IRELAND 2007

Our holiday kicked off at a rally at Point Eynon, near Swansea, run by the South and Mid Wales Group of the MCC.
We were joined by Glenys and John Stephenson and Larry and June locket.
We had a great time thanks to the South Wales group who made us very welcome. The weather was hot and sunny, although at times there was a strong wind, which had a bit of a chill to it. Point Eynon is on the Gower peninsula, and reached via narrow and twisty lanes. The Village consists of a church, Pub, 2 fish & chip shops, Restaurant (closed at our visit as it had been taken over by new owners), a gift shop and a village store, (closed and up for sale). The camp site shop was well stocked and provided everything we needed except a newspaper.
There were great walks for Max on the headland, which gave great views.

	Port Eynon

The facilities were not too bad, but it was a long walk to empty the elsan as the disposal area was 3 fields away! The regular price is £16 per pitch without electricity, on the rally we paid £8. (with electric normal price is £18.50).

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to our new friends, and make our way towards Fishguard. We booked in at Fishguard Bay Caravan and Camping site. It was immaculate; £15 for hard standing & electric. The facilities were brand new and really well thought out.

On the morning of the 8th May, we made our way to the ferry port, 15 minutes away. It was blowing a gale. The board said wind speeds of force 6-8. (too much for my liking!)
Elvira & Doug Pike joined us, and we made our way to a nearby café for a bacon roll and coffee as we had an hour to spare before check in at 12.30.
Once on board we made our way to the restaurant area, where we had drinks and whiled away the afternoon until 4.45 when we ate a meal to save cooking when we arrived. Jack did his usual thing and played the fruit machines and won £280. It paid for the ferry!
We docked in Rosslaire at 6pm, and after filling up with diesel, made our way to Ferrybanks camp site in Wexford. The site warden was there, but because of building works had closed the site. On his recommendation, we made our way up the R741 towards Ballaghkeen, and stayed at the “Trading post”, a new looking site behind a garage. (the entrance was through the garage forecourt). We spent a restful night there, although some of us were disturbed by the peacocks. The facilities were very good, and the showers were free.

9th May. Today we made our way to Enniscorthy. Larry wanted to try and get a new wing mirror as he had clipped his getting through the gate at Point Eynon. The garage had moved, but by not following us and our directions, he stumbled on its new location by accident.
Enniscorthy from Vinegar Hill  (spot the vans)
We all parked at the Duffrey Gate, and went for a look around the town, unfortunately the castle was closed, and the pub we had advised Elvira was good for an Irish stew had burnt down! After a coffee in the “Baked Potoatoe”, we made our way up to the area known as the Shannon, to Slaney View, where we parked the vans. We took one van, Larry’s, up Vinegar Hill so that we could all see the view. On our return, Paddy made us all tea & biscuits, and promised to get the family together down the pub on our return.
Leaving Paddy, we made our way to the Waterford Crystal factory, via New Ross. The display of crystal was stunning, but we did not bother with the factory tour, as we had found it a disappointment on a previous visit, and preferred the craftsmanship of Kinsale Crystal. We stopped the night at Bayview

Ballynacourty Bay                                                        

camp site at Ballynacourty. The site was nice in a beautiful location, however, 2Euros for a shower was a rip off, especially as the water ran out just after you had put shampoo on your hair!

Elvira & June       10th May. Today we headed for Kinsale via the Jameson Distillery at Midleton. We had an interesting tour, followed by a free sample. (Jack drank mine as I don’t like it!) Elvira rang the factory bell. – She said she wanted to do “everything”, as you only live once! Jack and Larry took part in a Whiskey tasting, comparing Jameson’s with Powers and Paddys (all made by Jameson) and then against Johnny Walker Red label and  a bourbon. Jack said the Scotch tasted  awful in comparison. Larry & Jack now hold certificates to say they are competent whisky tasters! After lunch at the distillery, (Irish stew for most of us, Cottage Pie & veg for me, steak for Glenys and Fish Roulade for June) we made our way to Kinsale, where we compared the cut of crystal with that at Waterford. All said it was superior. 
Tasting is serious business
Kinsale is a fishing village, with an interesting, but touristy square crammed with gift shops and café’s. An hour was plenty to spend browsing the lanes, before making our way to Garretstown House holiday Park, which is set in the grounds of a once grand estate. Jack got talking to one of the owners and said that they intend to renovate the old house, using grants. The showers were 50 cents and lasted for 6minutes. Pure Bliss!! Our pitch did have reversed polarity on the electrics, but a change of socket corrected that. The views out to sea from this site were fantastic.
Kinsale Harbour                                            
 The White Arrows Formation Team
However, the 11th May. We awoke  to a very wet day.rain stopped long enough for Elvira, June & Larry to climb up to the top of  Blarney castle and kiss the stone. Elvira  said it was better than sex, so she did it twice! – Jack told her that she gave the luck back, so she said perhaps she should go again! After a quick sandwich it was time to drive to Killarney. It rained nearly all the way. Even so the views were lovely as the terrain changed to rugged mountains and lakes. Once booked into Flemings White Bridge Camping Park, the rain eventually stopped and it became quite a nice evening. Most of us relaxed. June Larry Glenys and John walked up to the local shop for milk etc, and later on john practiced casting his line. We thought he was going to present us with Trout for supper, but he caught only weed!

