Travel Blog

Visit Our New Blog

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:37:34 -0600

corey says...We’ve made a few changes to our blog. From now on, we’ll be continuing our entries at www.irishfiresidewordpress.com. You’ll find all the entries from this blog also posted there.

A New Visit Dublin Site

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:40:29 -0600

corey says...Visit Dublin has unveiled their new website. It’s a little more whimsical/futuristic than their earlier incarnation.

They’ve got their visit Dublin video posted...which features music by U2...and they’ve got some webcams and podcasts too.

www.visitdublin.com

Planning a Trip to Ireland

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:24:48 -0600

corey says...It’s been a busy week here at the Fireside. We posted TWO podcasts... PARTS ONE and TWO of our interview with the Ireland Expert Pat Preston. Everyone seems to be very happy they got a mega-Irish fix this week from the Irish Fireside.

I also booked my tickets for Ireland...I’ll be over there for most of May and June. Meanwhile, Liam will be there Mid-May to Mid-August. We’ve both been feeling a little homesick for the place lately, so it’s nice to have firm dates.

Liam and I did a little homework on our next episode...I’ll give you a hint, it’ll have some Irish dance and music in it. We also started working on a special treat we’re planning to have ready for Saint Patrick’s Day...sorry, no spoilers posted just yet ;)

I’ve also been uploading all our photos onto Flickr. With over 300 pictures from this summer, it turned out to be quite a chore, but it wasn’t too bad. The slideshows on Flickr should load a bit faster than the current photo albums, but it might be a while before I convert everything over. You can click “Photos” above for the old albums or check out our Flickr albums. I’ve also been toying with a few ways to change our blog format, but changes to that won’t happen for a few weeks yet.

Winter Nostalgia

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 01:46:53 -0600

corey says...Liam’s gotten all nostalgic this New Year’s and has recorded his thoughts...they appear in Podcast Episode #31, but he’s also mixed them with images. As you watch, note that the photos of his father come from his dad’s last trip to Ireland...he looks quite happy.

Free 2008 Calendar

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:20:37 -0600

corey says...We've been raving about Peter O'Donnell's photos of the Emerald Isle ever since we found his www.ireland360.com website. Well, you've got a chance to enjoy his work all year round! He's GIVING AWAY his 2008 Beatiful Land calendar. Just visit his website and have it shipped right to your home. There's a fee to cover postage, but I can assure you, it's worth it!

Click Here To Get Your FREE Calendar

Happy Holidays

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:12:29 -0600

corey says...Merry Christmas to everyone who has visited us at the Irish Fireside. You will find a special song for the season on our podcast feed.

Site Redesign

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:11:34 -0600

corey says...In an effort to get our pages to load a little faster and make the site a bit easier to navigate, we gave our website a new look this week. We still recommend a highspeed connection, but hopefully, visitors won’t find themselves waiting quite as long for pages to load.

Be sure to drop me a line if you find any pages that have glitches or don’t load properly. I hope enjoy the changes.

April Tour & Gift Guide

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:31:14 -0600

corey says...Just wanted to let everyone know that bookings for our Treasures of Ireland Tour are now closed. If you’re still looking to visit Ireland this spring, be sure to check out Pat Preston’s Tour April 19-26, 2008. Liam and I strongly recommend touring with Pat. She is, afterall, the “Ireland Expert!”

That’s Pat pictured above with her husband John and the driver/guide Tom from her October tour.

Warmest Holiday Greetings!

Here’s the Holiday Gift Guide

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:35:54 -0600

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who nominated sites for our holiday gift guide. The list is finally complete.

Go ahead and have a peek and be sure to drop an email to the folks who made the list and let them know you like their work. They all work very hard at what they do and your kind words can be just as valuable as a sale!

http://www.irishfireside.com/enewsletter/2007giftguide/2007gifts.html

Sale Ends Thursday!

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 08:43:03 -0600

corey says...The earlybird special for the Irish Fireside Treasures of Ireland Tour ends on Nov 15th, so this is your last chance to save $100 off per person. Drop us an email if you have questions, or get more info by clicking here.

2007 Holiday Gift Guide

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 09:43:42 -0500

corey says...The search is on for items to include in our annual list of Irish and Ireland-inspired gifts, and we’re looking for suggestions from you!

