West coast of Ireland

  Ennis, Ireland
Thursday, September 7, 2006

We have decided that is was time to runaway for a few days and here we are in Ireland.  Caroline's father is Irish and she spent many a summer holiday here at her Granny's farm in Ennis.  Well if you can call it summer.  The weather here is rather unpredictable as we are situated on the west coast.  The first piece of land that any rain cloud hits on its journey over the Atlantic.  It not called the Emerald Isle for nothing.  One definitely doesn't come here for the weather thats for sure.  But its a pleasant green and beautiful country and definitely worth a visit.
  
Cheap flights with Easy Jet and Ryan Air mean that we can buy return flight tickets cheaper than it would be for us to go to London by train!  We end up coming to Ireland a few times a year, and on the spur of the moment which my Granny also enjoys.
So Ennis, or just outside Ennis  (Tubber) is where she, my Granny, and our free accommodation on a farm, is.  I have 2 Uncles and numerous cousins who live close by too.  It's always very sociable when we visit.  Our days are spent catching up with everyone and going out to eat.
This visit was for 10 days.  One of my Uncles has a Land Rover dealership so guess who gets to swan about in a brand new top of the range Discovery?  Yes we do.  Well it's good advertising for him too.  It also means that we can sit up high, looking over all those dry stone walls that line miles and miles of countryside.  This is REAL country driving not like those in London on the school run with their Chelsea Tractors!!!
  
Despite the fact that we have been here a million times we still like to go for long drives and visit the usual tourist haunts.  There are many to been seen just in our area alone.  One of them is Drumoland Castle.  Still in tact it is truly a magnificent sight.  As you can see from the photos the sun was shinning and blue sky all around.  You can see us posing in the car too which I have to say fitted in very well with all the other new cars in the car park! 
To be continued.............