Days Hotel, Castlebar

... the stone cross were quite worn, but the pillar etchings were still visible. We left just as a tour bus pulled up, so our timing was perfect. <br><br>We stopped at Five Finger Strand, a beach named for five rocks standing upright in the surf. We were disappointed to find not one finger, and we left for the climb to Malin Head. Malin Head is the northernmost point in Ireland, and it took us over an hour to get there. When we reached the car park, the ever present ...

... No words were spoken, but the apparition remained for two hours. At the scene of the apparition is a beautiful shrine, a chapel, and a large church.<br><br>We went into the shrine while a Mass was being said, and were able to receive Holy Communion. We walked out when Mass was over and we were followed by a woman who stopped us. She had noticed the jacket I was wearing, which our son had bought at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. She had ...

... bare feet and let me tell you it is not a smooth walk. Hundreds of people even go so far as to walk 21 miles from Ballintubber Abbey where St. Patrick baptized the people all the way to the mountain and then climb it... IN ONE DAY....crazy. One of my roommates says that she and her dad climb the mountain at least 2 times a year and she has seen old woman upwards of 80 climbing the mountain in just their bare feet...<br><br>Me and my group ...

2nd on our list was Turlough Park,<br><br>This was a place where we got to see how landlords lived in the 19th century while taxing their people into poverty. This one was a bit different than most English landlords because this house belonged to the Fitzgerald family who were Irish. They were removed by the english from their home in wexford Ireland where they held 70,000 acres of great land and moved to ...

... in Baile tobair Bhrighde, Roscommon, instead of Baile tobair Phadraig, Mayo. A town that is miles and miles away! Soooo the king promised to build a much grander one for the Abbey and thats how it came to be... pretty neat huh?<br> <br> This Abbey is also very important because it is the Abbey that never gave in. Since it was built in 1216 it has held mass every single day! Even through invasion and coersion, burnings and death threats ...

Guess who's is here??? The positive thinker...ME..sister Katie...I get clean clothes tonight..although I can honestly say I wish it had been Dad's that had arrived.. I can wear Care's clothes and he looks funny in them.<br><br>Great time today...I am definitely going to look into being adopted by the Irish..Love THEM.<br><br>Got to hear Irish music and see the countryside. Eating an drinking our way...just like the Irish have done for years..all 3 sisters tried ...

... 70 and so sweet. She started to pull the first pint and Jim stopped her to ask if she took credit cards or US dollars. She said "oh no dear, we do not." When we said we had not changed money yet she said, "Just have one now and bring the money back later." Now, who in the US would say that? We of course did not take her up on the offer. We got directions to a market, purchased some supplies and stopped at a place that ...

... building, so you can imagine how excited I was. Over to the left I saw a fitness lounge - hooray! Something for us to do tonight. Maybe ½ hr on the cycle after dinner? Hate to get all flabby on our vacation&#8230;<br><br>A barely warm shower and I&#8217;m feeling a bit better. Now we&#8217;re on a quest for liquor! Three cheers for the grocery nearby which sells mix-and-match cans of beer and cider<br><br>

... hill, he told us that the horse wouldn't make it to the top, so if we wanted to see the castle we would have to walk. Big Surprise - ha! He still charged us the same amount though :) Wonderful Tea/Coffee At the end of our day on the island, we stopped to have some refreshments at a cute tea shop that also served coffee. The service was excellent and so was the coffee. As it turns out, the owner is American.

... set without so much as an &#8216;excuse me&#8217; or &#8216;sorry, dear&#8217; coming from their lips. Once I&#8217;d been shoulder-charged back outside by a running maul of old ducks, I was going to take issue with Nanna about the disgrace of her generation but I just couldn&#8217;t keep up with her &#8211; the wind was pushing her along so fiercely she was power walking like an Olympian. <br><br> After another ...