Blogs from County Offaly, Ireland, Europe

Susan’s birthday! Of course, that means she gets to choose what we do today. We headed to Birr about 15 minutes north, and visited Birr Castle Demesne. This is a castle, still lived in by the Parson family who have lived there for over 400 years. The current incumbent is the Seventh Earl of Rosse (Brendan Parsons), Lady Rosse (Alison Cook-Hurle) and their family. The castle is situated in around 120 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland. We wandered along stone-lined paths, following the start of the Solar Trail, where information boards spaced to the scale of the solar system give interesting facts on the sun and planets; each step was the equivalent of 1.6million km in space. Once we got to Mars we turned onto the trail taking us towards the castle, finding our way ... read more

Tag 326 - Deutscher Stereotyp, Mundraub & Tullamore Show Colm hatte gesagt, dass er um sieben losfahren wollte. Also hatte ich mir meinen Wecker gestellt und war pünktlich um sieben abfahrbereit – im Gegensatz zum Rest des Hauses. Die Jungs waren spät vom Feiern wiedergekommen (wie immer) und schliefen noch. Alle anderen saßen gegen sieben zumindest beim Frühstück. Lea wollte noch duschen, aber die Dusche funktionierte erst wieder nicht. Weil Bella ja auch noch im Auto war sollten Kelly und ich mit den Jungs im Auto mitfahren, und solange die nicht fertig waren, kamen wir sowieso nicht weg. Um halb neun fuhren wir dann endlich alle los. Hätte ich mir aber auch denken können, beziehungsweise hatte ich sogar erwartet. Aber naja, so hatte ich noch ein bisschen Zeit zum Blogschreiben, und Kelly war nochmal ins Bett ... read more

BOO, not. After coffee with Mary and Mick we headed off. Monday morning traffic and road construction made the ride more stressful than on the weekend but we soon turned off the main road onto a narrow lane that was much less traveled. The sun has been trying to breakthrough but with no success. These are the roads I remember from our first trip here, barely enough room for two cars to pass, hedgerows on either side breaking for a view of cows or sheep grazing in the pasture. We reached Montrath where Mommy was born and stopped in a cafe for lunch. All I can say is too much food! Then we headed out to Kinnitty Castle. To get to Kinnitty from Montrath we head through the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Story is that these provided ... read more

Well the Irish liquid sunshine is still with us but not dampening our spirits. The plants and the farmers are happy. After a quiet morning Mick took us to the Offaly Historic Society located on a newly revamped canal side walkway. There were lots of books and pamphlets for sale and a research center attached for those who wished to trace their ancestry. We tiptoed through the raindrops to the Bond Store for a lovely roasted red pepper soup and brown bread with Miriam and Liam. This complex has been renovated as well and pays homage things that made Tullamore special. One of these is Tullamore Dew Irish Whisky. My father-in-law used to bring me back a bottle when he traveled here in the 60's. The current owner is building a huge distillery complex and bond ... read more

Day one-Ireland Arrived here in the morning after a uneventful flight, full, with a group of young Irish dancers from Belfast. Was able to get about three hours sleep. After a small snafu at the airport regarding car rental insurance (had to take it) we headed out with my new best friend, my GPS buddy who I call Bridgett. She was fine on the major roads but lost her mind on the back roads. It was grand to see Mary and Theresa and after a chat we had a well needed nap. Mick came home and reminisced about old times. The home likes lovely and Mary's garden is still in bloom though the leaves are dropping from the trees. Mary prepared a light supper, chicken, salad, brown bread with a lovely Spanish Chardonnay blend. Bernadette and ... read more