We planned a vacation to Ireland for our
2009 Wedding Anniversary. We went with two other couples and planned on staying in
the Southwest and West for a week each.
As most vacations go, our vacation was
off-track almost from the start!
December 27th we fly from Austin to Chicago for
our overseas flight to Dublin Ireland. Trouble was, our flight out of
Austin was delayed just enough that we missed our connection in Chicago,
so we spent our "first night in Ireland" in Chicago!
December 28th 2009 - Chicago, Il.
Weather: below freezing and windy
Happy Birthday Doris!
There was not enough time to see any of Chicago, so we
spent the day sitting around the airport, waiting for our Aer Lingus
flight to Dublin, playing games, reading and people watching.
  
Waiting for the shuttle Waiting
for our plane Did I say we waited?
 
Still waiting
Wow, our plane? Really? YES!!
December 29th 2009 - Dublin to Killorglin,
County Kerry
Weather: low to mid 30's and rainy, with
a bit of snow, ice and sleet thrown in for good measure.
We arrived in Ireland, rented a car, then headed for
Kerry to our first house we rented for a week. We had planned on staying
a night in Cashel, so we could see that area, but we decided to forgo that stop and pushed on to
our house on a mountainside near Killorglin, County Kerry.
When an Irish car rental company say that the car will hold 7 people, expect it to be
tight! We had 6 people aboard, along with our luggage plus a wheelchair and it was REALLY
tight. If we had to travel the whole vacation with our luggage, instead of leaving
it at the houses and doing day trips, we would have been WAAAAY too crowded.
December 30th 2009 - Killorglin, County
Kerry
Weather: mid 20's to low 30's, windy and
dry.
Our first house near Killorglin. (This is photo
supplied by the owner, not taken in the middle of winter.)
We decided to get settled into our house and
get groceries, then head out for some local sight seeing. All went well
until we went out to start the car, only to find it had a dead battery!
A call to the car rental folks brought the service truck about four
hours later. A check of the car found that everything was fine, so off
we went to get groceries. Upon getting to the store we found the same
service truck there helping another car. We joke with the mechanic that
at least he would know where to find us if the car wouldn't start again. We returned to the
car with our groceries only to find that the car wouldn't start! Another
call to the rental company and the mechanic showed up and jumped the car,
only two hours this time.
Turns out that the radiator fan was not shutting off, which was draining
the battery. We buy a wrench - or was it a spanner - to disconnect the
battery cable when we get home. Another call to the rental agency asked
us to take the car to one of their offices about 25 miles away in
Tralee, where another car was to be delivered for us the following
morning. We had expected to
not have any car troubles, as the first car was almost new; we were only the
second rental on it.
December 31st, 2009 - Dingle Peninsula
Southwest weather: 20's to low 30's and windy
Happy Anniversary
Pat and Donita!
Panorama view from our house of Curragh Lake. What a great view each
morning! There is a higher road that has the most beautiful view I've
seen in my travels in Ireland. We unfortunately did not get any pictures
because the road was icy and I had to pay more attention to getting the
car over the hill safely than taking pictures. I wish there had time to
drive that road again for pictures!
  
Railroad bridge at sun Windmill and snow in Tralee
Snow on Connor Pass,
up in Killorglin
The pass was closed to all traffic
  
Snow on Dingle
Gail and Doris. Snow on Gail w/ Ring of Kerry in
Ring of Kerry in background
background
Snow on Ring of Kerry from
Dingle Peninsula
January 1st 2010 - Ring of Kerry
Southwest weather: Low 20's to around 33. dry and light
wind.
Next it was time for a trip around the Ring of Kerry. Normally this
would be a very busy road, but, since it was wintertime, and travel conditions were not optimal, there
weren't many other vehicles on the road.
View of Dingle mountains from the Ring of Kerry. The road over
Connors Pass
(The highest peak) was closed.
  
Morning light on Dingle
Snow on Dingle
Sheep on snow, Dingle in
snow from RoK
background
  
Skelligs from RoK
Donita, Doris, David, Snow on
RoK
Gail & Dick
  
David , near Loher
Lady of the Wayside Irish plaque at Lady
Near Coomatloukane the Wayside
  
Gleesk Pier, near Derreenauliff. Very rugged
area. Gail & Doris
  
Plants clinging tightly to the rocks and other
plants.
We happened to get to Moll's Gap when there was an inversion layer, something that doesn't happen very often! Below are individual images
that were stitched together to form the panorama, they are higher
resolution. (The resolution of this picture is lower than the individual
photos below.)
    
