Galway

Our final stay was just outside Galway, the Airbnb not being our best choice but we were impressed by Galway town.

The cathedral

Dedicated in 1965...

...it is the youngest of  Europe's stone cathedrals.

We had a spot of lunch in this bar...

...opposite The Quays...

...with its own Galway girls.

The River Corrib is only 6 km long but very fast flowing. No wonder when we saw the amount of rain that could fall!

The Spanish Arch, part of the original medieval town walls...

...constructed to protect the busy quays.

Adare, Bunratty Castle & the Cliffs of Moher

We left our holiday companion to join her friend near Killarney, and motored further north stopping in Adare to visit and have a spot of lunch.

Our Lady's Abbey, outside...

...and in.

There was a lovely thatched bandstand/shelter in the park...

...and a very interesting information sign.

The village had many picture-perfect thatched cottages too.

Onto Bunratty Castle

...then the Cliffs of Modher...

...214m (702ft) high!

Sadly visibility wasn't as good as we'd have liked.

Killarney & Ross Castle

We rented an Airbnb apartment in Killarney.

Of course the wine came too!

Although not blessed with the best weather...

...we wandered through the town to catch a tour bus.

Destination, Ross Castle

This view reminded me of the 'marais' in la Vendée

It's the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan, dating back to the 15th century...

...with a lovely view over a wild & windy Lough Leane...

...appreciated by these two!

We couldn't book a tour of the castle but the visitors' room had an interesting model of the tower.

Don't be fooled by the blue skies...

...there was a torrential downpour whilst we had a spot of lunch.

Later, back to business!

 We  loved Killarney and hope to return one day.

Pub night & Ballybunion

The day after the wedding we moved on to an Airbnb in Killarney only to be invited to a pub night with quite a few of the wedding guests. And what a great night we had!

A nice memory of the pub on the menu...

...and I'm onto the real thing now!

A couple of photos of our new friends.

Next day we drove up to Ballybunion, Norma's home town.

The beach was as beautiful as Norma had told us.

Beal Castle...

...mostly in ruins now.

Tom, Bernice & Norma braving the wind...

...at least it dried us off from an earlier soaking!

Muckross House

Dating from the mid-nineteenth century our next visit was to Muckross House.

Whichever way you look...

 

...it's a really impressive building.

The dining room was all set out for a banquet...

...and the library had a book or two to read.

The servants' stairs...

...and it looks like they were kept very busy.

No explanation required

Tine in the kitchen...

...with plenty of cooking space.

Outside, a view across Muckross Lake