12th May started off sunny, but soon clouded over. Elvira & Doug went off in a coach and did the ring of Kerry. The rest of us walked into town, where we had a coffee before going

	in different directions. The majority of us wandered the shops and walked back to the site, while John and I walked down to Ross Castle through part of the national park. Max was able to have a bit of a swim, but unfortunately he had to stay on his lead. The views were superb, and all along the paths we had the scent of spring flowers.

Ross Castle was not very big, but quite impressive, as was its setting.

Looking across Lough Leane to Tomies Mountain & Purple Mountain	Ross Castle, Killarney

13th May. We had been forecast rain, but it was dry and overcast as we set off to Muckross House. Once there we split up. June, Larry, Glenys & John wandered the grounds and got a jaunting cart to Torc Waterfall. Doug, Elvira and I walked up the old Kenmare Road to the top of the river above the falls, and walked down along them.
 

We all met up in the restaurant for lunch, which came with very generous portions of vegetables. I don’t think any of us finished it!  After lunch June, Glenys, John, Larry and I walked down to the Abbey, before meeting up at the van to drive back to the camp site.

May 14th, Larry, June, John & Glenys went off to see the Ring of Kerry by coach, while Doug, Elvira Max, and I set of on the gap of Dunloe tour. A reproduction coach came and picked us up from the camp site, and took us to Ross Castle where we started the next part of our tour; - by boat.
Max had never been in a small boat before, but was very well behaved. The boat trip took 1.5 Hours through three lakes and the connecting rivers.
                  
The water on the big lake was a bit choppy, but the views were out of this world. We sailed through the centre of the National Park, seeing areas that cannot be seen from the road. At one point we had to get out of the boat and walk a small stretch, while the boatman and 2 helpers from the party hauled the boat up through the rapids, and through a narrow gap.
We passed by the base of the purple mountain, named after the Rhododendrons and Heather growing on its sides.

Hauling the boat up the rapids	Max on the boat	Looking back on our route

 We also passed Eagles Nest Mountain, where they will be introducing 5 pair of Golden Eagles the following day.
Then we arrived at Lord Brandon’s Cottage, which is a tea rooms on the site of the former cottage. We tucked into homemade vegetable soup and soda bread, before tackling the walking part of our tour, a 12Km walk which climbed 110feet. It was worth it. The scenery was spectacular. Our photos don’t do it justice. It was so peaceful. No cars used the road except local traffic, which was very light. We were passed by the pony and traps, which was an alternative to walking. We were glad we had walked. On the way we saw sheep and goats, but very little wild life.  We were able to see where peat had been cut in the past, and the flora  was impressive. Tucked away amongst the grass we found violets, Bluebells and cotton grass.

		Views
View from Lord Brandon’s cafe		From our boat at the “Meeting of the Waters”

Max & me at  The top of “The Gap of Dunloe	Views along the shore of “The Serpent Lake”	A serpent is supposed to be locked in a chest at the bottom of this lake. St Patrick tricked it into climbing in the chest, when ridding Ireland from snakes. The wind allegedly never ruffles the surface of the lake. Any ripples are caused by the struggles of the snake  trying to set himself free.
Looking up the gap from the beginning of the walk	………..and down the other side	The Turnpike Rock
Max & me about to cross Serpent Bridge	Looking back on our route

Refreshment time at Kate Kearney’s Cottage.

Kate Kearney’s Cottage was the end of our walk, and a welcome stop for a cup of tea. It was also biscuit time for Max.
A historical poster on display in the cottage, shows that Kate’s’ illegal brews of hooch had to be tamed by 7 measures of water before consumption! – The brews on sale today are of the  traditional variety. All to soon our coach came to collect us for the return run to our camp site. – It has been a truly memorable day. A tour I will do again.       

The gang feasting	Doug & Elvira

In the evening we went into Killarney for a meal (celebrating Johns Retirement) and some traditional Irish music. The food in Murphy’s bar was superb, but it was too crowded in the other bar where the music was, so we went a few doors down and had a really good night.

Elvira jigging	The Band

May 15th was a rest day. We had elected to stay another day instead of moving onto Bunratty. Max was tired and did not want to go for a walk. I walked into Killarney with everyone else to do some shopping. After a bite of lunch, we set off round the factory outlet shops before getting a taxi back to the site.

May 16th We set off for Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, which is just north of Limerick. Bunratty Folk Park is a living reconstruction of the homes and environment of Ireland of over a century ago. Rural farmhouses, village shops and streets are recreated and furnished as they would have appeared at the time. The cottages even had peat fires burning, and in some bread, and apple pies were being made which were sold in the café.
Our first stop was the tea rooms for some home made vegetable soup and a scone for lunch. Then we separated to wander the folk Park.

Jack’s cottage (he found 60 Euro’s outside)
                   

We got the recipes for bread and also Apple pie here while they were being baked.

