Apr 29, 2011 - Galway & Aran Islands

Friday morning we had a nice breakfast at our hotel. There are many choices of fresh fruits and homemade, hearty breads. There are also omelets and other breakfast items that are served individually. After breakfast we walked a few blocks to catch the bus that would take us to the Aran Islands. (It was nice not to be driving : ) The bus took us to a dock where we boarded our ship for the one hour ride to Inishmore, the largest of the three islands. This island has been well-protected and isolated for many centuries. The traditional Irish...

Apr 19, 2011 - Land of the Leprechaun

Last Monday, we woke with a brainwave...Lets go to Ireland...So we did. We raced to the train station to catch the midday train to Holhead, only to miss it by 5 minutes. This then meant we missed the 5pm ferry to Dublin. We had to wait to catch the 2:30am ferry...YAY! We spent our first two days in Dublin. We started off by visiting the Kilmainham gaol. We learned a lot about the history between England and Ireland here. The next stop was the 'Guiness Store House'...We couldn't come to Ireland without having a pint of guiness and what...

Apr 17, 2011 - Galway

So I spent last night in Galway. The hostels here are more than double what I have been paying. I went to a pub yesterday for about an hour. The music was good. The musicians were quite nice, and funny. It really wasn't my scene though. It was loud and crowded and there were no seats. I had to stand near the musicians which also happened to be near the door. After getting jostled for an hour by everyone entering and leaving I had to bow out. If it was just the music and maybe half the people I could hang. Anyway I am resting today and...

Nov 27, 2010 - Connemarra

Woke up to snow this morning which made driving even more challenging. Made our way to the Connemara peninsula and the national park there. Visited the Kylemore Abby and gardens- beautiful setting. Ran into sheep wandering down the road, peat bogs and famine memorials. Lots of driving today and the gps sent us down some interesting roads, a few unpaved and grassy and very narrow.

Nov 18, 2010 - Ireland - Day 4 County Clare

Well what a day. Travelling all over County Clare since leaving Galway at lunchtime today. Have managed to travel a lot but not a great distance. Have finally stopped for the night in the Armada Hotel in Spanish Port on the Atlantic ocean. Been to the Cliffs of Moher today and pictures will be posted soon. Finding we are not allowing ourselves enough time to keep this journal up to date as we should. Looking forward to a day or two soon to make some comprehensive entries with lots of photos and video footage. Have a great room here...

Nov 17, 2010 - Ireland - Day 3 Galway

Hi All, Well we picked up the hire car this morning and had a uneventful drive to Galway from Dublin. Amazing motorway makes it all so easy. Was greeted by gale force winds an driving rain. Made walking around town very intersting. Cath is still trying to find her ancestors who came from here (thanks Em for reminding her). Deciding tonight where to go tomorrow. Just have to be at Cork airport Saturday morning to fly to London (Catherine and John here we come). Oh and of course visit the Blarney Stone. This is the website for the hotel we...

Oct 29, 2010 - Inis Mor

The wind stopped but the rain mostly did not... There's a road that goes around the island and passes all the "sights" - the loop is about 12 km, with one out & back that's probably 2km. I rented a bike and the ride isn't bad, although apparently they want you to ride on the left as well... I managed not to be cold, but I was very, very wet by the end of it. The Seven Churches is really only two small churches and then some out buildings surrounded by lots of graves. Its a little disturbing because I'm pretty sure there is no way to walk...

Oct 28, 2010 - ferry to Inis Mor

So the ferry to Inis Mor (largest of the Aran Islands) was pretty impressive. It actually bounced up & down, heaved from side to side. I had been hoping that there would be an outside deck, but during the trip I realized that anyone on the outside would have to be strapped down. Absent being securely tied to the side of the boat you'd be in the water & it looked cold. The hostel is nice, prettier than the last and less squeezed into a corner. It may however, actually be noisier - there's a group of kids staying tonight - 14 fourteen to...

Oct 27, 2010 - Galway

Today I've just been wandering around Galway, checking out all the tourist attractions. There are several churches just in the city center area - the main cathedral (Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven) and St. Nicholas's Church. In wandering I passed several smaller churches and an active convent. The stained glass windows in the Cathedral are amazing - I even recognize some of the stories depicted... There's a picture of the convent behind a rock wall along one of the canals that may be my favorite. The city walls are almost all...

Sep 25, 2010 - The Burren

@@@@@@@ Background The Gaelic word ‘boireann’, which means ‘rocky land’ is the origin for the modern name ‘burren’, the vast limestone plateau that forms the southern coast of Galway Bay. It was once described by a surveyor, sent out by Cromwell in the 1640s, as ‘a savage land, yielding neither enough water to drown a man, not tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury him’. The Burren is a unique environment, with botanical specimens rare of Ireland, thriving as if this were the Mediterranean and not the North Atlantic. In the southern...

Sep 15, 2010 - in galway

Wifi was so slow last night. Only able to update with some pictures from Trim castle which was our first stop yesterday. We rented a car and drove to Trim then Moate then to Galway. Driving was...let's just say I love the round abouts on the other side of the road and driving on the other side of the car. Fun! There is no way that I can describe our trip so far. The pics and these brief synopsis can't suffice. We we very very successful at the genology center in Moate. We foundthe baptismal record for my great great grandmother, the birth...

Sep 2, 2010 - Getting my exploration on

I felt like a 15th century conquistador today and I liked it. The plan was simple: wake up, eat, and take a bus/ferry combo to get to the largest of the three islands in Ireland called Inishmore. From there we could do whatever we wanted for 5 hours – a dangerous option when Kelly Lang is involved. My fellow explorer Brian and I rented bikes and took off to the southern part of the island. We trespassed up some old dude’s driveway and he eagerly motioned us to come closer. Once we did he explained to us how we just had to explore his...