Park Hotel Kiltimagh

... kitchen fell into the sea during a grand banquet. We didn’t stop to tour, but took pictures from a vantage point. We went on to the town of Bushmills and the distillery that is still operating there. It’s the oldest operating distillery in the world. We opted not to take the tour, but went into the gift shop and walked around a bit.

We stopped at the Giant’s Causeway visitor center, but decided to wait until tomorrow to tackle that ...

... Villanova students didnt get to climb all the way to the top because it takes about 2 and a half hours to get up and we just didnt have the time. However we did climb up for about 30 minutes and were rewarded with a fantastic view of the surrounding county. It really was a great hike because it got the blood pumping (havent been doing too much exercise since I got here..) and you climbed alongside a very picturesque little stream all the ...

2nd on our list was Turlough Park,

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?

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 ...

... mistress of the house threw the menu down to the staff from a balcony above so that she did not have to step foot into the kitchen....wow...now i know how im going to remodel the kitchen,,,,all for now please read and tell your friends about this great travel blog so we can get some advertisers to sponsor for clothes for our poor shoeless father.....love you all....Sister Carolyn.

Nothing from Sister Leigh tonight - he's in bed in his really dirty clothes.

... credit cards for a quick lunch.
We continued on to our castle adventure.
When we finally arrived at Ashford Castle we were amazed at the beautiful setting the approach is a long drive through a forest, you cross a bridge and there it is, the castle. The service is definitely 5 star. The entire staff was there to make us comfortable and make sure our experience was beyond our expectations. And it was beyond our ...

My bag has been packed. And re-packed. And unpacked. And squished.
I've informed the hotel of my late arrival.
I've got (some) foreign cash.
My electrical batteries are charged.
My print outs are in a waterproof folder in a waterproof bag.


Agh!

... you hadn’t noticed, they are everywhere, but you don’t get tired of them because they’re so pretty and picturesque) and journaled. I wandered down a little country lane while Stevie went back to our favorite pub. I was able to take some beautiful pictures and came across some horses in a field, and pet them for a while.

Now we’re back in Galway, waiting for our lovely friends, Clare and ...

... and post some photos on here too. How technical!!!! (Sean, you could be called on once or twice to help me!) I am turning slowly back in to a crusty backpacker again....I found a nosestud last night and I can still get it back in (with a little persuasion and eyewatering)!! Dad is delighted that he once again has a daughter that looks like a prize bull, at least it is a pretty diamond and not a ring this time. Well, I am off to triple ...

... more of that desolate beauty that we saw on the Inish Oirr. It's hard to describe mile after mile (or kilometer after kilometer) of rocky mountains and still describe it as beautiful. The roads got very small and windy - not for the faint of heart who are not used to driving on the Left. Luckily, our two drivers, Erik and Gary, are fearless. However, the passengers had a few scares. The Burren is ...