If you know of a website or source offering jewelry, books, clothing, gift items, artwork, household items or other gift ideas that have a tie to the Emerald Isle, we’d love to hear about it.

Send your suggestions to corey@irishfireside.com and you can help develop this year’s list.

The list will be included in an upcoming E-Newsletter. You can view last year’s list at: http://www.irishfireside.com/enewsletter/1206/1206holidaynews.html

We’re in the TOP 20!

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:53:51 -0500

corey says...Our iTunes subscriptions have seen a big boost lately and as a result, the Irish Fireside Podcast has jumped to #15 on the iTunes Top Travel Podcasts.

That’s a pretty big achievement considering we’re up against Rick Steves, Frommer’s, Fodors and the unending supply of Disney travel podcasts.

The procedure iTunes uses to choose their Top 100 is a bit of a mystery, but it does tie directly to the number of people subscribing... especially the number of new subscribers.

Thanks to everyone who has chosen to subscribe, and if you use iTunes but don’t subscribe...go ahead and subscribe. It’s the easiest way to get the latest episodes of the Irish Fireside podcast on your computer.

Thanks for listening!

October E-News

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:00:51 -0500

We were a bit behind schedule, but we sent out our October/September E-Newsletter last night. I want to give a special thanks to my co-editor Kathy for helping crank things out in a very short time period...she’s always great for coming through on those types of things.

In case you’re not a subscriber, you can read the e-newsletter or subscribe by visiting our E-News page. This month features a story by our friend Jim Sanford about his experience returning to the land of his ancestors, an account by Robert Fearon describing the history behind the famous Doors of Dublin poster and several other links to Irish travel news and videos.

Back in the USA

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 09:33:31 -0500

corey says...After getting back from County Kerry, the next two days were a whirlwind of cleaning, packing and visiting. There will be new guests arriving at Knockahopple shortly, so I had to make sure the place was all tidied up for them. It all looked pretty good when I left.

The weather held out right until the moment I left. What a difference from the weather from this summer.

My trip to the airport was uneventful. It was Sunday morning, so traffic was pleasantly light. I went through my usual Shannon ritual...return the car, get in the Aer Lingus line, go up to the cafe, go through security, get my tax refund, shop duty free, go through customs and get ready to board.

While I was waiting to board, the usual line formed the moment when an announcement was made. I’ve learned not to jump up at that time, as they do a security check of every carryon bag at this point. Those who get in line end up standing there for at least 15 minutes before it starts to move. Once moving, it goes pretty quickly.

While everyone was waiting in line, a plane of US Army soldiers was deboarding and walking down the glass corridor beside us. Many people waved to the soldiers...including the family right in front of me. I think the soldiers genuinely appreciated the gesture.

The stream of soldiers seemed to go on for a very long time, and as more and more passed the family in front of me became more and more enthusiastic. They started clapping to the oncoming soldiers. Then, they began to cheer. The gesture was well-intended, but it was starting to feel a little strange as the parents were becoming a little frenzied by the whole thing.

Their daughter, who was probably four, asked between hoots, “Are those the bad guys?”

Her mother answered, “Nooooo, those are the good guys. F*ck the bad guys.” She then looked up from her daughter, raised her hand and shouted “F*ck the bad guys. F*ck the bad guys! F*ck the bad guys!” She stopped just short of chanting the phrase. I have to admit, the scene was almost surreal.

We left Shannon on time, but a strong headwind meant our flight arrived in Chicago an hour late. Usually, we land earlier than scheduled, so I guess I was due for a long flight.

I’ll continue to put updates on the blog, but probably not daily. If you’d like to continue your Ireland fix, visit Pat Preston’s blog...she’s leading her 25th tour of Ireland this week.

Bumper to Bumper

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:15:20 -0500

corey says...After Connor Pass, the rest of the roads were pretty easy...until just before Blennerville. We stopped at a temporary light where the road was being worked on. Then a short distance beyond that, traffic stopped. I thought it might be another construction stop, but this one seemed to take a while...and there didn’t seem to be any traffic coming from the other direction.

Then it came on the radio that a two-car accident closed down all roads through Blennerville for the next hour. Uh-oh. I debated whether I should turn around and go back to Camp and take the road over the mountain to Castlemaine, but opted against it.

