FINNS 18th BIRTHDAY
MARCH 3 2018
L to R: Kira, Elske, Cathy, Liz, Finn
ANDREWS new acquisition. 20 May 2018
FRANCE
May 25th 2018. Flew to France with Singapore Airlines
CHANGI AIRPORT - SINGAPORE
No complaints with flight. We shared 3 seats on the first leg to Singapore.
Good News: Pleased to find the roof had been lined in the front house thanks to Bill McCaffrey. He left the finishing off as requested. This was to prove more time consuming than expected.
Bad News: The most magnificent mushroom growing in the front bedroom! We obviously have water leaking in despite work done last year.
Gutter between houses 2 and 3 also had severe leaks.
From top side.
Wet day to test out the leaks.
The Mairie has cut down the crab apple tree across the road in the park and given us a small flower garden to look at.
Gail Engel with friends Jenny and Jim call to visit and retrieve Gails ladder.
Gail from Cornwall Emailed Cathy and asked her to be on the look out for a bedside table like this. Amazingly the same day we were in Pontivy and had a look into the op shop "Emmaus" window and there it was for 25 Euros. Gail says they are selling for 300 pounds in England! It's actually a commode. She would have liked a pair but they don't come in pairs says Phillipe from across the road. He is an experienced furniture artisan (eboniste) and knows. This one is made from Nordic Pine and dates around 1900. It's lined and topped in marble.
Old buildings in Guemene are getting a facelift. This one wrapped in plastic is being restored and will be used as government offices.
The hotel next door which we affectionately called "Assayez vous" is being restored as a bar and restaurant and hotel.
Over the top flower garden beginning to erupt.
THE DEVILS MARBLES
near GUILLIGOMARC'H
Mushroom.
IRELAND
We set sail with the car on June 16th for a three week tour around Ireland. We plan to stay:
2 nights at NEW ROSS, Co Wexford,
3 nights at CLONAKILTY, Co Cork,
3 nights at BALLINROBE, Co Galway,
3 nights at GLEANN CHOLM CILLE, Co Donegal,
4 nights at GLENARIFF, Northern Ireland,
4 nights in DUBLIN
and a night at KILKENNY, Co Kilkenny
Before catching the ferry back to France.
We figured that the prolonged stays at each destination would give us chance to absorb the local environment and take day trips to points of interest. According to Google no jump would be more than four hours if we needed to drop everything and get to the next place.
In Roscoff, France watching Australia score a penalty goal at the World Cup in its 2-1 loss to France. Strangely the locals were not all that interested. This was just prior to taking the car ferry to Rosslare in Ireland.
Roscoff with the tide out.
Aboard the Irish Ferries OSCAR WILDE. Interestingly we needed to show passports during security check. Thought that wouldn't be necessary for EEU member country.
Thatched cottage near Rosslare where the ship pulled in. We had rain and wind on the crossing and the sky looked gloomy. Our first objective was Hook lighthouse which apparently has a good reputation for fish and chips.
The sign says, in essence, that Normans were recycled Vikings who had settled in Normandy, France.
They were invited to this part of Ireland (known then as Leinster) in 1169 (100 years after the invasion of England in 1066) by an ousted ruler of the Kingdom of Ireland to help him get his power back. After he died, a Norman knight inherited the Kingdom and they never left.
Normans were responsible for:
* Constructing formidable buildings
* Improving agriculture & food production
* Supporting a change in the character of Christianity
* Enhancing military know how and navigation
Part of a tractor convoy, there must have been about 50. Some sort of celebration. We had to pull over and wait.
HOOK LIGHTHOUSE
Hook lighthouse and environs hold a very significant part in Irish history. This was to be our first stop. It is reputed to have a good restaurant.
Near to the lighthouse. The weather definitely improving.
The lighthouse. The chips were good but after a big breakfast aboard the ferry we weren't that hungry. Only bottled beer available, which was a bit disappointing, made by a local boutique brewery, Hook beer. I didn't enjoy it much. Like all brews like this I tend to gag.
William Marshall.
