journeywithmadonna

…………in Ireland with Jim and Marilyn was fabulous!  From Dublin we headed to Kilkenny and on to Waterford where we spent the night and had a great dinner at “Fishy Fish”.   After dinner we went to a pub looking for Irish music and while there we ran into a couple of Newfoundlanders(my God they’re everywhere) and of course we knew people they knew and once again you realize what a small world it is afterall!  The next day we went on to Kinsale and then Castletown where we spent the night and had another fabulous dinner at the Olde Bakery.   The lady at our B & B convinced us to go around the Beara Peninsula, which was not on our list, and so glad we did as it was spectacular.   It was an absolutely stunning drive and reminded us of Newfoundland except the skies were sunnier and there was very little fog…………and the roads were extremely narrow.   Often we thought that they just couldn’t be ‘two way’ when we would meet a car and very carefully move over as it passed.   Next we were on to the Ring of Kerry and went to Portmagee where Jim had stayed 40 years ago in a youth hostel………….he must have been just a boy!  We couldn’t find the youth hostel but we did find the cliffs which were fabulous so we had a short little hike before we moved on to Killarney and a night of Irish music.   It was there we debated the pros and cons of kissing the Blarneystone while we listened to the Molly McGuire’s play their music and of course bought their CD’s.   The next morning we decided kissing the Blarneystone was not for us so off we went to do the Dingle Peninsula which was another delightful drive.   From there we were off to Shea Head where we hiked Brandon Creek and part of Brandon Mountain and then on to Connor’s pass and Tralee and Ballybunion where we walked the cliffs before settling in for the night.

       The following morning we were off to the ferry to shorten our drive to the Cliffs of Moher and were quite surprised by the many tourists there as up until this point it had been just us………..or so it seemed.  The cliffs were spectacular and we took a long hike being very careful not to walk too close to the edge especially when it started to rain and of course there would be an occasional sign to remind us that people actually slip off……not us, we paid close attention!   Our next stop was Galway where we planned to spend a couple of nights but unbeknownst to us it was school break time and it was extremely busy and quite pricey so we drove on to a little B & B ……. Joe and Beattie’s place on the way to the Aran Islands as we were headed there as well.   Spent two nights at Joe and Beattie’s and one day on the Island of Inishmore where we stepped back in time, walked all day, found Fitztigh B & B, shopped and finally ended up in  a little pub where every head turned when we walked in…………..reminded me of home, ie. Nfld., when everyone knows you’re from away and they’re all talking about you wondering who you are, who you might be related to, etc.   The Aran Island of Inishmore was one of our favorite places and Jim said the pub was definitely at the top of his list.

        On to Galway now that the school break was over and while out for dinner we met Mick and Michelle, a newly married couple, who wanted to show us one of the oldest pubs in Galway and that was an easy sell…………….another great evening!  From there we were off to Birr where we stayed in the best B & B, our favorite, which was run by Maureen O’Meara and I think it was called Emmet House………….loved it.   Our next stop was Dublin where we returned the car and checked into Harrington House which was pretty centrally located so we were able to easily access the shops and restaurants within a 15-20 minute walk.  The next day the skies opened and the rain poured which made it easy for us to buy a two-day tour bus pass so see the sights of the city and to shop.  Mick and Michelle had told us about Kilmainham jail which I’m so glad they did as it really helped us understand the politics of Ireland and the issues between the north and the south……………at times very tragic but also very enlightening.  Of course the Guinness Brewery was also on our list as were the Cathedrals and the shops.  Two weeks is not a very long time in Ireland so we need to go back as we didn’t even get a chance to see any of the North…………won’t be hard to convince either of us that we can’t remove Ireland from our Bucket list yet!

Alison and Steve drove us to the Irish Ferries to catch the ferry over to Dublin and saying goodbye was not so difficult as we agreed that we would not wait another ten years before seeing each other again. It’s really quite amazing how a decade goes by and when you see each other you just pick up and carry on………..as if you saw each other last week!  Great sail to Dublin on the Jonathan Swift and once we arrived Marilyn’s friend, Eamon, picked us up and showed us around this beautiful city.  Finally we checked into our hotel and later, you guessed it, we had a pub dinner!

Today Steve, who was still struggling with a bad back, drove us to Newborough Forest where we began our last day of hiking Wales and what a wonderful hike it was. We wandered through forests, along beaches and through marshy areas and along the way saw seals, lighthouses and vey few people. Once again the weather was spectacular and we shared loads of laughter until we met up with Steve once again for our return home and a farewell dinner at the Anchorage Pub.