It was 5pm and the evening light was at its best, but it didn’t look like I’d be getting any photos. There we sat for about an hour. The radio report declared the road would be “closed until further notice.”

Every once in a while a string of cars would appear going in the other direction. At one point, three trucks appeared and pulled over next to me. The men inside all got out and appeared to be having a conference on the side of the road.

Three men sitting in their cars heading in my direction jumped out of their cars to take part. They were all discussing strategies and talking on their mobile phones. Then our line started to move. The men quickly dispersed and we moved about 50 feet forward. Then a 20 minute wait. Then 150 feet forward. Then a wait.

It wasn’t long before we were on some side road about the width of a semi truck. There was no hope of anyone turning around now. A few cars traveling in the other direction were stranded in a driveway...they had given up trying to maneuver through the unending trail of vehicles.

It was more stop than go for another hour. Then when the sun was completely gone, the traffic seemed to magically clear. I was suddenly traveling some unfamiliar road to what I hoped was Tralee. It took several miles, but I ended up in Tralee and then on the main road again.

I was still two hours from home and the rest of trip was going to be in the dark. Even the major highways are a bit of a challenge at night in Ireland. There are no overhead lights, so you can only see as far as your headlights allow...and unless you’ve got your brights on, you can’t really see very far.

With all this darkness, it’s even more of a challenge when there is oncoming traffic as their headlights tend to be blinding. Fortunately, traffic wasn’t bad and I was home by 9:30.

Onward to Dingle

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:29:08 -0500

corey says...Last night when I checked in, my B&B hostess asked when I’d like breakfast. I asked, “Would half-seven be too early?”

She made a little muttering sound and said, “Would eight or quarter past eight suit you?”

I told her it would be fine. You have to love the illusion of choice in this situation.

Well, after breakfast this morning, I was back in Killarney following the walking tour and taking various photos. It was another gorgeous day and the town was relatively quiet.

While I was in the friary, I noticed a plaque mentioning the skull of a monk who had been beheaded by Cromwell’s soldiers was on display in the “side porch.” I tried to find it, but only found an ancient holy water font. I stopped in the gift shop and asked about it. Ends up they were doing work over there and had to move it temporarily.

Then I wandered through the town to the impressive cathedral. Apparently this was the week for displaced religious artifacts as a statue of John the Baptist in the baptistry was also temporarily being “relocated.”

I then walked over to the Knockreer estate and wandered the gardens there and continued on to Ross Castle.

I planned to take the tour, but the next one was in an hour. I’m sure the girl behind the counter was just trying to keep me up-to-date, but when she told me, “and if there’s not interest in the tour, it’ll be cancelled...just so you’re aware of that.” This was strange, because I’ve been on tours at other OPW sites and there were just two of us on the tour. The guides never seem to mind tiny groups. It kind of sounded like she was trying to talk me out of it.

Dingle & Slea Head Drive
Then it was back to town. Since it was before noon and the weather was great. I figured I’d head onward to the Dingle Peninsula. This was another spot that EVERYONE I know has been, but somehow, I never ended up there.

The ride to Dingle was uneventful. The sun was bright, yet there was a bit of haze in the sky. Terrific weather for Ireland in October.

I really didn’t want to spend another night away from Knockahopple, so I was pacing myself a bit. That meant I didn’t stop as much as I normally would, and I wasn’t lingering or chatting with people nearly as much as usual either. I was a bit disappointed in that, but I also knew I’d be leaving a bit for “next time.”

I stopped at the stone fort, the beehive huts and Dingle town where I had lunch. Then I was NOT going to make the same mistake many before me have made...I was NOT going to miss Slea Head drive. A lot of people don’t realize that the most scenic part of the Dingle is beyond Dingle town.

There was a lot of road construction on the Dingle peninsula and evidence of the work was clear by a lot of improved roads along the way. The upgraded roadways stood out as they would appear out of nowhere while traveling along some rougher, narrower spots. It made me think...“If they only improved the worst spots...judging by the unimproved ‘good’ parts, they must have been in terrible condition.”