Probably commissioned the Hook Lighthouse. He was a talented French knight whom Henry II appointed to tutor his son. He served 4 kings and was named Regent of England in 1216 as the King, Henry III, was only 9 at the time. Unusual for a commoner. Was involved with the Magna Carta. On his death bed he entrusted Regency to the Popes representative, a Catholic.
NEW ROSS
Cathy outside our Bed and Breakfast at New Ross where we were well looked after by owner Margaret. She was into, what they call, social dancing and ran her own event on Wednesdays, not our day. She reminded me a lot of Goldie Hawn and was very affable.
We learnt at this time that the Irish don't like to be found! The Sat Nav had no problem finding places but couldn't take you to specific houses as roads do not have names and houses do not have numbers!! Even this one does not display the house name which features prominently in their internet blurb.
Visit to the ancestral home of the Kennedys, former USA President JFK's grandfather was brought up on this farm near New Ross.
Bust of Ted Kennedy.
This is the seat from a Morris Minor which JFK sat on during his visit to the farm in 1963. He died later that year.
Famous Americans who descended from Irish immigrants.
HENRY FORD, GRACE KELLY, WALT DISNEY and SPENCER TRACY
Major road construction taking place in the area.
In the town of New Ross itself is a replica of the famine ship, Dunbrody. In the 1840's millions of people left Ireland bound mainly for Canada and the USA in ships such as this because of a famine caused by failure of the potato crop.
Shaking hands with JFK. in the centre of New Ross. I'm the scruffy one.
ELISE
Elise is the eldest daughter of Cathys sister Elsie and lives with husband James and children Eilise and James in Conna, County Cork. We called in there.
Elise
James.
Eilise.
The white headed plant is called "Hogwort". The kids screamed at me not to touch it. Apparently if it gets on the skin, sunshine on the affected area will set up a severe rash.
Conna castle. Built around 1500. In 1650 it was attacked by Cromwell's troops, unsuccessfully and was burned out in 1653.
After Conna we headed for Clonakilty South of Cork.
We needed fuel so, as the book for our Renault Clio tells us the Octane rating for unleaded should be 85, 81 is not really suitable. I decided to ask at the service station where we stopped to fill up. It looked pretty sophisticated.
"No idea" said the attendant and turned to his assistant. "No idea" she said " I've never been asked that before. It's just petrol"!
CLONAKILTY
We stayed at a B and B for the next 3 nights about 120kms West of Cork.
Our hostess, Gabrielle, is a friend of The Melody's (from Dublin and Guemene). She and Eddy gave us the run down on the area.
This was a hotbed of Irish nationalism in the early 1900's.
Together they came up with a possible list of things to see.
Eddy works in the Newsroom of the Irish Times newspaper in Cork.
His accent reminded me of Rev Ian Paisley so I guessed, correctly, that he was from Northern Ireland.
Our Bed and Breakfast.
Swallows nesting under the eaves.
DAY 1
Head along the peninsula towards Mizen Head.
Drombeg stone circle.
c 1100 - 800 BC (late bronze age). Believed to be a place of ritual and a burial site. The Winter solstice sun sets on an axis between Recumbent stone and Portal stone (N/E S/W).
As it was Midsummer the day after we were there a number of Druids turned up to celebrate we were told.
LEAP
Leap, a town on the road to Skibbereen. Leap is shortened to LEP by the locals. The story goes that a fellow who was riding a horse to get away from the English urged his horse, successfully, to jump across a canyon which appeared to be an impossible feat.
We couldn't get near our next target Baltimore as a truck had caught fire and the police wouldn't let us through.
SKIBBEREEN
The English actor Jeremy Irons lives here. We didn't see it but he has a castle which, on advice from his English architects, he had clad in a material which should have aged to green but actually changed to a peach colour. The locals call it the "Peach Castle".
Fuschia bush. Very common in all the hedgerows.
This is the famous Fastnet lighthouse, about 15 km offshore which features in the "Shipping Forecast" broadcast on radio at the same time each day. It was the last land seen by migrants as they left Ireland en route to Canada and the USA.
