A great start to the trip

The flights could not have gone better and we even arrived half an hour early in Dublin. It was overcast with a little bit of drizzle but we quickly collected our bags, picked up the rental car and set out for Swords Castle.

The GPS was a bit balky and somewhat tardy in letting us know about turns, but eventually we got to Swords Castle only to find it isn't open on Mon or Tues. So off we went to Malahide castle and grounds - after only a bit of a run around. We started with some necessary coffee and tea in the cafe and wanted to take a tour of the castle and grounds.

The tour group was assembled and about to start but the narrative was given in German which is not so helpful for us. The next tour, in English, would have been at noon but that was too late. We managed to hang around the edge of the tour group and follow them so we did see a bit of the castle and took some pictures before deciding to head south. All the while, fatigue was setting in rapidly. It would take something special to keep us awake. And we got it.

By this time Braden had worked out how to change the GPS, that was part of the rental car, from some Scandinavian language, to English. We were heading for Ashford which I knew we'd find once we got on the M50. Getting there was half the fun. Once on the highway, I'm not sure where the GPS was trying to send us, but as I knew the route, we just ignored the instructions. Eventually Braden was able to stop it and we arrived in Ashford around 1.

To say we got a warm welcome is to understate the situation. We had a marvellous time with Mary and Oliver. Of course Mary had made us a delicious chicken dinner and we managed to eat about a quarter of what she would have had us consume. The main course was followed by a number of desserts. Olivia and I had managed to split the main course and dessert, to Mary's chagrin.

Having done a little research on Wicklow town which was nearby, it was on the list of places we wanted to go. Oliver drove and gave a great guiding commentary as we saw the town, the Black Castle (which it seems our ancient O'Byrne clan ancestors invaded) and much to Olivia's delight, was saw Sammy the Seal. The fishmonger from across the street came out with some fish for Sammy and he competed with the seagulls for the treats. Sammy almost always won.

Then on to Rossanna farm, loaded down with goodies from Mary, where Eugene gave us a tour of his little museum/collection and let us get a close look at some of his cows, young calves and the relatively friendly bull. A brief jaunt in a land rover showed Olivia and Braden the Wesley Tree - a giant chestnut which has a 47 foot circumference.

By this point we'd all taken lots of pictures but fatigue has caught up to us and those haven't even been reviewed, let alone sorted and a few chosen to illustrate our amazing introduction to Ireland.

It was off to Minmore Mews where we have now moved into The Loft. Sleep is fast catching up to me and I think my travel companions have already been visited by the sandman. Photos will appear tomorrow.  For now, good night.