famine and people out of work you had all the makings of an empire, cheap, labour, a resource and a niché market. All of the ore was had drilled and winched up by bucket. If you didn't bring up any of the ore to make lead, then you didn't get paid. Miners ended up, deaf and blind, they were the lucky ones the others were dead.

After the mine we went on to Oughtergard were we had a nice lunch, cream of leek and potato soup and various entrees around.

 We had to start heading back to the cottage as Wes had a date to go fly fishing with the Lord. Wes is know on a first name basis with his Lordship and is going hoity toity on us. (lol) not quite true but he does refer to the owner of the cottage and his wife by their first names.


On our way back we did a quick detour in to Joyce Crafts "one of Ireland's best craft shops".  4 of us jumped out and Geoff took Wes back to the cottage, returning 20 minutes later to peruse the shop(s) with us. The Joyce family have owned the shop for several generations and have made a name for themselves by not only selling quality merchandise but by taking the Mickey out of the local Tourist trade. They have erected a statue known as the Connemera Giant

 
and at the bottom of the plaque  inscription reads "built in 1999 by the Joyce Craft Shop for no apparent reason at all." Brilliant simply brilliant.

From Recess were the shop was we went through one of the many glacial valleys and headed back up towards the Kylemore Pass and Connemera National Park

Quick side bar, we have invented an new car travelling game, we call it Irish Sheep Poker.

The object of the game is to travel at high rates of speed, well within the speed limit but not the camber of the roads, and see how many sheep you can MISS! as they jump out in front of you or happen to be in front of you in the middle of the road usually after you come out of a blind bend or es curve.

 
The National Park visitors centre was an interesting stop where we learned about the Flora and the Fauna of the area and that pretty much all of the mountains and valleys were created by receding glaciers and not at all by fault lines, so no rift or fold mountains here. There are a few volcanic mountains rare but there. (hey a little poetic there, may be another Yeats, or Joyce or someone, Nah I don't need the money).

The park has three trails to go on. A 1/2 walk, a 1 hour walk and a 2 1/2 hour hike up the mountain. We the short walk around a bog, had three mis-starts because of poor signage and decide to give that up for a pound of darts, or a phrase to that effect.

After our adventure in the park, we headed back to the cottage stopping off at the Office License to get supplies. (BEER RUN!) somethings are very important don't you know.


The weather which had smartened up during the day start closing in again as we got back to base.

 
Uncle Wes was already back from his excurison and was preparing Nachos Canadienses por Wes. Very delicious. Watched a movie and called it night, need to be out the door

Ireland Day 5

Sunshine, what is that!!!!?!

 

We woke up to bright sky and light winds and people beginning to feel rested. I took a walk along the bay at about ¾ low tide, peered into the pools and took pictures. I really need to get a pair of Wellies or Muckers (boots) if I’m going to keep sloughing through the peat and the seaweed.

The fellow who owns our cottage is known locally as the Lord Voden, whether he is or not, I don't know but he owns several cottages, his house a huge building, he has a sailing boat and seems to be out fishing everyday.

 

Today we went to Ashford Castle, in Cong to go on a Hawk Walk.  The drive to Cong goes along a valley floor and around Lough Nafooey and between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib. ( a Lough is a loch or lake).  The whole area is known as Joyce Country, there general area where author James Joyce spent a lot of time. Cong is known as the village they filmed the movie “The Quiet Man” with John Wayne. In Cong there is a ruin of an abbey and lovely grounds where we had a picnic lunch.

Ashford Castle is now a major hotel boasting more stars than I will likely ever stay in. Prices range from €195/person /night winter offseason to €1000/person/night, high season. The price includes access to the golf course, tennis courts and the School of Falconry. 

 The hotel has its own Helipad and while were there, several landings and take offs happened by and Executive Helicopter company.

  Parts of the original building were an actual castle and were built over 300 years ago. Battlements and turrets are still visible as well as earthworks surrounding the building.

We went to Ashford mainly to go the School of Falconry were we worked with Harris’ Hawks. We took two hawks out and had them land and take off from our hands. Harris’ Hawks are the only raptor that hunts in family packs.  They also are originally a North and South American bird, but the school’s are bred in Ireland.

 Must say it was a blast having these birds alight on our arms and take off again.

 

 We also got to handle a European Eagle Owl, a bird very similar to our Great Horned Owl.

After the hawk walk we drove down to Leenann (Lee-ann) back to that blasted wool shop and cafe. Although I must say that once inside I was the one who bought souvenirs and a cuppa tea, but don’t tell Beth that I said it was a good stop.

We then left the shop for home at Cashel. Storm heading our way off the Atlantic, tomorrow could be interesting.