A mock up of the method of construction for the light house.
Mizen Head light. USA is over the Atlantic Ocean horizon.
The most Southerly pint in Ireland at Crookhaven.
BALTIMORE
The pub at Baltimore.
Baltimore was raided in 1631 by the "Barbary Pirates" from North Africa in retaliation, we were told , for piracy by those using Baltimore as a home base. They came in the night and took nearly all of the women from their beds before the alarm was raised. They were taken back to North Africa to be sold and were never heard from again.
DAY 2
Today we head back towards CORK
MICHAEL COLLINS
We have had a very good lesson on Michael Collins who was brought to the worlds attention by a movie. He was played by Liam Neeson.
He took part in the occupation of the GPO in Dublin in 1916. He and his other rebels proclaimed Irish independence from Britain. It was put down by the British.
The climax of his career was when he went to London to negotiate on behalf of the Irish. He signed a Treaty that Britain would retain the area now known as Northern Ireland and the remainder would become "The Republic of Ireland". He felt that this would be a good step, with a minimum of conflict, on the way to the entire country becoming a Republic.
The English Lord who signed it was reported to have said "I have just signed my political death warrant". To which Collins is said to have replied. " I believe I may have signed my actual death warrant".
He was later killed in an ambush by one of the anti-Treaty faction, who considered they had been betrayed by him.
There were many people, particularly in the North who wanted to remain with Britain. Mainly Protestants whom they believed would become a persecuted minority.
Michael grew up in Clonakilty, the youngest of 8 children.
We visited a private museum and got the whole story, chapter and verse, from the enthusiastic proprietor! He, with help, had built replicas of the vehicles which were caught up in the ambush.
Timoleague Monastery.
Testing the powers of my inbuilt telephoto lens. See horse and rider in previous picture.
CORK CITY
Memorial in the centre of Cork city.
It reads: In memorial of the gallant men who fought in the Irish wars of 1798,1803,1848 and 1867 for sovereign independence.
The English market in Cork.
COBH
Cobh, near Cork, is where the Titanic made it's final, fatal, voyage from.
Memorial to the people forced to flee Ireland because of the "potato famine" around 1840.
Although the potato was an introduced plant brought to Ireland from Central America it became a staple diet as it was far more nutritious than grain.
A blight destroyed the crop all over Ireland. The chief suspect was Guano, bird droppings which were mined in Bolivia and shipped to Ireland as fertilizer. It is believed to have carried bacteria which caused a rot.
It was important as a food source and many people ate nothing but potato, so the rot had an immediate and devastating effect. People had to walk miles to get to the ships where they were given meagre rations and a passage to Canada or America.
The ship owners were capitalising on the need for labour in the logging industry in Canada. Therefore they were careful to make sure they got there safely.
The Titanic sailed from Cobh on its final fatal voyage.
My first pint of Guinness in Ireland. Somehow it tastes so much better here.
The Cathedral in Cobh. Recent excavations discovered a prison in its foundations.
Statue to Sonia O'Sullivan, one time world 5000 metre champion who grew up in Cobh.
CLONAKILTY to BALLINROBE via the BEARE PENINSULA
Bantry Bay.
GLENGARIFF
Friends from Guemene, David and Mari-Therese, have their principal home near here.
DOONEEN
These posts are all along the WILD ATLANTIC WAY on the West coast of Ireland. A tourist road which stretches for 2500 km.
Copper was discovered here and mined from 1812 - 1884 and for a short period in the 20 century. It once employed 1500 men, including Cornish miners who came here when the mines in Cornwall were closing. Many of these miners moved to the mines in Butte, Montana, USA after closures here.
Daphne de Maurier wrote a novel, Hungry Hill, around a local mining dynasty in the nearby town of Allihies.
ALLIHILIES
BALLINROBE
Next stop over is Ballinrobe which is relatively close to Clifden, County Galway, halfway up the West coast of Ireland.
This farmhouse is over 200 years old and the place where hosts Liam and Noreen Horan put us up for three nights. Liam was very helpful with his advice on what to see. Liam is a sports commentator on Gaelic Football.
