The bold Ms Google but first ...

We were booked for the ferry to Inis Mor and we made it on time despite the best efforts of Google Maps and the bossy Ms Google. She/it is inordinately fond of tertiary roads, preferably with a line of grass up the centre and hazardous bends around which we feared a large vehicle was always lurking and aiming to have a collision. Fortunately, those fears were not realized and although there were some rather hairy passing manoeuvers, with me always pulling over and yielding to oncoming traffic, not even scratches were incurred.

There was a fair-sized crowd on board the ferry and we found seats on the upper deck, unsheltered, for the journey. The seas were quite choppy but the boat was quite large so we didn't really have a lot of ups and downs. There were two stops before our destination - the first at Inisheer (spelling is phonetic) and Inishman. Most of the passengers disembarked at those locations. We went on to Inishmor which is the largest of the three Aran Islands. On the dock, we approached the first mini-van tour operator and it proved to be a good choice. Capacity was about 20 or so, and the van was full. Off we went - on more of those lovely narrow roads.

The Aran Islands are subject to the whims of the Atlantic and are very rocky. All fields, large and some very small, are surrounded by dry-stone walls. The stones were cleared from the field and piled carefully, as walls around the area that had been cleared, to withstand the weather, and they have been strong for well over a hundred years. The "fields" often have lovely-looking green grass (from all the rain) but the topsoil is only 6" deep so growing much of anything else is a challenge. There are very few sheep on the Aran Islands because when they dine on the grass they pull it up by the roots, so it's mainly beef cattle that you see chowing down on the available grass. 

Our first stop was at Dun Angus (anglicized version), which is an ancient fort. To get there you pass through a visitors' centre and pay a small admission fee. This grants you the privilege of walking for at least 20 minutes, first on a lovely gravel path, then on more rocky surfaces and often on very uneven steps. I found that sticking to the grass verges and using the chicken wire fence was helpful. Titanium knees are not fond of large high steps, going up or down. 

Eventually, you pass through an opening to a wide area inside a semi-circular "fort". From near the edge, well not TOO near, you see incredible cliffs and a huge drop to the ocean. We stayed well back. It was incredibly windy and we weren't about to take any chances. Oddly though the soil is scarce there are quite a few lovely little flowers growing along the way. 

Starting out it seemed easy - the destination is visible in the distance

Along the way up

Just arrived at the fort

Heading back down

View of the coast in the distance

Inis Mor landscape

We boarded the ferry for our return to Doolin and the mainland at 4 pm. Once at the dock in Doolin, those of us who had included a boat trip along the Cliffs of Moher stayed on board. This time we were glad it was a large boat and had moved to the interior cabin. It was an exciting trip because the swells were huge and it was a wonderful roller coaster ride. Unlike the previous time I made the trip, on a calm sunny day, this was a bit of a wild ride. I'm not certain if it was raining but it had rained en route back from the Island. Because of the wild waves, we couldn't get very close to the cliffs nor to the standalone rock formation that is home to the puffins. We did see a few chubby little puffins fly by our boat, their wings flapping faster than any other bird I've ever seen. They don't soar, they stayed low and just above the water and boy those little wings were working hard.

We found our way back to the B&B after a supper of vegetable soup and brown bread at a pub in Linnane. Google gave us quite a road trip and then she got quite hilarious.

We were talking in the car about breakfast in the morning. Then Ms Google intervened with "I've marked some suggestions on the map for where to have breakfast in the morning". We had not asked her for anything. Then we couldn't shut her up. She kept repeating that same thing so I told her we didn't need suggestions. So, she explained what a suggestion was. I thanked her and she replied in a rather self-effacing way. What was this? Conversing with Google? 

We told her that we were done and she could go to sleep. Her reply: "I see you have a new sleep routine, let's do it together." We were laughing so hard I could hardly drive. No matter what we said we couldn't shut her up. It was entertaining but not something we'd wanted or thought we'd asked for. Kind of spooky actually.

