Limerick and Adare

Street corner oasis.

We have only one more week in this magnificent country.  So we decided to hit the road once more.  This time to the southwest of the island.  Our first overnight stay was in Limerick.

Joe and I went on 'Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes' walking tour in Limerick.  This is the church where young Frank constantly petitioned St. Francis.  I loved his book 'Angela's Ashes'.  Never before had I wanted to write an author until I read that book.  I wanted to tell Mr. McCourt how much his writing touched me, how much it moved me.  I never did write that letter and I should have.  Frank McCourt died in 2006 and I never got a chance to tell him how much his writing meant to me.

Seen on the streets of Limerick.

Seen in the bathroom stall of a tea shop in Limerick.  I'd love to know what the erased sentence said.

This woman was selling bags of cooked periwinkles and dried seaweed on the streets of Limerick.

I liked how this woman and the doorway wore matching colours.

Front garden on the streets of Limerick.

Beauty is everywhere.

If you ever find yourself needing a place to stay in Limerick, look no further than Moyree B&B.  The proprietress, Agnes, is a lovely lady who is friendly, welcoming and full of good cheer.

Joe showed great restraint in not buying this hat that he wanted oh-so-badly at a shop in Adare.

Thatched roofed cottages are my newest obsession.

What's not to love?  Flowers, windows and a thatched roof in Adare.

Next stop on the road trip...DINGLE!

Bits and Bobs From County Galway

The sun made a brief appearance one evening so Joe and I took advantage of the dry weather and  drove to Lough Corrib.  We met a friendly woman walking her dogs.  She offered to take our photo and we had a lovely conversation about Ireland, Canada and home exchanges.  When she learned we were from Vancouver she said, "I was in Vancouver once!  I stayed with my aunt in a suburb called Coquitlam."  I told her I was born and raised in Coquitlam.  It's a small world after all.

Lough Corrib in the evening sun. 

 A monster gnawing a baby's head on the wall of the Lynch Castle.

 Joe is never happier than when he is buying and talking food.

 An angler in the River Corrib.

 The cathedral in Galway must buy its holy water in bulk!

 A day at the beach.  The temperature was a balmy 15 C.  I can't imagine what the temperature of the water was!

 The beach at Barna.

 Irish kids are the toughest.

 One day we stumbled upon a fish and chip shop in Salthill and decided to stop for lunch.  Throughout our meal (which was delicious) a man wearing huge gumboots repeatedly entered the restaurant carrying trays of fish.  In and out he'd go.  Over and over again.  With a big smile on his face.  Happily talking to the patrons as he passed by their tables.  We were told he owned the fish market next door.  His daughter ran the restaurant.  The fish for each meal was brought over as it was needed.  Talk about fresh!  Joe was so impressed and just had to meet this fisherman!
Ali is an Iranian immigrant who came to Ireland in the early '80s.  He said his first choice was to come to Canada but that was at the time of the Iranian Hostage Crisis and no one was able to emigrate to North America.  So he chose to come to Ireland and has been very happy here.

Whoever lives in this house has a great sense of humour.  It looks like they chopped down quite a few trees along the road but left two trunks as sharpened pencils.

We wandered down to the pub in the village one night to take in the music.  There are so many talented people in this world.

Now we're off for our third and final road trip.  We're making our way south to Limerick, Dingle, Skellig Michael, Kinsale and Cork.  I can't wait to see more of this magical country.

Postcard From Connemara

We are having the best time.

We are having the best time.  

Even in the rain.

Wish you were here.

Inisheer, Aran Islands

Ishineer Island

No sooner had we returned from our road trip to Sligo we decided to take another.  This time to the Aran Islands.  To the smallest Aran Island.  Inisheer.  The day dawned bright and beautiful with strong winds and sunny skies.

This was our ferry over to Inisheer.  I said to Joe, "That is the ferry?  We have friends with bigger boats than that!"  I was a little concerned because the winds were strong.  We had to sail through some open ocean.  Everyone reassured me that the ferry would not go out if the conditions were too dangerous.

There were loads of holiday-goers on the sailing.

The wind was howling and the boat was rocking deeply from side to side.  We were happy the trip only took an hour.

Happily tucked into my seat for the ferry ride.

As soon as we got settled at the B&B we headed outside for a walk.  We walked and walked and walked some more.  Inisheer is one beautiful island.  Especially in the sun!

A memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives at sea. 

An 8th century church.

This dolphin hangs out at the pier every day.  A local man was swimming with it.

The holiday goers call this beach 'The Caribbean of the North Atlantic'.  They told us that two days before we arrived, the temperature was a balmy 20 degrees and everyone was laying on the sand and swimming in the ocean.

Bronze age burial mound dating from 2000 BC in the foreground with a 15th century castle in the background.

10th century sunken church in the cemetery.

Not a bad spot for one's earthly remains.

I am fascinated with drystone walls.  Inisheer is covered with them!

Joe bought a knit cap to keep his head warm in the stiff breeze.

Walking the 'Great Rocks of Aran'.

We turned up this lane when all of a sudden we heard someone yelling, "Stop!  Stop!"  We stopped.  We thought we were trespassing or something.  The farmer yelled to us, "Quickly!  Open the gate!  Open the gate!"

Joe opened the gate for two cows and their calves.

"In ya go, now."

See what I mean about drystone walls?  They are an art form!

After our long afternoon of walking, we stopped at a teahouse for some refreshments to soothe our weary legs.  A chicken stood beside these women on the patio patiently waiting for scone crumbs to fall.  Apparently the cafe owner has to keep the front door shut because there is a robin who keeps hopping into the restaurant.

Roses grow very well on Inisheer.

After dinner we went to the pub for a pint and met islander Tony Costello.  Tony and his wife conversed with each other solely in Irish.  When he spoke to us in English it sounded as if he was still speaking Irish, his accent was so thick.  I couldn't make out a word he said.  I just smiled and nodded a lot.

Our B&B at dusk.

The next day did NOT dawn bright and beautiful.  It was raining hard with powerful winds blowing in from the west.  We checked out of our room at 11:00am and our ferry wasn't leaving until 4:30pm.  We had over five hours to occupy ourselves outside in the storm.  So we decided to circumnavigate the island on foot to pass the time.

Note to self:  Put on your cheap vinyl rain poncho BEFORE you head out into the gale.

Yep...it was windy.

Not only was it cold and windy, the rain stung our faces making it hard to see at times.

Thank you to whoever built this rock wall and bench.  It was a nice reprieve from the wind and rain.

The lighthouse at the south end of the island.  Miles and miles of stone walls!

Towards the end of our walk we were joined by this adorable little dachshund.  She waddled in front of us and kept turning around every so often to make sure we were coming.

The ferry crossing back to the mainland wasn't bad at all.  Joe and I slept most of the way.  Once we landed on terra firma we did what we always do.  We went to a pub!

Sitting in a thatched roof pub by an open peat fire drinking a pint of Guinness is the perfect way to end a road trip.

Thanks, Inisheer.  You were grand.