Keep to the left!

What a wonderful holiday in Ireland, the on going phrase.......keep to the left. No easy task driving the car, steering wheel on the right, shifting gears with the left hand, driving on the left, plus listening to "the girls" echoing........keep to the left. Also one must consider the narrow and mostly bramble edged roads! Here is a picture of a typical road:

We zigged and zagged across Ireland in ten days. Begining with day one where we shared a wonderful meal and excellent hospitality from cousin Michael Rigney and family and ended with day ten, a coast to coast drive across the Emerald Isle. Each day had its own rhythm filled with laughter and adventures plenty........

Terry had work obligations and couldn't make the first part of the vacation, I set off to Dublin to meet with my cousins Annie, her husband Doug, my cousin Bridget and her husband Paul. We met up at the airport all according to plan. Off to rent cars......mind you now, keep to the left.... first destination Bray, a seaside village south of Dublin. We settled in our hotels and hopped the DART train to be met by our smiling Irish cousin Michael Rigney. He and his family, his wife, two sons, one soon to be daughter in law and Michaels Mother, they all made us feel so welcome. We shared a delicious dinner and countless bottles of wine. There were many stories and enough laughter to make my ribs ache the next day. After dinner, out came the guitars and the musical festivities began. We could have sang all night, but the hour was getting late and the Rigney's had a busy day plus a funeral to attend the next day, so two taxi's were called and transported us away, I was dropped at my hotel at and I do believe that Annie & Company had a nightcap along the esplande............ (I will beg Doug for a picture to insert here, check back later)

The next day our tour guide du jour, Annie, had us heading for Newgrange, a 5,000 year old site where, on the winter solstice a beam of sunlight penetrates thru a special opening and the suns rays are captured into a special chamber, truly a remarkable astronomical event, given the age of the sight. What a treat to be able to witness this firsthand, perhaps next years solstice?

We continued our journey thru the beautiful countryside and ended up in Athlone, the heart of Ireland on the banks of the river Shannon. We strolled through this picturesque town and enjoyed a late dinner, once again filled with laughte. The next morning we parted company the cousins continued west and I hopped an eastbound train headed to Dublin. I felt like quite the traveler having to navigate the train as well as a double decker bus to the airport, just in time to meet up with Terry and pick up our car, now mind you now Terry, I said...............keep to the left!

Terry actually did a great job driving, he got on the highway before he asked so where are we going? To be honest, the directions were a teensy bit vague. I knew we had to drive to the opposite coast, 3+ hours to Kilshanny from there things got a bit foggy something about a pub, take the fork then past the horses about 2 km bear left................We had a GPS but houses don't have numbers in rural towns, so we headed in the general direction. I think Terry was a little nervous, the roads were narrowing and some unpaved and slick with mud, but the GPS kept pointing us towards our destination. We saw a coffee shop/pub and decided to stop and get our bearings, perhaps make a phone call..........the place looked deserted but when we opened the door who do you suppose was inside? Annie, Doug, Bridget and Paul! We were we ever so glad to see them! After quenching our thirst on a pint we headed for our home for the next seven days!

It was nice to have a home base, with peat to burn in the fireplace. Annie and Bridget have a second cousin Patrick O'Leary, who Annie and Doug connected with on a previous visit. Patrick and his wife Una came a callin the day after we arrived. What a charming couple they are, my cousins cousins. They both spoke with a heavy brouge and Una had a sing song voice that demanded full attention to understand. They invited us to meet up with them at a pub (imagine) where they are known to dance the night away, mind you now, Una said don't get there much before 10:00, that is when the fun starts! Another memorable evening was spent with the O'Learys over an "American" dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and apple pie! They also had us to their place for lunch and then their son toured us through three houses that he built, what a treat, I really felt like we got to see a side of Ireland that most folks don't get to see.

Every day took us on another adventure, destinations included the costal town of Doolin, the beautiful cliffs of Moher, the Burren, an unbelievable 300 km area of limestone and legends. We toured Aillwee caves, we visited Lisdoonvarna where a month long matchmaking ceremony and festivities were taking place. We visited Bunraty Castle and it almost goes without saying............Blarney Castle. Of course Terry and I kissed the stone! Each one of these places has a story and even though I have kissed the stone, I fear this blog is lengthy enough so I shall leave these stories for another time........

love and miss you all