The forecast for Friday was grim so we planned to drive into Galway and take a bus tour of the city. The best-laid plans ... but this time, what went wrong turned out to be incredibly wonderful. 

There was no place to park near the bus stop and it was difficult to even leave the parking lot. People had parked in the places where there should have been a lane. So we decided that as it was raining very hard, we would head to Clifton where Judi's friend had recommended the Abbey Glen Castle hotel. That would be our destination for lunch.

We found the hotel to be quite lovely. Over the past week, we've been having our main meal at noon and soup for supper. There were only soup and sandwiches on offer. We ended up ordering seafood chowder and brown bread. Both were delicious. Nearby was a peat fire that fortunately was drawing well so it was not smoky or smelly in the room.

As we ate by the window it got brighter and brighter and dryer and dryer outside. By the time we'd finished eating it was sunny. We chatted with the waitress who recommended Sky Drive which would ultimately take us to Castlebar, our current location in a fabulous Airbnb cottage called "Mews". It's incredibly clean and has a lovely scent. Even better, it has a washer and a dryer. Clean pyjamas tonight! What a luxury.

Anyway, Sky Drive is part of the Wild Atlantic Way and it totally changed my opinion of Connemara. This was a route I had never taken. The views were spectacular and really only noticed when going from Clifden to Westport. Travelling in the other direction you would never notice the vistas unless you kept looking out the rear window. And this is some of what we saw: [to see a larger image just click on it.]

The road we travelled - bleak hillsides on one side and incredible vistas of lakes and then the coast on the other. The road is not as wide as it appears here. 

The peat fire at the Abbey Glen Hotel Bar

Ho hum - another lovely Connemara vista

We ended the day with dinner in Castlebar at a lovely little restaurant. We both ordered the pan-seared scallops with salad. The presentation made it ALMOST too pretty to eat. This was actually an appetizer, which we enjoyed with wine, and left room for dessert. 

Now we are back in our own lovely place and the first load of laundry seems to be ready for the dryer. We are more than happy to do laundry. Recent stays in hotels and B&B did not have this option. 

Tomorrow we will visit Achill Island. The forecast is for a dry but cloudy day - which is just fine with us.

CDs delivered safely to their destination

Breakfast this morning was our last in Carrigaline but we could have stayed there and explored more of West Cork. There are lots of locations left to see - on another trip.

After breakfast with Paddy Egan we took possession of a box of CDs of his, destined for a music shop in Ennis, Co. Clare. The weather was perfect and we were going to put our trust in Ms. Google to get us through Cork City on our way north. However, we followed Paddy to the highway we needed, filled the gas tank and had a wonderful uneventful drive with nary a wrong turn. Well, none that I will speak of. I mean if Google is too early or late with turning instructions it can't be our fault. And when she tells you to take the second exit when there are only two, and you really needed the first one, that isn't our fault either. The long and short of it is that we didn't really lose any time.

Passing around Limerick we'd been advised that we should follow the signs to Galway. Our destination was Ennis, and we didn't understand until we saw the signs. Ennis was not mentioned until a few kilometres later but having followed the advice, we sailed through.

We stopped at Bunratty and had a lovely lunch before heading to the Castle and Folk Village. What a marvellous place. Judi made a complete tour of the castle but the circular stairs up to the higher floors were too much for my knees which don't cope well with high steps so I only went up one level.

This was followed by a good couple of hours wandering and examining the houses and other buildings in the Folk Village. Then we followed the signs through an almost magical forest landscape where we saw Fairy villages, a beautiful walled garden, some miniature horses, a couple of donkeys, both horizontal and vertical mills, a thatched roof being replaced (work was temporarily halted but we could see the layers), and generally had a fabulous walkabout.

