Sunday 3rd July - heading to Cork

Today we woke and the sun was out - horrah - and again had a delish cooked breaky and then we were on the road to Cork.  I think it was just in time too as the waiter this morning said today's plan for all the guests was to "hunt the kiwis" - he was hilarious and we had some good banter with him and some of the other staff.  

First off though we were heading to a place nearby called Cobh which a few people had recommended, however due to some navigational setbacks we first ended up going to a really cool place past Cork called Kinsdale where we found a very cute town and a great little beach and where there is a beach there is soccer............of course! 

Beautiful cute town with great shops and great colours..............love it!

Found a butchers which we all liked - mum was quite excited and so given Barrett is her maiden name it was just a photo waiting to happen!!!!

We then got onto the right road to head to Cobh - a what a fab drive .....................

And then we arrived in the cute little port town of Cobh

It is so nice to have a great sunny day - finally maybe a spark of summer for the people of Ireland

Beautiful coloured houses...............................

A monument on the seaside - Cobh was the last port of call for the ill fated luxury liner the titanic!

Great church up on the hill

My great travelling companions...............

Delish light lunch - well it was meant to be a light lunch - might have to be a light dinner!

We then headed into Cork and to our university based hostel accommodation - found it easy peasy and it is perfect for our needs for two nights.  Karl has meetings at the university Monday and Tuesday and we will be exploring the area - card time for mum and the kids!

2nd July - Lachlan's birthday and we are off to Tipperary!

2^nd July and Lachlan is 11 years old today - how on earth did that happen, it seems like only yesterday…..blah blah blah - but so true! It is crazy! Anyway Lachlan had a great start to his day with his brother given him the most recent Cherub series book that has only just been released and us giving him cash!  He had already been given his present from my mum, a FC Barcelona jacket and money from his Nana Jan; Grandad Gregg and Nana Clarice, the Randles and Robinsons - he is saving most of it as he wants a really good drone or some other tech item.  He did spend some of Uncle Dean’s birthday money on a phlat ball (a frisbee that turns into a ball when thrown) and some of Nana Jan’s on FC Barca gear!!! One spoilt boy! He was then most excited as it was a full cooked Irish breakfast to start his day - for a kid that loves food this could not be better! Perfect start to his day.  

We were then off to Tipperary - cause you just have too - check out the cliché photos…………………..also, on the way we went past Limerick - and we had to say limericks you knew - Karl and I knew a few, but not too many were kid friendly!!!! Lachlan had done limericks at school and so got us to stop so he could get his ipad and tell us some he had found and written - was very funny!

We were all driving Karl crazy singing this song and making "very funny" jokes about it either being a very long way; or not very long way, to Tipperary - hilarious! He was even yelling out his window at one stage "help me"!!!!!

Anyway, Tipperary was great - we had a coffee/hot chocolate there and the lady at the information centre gave both boys a free container of popcorn due to it being Lachlan's birthday today, and Connors in a few days - great woman! 

 Also found this sign outside the coffee shop which really resonated with me.................and most of my friends I am sure!!!!

Karl also found a saying on a sign in a shop that said
"my wife and I workshop - I work and she shops" - perfect I thought!


Couldn't resist putting in another one..........................

We then headed to Cahir - our home base for the night.  Here we got milkshakes for lunch as we were all still full from breakfast, checked out the castle and the park next door. Total driving today about 11/2 hours as we didn't want to drive too much on Lachlan's birthday.  Our initial plan had been to drive the Ring of Kerry - but decided to do a short drive and get some accommodation with a pool for the birthday boy...............

Below is Cahir Castle which featured in films such as Catholics and Excalibur and is one of the best restored castles in Ireland.  It really is very cool. 

 The kids had a blast playing soccer on the grass and then trying to pull the Excalibur out of the stone! No luck!

We then headed to our accommodation - Kilcoran Lodge - it was gorgeous and often used for weddings. 

and it was straight in the pool.......yes they made us wear these swim caps..................and the pool was indoor and heated................

 There are times when you book the perfect accommodation for everyone - At the place there was a restaurant, a bar, a lounge area great for kids just outside the bar, a pool and it is actually the home of the Irish Deerstalkers Club who were having a meeting today! Karl had a swim with us and then went to the bar - where he stayed!!!  Lachlan's birthday wish was to have extended tech time after his swim - this was agreed! And then, I too, could hit the bar!

 A couple of the heads around the hotel - a member of the association took Karl into their special heads room - very cool he said!!

Lachlan then chose to have dinner at the restaurant onsite - perfect! Great dinner finished off by a birthday cake and candles organised by the lodge staff and everyone in the restaurant singing him happy birthday - fantastic! Lachlan said he had a great birthday and happily headed off to bed after dinner! 

1st July - and off to the Cliffs of Moher

Today it is Friday 1^st July and time to leave Dublin and head south.  It is two months to the day until we leave Marseille for our trip home - crazy how fast time is going!  

