Day 10 - It’s all about the journey

 There's not going to be a lot to report today, as my day consisted nearly totally of the drive to Gorey.

When I drove over last week, I slavishly followed my Google Maps and ended up on all these narrow little lanes, with bushes growing right down to the road and nowhere for 2 cars to pass.  This time I was armed with advice and was prepared to ignore the unexpected!!!

Had a chat with Pat and Marie and Patrick last night,  and they suggested a variety of routes to follow, but eventually we all agreed that the best idea was to go via Limerick and Portlaoise

 (Pronounced port leesh). For those who follow the afl, Zac Tuohey  comes from there.... he played for both Carlton and Geelong. Just as a little aside,  he has a terrific podcast  available  on ABC Conversations.  

So I packed my little case and prayed I didn't leave anything vital behind!!! And off I went..

Now, of course,  the most important thing in any journey is where to get the first coffee!! Marie suggested getting one at Ennis, but I was hanging out for one by Inagh, and they have a very civilised drive-through one there. So I picked one up and I was away. 

The next thing of course is petrol, and although I had over 400 km in the tank, I am not like some of my friends and relatives  who let it go down to under 20kms before they start to think about a refill!!! I shall not name names,  but you know who you are!!! 

So I did stop in Ennis to get some petrol and I tootled off very happy to know my tank was full.. 

Now sadly as a consequence of having a coffee, you might often require a loo  stop. And the Irish roads are not really well known for having toilets available near the motorways.  

So as I approached the turn off to Bunratty Castle,  I remembered having my lunch there with my cousin Madeleine last year,  so I hopped into The Creamery and made use of their facilities!!!

My plan was to stick with the motorway for as long as I could,  but after another hour or so I stopped at the Barack  Obama  service centre... I think his family has a local connection there. 

It was very busy there,  but it was nice to get out of the car and have a break. 

The next challenge  on the journey was the tolls!! A few trips ago  I actually drove in  France and was deeply traumatised by their toll systems!!! Ever since then I have been wary of tolls. But I actually navigated through 2 lots of tolls  on this journey  and felt an immense sense of relief!! I have also been a bit wary of using my credit  card after it wasn't working properly earlier.  But it seems OK now hopefully.. 🙏

I stopped for lunch in Carlow and was very lucky to jag a car park.  Parking in Ireland  is one of the biggest challenges,  but this carpark was right outside a pub, and it had some lovely potato and leek soup and soda bread on offer!!

The weather was a bit of a pain as I drove along,  with lots of rain pelting down. But I had saved up all my Hawthorn  podcasts  for the journey and actually the time passed quite quickly.

So here I am back in Gorey for a couple of days.  My main thought ATM, is how to fit in watching the Hawks on Friday.  It's on here at 10.30am and I have to be out of the hotel by 12 noon, so I think I will invite myself round to Paddy's  house to make sure I get to watch it uninterrupted!! 

Can't believe  I just wrote so many paragraphs  about a simple journey across Ireland!!! I suppose it's all part of the adventure!!!