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.