By late afternoon, we realized that we were pretty close to Ennis and decided to deliver Paddy's CDs to Custy's traditional music shop. Abandoning the car in a good parking spot on the very narrow street, and asking for a bit of help with directions, we were able to get there in good time. Judi picked up a few things and I took a few photos of the unique store. The owner told us about a good place to have supper so we went to The Old Ground Hotel bar called The Poet's Corner and enjoyed some delicious seafood chowder and brown bread.

From there we proceeded to the B&B where we are now about to call it a day. We each have our own room and access to two bathrooms as the third guest bedroom is unoccupied. This is the cleanest house I've ever been in. It almost sparkles. The grounds and garden are equally pretty and neat. The lawn would be the envy of the most particular of gardeners. Our hosts were very welcoming and very chatty. 

Their recommendation to head to Doolin, take a ferry to the Aran Islands and a cruise beneath the Cliffs of Moher will occupy the sunny day predicted for tomorrow. We've booked it online and now just have to make sure we are at the Doolin pier on time. This will be my first visit to Inis Mor and second on the Cliffs of Moher cruise.

The internet connection is very slow so photos will have to wait.

Not so bad after all

Today dawned bright and sunny. Well, actually we were not awake at dawn so I have no real idea of how sunny it was then. But at 8 am, the weather was perfect and we momentarily were able to think positively before we remembered the car issues.

At breakfast, we met with Paddy Egan and learned that his new CD is selling like hotcakes. We will actually be delivering a fresh supply to a music shop in Ennis tomorrow.

Diarmaid (apologies for probably misspelling his name) arrived to lead us to his mechanic to determine the health of our borrowed vehicle. After some checking, the mechanic was quite sure that since the car is of "a certain age" it is probably just burning oil and not about to completely shut down or seize up or whatever it does that older car engines do when they decide they've worked hard enough and are ready to retire completely. We were supplied with a container of oil and will be checking oil levels each morning before setting out and topping up when needed. That is about the extent of car maintenance that either of us can manage. 

Once back at the hotel we decided not to go so far today and visited a small beach at Myrtleville where Judi once again risked frostbite of the toes to sample the water. She survived again and we have the video footage to prove it. The spot was very idyllic and we continue to be awestruck at the scenery. 

From there it was on to Crosshaven where we ambled along parallel to the harbour. We've managed to time our visits to the sea, almost everywhere, to coincide with low tide. I'm sure the bay is spectacular when the tide is high. It was quite lovely even without a lot of water.

Lunch of soup and brown bread was more than sufficient and we picked up a couple of things to take to dinner at Jaz and Diarmaid's home in the evening. The journey back to the hotel was uneventful and no warning lights or buzzers played with my nerves.

The evening was lovely, complete with a barbecue and a stunning array of salads for dinner. We certainly never lacked for conversation and this will be a highlight of the trip. Jaz picked us up at the hotel and D drove us back a short time ago.

Here are a few recent photos. Out of order of course. I just want to see if you are paying attention and matching the pictures to the narrative. Please note - they won't always match.

Crosshaven at low tide

Sampling the offerings at Murphy's

Myrtleville Beach

Well I guess they had to call it something different to stand out in the crowd

Crosshaven from another angle

And yet another angle

Meanwhile back in Dingle - a very tiny quaint record store

ARRRGGGGHHHH - a spot of car trouble, as yet undiagnosed

Today was not the most straightforward of touring days. We'd decided to take a car ferry from Ringaskiddy to Cobh. That would be a very short trip and avoid the construction around Cork. So off we went - only to find that the ferry was not operating today due to "trade cars" whatever that means. Where to go instead? Dingle - it's only 2 1/2 hours away. For us that's no big deal, so off we went. Folks around here think we'd lost our minds travelling that distance.

The drive was pleasant, and the weather was cooperative other than a couple of showers while we were driving. Most of the trip was on good roads with only a couple of diversions onto the dreaded L roads. But they had only a 4-digit ID and not a 5-digit which usually means a strip of grass up the centre.

