You are welcome to read about this trip to Ireland in reverse order, blog-stylee, but you might prefer to start with this preamble and work forwards.
Photographs from the whole of our trip to Ireland are gathered in an album on Flickr, click here.
Tag: West Cork
Ireland With Dumbo Day Eight – 14 May 2015
Fish of the day at breakfast today was hake, which came a close third to seabass (winner) and monk fish (silver medal in my book).
We reluctantly said goodbye to Inchydoney and headed off in the direction of Killarney via Siobhan’s family home near Glenfisk. A roadwork detour combined with some confusion over the directions we had been given got us a bit lost for a while.
But by around 14:00 we arrived at the O’Donoghue/Ross home. What a strange place- sculptures throughout the enormous garden, pictures and other art works everywhere. Mum (Elisabeth) and sister (Deana) made us very welcome. Tighue, as expected, nowhere to be seen. We liked sculptures and artefacts best, some of which (glasswork, Deana and chess pieces Eoin) seem to be more down to the kids, but hey, it’s a family business.
I recognise the King Crimson 21st-century Schizoid Man in one picture and Deana coolly showed a different variant of him in another. Nice coffee and cake and chat with the ladies before heading off to Aghadoe Heights.
Satnav fancied a side street in Kilarney itself but that was soon corrected. Beautiful suite and lovely staff awaited us. Lovely Helen gave Daisy lots of extra bits and pieces (goodies) for the room but refused a tip. We took supper in the lounge – informal dining –wonderful seafood with chips and salad. Too full for pud! Very enjoyable.
Photographs from the whole of our trip to Ireland are gathered in an album on Flickr, click here.
Ireland With Dumbo Day Seven – 13 May 2015
The sun shone on us again. Breakfast this morning was seabass, which was delightful. After making the most of that and pottering about, we didn’t set off on our circuit of the island walk to well after 12:00, which landed us on the tricky east side around 13:30. Tricky only at high tide, which the chart said was 13:42.
The guidebook suggested that it was a stroll at low tide and bit of a scramble on the rocks at high tide. But we really aren’t cut out for scrambling on slippery moss-covered rocks. Only thing for it was to wait for the tide to pull back enough for us to walk it on wet pebble/sand. I estimated a wait until 15:00/15:30, which was pretty much spot on. So for about 90 minutes it would have been possible to observe a pair of lesser spotted eejits on the east side of Inchydoney Island.
Once we got moving again it was all quite straightforward. Daisy loved looking at the herons once we got to the bay and lagoon. Rewarded ourselves with some R&R and a fine meal in the main restaurant. We shared a pulled pork salad starter, then Daisy had lamb and I had beef, both done very nicely. Daisy rounded off with an Irish coffee while I polished off the lovely Malbec wine. Super evening again.
Photographs from the whole of our trip to Ireland are gathered in an album on Flickr, click here.
Ireland With Dumbo Day Six – 12 May 2015
Another sunny day. Breakfast of Pollack – lovely.
Decided to go to Shannonvale for walk this morning, as it is very breezy on the coast. A lovely walk – then out to Roaringwater river for a long walk and sight of Jeremy Iron’s Castle, Kilcoe. Another super walk, then back just in time for Rasul Therapy, two types of Dead Sea mud, very nice. I sunbathe in the solarium after and Daisy swam.
Took dinner in the pub again. Daisy had Caesar salad and chips, I had a wonderful baked salmon and mussel sauce with smoke salmon potatoes – very pleasant evening.
Photographs from the whole of our trip to Ireland are gathered in an album on Flickr, click here.
Ireland With Dumbo Day Five – 11 May 2015
Woke up to better looking weather. Wonderful breakfast of monkfish. Following yesterday’s rain – proper wet stuff – I choose a higher head walk for the morning. Moloney’s Strands and Dunwerley. We need a mixture of satnav and Ged nav to find the place.
That combo works- it’s a lovely walk – then back to Inchydoney Island for tea and then a beach walk on the strands and dunes. It’s very windy and Daisy nearly gives up but perseveres.
Then back ready for dinner quite early – we eat in the main restaurant tonight. I have prawn bisque, Daisy has a starter of pork belly with quinoa, followed by three fishes main. I had a chicken main. Daisy had almond and Seville orange desert, I had a hazelnut desert which had walnut in the ice cream rather than the advertised hazelnut. A quick swap with many apologies. Very good meal despite Helga’s warnings.
Photographs from the whole of our trip to Ireland are gathered in an album on Flickr, click here.
Ireland With Dumbo Day Four – 10 May 2015
Not too early a start, headed off circa 10:45 after hearty breakfast. An iffy weather day. Daisy insists on continuing to do the driving so I can navigate. Good roads down to Cork/West Cork. Get some petrol at the last chance saloon on the motorway.
Get to Enniskeane and call Helga (Auberjonois), who explains that Enniskeane is her postal town, not really where she lives – perhaps she should have explained that to us earlier – but between her attempts at navigation (the hamlet name, Kilcolman, was no help for the satnav) and some common sense, we found her place soon enough.
The four photos that follow are from Janie’s iPhone while we were at Helga’s lovely place.
We spent a few hours enjoying a lovely smoked salmon lunch and then onto Inchydoney Island only 20 minutes or so further on from Kilcolman. It looks like a super place with very friendly staff. Plugged for a lighter meal in the pub of the hotel/spa, although the portion sizes were large. Daisy had an open sandwich of tiger prawns. I had “Singapore noodles” with duck confit legs and we shared a profiterole desert.
Early night.
Ireland With Dumbo – 7 May to 19 May 2015 – Preamble
With my mother’s condition worsening over the autumn of 2014, we made no plans for a holiday proper but did plan at least to go walking in Ireland. After mum’s passing in early 2015, we briefly considered more ambitious plans but then thought better of it; I/we had been through enough and had lots still to sort out. The plan to walk in Ireland come springtime was still a sensible one.
Glossary for less-informed readers: Ged and Daisy are long-standing nicknames for me and Janie. Dumbo is my little Suzuki Jimny. He joined the family in September 2014; this trip to Ireland was his first serious journey with us.
Photographs from the whole of our trip to Ireland are gathered in an album on Flickr, click here.