Muckross Abbey

A short walk from the wedding venue were the remains of Muckross Abbey.

Our first sight

It was founded in 1448 by Franciscan monks

The roof might have fallen but the walls were in pretty good condition.

The nave...

...looking into the chancel.

There's a large yew tree surrounded by the cloisters.

The old graveyard is the burial place for several Irish poets...

...with a wonderful view over Lough Leane.

Norma & Niall's wedding (2)

I didn't take many photos at the reception as I was too busy enjoying myself!

 

The cutting of the cake... 

 

...and a couple of emotional speeches. 

The first dance...

...now joined by one of the bridesmaids...

...and Tine!

There was some Irish dancing too.

Norma with her old school friends aka the Kerry Girls...

...Michelle, Deidre & Maria. What fantastic people!

Norma & Niall's wedding (1)

It's been a while since we were invited to a wedding and as luck would have it we had invitations to two the same weekend. Ireland won!

Niall with the celebrant

Still awaiting the arrival of his bride.

The entrance of the young bridesmaids

The soon to be wed couple being piped in.

Happy faces!

Shhh! Don't say anything.

Norma with son Tom and his girlfriend Bernice.

The bride with her two brothers, Padraig & Gerard...

...and two of her old school friends, Michelle & Maria.

Proof we were there! We were delighted to share this special day.

Cork City Gaol

We didn't get to see much of Cork (we'll save that for another time) but we did enjoy our visit the City Gaol.

The model gives you a good idea of its layout...

...very impressive on our arrival.

Imagine the prisoners behind these barred windows...

...many of them paupers or political prisoners.

One wing has been renovated to show how life was in the 19th & early 20th centuries...

...probably not as clean as now.

There are mannequins/figures everywhere and they certainly help you to imagine prison life. The one on the right is Tine by the way.

Some of the passages off the main wing weren't very welcoming.

The view from a cell...

...and the steps down to who knows where?!

Oops, that funny person's here again!

All this excitement, I deserve an Irish stout, Murphy's in practice for the real thing!

This video gives a very good impression of our visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6c851g5vu0

Back on our travels

In September we were very excited to be invited to Norma & Niall's wedding in Ireland and we decided to make a holiday of it.

 

Tine & 'Er from Brittany (and no, you won't be seeing much of Miss Camera-Shy) on the ferry from Roscoff. 

 

14 hours later after a roller-coaster crossing we arrived in Cork. 

First stop, Blarney Castle...

...with a wonderful welcome.

We joined the queue to climb to the top...

...to kiss the Blarney Stone.

Well, Tine attempted but she's bit too short to manage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blarney_Stone

Look at the gap in the middle.

I enjoyed the view instead...

...discovering this fun loving criminal!