England – Ireland – England August 28th My first stop is England. I used to live here so I have a few old friends and some family living in the area. I am staying with my grandparents so that makes things nice and cheap. August 31st My first couple of days back home has been [...]
County Clare The N67 turned inland at Ballyvaughan so we didn’t take the coast road through Black Head. We were now in the heart of “The Burren“, supposed to resemble a moonscape. Boireann is Irish for rocky country or karst with stretches of limestone in all directions. I relied on the description of our guidebook [...]
County Limerick The Vikings reached this area in the 10th century and founded the town of Limerick. We crossed over the River Shannon to St. John’s Castle, situated beside the river. A massive structure which has recently been restored, we again just viewed it from the outside and inside in the gift shop. There, I [...]
County Sligo The most dastardly act the IRA committed against England occurred in this area in 1979. At Mullaghmore, the IRA blew up the yacht of Lord Mountbatten, killing him and members of his family. Nearby, Classebawn Castle was Mountbatten’s home. W.B. Yeats grave at Drumcliff Further on, we were now in the area of [...]
County Galway Kylemore Abbey Rejoining N59, we entered the even wilder landscape of Connemara. Coming to Kylemore Abbey, we stopped to look around. Again we didn’t go inside. Built in the 19th century, it is neo-gothic and not the real thing. But it was a pretty sight. We arrived in Clifden, our destination point, early! [...]
County Mayo “Breathe the wild landscape of Ireland”, states a informative brochure on County Mayo. We drove inland with the Ox Mountains in the distance, to Ballina, the largest city of County Mayo. Stopped at the Tourist Office and picked up a number of pamphlets, maps and sheets on the area. We were interested in [...]
County Derry After Portrush, we turned inland and took the road around Coleraine then went on A37 to Limavady. What makes this place important is that Jane Ross lived here from 1810 to 1879. She happened to hear a traveling fiddler play a familiar song, that had been played around Ireland for many years. But [...]
