Just Back from Ireland
Just Back from Ireland
Just got back from a 16 day trip to the southwest of Ireland and I do have to say I fell in love with the country. It was our first time there and I have to admit after spending one year in the UK, I did enjoy the Irish a lot more in there being not so up tight. If I get the energy up in the next few weeks I'll post some pix on pbase. Essentially the whole trip was the southwest from Cork City up to Dingle. Would be a great place to retire although the prices are a bit high with the conversion.
Paying 10.00 US for gas was a biatch but drinking Murphy's and Beamish was a sweet treat.
Paying 10.00 US for gas was a biatch but drinking Murphy's and Beamish was a sweet treat.
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- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm
- Location: Cape Cod & SW FL
Hey Promo welcome back to "reality"!
Isn't the emerald isle the BEST??!! I long to go back again and know that we will, just a matter of time.
Did you happen to visit the Gap of Dunloe? PLEASE do share any of your fave ventures AND photos, PLEASE!
Yes I know it's a pain getting back into the daily grind and finding time, but I'm sure there's plenty of us that would surely appreciate your time and effort
Take care!!
Kathy
Isn't the emerald isle the BEST??!! I long to go back again and know that we will, just a matter of time.
Did you happen to visit the Gap of Dunloe? PLEASE do share any of your fave ventures AND photos, PLEASE!
Yes I know it's a pain getting back into the daily grind and finding time, but I'm sure there's plenty of us that would surely appreciate your time and effort

Take care!!
Kathy
Kathy, we loved it. No we didn't do the Gap of Dunloe. But did a bunch of other gaps, as there are many, and they were all fantastic. We were fortunate in that our trip over was AA miles in conjunction with Aer Lingus and good old business class thank goodness. I have a US friend who has lived in Germany for years and also has a home here in LA. He rents a house, this one. http://www.cashelfean.com/ for 12 weeks a year. The house is on the Mizen and faces Donmanus Bay, the last bay in the Southwest of Ireland.
For years he's asked us to come over but for business reasons we've declined the invitation. This year I decided to bite the bullet and we went. He also picked us up in Shannon and off we went to Killarney.
We stayed at the Behon in Killarney for a couple of nights and took in River Dance one of the nights.
One of the great things is that my friend has had many folks over and since he's been going for 18 years knows all the side roads of the tourist bus road. This was good for the Ring of Kerry, which as I now like to call it just as the Ivaragh.
The peninsulas in the southwest we visited were The Mizen, Sheepshead, Beara, Ivaragh and the Dingle. All different, but for my money the Beara was the most spectacular.
Damn Kathy, I think you made me give a small report.
It was nice that he knew folks and we made some great acquaintences.
I've looked at some of the pictures and they are somewhat affected by the weather but nonetheless beaufiful. A few folks have asked us on the return about the weather. My standard answer is "You don't go to Ireland for the weather".
And for now Sláinte
For years he's asked us to come over but for business reasons we've declined the invitation. This year I decided to bite the bullet and we went. He also picked us up in Shannon and off we went to Killarney.
We stayed at the Behon in Killarney for a couple of nights and took in River Dance one of the nights.
One of the great things is that my friend has had many folks over and since he's been going for 18 years knows all the side roads of the tourist bus road. This was good for the Ring of Kerry, which as I now like to call it just as the Ivaragh.
The peninsulas in the southwest we visited were The Mizen, Sheepshead, Beara, Ivaragh and the Dingle. All different, but for my money the Beara was the most spectacular.
Damn Kathy, I think you made me give a small report.
It was nice that he knew folks and we made some great acquaintences.
I've looked at some of the pictures and they are somewhat affected by the weather but nonetheless beaufiful. A few folks have asked us on the return about the weather. My standard answer is "You don't go to Ireland for the weather".
And for now Sláinte
To call the 1840's a bad time in Ireland would be an understatement. I already knew that. We met a couple of guys, older when we stopped on the Ivaragh at a beautiful gap. One mentioned how during the famine folks would sleep under rocks and scavenge for food everywhere they could. He mentioned kids with who had green around their mouths from eating the grass. I had already known that the English had food in storage that they wouldn't release. He mentioned how when advisors went to Queen Victoria and talked about the food shortage, her reply was "well they have lots of grass, don't they?"RickG wrote:Very nice! Our family comes from that area. Great-great.... Grandmother Anastasia was born there in 1840. We've had an Anastasia in every generation since, my Anastasia is 11 now. I need to get the kids over there.
Cheers, RickG
So I'm sure you great, great, great grandmother Anastasia was one of the survivors and with luck made her way to the US.
Yep, get the kids over there.
Some More Photos
From the Dingle Peninsula and the Slea Head Drive



They say that in Ireland there are 28 shades of green. I believe it.



They say that in Ireland there are 28 shades of green. I believe it.
Promo,
I recognize the yellow Slea Head building. We were on a tour bus a few years ago that stopped there for a break. My husband took a walk to take a few photos--luckily the driver did a head count because we almost left without him. ( I thought he was sitting with our daughter in the back
) Beautiful country! Thanks for sharing.
I recognize the yellow Slea Head building. We were on a tour bus a few years ago that stopped there for a break. My husband took a walk to take a few photos--luckily the driver did a head count because we almost left without him. ( I thought he was sitting with our daughter in the back

I can't imagine how those big tour buses could possibly ply the Slea Head Road. Not a bad place to get stranded. Soup and soda bread would have done it for me for a couple of days.
Here's a few more and hopefully the rest up on pbase in a couple of weeks.
The first two are from the top of Tim Healy Pass looking over to Co Kerry. When you died in Co Cork and were to be buried in Co Kerry, it is in that general area that your funeral party was told to pick up the body.


This is outside McRoss Castle in Killarney

Another view from the Mizenhead

The harbor of Kinsale south of Cork City.

I should add that one of the amazing things was the long days with it not getting dark until after 10.30 and I think all the way by 11.00. Quite a contrast to Los Angeles and dark by 8.30
Here's a few more and hopefully the rest up on pbase in a couple of weeks.
The first two are from the top of Tim Healy Pass looking over to Co Kerry. When you died in Co Cork and were to be buried in Co Kerry, it is in that general area that your funeral party was told to pick up the body.


This is outside McRoss Castle in Killarney

Another view from the Mizenhead

The harbor of Kinsale south of Cork City.

I should add that one of the amazing things was the long days with it not getting dark until after 10.30 and I think all the way by 11.00. Quite a contrast to Los Angeles and dark by 8.30