Traditional Irish Caravans                                                     Outside the school house, (Girls end)
On leaving the Folk Park we made our way further up the lane to the Bunratty camp site. It was very tiny. There was a communal shower/toilet block and 5 pitches with hard standing and electric points. It was very nearly full. We had to double up on pitches. However, we spent a very peaceful night.

May 17th, and it was time to start heading towards the East coast. It was a longer drive than we had been doing, but it passed fairly quickly. On the outskirts to Roscrea, we spotted a Halfords, and got our Satnav changed, as it had died in Wales as we were coming out of Point Eynon.  We then headed into Roscrea town for lunch before setting off for Naas, Blessington and Sally Gap where we stopped for photos and a drink. Max was happy as he was able to play in the river. Jack blacked out at the top of Sally Gap, and we were all surprised when he coughed up a sweet he had been sucking at the time. Our camp site for the next few days was at Roundwood, which was very easy to find. It was a nice site, with views over Varty Reservoir. The showers which cost 1Euro were lovely. A bit dated, but plenty of hot water. The site was walking distance of the village. On arrival, Doug and Elvira took Max for a walk down the reservoir where he had a swim. He then slept all night and had to be woken the next morning!
May 18th was a day of gentle touring. We set off in our van for Glendalough, which was a very nice place, and Max was able to come with us. Glendalough is famed for its beautiful scenery and historic monuments. It was a monastic settlement started in the 6th century by Saint Kevin. The buildings are now mainly ruins, but still very impressive. On leaving Glendalough we went to the meeting of the waters. This is a meeting point of the rivers Avonmore and Avonbeg, and was immortalised by the poet Thomas Moore. He is said to have written the words of the Irish Melody “The meeting of the Waters” at this spot. From here we turned left and visited Avoca, the village where Ballykissangel was filmed. We had lunch in “Fitzgerald’s Pub”, which was as it was in the film. On getting back to the van, we spotted a wedding about to take place, so we stayed to watch, and Elvira went up into the Church Yard and took photos of the Bride.

The Meeting of the Waters
We were then once again on the move, this time to Wicklow Gaol. where we were able to experience 200 years of prison life in the restored gaol. We saw and heard a story of crime, cruelty, exile and misery. Many of the prisoners were exiled to Botany Bay, and we were able to go on a reconstruction of a ship, and down into the hold where the prisoners were kept. On arrival in Botany Bay, they were distributed among the population to serve the term of their sentence. The women were auctioned off with the cattle, and they were mainly used as servants. It was a very interesting tour.

May 19th we visited Powerscourt gardens, which were very beautiful. We later had a superb lunch in the restaurant. All their food is listed in their own cook book, and the veg etc is grown on the estate. We would have liked to have had a big meal, but had already booked a table in the local restaurant to celebrate Larry’s Birthday. It was a nice meal, and we were all able to have a drink as it was within walking distance of the site.

Larry’s

Doug & Elvira under the water display	The central ‘core’ of the brewery shaped like a pint glass

May 20th.  A big day today. We went to the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. It was an interesting self guided tour. The main event being the tasting, and then the free pint. (I had orange juice as I was driving. – I wasn’t keen on the  Guinness either as I thought it tasted bitter.) We had lunch in the restaurant, and we were all disappointed that the cod            
in Guinness batter was sold out. However, I had wild mushroom risotto, served with ratatouille, which was delicious. Glenys and Larry had Roast Chicken, stuffed with Black
        Pudding, on a bed of caramelised onions served with a potato cake and Guinness gravy. It looked lovely. June and John had Bream stuffed with prawns, while Elvira and Doug had homemade vegetable soup. Jack did not come with us as he wasn’t feeling too well. I did get him the rugby shirt he wanted though.

May 21st. Today is the first time we go different directions. Larry has to go home as he has prior commitments. However, we all set off to Enniscorthy for a farewell coffee. Larry had to pick up his wing mirror as well; - but it was the wrong one that was ordered!  After coffee, the rest of us drove up to Slaney View, and parked up out side our relative’s house prior to walking up Vinegar Hill in the sunshine, where we had better views than on our earlier visit.
On returning to or vans, Jack’s cousins’ husband announced that we would be having a drop of dinner. A full roast with apple pie & cream. Later they took us in to town to a pub, where we enjoyed live traditional music. Paddy & Kathleen’s hospitality was amazing. What a grand ending to our trip.

22nd May we made our way to Wexford for last minute shopping before going to our camp site at St Margaret’s Beach, Lady’s Island. We decided to brave the cool winds and had the BBQ we had promised ourselves. The site was quite nice. Free showers, which is rare in Ireland. A short walk to a large sandy beach for Max to run on, which he loved; - especially as it was well stocked with small dead crabs for him to toss in the air, and safe swimming. It was also only 15 minutes from the ferry terminal. Our original choice of site on the strand at Rosslare no longer takes tourers.

23rd May and sailing day. It was a bright day, with little wind. The sea was calm, and most of us opted for a cooked breakfast once we were on board. The crossing was uneventful and very subdued. The patchy fog suited our mood as we wanted to turn round and do it all again.