The Rock of Dunamase

A conversation on Wednesday night with Jim about sights/sites not to miss, brought up the topic of the Rock of Dunamase as a place to check out. Then on Thursday Mairead said that she had recently been there with the kids and it was great. All right. Added to the agenda.

After a very late night we slept late before packing up our goods and chattels so departure in the drizzling rain was at noon. We off-loaded some food and drinks we were not going to consume, into the happy arms of John O'Neill who lives at Minmore for the time being. Smiles all around.

Without the benefit of GPS, we used maps - just imagine - to preview the journey and it worked well. We knew the Rock was near Stradbally (look it up) and as we hurtled down the highway, sharp-eyed Olivia spotted the site. Apply brakes. Make a U-turn. Find a likely turnoff and voila there we were. There were a few other tourists but we pretty much had the Rock of 'Dunamazing' to ourselves. There can't be many angles we didn't use for taking photos. It was quite overcast and I have yet to review the pictures I took, but it was wonderful. For Braden, it has been the highlight so far. Well, it was a castle at one time!!

At the base of the hill is a small church so we went in to have a peek. Several ladies were arranging decorations for a Harvest Thanksgiving service. And it's Thanksgiving weekend at home. Perfect. We chatted with them a while and heard the harrowing tale of a boat trip to the Aran Islands. Hmmm - will the weather be suitable for us to make the trip? We'll see on the weekend.

The drive to Galway was quick and uneventful until we hit town. Holy traffic jam Batman. Toronto would be surprised to know it has an Irish rival. And of course, having somewhat misunderstood the directions, we didn't immediately get to our Airbnb. A phone call to our host put things straight and eventually (insert a lot of waiting and swearing here) we did arrive.

The host came in and showed us how to turn on the heat but for my liking, it's just fine without. The cottage at Shillelagh was very nice but I found it rather toasty for slumber. This is an observation, not a complaint.

After getting directions to the nearest grocery store, Lidl, we shopped for provisions for the next few days. Ingredients at hand, Olivia made us a tasty supper - and we dined at nine. I was about ready to gnaw on the cutlery.

Our laundry is done, some items are in the dryer and others are hanging to dry.

Braden discovered that a friend from home is also in Galway and he's staying at a hostel. He'll join us tomorrow for our trip via Ennis to the Cliffs of Kilkee, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin and hopefully the Aran Islands - likely Inis Mor. We expect to have spectacular views if the predicted sunshine actually happens.

Now I will attempt to download the little movies from our dash cam which will provide incontrovertible evidence that the roads really are as narrow as we've said they were. Of course there are also lovely motorways, but the winding "R" roads are more fun - and more stressful on corners as you never know if there's a car approaching from the opposite direction.

I may also manage to get some pictures organized before collapsing into bed. We will be up early tomorrow to be sure we see everything on the agenda. The forecast, if it has not changed, seems pretty good.