No Over Taking

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This morning we started with a full Irish breakfast. Our B&B owner was a wonderful cook and we all enjoyed leaving with full stomachs. After packing our bags, we loaded the car and set out for Dingle. Dingle is a good size town in County Kerry. Upon arrival we stopped in the Tourist Information office (TI) and got a map and then used the Rick Steeves Book to give ourselves a walking tour of Dingle. We saw lots of cute shops and some historical landmarks. We stopped into a church and took a gawk at some famous stained glassed windows by Harrry Clarke... they were amazing. After a quick prayer in the church, we stopped in the grocery store for some snacks and headed for the Slea Head Drive. This is a very famous drive around the dingle peninsula with lots of beautiful scenary and 'tight' roadways. In most cases, you have to pull off the roadway to let another car pass. We stopped at several very beautiful spots for pictures. Driving around the peninsula took about 3 hours, due to our stops and the narrow roads. When we returned to dingle, we decided to take the Connor Pass towards Tralee. The Connor Pass is the highest pass in Ireland and we were a bit nervous as there was specific length, width and height restrictions on the vehicles, due to the roads. Connor Pass ended up to be very beautiful and we did have a few tight passes with other cars, but wearing rubber knickers always helps! We ended up hitting several smalls towns during rush hour. We ended up just making it in for the 5:30 ferry to County Clare. Once in clare, we headed thru Kilrush, and Kilkee and then to Cross. Cross is the small town where my maternal grandmother was born. Her house is still in our family as a cattle farm. We stopped in at the Hilltop B&B, and THeresa O'Gorman showed us our lovely room for the night. We cleaned up a little and then headed to Carrigholt for a quick dinner at the Long Dock. We made it very quick since we wanted to catch some of the festivities at the Loophead Gathering Festival. Tonight, at half eight (8:30) we were spectators at a very commical Donkey Derby. Mulvey's Lad was the winner, beating out approximately 6 other donkeys. We then stepped into the only pub in Cross, Foley's. Foley's was remodeled since our last visit, and it was packed. There were kids, adults, and seniors sharing great conversation and laughs. Soon the children showed us a little set dancing... which was wonderful. We have a pint and then headed back to the Hilltop B&B for the night.

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Comments

[Tara]

you've packed a lot in 2 days! sounds like fun! how cool to see your grandmother's house... very special.

[Annmarie]

I miss you
you are such a wonderful writer. Multi-talented emily Ponto....I miss you and send your mom my love. TJ called me yesterday just to say hi to Molly. She says ruff ruff!!!

[Kermit]

Dream Vacation
I wish I had your money, always touring around these foreign countries seeing the sights! Good for you! Melinda especially liked today's post, she kept laughing every time she read Dingle...said it reminded her of some "Dingle Berries" she once had...just awful! Enjoy your trip and stay safe!

[Dan]

WOW!
Wow! The views are beautiful! I have to agree with Tara, you are packing in a lot. Annmarie is right too, you have the talent for making me feel like I am right there with you. Hey, in the pub back near your cousin's place, did anyone ask if you were the cousins from America? :-)

[Kristin]

Wow-SA!
Wish I was with you and not stuck on my couch! We'll have to have a date when you return. G misses TJ!

[Alicia O'Connor]

Great photos!
Em, It's great to see what you're doing in the the old homeland. Dingle is where the O'Connor family is from. Looking forward to more posts!