O'Loughlins Hotel Portlaoise

... man in the room has to come give you a birthday kiss on the cheek! It was so embarassing, but I have the interesting tale of being kissed my about 15-20 men old enough to be my grandfather. ha Anyways on my birthday I went to classes and David gave me a pretty gold chain because I had broken one my necklaces when I was over here. Then after class the girls helped me get ready and David took me out for a nice supper. It was good to eat ...

... where many ancient chieftains are buried, then went over to the shore of the lake.<br><br>Autumn is slowly making its way into Ireland. The leaves are beginning to turn, some are falling, and the daylight hours are becoming shorter. The heather that just a week ago was bright is now fading into dullness. Still, the grass is green, and the country remains beautiful.<br><br>We left Glendalough via the Braveheart Drive which is also St. Kevin&#8217;s Way and traveled about an hour to ...

Founded in 1620 - best known for the family's contribution to astronomy. In 1845, the world's largest telescope at the time was built here. The 56 ft wooden tube is supported by two walls.<br><br>In the gardens, they apparently also have the world's largest hedge-row.<br>

After finishing the Ring of Dingle we pointed the GPS to Killarney. On the way we were in need of a rest, bathroom and a pint. So we stopped at a very interesting place, Inch Beach. Ironically the beach is a 3 miles long crescent of sand. Must be the old Irish sense of humor in play. <br>The beach reminded me a little of Wildwood, without the boardwalk. There was a lot of sand to traverse before reaching the water's edge. <br>It was ...

I didn't think I'd get to go to this as it sold out ages ago, but lo and behold I got a ticket at the last minute through a friend of a friend of a friend.....literally! I got my ticket at 5pm on the Thursday and it started on the Friday! It was brill! You can see the full line up here: www.electricpicnic.ie but the likes of Franz Ferdinand; Sinead O'Connor and even The Sex ...

... sunshine. We have continued our great tan. Tomorrow we leave the family and head off to Dublin for the night prior to flying to London. Our time is Ireland is rapidly coming to an end. GK spoilt us once again with great food - lasagna for tea and we were also given a gift of a silver bracelet each... No american space shuttle tonight due to it being overcast. AJ did however find and visit the gravesite of her father's parents. Another amazing experience.

... decision to turn left or right while the sign for the Abbey pointed straight ahead probably didn&#8217;t help either. I was hardly going to plow through a fence, a hedge and a paddock &#8211; despite how much I might have wanted to &#8211; but after a bit of to-ing, fro-ing and backtracking we made it by road. The abbey itself was covered with scaffolding on one side as a huge restoration project neared completion, but for me the most interesting ...

I always enjoyed talking to my grandfather by an open fire in his home in Coolbanagher, Co Laois. One night I decided to record our conversation and I sent it to the local newspaper, The Leinster Express. They published it and my grandfather, Dawson, was the talk of the village. It gives a good idea of Laois around 1920 and it remains one of my favourite memories of my travels in Ireland. When I was a baby I spent my first year in a drawer ...

I arrived in Ireland and lived with my grandfather for eight weeks in Emo, County Laois before moving to Dublin. I can't remember what I did with the following - perhaps sent it home as a letter? You know when you've been away from the land of your birth too long when you don't know how to pronounce it. I always told my friends I was from County "Louse". I spent my first year on my grandfather's pigfarm in Coolbanagher, just outside of the village of Emo ...