Month: June 2019

We are posting this from 38,00 feet above the Atlantic.

No photos as this is the last post for this adventure. We had planned to do a hop-on hop-off bus tour of Dublin yesterday, but the “oops” fairy got us. We left our passports in the room safe in the hotel in Belfast. We were a good 45 minutes down the road towards Dublin when we realized this. We called the hotel and were able to retrieve the passports but this delayed us. This along with the Irish Sunshine, aka Rain, caused us to alter our plans and we then drove along the coast on Mourne Coastal Route. We didn’t stop for pictures but the coast was beautiful. We able to drop off the rental car fine and then check into the airport hotel. After relaxing for a bit, we had a nice dinner.

Today we got up and headed to the airport, intending to have a nice breakfast together at the Aer Lingus business class lounge. The hotel shuttle worked great and we checked in just fine. Of course, Bill got patted down because of his hip. Bought some things at Duty Free and then went to the US Pre-clearance area. Dublin is one of those airports when you clear US Customs before you get on the plane. Linda sailed thru Global Entry, but Bill got a big “X” on his slip. Linda went to the lounge and Bill had to wait 45 minutes to get cleared. Apparently the mild identity theft issue we reported in March flagged his passport and they had to confirm it as really him. Better safe than sorry, but Bill will have to go to Customs in Milwaukee to get this off the record.

We hope you have enjoyed our adventure half as much as we did. See you all soon from the road again.

Started the day by walking to the first stop on the Hop-on Hop-off Bus. Took the bus the the Titanic Experience. This is well done and we spent a couple hours looking at the information about Belfast and how the Titanic came to be built in Belfast. The Titanic and her two sister ships, Olympic and Britannia were built at the H&W shipyards.

• 

• 

• 

Got back on the bus and rode to the City Market stop. We went in search of an ATM to get Pounds and by the time we got back to the market, it was closing. Saw the North Ireland Parliament Building and a number of the murals from both sides in the Troubles. Even though there has been peace for 21 years, apparently the two sides still don’t trust each other. Finished the day taking a picture of us at the River Lagen. Our band plays a song “Down by the Lagenside,” so a picture was in order.

• 

• 

• 

Tomorrow we are driving to Dublin Airport to turn the car in, check in to our hotel, and then do a bit of touring in Dublin before we take off on Monday for home.

We had a wonderful stay at the Island View B&B near Burtonport. Our Host Anie Boyle was a wonderful source of information, including alerting us to the Donegal Pro Rally that was being held near Letterkenny. We had originally planned on driving directly towards The Giant’s Causeway via Letterkenny. We modified our route to go more on the Wild Atlantic Way in Donegal, including a ferry ride from Rathmullen to Buncrana on the Lough Swilly ferry.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We got the the Giant’s Causeway late in the afternoon and enjoyed the walk along the coast listening to the Audio tour. We also saw some daisies grow in some rough and unlikely locations.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

After a while at the Giant’s Causeway, we drove to our hotel in Belfast. We were a bit tired from all the driving so we had dinner at the hotel dining room. We plan on touring Belfast tomorrow, including the Titanic Experience.

We decided to take it easy today and visit Glenveagh National Park. The park is in the mountain area of Donegal and the park included Glenveagh Castle. The castle is not a true castle but a country house that was built in a beautiful spot on a lake. We also took a tour of the Castle and had lunch in the Tea Room. We could not take pictures inside but the pictures of the outside and the lake are amazing.

• 

• 

• 

We then went into Burtonport to see the harbor and have a coffee and snack. We got to see a fisherman unloading crab and lobster.

• 

• 

• 

We learned that there was a session in Dungloe, so we went early and had a great seafood dinner before I played and sang a few songs with some very talented young musicians.

• 

We were so far north that we were able to drive back to the B&B in twilight at 10:45 at night! Longest day of the year is tomorrow. On to Belfast tomorrow

We left Sligo heading north to our B&B near Burtonport in Donegal County. Our first stop was St. John’s Point to see the lighthouse. In typical Irish fashion the roads were pretty narrow, but the traffic was also light. The views as we drove toward the point were wonderful, but the road was too narrow to stop and take a picture. The lighthouse was nice and the view from the point was spectacular.

• 

• 

Our next stop was the Slieve League Cliffs. We first drove to a parking lot near a gate across the road. We started to walk up the very steep road and when we realized that it would be quite a hike and also that we could drive up the road, we decided to have Linda wait at a wide place and Bill went back to get the car (very good decision!!). While waiting for Bill and the car, Linda took a picture of one of the million sheep in Ireland. The drive to the cliffs was uneventful and the view from the top was wonderful, maybe even better than the Cliffs of Moher. It was not perfectly clear, the that didn’t detract too much from the view.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We then headed cross country to our B&B near Burtonport. Our route took us over Glengesh Pass that afforded some great views. We had been warned about the pass, but compared to the passes in the Colorado Rockies, it was pretty tame.

