Final Nights in Ireland

   On Tuesday we made the 3 hour drive back to Donegal, stopping at the church with Yeates' grave for a mid trip lunch. We continued north for a one night's stay back at the Downings Bay Hotel. On Wednesday after one last walk on the beach we left for Letterkenny to turn in our car.

   Renting our car at Letterkenny was much cheaper than at Dublin airport, less than half from previous trips here. We took a very convenient round trip bus from the airport and the nice folks at Enterprise Car Rental picked us up at the bus station in Letterkenny.

   Since we were traveling as a threesome  we rented a larger compact car and our little Nissan served us very well. It had a good sized back seat and a trunk big enough for our bags. The 1.2 liter engine was surprisingly peppy on the road.

   We spent our last night at a comfortable hotel near the airport and were close enough so we didn't have to leave too early to catch our 11:35 flight home. Security lines at the airport were really long, and we were surprised by a second security check with an hourlong que at the end. Luckily the planes wait for their passengers and we were less than an hour late getting in the air.

   We had a great two weeks and loved having Mary O. with us; she was a totally fun traveling companion. We miss our families and friends back home and will be so happy to see everyone again.

   Thanks for following along again, my travel blog has accumulated lots of posts since I began writing. Its been fun for me to keep in touch.

   

Mayo Monday

   Monday was our last full day in Mayo and the three of us took a drive to the north Mayo coast to visit the Céide Fields, where the land ends on cliffs 300 feet over the Atlantic.

   This area became well known in the 1930's when local residents discovered ancient stone walls buried deep in the peat bogs overlooking the ocean. Further digging found extensive wall construction that dated back between 5,000 and 6,000 years. I guess people appreciated great scenery even back then.

   Today we make the drive back to Donegal for the night. Tomorrow we turn the car back in at Letterkenny and hop the bus back to Dublin.Two more nights of visiting cousins here in Ireland before heading home on Thursday.  

   Weather looks ok for our last few days, cloudy and mid 60 degree temps.

County Mayo

   We're staying in the town of Kiltimagh, close to the center of County Mayo in western Ireland. We're at another very nice B&B owned by the Byrne family that's right across the street from Mary O'Neill's cousin.

   On Saturday we drove to Turlough to visit the Museum in Irish Country Life. We walked through a restored manor house and garden now run by the National Park Service. On the grounds is a new four story museum showing what country life was like in west Ireland from the 1850's till 1950. 

   Later in the afternoon we stopped to see another of Mary O's cousins who lived at the top of a hill near Kiltimagh with great views of the west Mayo mountains. Mary's cousin Tom drove us up even higher up a very narrow road to see the home where Mary O's mother was born.

   Tim 's wife Eileen made us all a wonderful dinner while we chatted and laughed through the evening with their four daughters all in from Dublin for the weekend.

   On Sunday we'll visit the old church in Kiltimagh then head toward Westport for sightseeing in the beautiful sunny weather.

Staying at Bradley's B&B

   We're spending our first 8 days in Ireland at a wonderful B&B on the northwest coast in the town of Downings. Bradley's is run by two sisters Mary and Bridget who took over the family business after being born and raised in New York. Its Irish name 'Cuan na Long' translates to Ships Haven in English and it's just across the street from the beach on Sheeps Haven Bay.

   The B&B is open from Easter till fall and  Mary & Bridget do everything from keeping the rooms fresh and clean to making and serving a great breakfast complete with home made scone and muffins. They are always working, even doing gardening and driving the riding mower on the lawn. 

   Mary and I have felt very well taken care of during our stay and highly recommend it for friends and family. The price is also very reasonable.

   County Donegal's football team has made it all the was to the Irish Championship finals with the big game against Kerry this Sunday in Dublin in front of 90,000 people. There are signs and banners hung everywhere in the team green and yellow colors. Everyone is excited and it's so nice to see the support for their team.

   On Wednesday we had fun visits with Barney Carr and family, Mary Ellen and David Muldowney, and Daniel Harkins with his daughter Catherine.

Touring and tee time

   On Monday I went over to the Rosapenna Golf Pavilion hoping the weekend crowds were gone. There are two 18 hole courses and the Old Tom Morris course along Sheephaven Bay was empty.