DAY 1
To CLIFDEN on the coast and back via the town of GALWAY.
Kylemore Abbey
Hotel at Clifden.
Guinness break inside hotel.
GALWAY CITY
Cathedral, Galway
ASHFORD CASTLE
Situated a few kilometres south of Ballinrobe at a place called CONG. The name Cong comes from Conga meaning narrow strip of land between two lakes.
To stay overnight rooms cost over A$1000.00. State room A$3000.00.
The Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy booked the entire castle for his wedding. It was once the home of the Guinness family.
Remnants of Cong Abbey nearby founded in the 7th Century. Destroyed and rebuilt several times. Last rebuild of church and other bits in 13th Century.
A statue commemorating the making of the 1951 movie in Cong, "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
Starlings gathering behind lodgings in the evening.
Visit to DOOLIN from Ballinrobe.
Tourist bus has arrived.
DOOLIN
The hostel where Andrew and Rebecca may have met.
One of four pubs in Doolin. Andrew sang at one of them.
We take a boat trip at Doolin (at the behest of the local tourist office lady) to get a close up look at the Cliffs of Moher.
BANRATTY CASTLE
near Limerick.
The sign reads:
Welcome
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again
May god hold you in the palm of his hand
The communications tower at the end of the road leading to our lodgings. It didn't get a mention in the instructions on where to find the place which we couldn't. Bit like the "Elephant in the room"!!
Journey to GLEANN CHOLM CILLE from BALLINROBE
First stop WESTPORT, co MAYO
Didn't know it at the time but close by is one of the embarkation points for famine ships.
Next stop CEIDE FIELDS
This is a site which has been excavated, researched and a lot of money spent on. It is a large area of bog land. They say it takes a thousand years for one metre of bog to be laid down (Bog is largely Sphagnum moss). Thousands of years ago this was just normal farmland and they have discovered the remains of stone wall making out fields and house foundations and with sophisticated carbon dating and other processes have recreated what it must have been like.
Our tour leader with the simple rod used to find the walls. Her talk was very informative and professional which led me to ask if she was an educationist but no she is just a local enthusiast.
KILLALA
Scene of an attempted takeover of Ireland by Irish rebels together with French forces they invited over in 1798. After early success they were defeated by the English.
GLEANN CHOLM CILLE
Our Bed and Breakfast set close to the highest accessible cliffs in Western Europe, it is claimed.
SIEVE LEAGUE claimed to be the highest accessible cliffs in Europe. Got my doubts about that. I need to look up the definition of a CLIFF! Anyway it provided a good walk and climb.
Had to wait quite a while for this shepherd to move his flock.
This map of Ireland is composed of stone quarried and carved in each county of Ireland. It was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the rising in 1916.
Local beach. Tide out and in.
Museum of local lifestyle at Glencolmcille.
Leon, the ex South African proprietor of our guest house with his African Grey parrot. The bird, Dodo, which is 19 years old never learnt how to fly so Leon takes him everywhere, even to the beach.
Gillian, Leons' wife. Her mother was a Breton. The girl is an Italian guest.
Turf cutting is still taking place in Donegal.
To GLENARIFF
NORTHERN IRELAND
There are about 275 border crossings between The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. We were directed in on a minor road by the Sat-Nav and this is the only indication of the transition. The sign says "Speed limits are in miles per hour"
DERRY or LONDONDERRY (Depending on your affiliations)
The peace bridge across the river Foyle.
Londonderry is known as the "walled city".
The Guild Hall in Londonderry
Good to see Marks and Spencers and Debenhams again.
The road bridge we used to cross the Foyle.
All the street lights on the NI side leading out of Londonderry are adorned with the Union Jack or Georges Cross flag. Bit sad really.
GLENARRIF
About 40km North of Belfast where we stay for four nights.
Our self catering accommodation faces this view across the road.
I can see Scotland from my house! Shades of Sarah Palin (I can see Russia from my house). The Mull of Kintyre is visible across the North Channel of the Irish Sea.
Our landlady has another source of income. Collecting and drying seaweed which has many uses.