Karl and I headed off to pick up our rental car and drive back to pick up the others.  We found our way there and back and mum had tidied up so we were heading off straight away.  Great car with lots of space but no navigation system - never mind, how hard can it be in Ireland! 

I was navigating and after about 15 minutes of taking wrong terms and heading in the opposite direction to where we were wanting to do, Karl decided to get the navigation system going on his phone to get us out of Dublin!  We then were on the right track and heading west toward Galway, the home of seafood and most particularly oysters.  We were keen on oysters as Karl, mum, Lachlan and I are all fans of battered oysters!  

Arrived in Galway, and yup, it was still raining on and off, found a parking building and we hopped out to explore.  Found the information centre and then headed off to find a lunch spot that I had seen recommended by lots online and was also the recommendation of the information centre staff -

 McDonaghs……..unfortunately when they say Galway is the home of the oyster they only mean oyster au natural and they do not do battered ones at all - so it was fish and chips for most of us at the restaurant known for seafood and Karl opted for chicked and chips - go figure! Chips were amazing - they have won the best chip in Ireland many times…….we agreed! After this and some exploring of the old city, a pint of Guinness - we were off heading toward the Cliffs of Moher  -  a must see Ireland sight. 

 Beautiful city................

 The river running alongside the old city of Galway

Galway to the Cliff of Moher - What a great trip, the scenery is amazing, very wild and rugged and a lot like New Zealand.  We stopped off at a few points to take some shots - beautiful (and cold). We drove through an area called the burren.  The Burren is a region of County Clare in the southwest of Ireland. It’s a karst landscape that incorporates a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations and archaeological sites.

Given we were by the Atlantic Ocean the kids were very keen to dip their toes in another body of water.  They initially thought they should swim, but given the weather was about 10 degrees and the water much colder - toes it was! And yes, it was as cold as it looks! 

 Super windy - and this is the Irish summer - we cannot believe the weather!

 Fun and games with dads socks......................

 Could have ended in tears - although I am not sure who's........

We then arrived in the wee tourist town of Doolan for ice-creams and then to the Cliffs of Moher about 10 minutes away.

The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland’s most visited natural attraction with a magical vista that captures the hearts of up to one million visitors every year.

Checking out the cliffs on our drives to the actual tourist site

Standing 214m (702 feet) at their highest point they stretch for 8 kilometres (5 miles) along the Atlantic coast of County Clare in the west of Ireland. From the Cliffs of Moher on a clear day one can see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, as well as the Twelve Pins and the Maum Turk mountains in Connemara, Loop Head to the south and the Dingle Peninsula and Blasket Islands in Kerry. O’Brien’s Tower stands near the highest point and has served as a viewing point for visitors for hundreds of years.  We had great views and it was really clear considering the rubbish weather around.  It was really windy while is good as it keeps any fog away.

We enjoyed our time both viewing the cliffs and walking around outside and inside the visitors centre which provides information, pictures, a movie and interactive activities.  Perfect.  By the time we finished here it was after 7pm and time to head off to find our accommodation in a wee village close by called Lisdoonvarna.  We easily and quickly came to our very cute B&B and then headed off to the recommended pub for a light dinner and a drink.  Dinner was again fabulous and then it was home to bed - a great day had by all and tomorrow - Lachlan’s birthday.

Our last day in Dublin

Today we had a cruisey day.  Karl headed off to the conference and we got ourselves and the apartment sorted and then headed to a playground/grass area that we had seen close by.  We stayed there until the rain came and then headed home to wait for Karl as the conference was finishing around 1.30pm.  Karl duly arrived home and was famished and so the boys had promised to take him to the cool pub we went to yesterday…….so off we went.  Lunch, once again, was great and after lunch we headed around the shops briefly before heading home so Karl could get back to doing some work.

After relaxing for a while mum and I got ready to go to Riverdance, we were very excited. We headed off about 5.30pm and caught the bus to somewhere near the theatre.  It took us a little while to find the theatre while getting directions from numerous people - some who knew where the theatre was and some who clearly didn’t! Anyway, we found the theatre, had a wee wander around the area and then it was time to go in - yay! 

 Our seats were fantastic - seven rows back from the front and right in the middle! We figured we might as well get the best tickets available as we were only going once! Riverdance is an amazing show, and there were times when the dancers feet were moving so fast that I could not even see them - it was crazy good.  The storyline for Riverdance is very moving and I loved it all.  There was a standing ovation at the end of the night - the Irish team are clearly loving being back in Ireland and the Irish loving having them back after so many years away!

After the show bus and I headed out to try and find the right bus stop (or a taxi if this proved too difficult).  What is crazy and unexpected over here is how long it stays light at night for……it is still light at 10.30pm…….and light really early in the morning and so not a lot of dark time and they don’t seem to like curtains or blinds that block it out! Anyway - as it was still light after the show we felt safe wandering around looking for our bus! Our plan was to find our bus stop and then have a drink and a wee bite to eat before heading home however as we got to the bus stop the bus arrived and we thought we would jump on and grab something closer to home! The plan was good although nothing was open near our place - oh well, I don’t think we will fade away over night!