   I teed off around 11:00 with rented clubs and a pull cart ready to walk the 6,400 yard course. It was hilly with thick long roughs but with terrific views of the bay and surrounding hills

   I brought along 9 balls in my suitcase and somehow only lost 2. It was a long 4 1/2 hour walk but my knees held up ok. I walked back on the beach to the B&B and a car drove onto the hard sand. A door opened and a white & brown spaniel jumped out to play. The dog was so excited and ran circles around the car before he sprinted a hundred yards right into the water. It made me laugh just to watch.

 

   The Marys drove to Glenveigh for the day to see the famous castle and gardens that have become a huge national park. By the time we all got back for dinner we were all exhausted. After a meal at the Downings Hotel we all turned in early.

Sunday drive and family dinner

   On Sunday after breakfast we went to Mass at St Johns in Carrigart, then took a drive along the north Irish coast; weather again was great. We headed south from Downings and through Carrigart to a new Mulroy Bay bridge that crossed over to the Fanad Peninsula. 

   We took the long way up around Fanad Head and down the east side to Portsalon. We stopped for a quick look at the Portsalon golf club, it was really nice with fairways that hugged the bay. I didn't intend to play on the crowded weekend but I was happy to at least see it.

   From there we continued south to Milford then went north through Cranford on to Carrigart when we realized that we drove entirely around Mulroy Bay.

   Vera McBride invited us over for a wonderful Sunday dinner at her lovely home in Carrigart. Vera and the Mary's continued their talk about family stories while Vera's grandsons Aodh and Aiden introduced me to the game of Hurling with the Irish Women's Championship match on tv. It looked a little like Lacrosse but with baseball bats instead of sticks. I was sure some young lady would lose her head during the game.

   Later in the afternoon we drove to have dessert with John and Mary Murray's family, near Kilmacrenan. The back road to the house was narrow, room for barely one car at a time in spots. 

   John took us up to the old Lynaugh home and lit a fire in the hearth. We also went to see the Family Tree, doing nicely were it was planted on a visit a couple of years ago.

   We made it back to the B&B after 10:00 and had a quick nite cap at Downings Bay Hotel Bar before turning in.

Old Haunts

   On Friday we woke after a long nights sleep and had a huge breakfast. We aimed the car up the Atlantic Drive in search of old McBride homes in the very small village of Arbane. Mary O'Neill spotted her grandfather's home first; it was far up the hill from the road, all alone with no visible way of getting up close. Luckily I was able to get a shot with my camera zoom. 

   We wandered on another mile or two and found Mary Ellen's grandfather's home too. It was close to a side road used by people who lived nearby, but the house was on a hill surrounded by thick brush and blackberry bushes. I managed to climb over a large rock and some fallen stone walls to get a picture. I couldn't get closer than about 50 yards, but comparing my picture to an old one with James and Vera McBride in it, it confirmed that we found the right place. The blackberries were really sweet but I was picking stickers out of my pants and socks all day.

   We stopped to visit and have tea with Vera McBride and had a great chat about the family tree and how close the three ladies are as cousins. I almost understood it for a little while.

   Later that evening for dinner it was back up the Atlantic Drive for dinner at a place called the Singing Pub. Happily no singing was required for seafood chowder or fish & chips.

   I was monitoring possible northern lights on the internet so we headed up the Atlantic Drive and parked at a scenic overlook near the village of Dohee. We were there with about a dozen other cars full of stargazers, but the sky was too misty coming off the ocean and we didn't have any luck with sightings. We drove back around 1:00 and had a nightcap at the bar at Downings Bay Hotel. The Atlantic Drive in the dead of night was a memorable experience.

   

Ireland revisited

   Mary and I are off to visit her relatives in Ireland for two weeks. We have a traveling companion, Mary's cousin Mary O'Neill from nearby in the Philadelphia burbs. Mary O. was also a mate of mine in grammar school so we know one another from way back.

   Toby was happy he gets to stay over with Gayle and Aunt Becky, so he shouldn't miss us too much. Our flight was easy and smooth, leaving Philly at 9 pm after most of the other international flights had already left. We arrived in Dublin a bit after 8 am to a crowded arrival hall and hopped a bus for a 3 hour ride to Letterkenny in County Donegal. We picked up our rental car there and were off to the town of Downings on the north coast. We're spending 8 nights at a lovely B&B (Bradley's) a great spot to take day trips from.

   Internet is spotty in this part of the world so I'll do the best I can with keeping up my blog. Love to all back home while were gone.