• 

We checked into the B&B and our host Aine Boyle told us that her sister was having her ukulele students have a session at a local pub and we were invited to play along. Before we went to the pub, we had dinner at a local restaurant the seafood (all local) was outstanding. It was great fun and Bill sang a few songs and played along. But the highlight of the evening was when they discovered we had been married for 50 ears and they sang a some “My Best Friend” while we danced. The video is on Facebook.

• 

• 

Tomorrow we are off to explore more of Donegal.

Started the day by driving out to Rosses Point which is a lovely seaside village near Sligo. There is a lighthouse there and a beautiful beach.

• 

• 

We then drove on to Lissadell House. The house is a bit plain for a grand house but very interesting inside. More importantly, Lissadell House was the home of Countess Markievicz who was an Irish revolutionary famous for her role in the Easter Rising in 1916. She also worked for women’s rights including suffrage in the UK. She was the first woman elected to the English Parliament and Irish Parliament Dail Eireann.

• 

• 

We next drove out to Parke’s Castle where we had an excellent tour. The castle has been restored and is an example of a 17th century plantation castle. Robert Parke was English, but treated the local Irish very well. The castle was originally the home of Brian O’Rourke who was executed by Queen Elizabeth for providing aid to survivors of the Spanish Armada. It is a beautiful setting on the shore of Louge Gill.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Went back to our B&B to finish the laundry and get ready for our journey to Donegal tomorrow.

Drove from Westport to Sligo via Ceide (pronounced “Cage-a”) Fields. Ceide Fields is a neolithic site with marvelous views of the North Mayo coast. We had a long range view of Downpatrick Head. We decided not to make the trip up to Downpatrick Head. On the way to Sligo, our GPS “lady” sent us down some narrow roads (with grass growing in the middle).

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We arrived at our B&B in Sligo and decided to get some laundry done. Sligo is by far the least touristy place we have been to. It seems the no one is on the street after 7 or 8 PM. Met some nice people at the B&B. Most everyone else was going from north to south.

Today was a cloudy and rainy day. Fortunately the rain was intermittent. We decided to go to Kylemore Abbey that we had planned on visiting yesterday. We decided to go to the abbey via the Wild Atlantic Way so that we did not go and come home the same way. The drive was along the shore of Clew Bay. The tide was out and it was amazing to see the dry sea bed.

• 

• 

• 

Got to Kylemore Abbey in time for a little lunch, as you know we travel on our stomachs. The abbey itself is beautiful and the rain let up somewhat so we went to see the walled gardens. We both love English gardens and the gardens at Kylemore are stunning.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Got back to Westport and decided just to have a nice dinner out and relax. We are off to Sligo tomorrow.

After a wonderful 6 days with Wild Atlantic Music Tours, thanks to Robert and Eddie, we picked up our rental at Shannon Airport and headed north towards Westport. Our original plan was to make one or two stops, but we got a later than planned start and we were tired from all the sightseeing and music. We drove around Galway and then headed into Connemara where the views were amazing. The views of Lough Inagh were great. Also, the road went thru open sheep range so we had to be on the lookout for stray sheep. The road went by Killary Harbour, which is Ireland’s only true fjord and we stopped for a photo opp.

• 

• 

• 

• 

We checked into our B&B and wandered around Westport. We stopped in a cheese shop and had a plate of Irish cheeses and dried meats. We also had a lovely French white wine. A little later we went to Matt Malloy’s Pub for the evening session. Bill decided to forgo playing and we sat and listened. The music was grand, but the crowd was noisy. We left after about 40 minutes and walked back to the B&B. The sun was just setting and we took one last picture of Linda on a bridge over the Carrowbeg River.

• 

Started the day early to beat the buses and the crowds at the Cliffs of Moher. Even though the forecast was for rain, the day turned out cry and clear, so much for weather forecasting accuracy. We had a great view of the cliffs and the wind was manageable.

• 

• 

• 

After some photos and a visit to the excellent visitor center, plus some shopping, we headed to The Burren and the Burren Perfumery. We had a short guided tour of their herb garden and then went to the Tea Room for a wonderful lunch. Of course, there was some shopping.

• 

• 

• 

Our last touring adventure was a 2 hour guided walk of The Burren with Tony Kirby. He showed us the plant life and geology of The Burren. Near the end of the walk he showed us a 11th Century monastic site, including a stone church.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We had a great dinner at the hotel and then we went to the Poet’s Corner Pub, where we listened to Blackie O’Connell, Siobhan Peoples and others play a session. Bill played with them and then loaned his guitar to Tommy O’Sullivan, who made the guitar sing. We got a recording of a number of the tunes. It was a great end to a wonderful tour. Tomorrow we pick up our rental car and head to Westport.