  
Moll's Gap inversion
Ditto
Castle in the fog in
Killarney National Park
 
Evening jigsaw puzzle Playing Farkle
and playing Farkle
January 2nd 2010 - Killorglin, Cork & Blarney
Castle
Weather: Morning, about 20, afternoon close to 35
Unusual ice this morning. long, needle-like ice on everything.
  
Downtown Killorglin, Ice on everything.
Panorama of ice & snow on the River Laune
 
Dropped by the Kerry Woolen Mills factory to do
some shopping.
4th-generation owner showed us around the
manufacturing equipment.
No pictures from Cork or Blarney Castle yet,
but they are coming.
January 3rd 2010
Weather: Cold, snow, windy
More pictures coming
Gail & Doris prepared dinner on our last night
in Killorglin.
January 4th 2010 - Killorglin to Bealaclugga
(Bell Harbour), County Clare
Weather: Cold, clear, Windy.
Today we leave Kerry and head for our next house in County Clare, where
we stayed for 6 days.
On the way we stopped at Bunratty Castle and
Folk Park, built in 1425. The grounds have a collection of recreated
1500's buildings that yo can visit.
  
English plaque on castle Irish
plaque on castle Doris, Dick, Gail and
Dick
in the folk park
  
Bunratty Castle
Gail & Doris
Bunratty Castle
  
Fireplace in Castle
Bed of Royalty View from top
of Castle
  
Castle from folk Folk Park home
Durty Nelly's Pub from top
Park
of Castle
Donita @ Durty Nelly's,
founded 1620
January 5th 2010 - The Burren, Miltown Malbay,
Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher
Weather: Cold, windy and clear
Our house is on a hillside on the edge of the
Burren. If you go to a map of Ireland, or Google Earth you can search
for Corcomroe Abbey near the town of Bealaclugga. Southeast of the abbey
is a pie shaped rocky area with two houses at the point, ours was the
southernmost house.
 
View of our house from
Abandoned stone building
the road
in the Burren
  
View of Aran Islands
View from Cliffs of
Cliffs of Moher - over 600'
from Cliffs of Moher
Moher
tall
Donita trying to keep warm
at the Cliff of Moher
January 6th 2010 - Corcomroe Abbey, Ashford
Castle & Cong
Weather: Cold & Clear, icy roads
  
Corcomroe Abbey sign
Corcomroe Abbey
Ashford Castle
  
Ashford Castle, icy roads Dick,
Doris & Gail @ Gail @ Castle
entry
Ashford Castle
  
Ashford Castle
Gain & Dick
Dick @ Pat Cohan'sPub
"Guarding the Castle" in Cong
Cong was the city where the John Wayne and
Maureen O'Hara movie, The
quiet Man was filmed in the early '50s. Pat
Cohan's Pub originally a store that they converted into a pub for the
movie. It has since been converted into a pub. Some of the scenes in the
movie were filmed on the Ashford Castle grounds, as well as area
locations.
January 7th 2010 - Inishmor, Aran Islands
Weather: Cold & Clear
We decided to drive to the Connemara Airport to
see how long it would take to get there the following day. When we went
in, we were told that since the planes held a maximum of 8 passengers,
and there were 6 of us, they would make a special flight over for us, so
we decided to go that day. One of the airport employees had a tour bus,
so he took us on a private tour of the island.
  
Our plane
David & Doris onboard Taking off
  
Gail and Donita in the air Inishmor from the air
Coming in for landing
  
Monument to local View of County
Galway Ditto
lost fishermen
from Inishmor
  
Oldest houses on the island (1600's)
Galway snow from Inishmon
  
Galway snow from
Thatched roofs
Burren landscape on
Inishmon
Iniahmon
  
More Burren
Collecting seaweed to Another thatched
roof
use for gardens @ fields
  
Older thatched roof
(about 5 years)
      
January 8th 2010
               
January 10th 2010
   
This site was last updated
03/22/10
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