Day 29 - Last day Gorey to Dublin

 So I celebrated my last night in Gorey yesterday with a lovely Irish Coffee at the Ashdown Park hotel.

Irish Coffee

Today was pack up time... had to rearrange the cases into non essentials in the big case and needed for the journey  in the carry on case.  TBH, I won't be sorry to not have to live out of a suitcase any more. Although I semi-unpacked in Lahinch and that made me feel at home.  

When it was all done I collected Bern and we went and had a coffee to recover!!! 

We have booked into the Maldron hotel at the airport, so we won't miss the plane tomorrow. 

The plan was to drive to Dublin and leave our bags at the motel and then return the car to the hire car place.  We couldn't access our rooms until 3pm, so we had to find a petrol station to fill up,  then perhaps have some lunch. 

So all my Nolan rellies will be pleased to know we ended up in Balbriggan...  birthplace of my Mum's father... 

We found a lovely pub called the Harvest Inn and had some Vegetable soup and soda bread..

Harvest Inn Balbriggan

Vegie soup and soda bread

And again..

It was lovely to be in Balbriggan and feel the presence of my maternal grand father.  He left there when he was 11 after his mother died and the family moved to Leicester.  We passed a cemetery on the way out and I wondered if his Mum was buried there.... ??? I didn't stop to find out though... 

So, on the way home we dropped the car off, always relieved to return it in one piece!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

Then we have now checked into this hotel and I've come down to the bar to write my blog and have a little Harp lager to help me along... 

Something to help me write my blog!! 

So that's just about it from me now.  Tomorrow  we fly out at 2.20pm and arrive in Perth  at 5.30pm on Wednesday. 

Thanks to everyone who followed along on the journey and sent the emails and comments.  So lovely to know you were enjoying the ride too...

Special thanks to my family in Lahinch  who made me feel so at home... that was probably  the highlight of my trip...

Hopefully  I will catch up with you all at various stages and fill in the gaps...  but it's been a wonderful  month enjoying the place of my heritage. 

Day 28 -Glendalough

 This is virtually our last day as a tourist in Ireland, so I chose a lovely destination  for our travels today... Glendalough.

(Perth viewers please note it is pronounced Glenda-lock over here)

The Heritage Ireland website describes this place as follows...

In a stunning glaciated valley in County Wicklow, in the sixth century, one of Ireland’s most revered saints founded a monastery. The foundation of St Kevin at Glendalough became one of the most famous religious centres in Europe.

The remains of this ‘Monastic City’, which are dotted across the glen, include a superb round tower, numerous medieval stone churches and some decorated crosses. Of particular note is St Kevin’s Bed, a small man-made cave in the cliff face above the Upper Lake. It is said that St Kevin lived and prayed there, but it may actually be a prehistoric burial place that far predates him.

Glendalough

It is also part of Wicklow County which is commonly referred to as the garden of Dublin.

It's a beautiful part of the country and the drive takes you through tall trees and ferns and green bushes that come  right down to the road.  It reminds me driving through the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne,  but it's so much greener!

There are gorgeous  little streams that cascade over rocks and make a gurgling sound as they do. 

Glendalough stream. 

It's so different to the mighty rivers that might run once a year up in the Pilbara,  and these streams are very small compared with the Swan River in Perth or even the good old Yarra River in Melbourne. 

But they are beautiful  none the less...

One place we stopped was called The Meeting of the Waters... where the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers meet to form the Avoca River

The Meeting of the Waters

As noted in my blogs before, there's a famous song that goes with this place... one that my Mum learned as a child..

The Meeting of the Waters song

Speaking of the Avoca River, we also stopped at the town of Avoca, probably  better known to many as Ballykissangel. It was one of my favourite  programs back in the day and very popular in Australia

Assumpta's pub 

View from the bridge in Avoca

So after our tourist session, we have driven straight down the M11 to Wexford again so Bern can visit her brother.  We will be going in the opposite  direction tomorrow  as we head for Dublin, to prepare for our flight home on Tuesday afternoon, arriving home in Perth on Wednesday  evening.

It's been a lovely day today.... it will give me strength  for the dreaded re-packing that lies ahead!!!

Day 27 Grand Final day

 Not much to say today folks, sorry. 

I had a lovely sleep last night and consequently  didn't wake up until half time in the Grannie. It looked like it might be a close game, but then Brisbane put on the after burners and left Geelong in their wake. 

To be honest I suppose  I preferred the Lions winning, but didn't really care!

So that took most of the early morning.  

Then I collected Bern and we went to the Dunnes Shopping  Centre again. This time I put my GPS on and followed all its instructions  and fortunately  arrived unscathed! It was raining heavily all morning and it was still a bit of a challenging drive. I'm sure the car parking spaces in Ireland are smaller than those in Australia!!! Or maybe my hire car is just a bit bigger. Either way I won't miss the Irish car parks!!

Dunnes Shopping Centre in Gorey

We had a coffee and then did a bit of shopping  and that was the morning gone.

This afternoon,  Bern's nephews and niece had arranged to come down and have some afternoon tea with her. It was so lovely  for them all to catch up after quite a few years... 