DAY 1
an excursion to
THE GIANTS CAUSEWAY
They say when the fog goes Finn McCool has left the area!
Here it is.
BUSH MILLS
More flags from light posts. They are there as part of the BANDS and MARCHES celebrations held on July 12th every year a local told me. Otherwise known as the ORANGE marches.
A banner displaying an old ad for the movie "The quiet man". One of John Waynes ancesters left Ireland for America. Will have to try to see the movie now. It was filmed in Cong (see earlier)
The BUSH MILLS Irish whiskey distillery. I am not keen enough to pay about $A80.00 for a bottle of single malt!
DAY 2
A trip to
BELFAST
Another fine day. Can't believe our luck.
First stop is Carnlough Harbour.
Artisan at work.
There was a marathon, boat races, cyclists. All adding to the interest while passing through Carnlough Harbour, a few Kilometres along the A2 coast road.
A marathon in aid of Research against Blood Cancer along the coast road we are staying on. There must have been a couple of hundred participants. Here is a guy with novel head gear.
More flags for the July 12 Orange celebrations which goes on until the end of August.
A happening! It's Saturday 30th June. This is a 'Protest march against Austerity' a policeman told us. We must have been looking a bit nervous at his road block!
We had to be reminded that we are now in Great Britain.
We then got on an open top bus for a sightseeing tour of Belfast.
The TITANIC exhibition centre. We didn't have enough time to visit. I wouldn't have wanted to anyway.
A giant crane at the Harland and Wolff ship yards. There are two of these, christened Samson and Goliath. At one time this was the biggest shipyard in the world and up to 40,000 people worked here. No ships are built anymore. Wind turbines and a few other large objects are.
Stormont parliamentary building the seat of the Northern Ireland government. Stormont castle is hidden among trees nearby. There hasn't been a sitting here for nigh on two years due to political problems.
The headquarters of the Presbyterian Church.
There used to be signs in the lifts here which said "The most bombed hotel in the world".
"Belfast humour" our guide said!
Queens University.
There had just been a graduation ceremony. Master of Medicine, Master of Research and Master of Philosophy (thanks google).
Prince Charles commented to an aide that this building was the ugliest architecture he had ever seen. The locals have nicknamed it Camilla!
The TROUBLES ended in 1998 but there are still walls up around commission housing estates as the residents still feel insecure.
The only camera shot I got along the FALLS ROAD as we were on it without warning. Our guide lowered his voice at this point but the guy in the green shirt gave a wave as soon as I had taken this picture. There was a more vociferous crowd outside the pub just before this one.
The former Law Courts, now abandoned, but has new owners who plan to turn it into a five star hotel.
Girls on a pedal car. Last saw one of these in Budapest.
Had a Guinness in this pub. Talked to a couple from Manchester who had come over on the ferry from Liverpool.
Looks like Castro to me but may be wrong.
Saw this in a village on the way back to residence.
More decorations to do with the Orange marches.
The guide on the bus gave us an interesting insight into the arrival of William of Orange. He was protestant and his rival with a claim to the British throne, James 1st, converted to Catholicism to strengthen his position with the populace. The Pope considered him a weak person so financed the invasion of the Protestant William. So much for the Catholic / Protestant rivalry in Ireland.
The red hand in the symbol above which is used widely in Ireland comes from folklore. In the 1100's there were three rivals for power in Ireland. For some reason they were all in Scotland. They were called upon to return as there were troubles here. The three rivals agreed that the first one to put his hand on Ireland would assume control. So began a boat race. Two boats were neck and neck and realizing that he was not going to win, one of them is said to have cut off his hand and thrown it ashore.
Views around our accommodation. We have the ground floor.
DUBLIN
via ANTRIM and Lough Neagh.
Hills behind Glenariff an area famous for its Forests.
Antrim castle gardens.
Not much left of the castle itself.
The coach house.
Lough Neagh.
I spoke to a gardener on the way to this point. It went something like this:
Him: Nice weather
Me: Better make the most of it we leave Ireland in a few days. We could only bring so much.
