Oct 16, 2012 - Blarney

This morning dawned a beautiful day, and after a cooked breakfast we set off to walk the 2½ km into Blarney and the famous Castle. It was lovely to explore at our leisure and there were not too many people here. Of course we climbed to the top were we both did the “hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone” experience, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. Seemed to have worked its magic on David! We then walked through the beautiful Rock Close gardens, said to be the site of an ancient druidic settlement. Leaving the...

Aug 29, 2012 - Kinsale

o Kinsale for the afternoon Lunch at Jim Edwards Restaurant - we go in and it’s raining, we come outside and it’s sunny and beautiful out As we’re walking to the restaurant, we see the armed guards in front of the bank as they transfer money Walking tour with Dermot Ryan (“the best walking tour guide in town”) Shopping, sightseeing and ice cream Jim arrives on a bus from Cork to Kinsale just in time for dinner

Aug 29, 2012 - Cobh

Activities: Breakfast in Hotel Wednesday August 29, 2012. Meghan, Tim and Beth run through Cork Jim: Golf at Cork CC Substitute Driver: Noel (didn’t know what he was in for) First stop is Cobh Queenstown Experience: learned about the steamers that went back and forth to America and the Titanic’s last stop before heading to America The ship Brian’s grandfather came to America on (Lucania) is detailed in the exhibit We then walk up the hill (or take the bus) to St. Colman’s Cathedral that overlooks the whole harbor

Aug 28, 2012 - Jameson Old Midleton Distillery

We stop for lunch in Macroom - John has to rearrange the schedule when the travelers start clamoring for food tiny little town but the main town road is a big thoroughfare for trucks and buses a few people explore the farmer’s market Collette takes us through the Old Jameson Distillery in Midleton we learn about the triple distilling process and how it moooooves through the pipes Henry, Beth, Nancy Jeffries are certified Irish Whiskey tasters Brian and Tim C. actually take sips of their free taste at the end

Aug 28, 2012 - Cork City

Hotel: Clarion Hotel (Cork City) Clancy’s Bar and Restaurant for dinner and music/dancing Tim explained how he spent 2 hours “naked” (read as: without headphones) because Henry wasn’t snoring the previous night Men explore the bathroom We stayed inside at the bar (Rafferty’s) for some music and dance lessons Beth is spun around quickly to learn the Peter and the Goat dance

Aug 18, 2012 - Day 7 (Friday) You stay classy, Kinsale

Kinsale is unbelievably beautiful. Geographically, Kinsale is at the southern end of Ireland, directly south of Cork. You might not have heard of Kinsale before, but you know of it. This is the Ireland of your dreams. This is the romanticized small, sleepy Irish village by the sea that has been the mainstay of every horrible romantic comedy in which some American idiot with an extremely fast-paced, busy lifestyle goes off to a small town in Ireland, and slowly is drawn in by the beautiful scenery, the slower pace of life, the friendly...

Aug 17, 2012 - Day 6 (Thursday) - Now I understand what the f**k Bono was singing about

After we finished breakfast, we walked around Kilkenny a little more, and saw the handful of things we didn’t get to see on Wednesday, such as St. Mary’s Cathedral. Then we went into a drug store for “supplies to last us on the drive to Kinsale. Cathy and I have discovered that our new favorite soft drink is something called “club”. It’s basically citrus soda with orange pieces in it, and it comes in diet form, but only in the orange flavor. Still, it’s pretty good. I wish they had it in the states. We ended up taking a different route to...

Jun 23, 2012 - Blarney Castle

We engaged in a different form of exercise this morning. One of our larger RVs wanted to go dump but found the left front tire sunk in the grass which quickly turned to mud after 2 days of rain. So, at 8:20 Ivan, 4 guys and I pushed from the front while Dieter rocked the RV back out of the hole. To my dismay none of the others not involved in the rescue thought to take a picture, including the wife IN the RV working on her computer while we were pushing her and her RV to safer ground! Really disappointed me as I felt this was a rather...

Jun 22, 2012 - Kinsale

On Wednesday, we arrived for a two-night stay in Kinsale, a maritime town on the southern coast. Its vibrantly colored buildings, like others in this area, make it quite adorable. We found dinner at The Shack, a delightful eatery with locally sourced seafood and pasta dishes. I had a great prawn and chili pepper pasta in tomato sauce. We stayed in Seagull House, owned by the town matriarch, Mary O'Neill. The likely 80-year-old also owns the pub down the street, The Tap Tavern, with her son Brian, who offers the popular Ghost Tour every...

Jun 22, 2012 - Ring of Kerry

Today was a great all-day bus tour on the 106-mile ring road around a lovely peninsula in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The peninsula is bordered by Dingle Bay on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the west and Kenmare Bay on the south. It really is beautiful with its lakes, mountains, valleys and picturesque villages all along a narrow road I was so glad I didn't have to drive. I tried my first (and last) Irish Coffee and decided it wasn't worth 5.50 euros! The sheep dog demonstration was excellent! The day started with a quick...

Jun 21, 2012 - Cliffs of Moher; Bunratty Castle

Rain and fog as we started our day driving to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. Standing 230 meters high they stretch for 5 miles along the Atlantic Coast south of Galway Bay. There is a new ecologically-minded visitor center and small museum bermed into the hillside. Wide paved trails and steps lead to various lookout points. Quite nice but not sure worth all the hype we read about them. (Perhaps if it had not been rainy...) More rain as we drove to Bunratty Castle. [Bun = end of a river, Ratty = the river's name]. It was restored between...

Jun 21, 2012 - Ardmore and Midleton

On Wednesday, we headed southwest toward County Cork and the town of Kinsale. We stopped in Ardmore, allegedly the most swimmable beach in Ireland. Although the weather was mostly sunny, it was too cold for swimming. We stopped by a ruined church and round tower, then picked up our daily picnic lunch (yogurt, bread and fruit) at the local grocer, and went to the beach. With low tide, the sand was firm and easy for walking. After lunch, the boys played around, collecting shells, rocks and sea glass, while Scott and I walked the full length...