Ireland May 14-28 2012

Windows St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin

Phoenix Park, Dublin

Shopping, Dublin

River Liffey

Avoca, pub location for Ballykissangel.

1705 pub outside Waterford.  Lunch and entertainment

Clock tower on main steet/waterfront, Waterford

Cobh, Heritage Centre.  Immigrant and famine ships left from here as well Titanic.

Blarney Castle

View from top of Blarney Castle. I did not kiss the stone.

on the grounds of Blarney Castle

Jaunting car ride through Killarney National Park

Muckross House on the grounds of the park. Owned by the state and open for tours.

Lake in front of Muckross House.

Misty morning start to Ring of Kerry

Long view

Ring of Kerry

Waterville, lunch stop and beach walk, Ring of Kerry

note the stone walls dividing fields, Ring of Kerry

Sneem River, town of Sneem, Ring of Kerry

Ring of Kerry

Cliffs of Moher

Windy on the Cliffs Of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

The Burren

Neolithic portal grave, The Burren

Dunguaire Castle, mead, feast and entertainment.

Peat bog, Connemara

Kylemore Abbey

highlight of Kylemore..the restored Victorian walled gardens

High cross, churchyard Drumcliffe

Drumcliffe cemetery where WB Yeats is buried.

Gate in the old walled city Derry, Northern Ireland

From the walls, The Bogside.  Murals relating to Bloody Sunday and The Troubles.

Thatched cottage. Ulster American Folk Village.

Field with hedgerows rather than stone walls.. Ulster A. Folk Centre

Dunluce castle.  Coastal road drive.

Bushmills.  Tour and tasting.

Walking toward the Giant's Causeway

still walking

I have arrived!

Looking up at the tall pillars.

My shoe on the edge.

St Patrick's tomb stone, outside Down Cathedral, Downpatrick North Ireland

Ceiling Down Cathedral (Church of Ireland) once a Benedictine Monastary.

Our bus near Queen' University Belfast.

Another fine pub lunch, Belfast.

No escaping Tim Hortons.  Bit of Canada.

Old and new buildings sharing the city.

Sunning on the lawn at City Hall, Belfast.

Paul stops to watch the Monte Carlo Grand Prix with the sunbathers.

An amazing trip.  Unbelievably beautiful countryside.  For us only a bit of rain ( probably because I carried the raincoats and umbrellas on the bus everyday ) and by the end of our stay, summer temperatures.    We even got a tan.

Servings of food were far too large.   Not as many beer choices as Paul expected on tap at the bars.  Hotels excellent.  So many gift shops I gave up looking.  

Our tour was small, only 17 of us.  Our tour manager Lucia was fabulous.  Cookies and treats mid morning and afternoon while travelling.  A nip of Irish whiskey when the weather was cool.  Funny and entertaining.  Our driver Pat cool under pressure, awfully tight spots for a very long bus.  He shared the history of Ireland with us in segments each day.   Answered all our questions with good humour and able to tell a very tall tale perfectly straight faced.  

It will be weeks before I get my pictures all sorted and have an accurate write up of our trip.    After 2000 miles and so many stops things tend to blend.