Him: As long as it lasts until July 12th (Orange march day)
Me: Why is there still so much dispute.
Him: There are only disputes when people cause them.
The nearest first hand reference we got to differences in the North.
DUBLIN
The Melodys residence.
Our stay in Dublin.
They have a security alarm. The place is like Fort Knox. We got detailed instructions on how to arm/disarm for when we go out.
Trouble was Mary armed it before going to bed. We get up earlier than her and Cathy decides to have her coffee in the back garden so opens the back door. The alarm goes off, not loud enough to wake Mary. Then the phone rings which we ignore because it will go to messages, right? Wrong! Pat gets a phone call in France to say his house has been broken into. Then an anxious neighbour calls Mary.
The General Post Office where Independence was declared during the uprising of 1916.
Feature in Dublin centre outside GPO. Very handy as a focal point.
Cathy and Mary aboard the open top tour bus.
Past THE Brewery. Have enjoyed a few of these already!
Outside the hotel we stopped for lunch.
The river Liffey.
Participants in the 1916 GPO standoff.
Memorial to the famine beside the river.
Bridge design based on the Irish Harp.
Reproduction famine ship.
The building nicknamed THE DYSON or the Block and Barrel.
The SPROUT restaurant where we stopped for a very good, healthy, lunch alongside the river.
Amphibious tour bus. People decked out in Viking gear.
Irish Parliament building.
Decorated pub. Quite a few of these about.
This pair got up and walked off shortly after.
Learnt something else today. The Irish don't form queues.
Waiting for the bus home people were vaguely hanging about the bus stop in both directions. It was rush hour and I thought this is going to be fun when the bus arrives. Not wanting to push in I asked someone leaning against a nearby fence talking with family if they were waiting for the bus. "Oh yes" she said. There was quite a mob milling around when the bus turned up and it all went smooth as clockwork. No pushing and shoving. We happened to be on the correct arm of the mob for tapping on and off with our card.
DALKEY
On our third full day near Dublin we took the Dart (railway) around Dublin Bay to Dalkey. This is the place daughter - in - law Liz's mother, Shirley was raised.
In the background is Dalkey Island.
We got worried for this dog. It's owner threw the ball too far and you could see from the look in its eyes it was beginning to panic as the ball had become wedged under the first boat. A sign on the wall says do not swim due to severe currents. From the way the dog was behaving I wondered if the tide was going out and it was being drawn to the exit of the harbour. Damn, I thought, will I have to run to the entrance and try to pull it out. Fortunately the dog settled, got the ball and made its way back.
Drinks at Fitzgeralds. The owner said he didn't know of anyone by the name of Cooper (Liz's family name). I asked him if any of the old patrons currently in the pub might know. "I don't know but that one over there doesn't even know what day it is"!! he said.
We caught the train back three stops towards Dublin to Dun Laoghaire where Jan and Shirley owned their first house after they were married.
The Dart.
The only railway map on the station we could find was in Gaelic and we didn't know if the destination, lit up on the sign above our heads, was beyond our stop or not so we asked a lady if she could tell us if the next train went to our home stop Harmonstown.
No problem she said "Lets go and have a look" and walked down the platform with Cathy. I wasn't that bothered so stayed put. When they got back they announced we should get on the next train.
While they were away another train shot past on another platform seeding more doubts.
"Was she confident?" I asked Cathy. "Not really" she answered. So once the lady was out of earshot I asked another young woman. "Yes the next train is the right one for you". So I said to her "Do you speak Gaelic?" "Not really" She answered "We did learn it at school, it's more symbolic than anything".
Great, Gaelic language is dominant everywhere but hardly anyone understands it!"
DUBLIN to KILKENNY
via CASHEL
Cashel castle.
Core Abbey. Close by the castle
Man playing flute at castle entrance.
Girl playing Irish harp.
KILKENNY
Kytelers Inn. A pub named after a lady accused of being a witch. They banished her to England but killed her lady in waiting. Bit mean!
Kilkenny Bed and Breakfast.