Bern and niece and nephews

Then tonight we have driven back to Wexford to visit Paddy in the hospital,  where, thank God, he is doing reasonably  well. 

It was a nice easy drive down the motorway and only took about 40 minutes. 

So, there's  not much of a travelogue  included in that report, but that was the story of my day.  

But I'm still seeing the beautiful green Irish country side as I drive along, and enjoying being in Ireland.

Only a few more days now but I'm still making the most of it! 

Day 26 Bits and pieces

The day started very early  this morning as we dropped Paddy at Wexford Hospital. He needed to be there by 7.45am so we left Gorey at 6.45am. 

The sunrise was magnificent,  except when it was right in your eyes!! I'm not often up at that time to experience  it...!!

Once we had dropped Paddy off we tried to find a coffee shop open in Wexford, but to no avail. Apart from that we couldn't find any parking spots, so we didn't even stop there. 

If you would like to see some pics of Wexford, check out my blog from 2018.

So we headed back to Gorey and to the Dunnes Shopping Centre and hit the first coffee shop called Insomnia, which is quite a big coffee chain in Ireland. 

Insomnia Coffee

Not all the shops were open yet,  but Dunnes had just opened so we picked up a few things then.  I tried to buy a bottle of wine for dinner tonight,  but they are not allowed to sell wine before 10.30am  so I had to put it back!!!

After all that busy start to the day,  it was time for a quick nap so I headed home to the hotel. 

This afternoon  we decided to go back to Dunnes to put the bottles into the recycling machine. It then issues a credit which you can claim when shopping at Dunnes.

Now little smart a**e me thought I now knew my way to Dunnes  having been there this morning.  Once again, pride cometh before the fall..

But... somehow I missed the turn off  and ended up going the wrong way down a one way street.!!! A very nice young Irish lady gently pointed this out to me,  and the other cars allowed me to back out.  How embarrassing!!! Actually  the Irish drivers are generally very generous and let you in through the traffic... not like our Aussie ones who are more than likely to tell you where to go!!! 

I was a bit stressed by the time we actually  got to Dunnes. I don't think I could cope with Irish traffic on a full time basis!!! The roads are narrow with cars parked along the side and it can be a bit scary playing dodgem!!!

BTW... I picked up that bottle of wine this arvo.. just to soothe my fractured nerves!!

So that's all today's  news..

But I wanted to add in one thing from Lahinch that I left out....

One day Patrick started singing a song called Joseph McHugh and it tells the story of a pub in Liscannor owned by this Joe McHugh.

So Marie took me there for my half pint of Smithwicks one night. 

Joseph McHugh's Pub in Liscannor.

And here's the video of the song from YouTube 

Thanks for exposing me to a bit more of the Clare culture, Patrick!

 

Day 25 Lahinch to Gorey

 There's not much news today... it was all about the journey once again. 

But let's go back to last night and the farewell dinner at The Atlantic, where Sean (Marie's brother) joined us for dinner.

Dinner at the Atlantic

One of the waiters,  Gabriel, was having his last night before taking off for Madrid and then Florida, so he joined the happy party.

Then another waiter, Ryan, joined in...

No wonder I felt at home at the Atlantic!

So this morning we bid our fond farewells as the kids left for school. 

Pity about the shadow!!!

Then one with the kids..

And of course I had to say farewell to my second best friend..

Bye Daisy

Then one last trip to the beach on the way out... 

Bewdiful!

Stunning!!

The journey was uneventful... I listened to my hawks podcast reviewing our loss at the weekend. It seemed a bit strange to be driving through Ireland  and listening to the Hawks but I managed!!

So now, here I am in Gorey, safe and sound

Coffee Time

Loved my time in County  Clare, it feels like home.  But now we move on to the next part of the adventure!

Day 24 - Knock and Mercy Day

 Today is September 24th - Mercy Day - and what better way to celebrate it than by paying a visit to the  Knock Shrine in County Mayo.

Knock Basilica

Marie had taken me there last year and the visit was "interesting" to say the least! So it was probably good to return and discover a fresh awareness of what brings thousands of tourists to this place.

We didn't have an early start, as Marie had an appointment in Ennis at 10.45, but we got away soon enough. 

Map from Lahinch to Knock

It was a reasonably long journey, but much of it was on the motorway, which made driving quite easy, with two lanes both ways.

When considering when to stop, of course food was the first consideration! Last year we stopped at Claremorris and we shared a big breakfast. But time was of the essence today and we thought we would not make it in time to Claremorris before the breakfasts were off. So, on Marie's advice, we stopped at Gort and went into Sullivan's Pub for a lovely shared Big Breakfast!

Sullivan's Pub

Shared Big breakfast

Then we were back on our way to Knock.

When we arrived our plan included looking through the multiple shops, buying some bottles to fill with Holy Water, and then attending the Mass at 3 pm in the Basilica. After last year's experience, I decided to skip the Reconciliation Building and head for the shops!!!

The shops were a bit like the buyers and sellers in the Temple!!