The view of Inch Strand was most impressive and we marked the stop with a video and a few photos, and on we went. Some warning signs of upcoming curves seemed to be redundant and some upcoming curves went unmarked. I didn't even approach the speed limit - only the truly foolish, or a local, would do that.

Once in the town of Dingle we did a little tour in search of a parking spot. We found one a few blocks from the main drag. The walk into the town centre was all downhill and easy going. You know what that means for the walk back to the car later. But we did have to walk off our lunch.

At Murphy's Pub, we shared a single order of seafood linguini, at the suggestion of our waiter. And what a good suggestion it was. I managed to eat all of the shrimp, mussels and salmon and left some of the pasta. I had to leave room for Murphy's Ice Cream, located a few doors away. There is no connection between the two. Murphy is the most common surname in the country and it seems that many of them live in Dingle. Well, everywhere actually.

For the drive back to Carrigaline we opted for a route via Tralee so we would not be covering the same territory. Ms. Google had other ideas. It seems she was offering a drive around Slea Head. No doubt it would have been very scenic, but it was in the exactly opposite direction. She had been behaving badly all morning, choosing to tell of upcoming turns immediately after we had passed them. But I realized we were not on track to the chosen destination and we turned around.

Ms. Google reluctantly provided directions to Tralee via Anascaul and Blennerville but gave a couple fewer instructions than we wanted. Fortunately, the signage was great and got us on track. Just after the exit from the highway to our hotel, she announced that the left turn she'd just advised us to take should have been a right turn, but it was too late. I was stopped at the intersection and three lanes too far left. So we turned, realizing that somewhere a U-turn would be needed.

We'd hardly started up this road when the oil light came on flashing red and beeping like mad. We were already lost, kept finding one-way streets going the wrong way, and following Ms. Google's instructions were soon en route again to Ringaskiddy. NOOOOOOOOO. The oil light kept chirping and we were lost with no idea how serious the car problem was.

I pulled over and we called Diarmaid to ask for an assessment of the situation. When we parted from the Keating clan and in-laws on Saturday night we didn't realize we'd be talking to any of them so soon again but we didn't know what else to do. We were unable to tell him exactly where we were but with the info we gave him, he thought he knew and said he'd be along in about 15 minutes. Then my phone died. Judi still had juice in hers and she called to let him know to call her number.

Before he arrived he called again, unable to find us. Then a helpful gentleman pulled over having seen the car stopped, hood up, and the two of us wringing our hands. He was able to tell Diarmaid when he called again, how to find us. Whew.

By then the warning light and beeping had stopped. As we had checked, the result was the same for this chap. The oil reservoir was half full. That means we're losing oil quite rapidly and we have to get the car checked. It was topped up with 2 litres when the level was down a few days ago.

Diarmaid eventually found us, and by then all seemed well but we knew that the car needed attention. In the morning he will call and find a mechanic to help us. We've booked the hotel for another night and will call the B&B where we are supposed to be tomorrow night.

Once back at our hotel, after following D, now considered to be our guardian angel, we headed to the bar and both of us enjoyed a G&T. We're winding down for the night and will follow instructions in the morning. We are also hoping to meet up with another friend, now time to be determined by the car. Touring tomorrow is iffy at best, but we are safe and sound and the frazzling of nerves has settled. It's time to call it a day and dream of a better outcome tomorrow.

Our time was well spent and at least the car problem happened at the end of the day. Fingers crossed the repairs don't cost a fortune.

Today's images - taken yesterday on a damp day

 

The day was rather wet but we drove out first to Crosshaven where the trails were well used and so were the parking lots. Nobody seemed to care about rain gear. Then it was off to Fennell's Bay (see previous post) and we rereouted briefly to this ruined church with a Christmas wreath over the door. Wild garlic grew everywhere. I thought it was some late snowdrops but it was garlic. The view was lovely and would be fantastic in sunlight.