Great introduction on arrival in Kilkenny. We have just been on the road for 3 hours and really just wanted to relax and have a glass of wine. Then we met our host and the conversation went something like this:
us: We have a house in France (car plates are French)
him: You shouldn't have a place there, the French are a waste of time.
President Macron is a womanizer as is Bellesconi in Italy. He has a tunnel from his house so he can get away quickly if the police or paparazzi arrive.
When the Pope that resigned finally dies there are going to be enormous revelations.
The French soccer team is all black. All born outside France.
You shouldn't be allowed to represent your country if you weren't born there
The three most corrupt organizations in the world. The FIFA (Football) the IMF (money) and the Roman Catholic Church.
Too many foreigners coming to Europe. The far right in politics are getting stronger. There is going to be an explosion in Europe soon when people rebel. The same in Ireland.
All African nations consist of two tribes, a dominant one and a subservient one. We should arm the weaker ones so they can solve their own problems.
Not interested in the English.
Shouldn't occupy other peoples countries. Coming back to haunt them now.
Death too good for Margaret Thatcher. That woman did more to recruit members to the Irish Republican Army than anyone by allowing the Hunger protesters to starve themselves to death.
The Germans are great. It took loosing two wars for them to realize that finance is the way to go . They now rule Europe. I like them. They know what they want.
Couldn't think of anything to say lest it be thrown back in my face. Just stood there with my mouth open! But I thought. Yes! at last a bit of Irish aggro. They have all been so nice up til now.
Funny thing is he has four children in their thirties, three boys and a girl. Photos everywhere in graduation gowns. The daughter is living with an Australian bloke in Brisbane planning to get married and the eldest boy is living with a (lovely) Thai girl and living in Northern Thailand. On checking out Cathy witnessed the guests before us pay CASH and with a gleam in his eye our host hands it to his wife who files it in a metal box under the cooker!!
A sign in the breakfast room read:
" Here lives a lovely lady and a grumpy old man"
So maybe it was all tongue in cheek but he made a good job of it.
Didn't see this curb drop in Wexford which had no barrier or warning. Luckily parked without incident but if a wheel had dropped off the edge we would have been in real trouble with only an hour before we were due at the Ferry port.
BACK TO FRANCE
That's it. 3500Km later.
We are now safely back in Guemene after a perfect 12 hour crossing on a flat sea. The Internet has not been connected while we were away so we can give that up as a bad job for this year. Fortunately we have friends who allow us to use theirs so we can make contact in a limited way.
SUMMING UP
Great trip. Haven't resolved the question I had:
"What sort of people could plant bombs in crowded places, killing and maiming people, animals and even their own relatives and friends if they got in the way?"
It all seems so irrelevant today. Dublin and Belfast, for example, were like any European cities at this time of year. Full of foreign tourists.
We were in Belfast just prior to the Orange marches held on 12 July. There are people there, obviously, who don't want to let go and are flying flags and painting slogans on the roads. It seems a little sad to us as outsiders.
The people of Britain and Ireland have basically come from the same stock and their histories are intertwined.
A lot of research still needs to be done by me, not that I am that much bothered, but two of the main characters in the 1916 Easter uprising Michael Collins and Diarmuid Lynch are kind of curious. Michael was the youngest of 8 children so you wonder how he became such a significant figure. Diarmuid emigrated from Ireland to the USA when aged 18 after a spell working in London. He had a fascination with the Gaelic language and all things Irish so went back to Ireland in early 1900's and couldn't get work (A problem with him or the job market?) Anyway he fell in with a secret society of agitators (called IRB then, later to evolve into the IRA).
They decided to have the insurrection while Britain was involved fighting Germans on the continent. Not surprisingly the Brits were very unimpressed. Lots of people killed, executed or in prison.
Just read the History of the Irish war of 1798 (Thanks Google). It was really nasty, hand to hand stuff, back then based on Religious differences and persecution.
The Presbyterians (Protestant - mainly Scottish and Irish) were not happy at being shut out by the Anglicans (also Protestant - English) and were joined by more and more Catholics.
It also involved the French only 10 years after Captain Cook claimed Australia for England.