Knock Shop

Each of the shops had a saints name!  Different!!!

Windows of a Knock shop

It's a bit like Gattos on steroids!!

Shopping precinct

The next item on the list was to buy some Holy Water bottles and you can fill them from the multiple  taps around the grounds. There were a variety of sizes and shapes, but Holy Water is very big in Knock!

Then you take the bottles to the taps and out comes the Holy Water!!!

Filling the Holy Water bottle

Actually people here in County Clare use Holy Water quite regularly. There is a Holy Water font at the door and everyone blesses themselves with it as they leave the house.

Knock itself is an interesting place and buses were arriving as we did... Here's a few pics to show you..

Knock Chapel

Explanation of Knock

Outdoor  Way of the Cross

Mass at 3 pm was lovely and there was a big crowd there. It also included Sacrament of the Sick, so I rocked up and was anointed. And I prayed for all my friends who are not so well at the moment.

Speaking of such things, this will be my last day in County Clare. Tomorrow I'm going back to Gorey. Bern's brother has not been very well and is going to be admitted to hospital on Friday. So I'll drive over tomorrow and take it from there. At least I know where I'm going now and what the road is like!

So we're all going down to The Atlantic tonight to celebrate my time here, which has been just wonderful. 

And I will raise a glass to my Mercy friends for Mercy Day .... in fact it may be an Irish Coffee glass...!!!

This post comes with a very big thanks to Pat and Marie and Ellen and Patrick, who have just seamlessly added me  into their family life and made me feel so welcome and loved. I will miss them all.

And of course, Daisy the dog.

Slainte - Happy Mercy Day

Day 23 Curtin Clan

 I wouldn't come all this way to the land of my forebears without paying my respects to the place where they came from.... that is the Curtin Farm.

Curtin farm

For those who don't know....

Marie and her brother Sean are my fourth cousins, as is Madeleine in Limerick.

My great grandfather was John Curtin (we gained an "a" when we arrived in Australia!)

Marie's great grandfather and Madeleine's was Michael Curtin, and Michael and John were brothers.

Madeleine's Mum (Eileen Lynch) and Marie's Dad (Patrick Curtin) were brother and sister, so Marie and Madeleine are first cousins

Michael Curtin's descendants

There is no record of any dates relating to John Curtin, apart from his date of death in Bendigo

I have gone thought the Clare Genealogy Centre in Corofin and had our history done and they cannot find any trace of dates for him - he was just one who slipped through the cracks.

John Curtin's descendants

He married Margaret Maloney and they had a little son, Patrick , who died before they migrated to Australia. His next son, Michael was born in 1855 in Australia. This son, Michael, went on to become the Mayor of Eaglehawk in Victoria.

His poor wife Margaret had a bit of a tragic life, as she ended up dying the Kew Asylum in Melbourne

Notice of inquest into Margaret Curtain's death

One of John Curtin's sons was Edward Augustine, and he was the father of my Dad, Edward Charles - commonly called Ted.

There are obviously reams of pages that could be added and I'm always happy to share any info with anyone who is interested, I have the whole research package from that Clare Genealogical Centre if anyone would like it.

But that is the introduction as to why I keep coming back to Lahinch. It all began with my cousin Pat O'Callaghan who made the first initial inquiries, then various family members have contributed other pieces of research since then.

The farm that my great grandfather migrated from is still in the Curtin family, and Marie's brother, Sean, still works this farm. Until June this year, Marie and Sean's Mum, Nora Curtin, lived there too, but sadly she passed away just this year at the grand old age of 96.

So today's excursion was to visit the farm and pay my respects to Nora.

So let's start with a few pics

Curtin farmhouse

This still has the structure of the original building, with a few additions added on.

Curtin farmhouse

The farm is in a beautiful spot, right up the hill from Marie and Pat's house, and has magnificent views across Liscannor Bay. And today the sun is out!!!  Yay!!!  Which just enhances the beauty of their surrounds!

Views from the farm

Views from the farm

And here's a few farm buildings

Farm buildings

Farm building

Curtin Cows

Being brave withe Curtin Cows!

Sean with the Curtin Cows

Sean gets lots of ribbons in competitions for his cows. He was showing me how he can go online and bid for the cows at the market in Ennis. All high tech stuff these days!

Inside the farmhouse

Sean at the door of his house

I was very grateful to Sean for giving me some of his time today, because I know he is a busy man. But I just love going up to this place that is connected with my own history. To think that my great grandfather lived there just makes me feel that historical connection and as if it is part of my roots too.

So that's probably enough about my family history - hope that's not too boring for you, but to be realistic, that is the reason why I come to Ireland so frequently. I just feel so at home here. And especially this time, living with the Shannons.... they have just made me so welcome and I just feel a part of the wider family. So thank you guys and gals!

The other part of Lahinch that makes my heart sing is of course the Ocean.

The tide was out this morning...

Tide is out and all is still

And again....

Then when I parked down at the beach at lunchtime, the tide was still out...

At the beach

At the beach again..

And one last view of the view from the Curtin farm at Tullygarvan to finish off...

View from the Curtin farm.

Feels like home!