Misty view near Fennell's Bay

Wild garlic (white flowers) and a Christmas wreath on the church

Camelias in the graveyard

Today's path but we didn't go far in the rain

And here's the photo at Bulman's - always take a picture here on every visit to Kinsale

Today Ms Google got confused

Yesterday we vacated our place way out in Corran, Waterfall, County Cork. It was just not what we wanted. All in all we considered it unsatisfactory.

Hauling our suitcases and assorted food morsels upstairs was quite the task. Using those stairs in the middle of the night was too much. We had to move.

This being a long weekend, it was difficult to find suitable accommodations. But we were lucky and found a lovely room at the Carrigaline Court Hotel in Carrigaline. As it happened, that's the place selected by the Keatings for us to meet on Saturday night. Win-win! And our deal includes a lovely buffet breakfast.

So, with our accommodations arranged, we moved out of Corran and back into travel mode. The Airbnb host accepted our cancellation of the last 2 nights and we've already got the refund from Airbnb, and that was a bonus.

Our first destination was Bantry and the drive was wonderful and worth every twist and turn and back road that Ms Google is so fond of. The sun was shining for us again and the scenery was breathtaking. We had a fantastic lunch at O'Connor's Pub and walked off a bit of it around the town. The houses on the main street are brightly painted and reminded us of St John's. The street was quite narrow but that doesn't discourage anyone from parking, facing either direction, wherever they can find a spot, whether or not it blocks the street. Driving is a bit scary. However, we found a good and free spot from which to walk about. 

For years I've seen photos of the monastic area of Gougane Barra and absolutely wanted to go there. Well, I certainly wasn't disappointed. I've already posted pictures which you've seen.

En route, which included some pretty narrow but gorgeous winding roads, we encountered a semi-ruined castle and found a place to pull over for a closer look. It was Carriganass castle which has a bit of a bloody history. The information plaque told the story, partly in verse about the gory events, ending with "well it's a good story even if it's not provable." There was a lovely stream running alongside and it was hard to decide where to fix one's gaze on the surrounding countryside. Absolutely breathtaking. And of course, we put the camera apps to good use.

It wasn't a lot farther to Gougane Barra where we briefly paused at the hotel where some sort of event was taking place. After letting a couple of cars exit from the narrow road, I drove down to find a perfect parking spot.

This is a former monastic site, situated on a huge lake among very high hills, maybe even mountains. The ruins included individual cells or caves, in one of which was a sort of shrine. Outside of that site was the chapel featured in promotional material. Inside it was incredibly peaceful, with a few lovely stained glass windows of Irish saints, including St Finbarr whose site it was. I could not quite make out all of the names. 

Leaving that behind we headed to Carrigaline for a brief rest, which never actually happened, a bit of supper, which didn't happen either, a shower and change of clothes (both of which did happen) before meeting the Keatings in the bar around 9.

Una gifted everyone with a few of her note cards featuring some prints from her paintings. We were 10 in all and the conversation and conviviality lasted until 1 a.m. I was finally able to partake of a few drinks since I didn't have to drive, only navigate the elevator up one floor to our room. 

This morning we slept in and enjoyed our buffet breakfast at about 10:30. It included the best cup of coffee I've had yet on this trip. 

It was raining lightly but convinced the sun would shine once we set out, off we went. Given that we'd covered a lot of miles we decided to stay fairly local and go to Crosshaven and Kinsale. 

Well, getting to Crosshaven was easy enough, but the rain had not yet realized that we preferred dry to wet, so we didn't go walkabout like some of the locals were doing - without raincoats.

Not far away was Fennell's Bay. Since some of my ancestors were Fennells (but not from Cork) that was next on the destination list. The route was along some lovely and picturesque (read: dicey) narrow 'L' roads. Just before the Bay I turned up an even narrower road because there seemed to be an interesting old ruined church way up there. It was definitely worth a bit of a stroll in the rain. The view was lovely between the raindrops but the photos won't show that.

