Ireland Day Ten

As no one of our group was flying out of Shannon Airport today, we took a more leisurely drive to the airport and revisited a couple of places we'd been before.  The weather was vastly improved, of course, now that we couldn't avail ourselves of it. Still we did see some sheep enjoying themselves and the like.

The traffic was much greater than when Peter picked us up on the Sunday of the 12th, however, we made good time and checked into the various hotels in Shannon.  As Peter was continuing to his home via Limerick he asked if I'd like a ride there and I could take a taxi back. I took him up on his offer and I had fun wandering around this historic city, which is only 900 or so years old (not counting the Viking settlement 300 years older than that) and then came back to the hotel.

As I have an early morning flight, I'm outta here! Hope you all had fun reading the blog.

Steve

Baaaaye Steve, we hope you had fun!

Out the van window

St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick

Limerick Street Scene

Another street

King John's Castle

Irish Twins

Ireland Day Nine

There was no sunrise shoot as it is very overcast and drizzly.  Peter held a morning class on photo processing and then we had lunch in Westport.  The food was good, music was abyssmal.

After lunch we were off to Old Head in Murrisk. This would have been a really good place to shoot except the clouds had really thickened and lowered so it was less than spectacular.

Peter gave us the option of going to another place or returning to the hotel and we went to the Arriff Bridge over the Owenmore River. It was our last stop of the day and possibly the workshop and it was one of the best of the entire trip. Huge gnarled oak groves and a river to boot.  Very, very moody in the clouds and a perfect end to this desolate part of Ireland.

Old Head Vista

Looking to Sea

Oak Grove Slope

Haunted Forest?

Gone to History

Arriff Bridge

Ireland Day Eight

Today started out with a very, very long drive over horrendous roads to Downpatrick Head in Ballycastle.  It was a good thing it was Sunday morning as traffic was light.  We spent plenty of time photographing the head and its cliffs, then off to lunch and see the ceidh fields, which were some neolithic quarry and settlement they found a few years ago under a bog. Not my taste.

Next was Pontoon and Lough Conn and Lough Cullin.  Again, I was less than inspired. Finally a long drive back to the hotel in Westport. At least that was interesting!  I shot around the hotel and it was fun.

Lastly, the sunset shoot at Bertra Strand we thought might be good was a bust for everyone.  Clouds and dismal weather.  Hopefully tomorrow, which is our last full day, will be good.

Tessalated Pavement at Downpatrick Head

Hopefully they have more than this boat.

Downpatrick Shore

A Touch of Ireland

Sheep and Scenery

Fishing off Downpatrick Head

Around the Bend at Downpatrick Head

A Sea Stack at Downpatrick Head

Evening at Bertra Strand

Little Islands Await

Ireland Day Seven

Tonight we are in Westport, further up the west coast of Ireland and are officially in Coutny Mayo, no longer County Connemara.  We had a thankfully light day as I am still a bit weak and have spells of fever as my body is flushing out the illness.  Very, very light meals have helped.

We stopped at some falls just outside Leenane where people were fly fishing in the rain, then further up at a place we had been before but the light was different, then finally at a beach in the driving rain.

By then we had had enough of the rain and came straight to Westport after stopping for a light lunch at the foot of Craigh Patrick, the holy mountain of Ireland where St. Patrick did some miracles.  It is a huge pilgrimage place and thousands come to climb the mountain in all weather, like today. That's devotion!

After dropping off our bags we drove into Westport proper and explored the town and picked up some supplies. Then back and we finally have good internet in the hotel!

Which is why I'm posting all these blogs now.  Enjoy!

Don't you just love Irish?

Aasleagh Falls and Fisherman

Aasleagh Falls Detail

Horse by Aasleagh Falls

Doo Lough

Silver Strand

Silver Strand

Ireland Day Six

Day Six

Now, for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say.  This day I spent alternatively in the bathroom or the bed of the hotel.  I had gotten some mild form of food poisoning and my body was just not happy about it and to put it delicately, both ends were busy. Thankfully it lasted only about 24-30 hours so I was fit to travel the next day.  So while everyone else was out enjoying a fantastic weather day, I was inside. Yuck.

Ireland Day Five

Day Five

More loughs, overlooks, scenery, and the Cong Abbey, which is a ruined abbey and church in the town of Cong.  At the pub we had lunch at, the menus said "Nothing can go wrong in Cong."  They lied but that is later in the story.

Lough Nafooey Cottage

Sheep

Cong Abbey

Dooroy on the shores of Lough Corrib

Nafooey Bridge

Go ahead, make my day!

Ireland Day Four

Day Four

More sun today, hooray!  Still plenty of clouds and rain, though.  Although it may have been not much driving, it did seem that there was. We moved from Clifden to Leenane/Leenaun/Lionan (different spelling depending on which sign you were reading) which is on Ireland's only fjord.  Frankly it didn't wow me but we shot away from the town so no worry.

There is a great deal of fly fishing done around here and it is also popular with hikers (and photographers like Peter). There are scenic mountains and "loughs" pronounced "Locks" with a very soft k's, or lakes in normal english.

Doo Lough

Sheeffrey Ridge

On the road to Leenane

Doo Lough

Glen Cullin Lough

Barna Derg Falls

Barna Derg Sheep

Ireland Day Three

Day Three

Hope springs eternal in Ireland, at least for good weather. Perhaps it is so wet and windy is why they hang out in pubs and write poetry and songs.  The sun comes out just enough to fool you into stopping to take photos just to go hide and let the rain pelt down.  This may also be one of the reasons so many Irish emigrated to warmer places like Australia.

Regardless, we stopped at a famous tourist trap, the Kylemore Abbey, which was built by a rich guy for his new bride and not long after either he or she died. Sort of like the Biltmore or the Taj Mahal. It is picturesque and they did have a nice cafe, but it sure was mobbed! I can't even imagine what this place is like in the high tourist season of July and August.

Eyrephort

Moyard

Kylemore Abbey

By Kylemore Abbey

Inagh Valley

Roundstone Bog

Ireland Day Two

This was a much, much better day for me physically, although at an even faster pace than yesterday.  Again, I have no idea where specifically we were, but again beautiful. The weather has been a serious factor with plenty of Irish wind and rain, so it is rather difficult to keep the camera gear dry and clean.

On Innishnee

By the Owenmore River

Roundstone Harbour

Roundstone Bog one minute

Roundstone Bog the next minute

Horses at Gannoughs

Storm waters of Gannoughs