By Cheryl Brooks
This has been a very busy spring, and since I returned from Ireland about a week ago, I haven't had much time to breathe. Edits for Wildcat arrived on Friday, and I've been either working on them or at the hospital ever since.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I forgot about today's blog post until a thunderstorm woke me up this morning. However, I have plenty of pictures to make up for the lack of creative writing.The tough part will be deciding
which pictures to post.
We arrived in Ireland on Mother's Day and had lunch at Durty Nelly's.
Visited Bunratty Castle which was right next door.
Strolled through the Folk park.
Crossed the drawbridge.
Climbed to the very top turret to enjoy the view.
Then we drove on through County Kerry to the Sneem Hotel where we stayed, snapping pictures along the way.
On Monday, we sampled Irish moonshine at Molly Gallivan's near Druids View, where I also bought this wonderful Irish sweater.
And then took a boat ride to Garnish Island to explore the gardens there.
Ireland is a fabulous place where rhododendrons and fuchsias grow like weeds.
Where you might stumble across a stone temple...
...with an incredible view.
Where the sky and the water are both blue...
and even the sheep go to church.
On Tuesday, we took a drive through the Black Valley
Then it was on to the Slea Head drive to see the sights.
stopped off to enjoy another amazing view of the bay,
and climbed the walls at Staigue Fort.
We started Thursday with a full Irish breakfast, and I ate it all, including the black pudding.
Visited Cahergall Stone fort.
Drove up to the peak on Valentia Island to see the view.
Then walked around to the other side to see the Fogher Cliffs.
We stopped off at an ancient priory,
and hung out with Charlie Chaplin in Waterville.
On Friday, we visited Blarney Castle,
took a walk around the grounds...
before climbing the spiral stairs to kiss the Blarney Stone.
We strolled through the park to Blarney House,
and then went on to the Jameson Distillery in Midleton,
where I was trained as an official whiskey taster!
Saturday, we took the day off from touring to spend a quiet day in Sneem, exploring the town and climbing over the rocks in the Sneem River.
Took a walk down to Golden's Cove for the view of the lovely Sneem Hotel.
And said goodbye to Ireland on Sunday.
It's good to be home again, but I'd go back in a heartbeat. *sigh* Now it's back to work on those edits!
This has been a very busy spring, and since I returned from Ireland about a week ago, I haven't had much time to breathe. Edits for Wildcat arrived on Friday, and I've been either working on them or at the hospital ever since.
We arrived in Ireland on Mother's Day and had lunch at Durty Nelly's.
Visited Bunratty Castle which was right next door.
Strolled through the Folk park.
Crossed the drawbridge.
Climbed to the very top turret to enjoy the view.
Then we drove on through County Kerry to the Sneem Hotel where we stayed, snapping pictures along the way.
On Monday, we sampled Irish moonshine at Molly Gallivan's near Druids View, where I also bought this wonderful Irish sweater.
And then took a boat ride to Garnish Island to explore the gardens there.
Ireland is a fabulous place where rhododendrons and fuchsias grow like weeds.
Where you might stumble across a stone temple...
...with an incredible view.
Where the sky and the water are both blue...
and even the sheep go to church.
On Tuesday, we took a drive through the Black Valley
And visited the beehive huts.
Then it was on to the Slea Head drive to see the sights.
On Wednesday, I went for a ride on Derrynane Beach,
stopped off to enjoy another amazing view of the bay,
and climbed the walls at Staigue Fort.
We started Thursday with a full Irish breakfast, and I ate it all, including the black pudding.
Visited Cahergall Stone fort.
Drove up to the peak on Valentia Island to see the view.
Then walked around to the other side to see the Fogher Cliffs.
We stopped off at an ancient priory,
and hung out with Charlie Chaplin in Waterville.
On Friday, we visited Blarney Castle,
took a walk around the grounds...
before climbing the spiral stairs to kiss the Blarney Stone.
We strolled through the park to Blarney House,
and then went on to the Jameson Distillery in Midleton,
where I was trained as an official whiskey taster!
Saturday, we took the day off from touring to spend a quiet day in Sneem, exploring the town and climbing over the rocks in the Sneem River.
Took a walk down to Golden's Cove for the view of the lovely Sneem Hotel.
And said goodbye to Ireland on Sunday.
It's good to be home again, but I'd go back in a heartbeat. *sigh* Now it's back to work on those edits!
Wow! Those photos were so beautiful. I want to go. It looked like it was nice and cool, too. Another bonus!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful, Cheryl! I'd love to go also! I had roots in Ireland--Kelly, that is supposed to be as common as Smith here, and Hawthorns who lived for many generations over there. :) Glad you had a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shana! We had temperatures in the 50's while we were there, which was cooler than normal. Very windy, too! Then we came home to 90+ weather and wished we were back in Ireland!
ReplyDeleteYou'd love it, Terry! The people are very friendly and the sights are amazing! My husband's mother was a Mahoney, and I'm sure I've got some Irish in me somewhere.
ReplyDeleteSeeing you on the horse reminds me of that first shot in your book! LOVED the photos. Thanks for sharing with us. I've always wanted to visit there and feel like I have this morning. Did you bring home ideas for more books?
ReplyDeleteI can look at your photo's again and again. It was fun sharing your trip on your blog as you toured it. Now, I really want to go too!!
ReplyDeleteSure did, Carolyn! I wrote some while I was there, but that story will have to wait on the back burner for a bit!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Donna. I enjoyed everything but that long flight. It's a bummer!
ReplyDeleteGood on you for wearing a helmet on your beach ride, and next time, take me with you!
ReplyDeleteI'll do that, Grace!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, yes your amazing pictures totally made up for the lack of writing. I want to go there now too!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lexi! If you do ever get to Ireland, I highly recommend the Sneem Hotel and Kerry Experience Tours. We couldn't have done it without them!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING pictures, Cheryl! No wonder you had a hard time choosing. I'm a little green. :}
ReplyDelete