The rain continued but we shifted on (with our manual transmission VW Polo), and shifted again and again. Ms Google had been given the destination of Bulman's Pub near Kinsale, where I've been a few times. All was well at first until she told me to take the next "sharp right" and I did. Sharp right doesn't begin to define the 160 degree turn up a steep hill on a road just a bit wider than our little car. After a kilometre or so the instruction was again to turn right - back onto the road we'd turned off. Whaaaat? OK - let's try that again. And again we got the instruction at the same place - but we were smarter this time and ignored that turn. Once around the "block" was enough. And we were right and Ms Google was wrong. So there.

Bulman's Pub was found eventually down a very steep narrow street that we assumed was one-way. Hah! Luckily our timing was such that we didn't meet anyone heading up. So we parked and prepared for a nice lunch at the pub. They are closed for dining on Sundays and Mondays - even on this holiday weekend. 

How to get to Kinsale town? It is up that same road we'd just squeezed down. Again, luck was with us and we didn't encounter any oncoming traffic. Breathing normally resumed at that point.

The decision to go to Kinsale on a holiday was not a good one. We drove around and around and up and down and could not find anywhere to park. The streets were crowded and we figured we'd never get into a restaurant anyway. So - back to the hotel.

Again we ignored Ms Google once or twice in order to stay on the correct route. No, I didn't remember how to get back, we followed the (rare) signposts to Cork and eventually one for Carrigaline. 

Back at the hotel, we did get a table in the dining room for a carvery dinner - a buffet but the portioned were served from the items we pointed to. We both chose the salmon and before I could say "No thanks" I had a scoop of stuffing on my plate. This was the first time I'd had that combo. Chicken had been another option and I wonder if it was missing its stuffing.

I was able to stop the second scoop of mashed potatoes but before I could say No again, a roasted potato landed on my plate, still in the hands of the server, and a large dish with carrots, parsnips and a kale-cabbage-green pea combo were passed over the counter. 

There will be no more dining today. Two buffet meals are more than enough. 

It's now bright and dry and we have no further adventures planned for today. It's a kind of half-day off of driving for me. Besides, I had my fill of long and winding roads to start the month of May. 

My phone is charging. The battery runs out faster than a ball rolling down a hill. Later I will download some pictures and post them separately from this long-winded narrative.

The rain has stopped but it is still not sunny. Maybe tomorrow when we head to Cobh and possibly Spike Island in Cork Harbour.

Some photos to remember the journey

 I'll write about the adventures later. We had a lovely sleep-in and a late buffet breakfast this morning and will shortly take off for Kinsale or Cobh or who knows where. We've become coddiwomples - travelling purposefully towards an unknown destination. The photos uploaded themselves in odd sequence but I'm not good at rearranging them so here you are. Complaints should be sent to someone else.

Una, Jean, Jacinta and Ann at Carrigaline Court hotel bar

Frank, Judi, Diarmid, Una, Jean, Jacinta and Ann at Carrigaline Court Hotel bar

Frank, Judi and Diarmid 

I 

Yellow primroses everywhere

Our tea time companion at Johnstown Castle - she wanted treats but we didn't share

At Gougane Barra

Also Gougane Barra - in West Cork

Along the route from Bantry to Gougane Barra - Carriganass Castle

At Johnstown Castle outside of Wexford town

Didn't catch the entire process of lifting and showing off his beautiful tail

Lunching in Wexford town at the Crown something pub

And back at Carriganass Castle in West Cork

Hook Head Lighthouse with a view of where the Byrne ancestors sailed off to Canada in 1847

Anyone know what this plant is? The leaves are like Primrose.

Lunching with 0% Guinness at Mary Barry's Pub in Kilmore and no, I did not finish everything on my plate. We had to leave room to share the most amazing Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. It was worth the calories and we are averaging well over 10K steps a day.

Judi and a friend in Wexford town

Carriganass Castle with a view of the surroundings