Abbey Hotel Cork

... it - bless those Irish drinkers!

Lunch was in Dingle, a small fishing village. It's best known for it's resident dolphin - Fungie who hangs out with the boats all day. The village offers sightseeing trips and are so sure you will see him you get your money back if you don't!

Back into the bus and past the Lakes of Killarney and into Killarney proper. Before our bags were down we were on the horse and carriage which ...

... free to do whatever. Most released convict men went to the mines, became farmers etc. The women instead became 'loose women' and often became pregant so often they were called 'Sheila' in reference to the druid god of fertility - true story!

So tonight we're in a small town just out of Killarney. The pub is located in the same complex at the hostel. Evidently the hostel used to be painted emerald green inside and out - it's called ...

We spent the day driving from Dublin to Blarney and Killarny. All we wanted to do in Ireland was kiss the Blarney Stone in Blarney, but unfortunately we are not wired to take long walks in the pouring rain so the most we could do was pull upto the gates and creep. We continued on to Killarney which is the cutest little city ever...cobblestone streets, super nice people, beautiful little restaurants and bistros, cars parked on sidewalks. We ...

... We ate at a little deli and then walked around some of the shops in town. This place was a little bit more lively as it seemed to be a stop for a lot of the tourist busses. I am definitely glad we drove ourselves because it gave us the freedom to explore what we wanted and make a lot of stops!
The last real stop was a little shop called Avoca right off the side of the road. We had seen it driving up to Killarney the previous ...

... of the grounds and the water that it bordered. It was located right on the outskirts of Killareny, so we decided just to proceed to our hotel.
The hotel was defiantly on the outskirts of town in the middle of the country. It was really a place where golfers stay, because there were a lot of golf courses in the area. The accommodations were actually more of a bed and breakfast, but there was plenty of room and it had privates ...

... are replaced by a small ladder stuck in a crawlspace covered with pigeon poop, and that ladder leads you to the final staircase and outside to the obnservation area. The view from the top is spectacular, and we were blessed with a rare clear day which made it even better.
http://www.shandonbells.org/index.h tm

After our bell tower adventure we discovered that we had parked next to the Cork Butter Museum (yes, there really is a Butter Museum ...

... home from class today.  We talked about snow, and how they haven't seen snow in eight years.  They have never even gone sledding!  And never built a snowman!  I told them that in WiSCANsin we see snow every year, and go sledding or skiing every year.  And when I told them that we had white Christmases, their eyes got huge and bug-looking.  They were so fascinated, and thought that WisCANsin must be like a place you see in movies...   I have a ...

... see, and we scurried out the door with mumbled excuses. Next, we headed to the Guinness Store House for a tour of their museum and a pint of Guinness (supposedly the best pint you'll find in the world - Guinness doesn't travel well). The pint was served in a bar at the top of the museum/brewery with 360 degree views of the city. Need I say more? It was nice. After enjoying our pints and drying off in the "gravity bar", we hurried over to the ...

... the photos will demonstrate this point) the waves below were wildly crashing against the rocks...it was a beautiful view but god you had to be careful not to get close to the edge....especially since it wasn't particularly a tourist area so there weren't any signs to be careful or anything. the other side of the cliff was a lot calmer and the views were just gorgeous. were quite happy sitting admiring the blue water and blue skies (even though it wasn't warm) until my hair ...

... But it is potentially better known as the point of emigration for over three million Irish people during the mid to late nineteenth century who fled the Potato Famine and other strife to attempt to start a better life elsewhere. It was for this second reason that Nanna especially had wanted to come here, as this marked the start of the lineage of the Coleman side of our family in Australia. After visiting the museum at the railway ...