Traffic wasn’t heavy at all along this route. There seemed to be about four of us traveling the route this hour...as I kept seeing the same four cars as I made my stops. The locals were a bit braver on the roads and quickly overtook any of us tourists. In the end, it was a pretty easy trip.

The weather was beautiful and every turn revealed another picture perfect moment.

Connor Pass
When I returned to Dingle town, I decided to go home via Connor Pass. The road up from Dingle is quite wide and recently improved. There was a left-hand drive car with French plates tailgating me as I climbed the hill. When I spotted a small pull off - there weren’t too many on the way up - I zipped over and let her pass. She gave me the customary flash of her lights “thank you” once she passed, and I again had the road to myself.

At the top, the view was spectacular. It was fun to run from one side, take a picture and then run to the other side to take more. The view from both sides was quite impressive.

Then it was time for the tricky part of the ride down. There are several parts on the second part of the journey where there is only room for one car to pass as the road hugs the cliff. You definitely won’t find any tour buses on this route! I was lucky, as there were only two cars going in the opposite direction on my entire trip down the mountain. Liam often tells of his moments on that road where he has had to reverse to the nearest pull off to accommodate traffic.

Gap of Dunloe Adventure

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:34:53 -0500

corey says...I absolutely can’t wait to tell you about my day. Things started with a trip to Shannon to drop Tony off at the airport. The ride out was perfect...no problems with traffic and the day was bright. In fact, it was more the type of weather you’d like to see when you land than when you take off.

Once he went through security, I headed for Killarney. I was lucky, the traffic around Limerick was very good, and with the smooth driving, I was on the road to Killarney in no time. It was a pretty easy trip once I was out of Limerick.

Killarney
I had a bit of a mission in Killarney, our Treasures of Ireland Tour will stay two nights here in April...and I haven’t spent much time in Killarney in recent years. If I was going to give people suggestion, I was going to need to make sure my information on the town was current.

I was completely out of my element this trip. I usually spend several hours collecting information, reading guidebooks, jotting down notes. In fact, I tend to go overboard on the research side of things.

This time was a completely different story. I did absolutely NOTHING. No homework whatsoever. No guidebooks. No notes. Just me and my map from the car rental agency.

The Gap of Dunloe
After I did a little exploring and picked up the walking tour of the town, I had a decision to make. I only had a few hours of daylight left. Since I didn’t want to waste precious daylight hours trying to read the walking tour and do the walk at the same time, I thought I’d give the Gap of Dunloe a try. I found a B&B before heading out...I didn’t want to be searching for a place to stay in the dark.

The Gap of Dunloe was one trip in the area I just never had the chance to do. Liam had done it and so had several other people I know. Off I was to try something new. It felt a little weird to not be referring to my guidebooks...I had no idea how long the trip would take, if there were any details to “watch out for” or even what the “must sees” were along the way.

The route to the Gap are well-signposted, and I the first thing I spotted was Kate Kearney’s cottage. That was a familiar name; the pub and restaurant is much-loved by tourists. With my sunlight dwindling, I didn’t stop.

Kate Kearney’s really marks the beginning (or end) of the Gap of Dunloe, and as soon as I passed it, the roads changed. Suddenly, I was on a very narrow, winding road. It was almost unreal how the route zigzagged and little humped bridges crossed little streams and gorges. It was like driving on a rocky mini-golf course. My photos from the trip really don’t do it justice.

It was as I maneuvered up, over and around this obstacle course that I realized, “This is the first time I’ve really traveled alone in Ireland. I’ve always had Liam or Tony or someone I was touring around with me. I had spent a few nights in Dublin before, but this time I was completely on my own. It was in one part freeing and another part disappointing, because this was definitely something worth sharing with other people...I guess that’s why I’m so excited to share the adventure with you.

There weren’t too many cars out at this hour during this time of the year. One Mercedes station wagon and I nearly scraped sides as we edged by one another, but all in all, there always seemed to be a pull off in just the right spots. The other advantage was that I had been driving the narrow roads enough to always have one eye up the road to see if there was a car in the distance. When I saw one, I would just wait at a wider spot until they arrived.

Danger Zone
At one point, I stopped the car as it pointed up a steep incline to get a few photos. There were a few walkers out and about...and I thought they had the right idea...this would be a great hike.

When I returned to the car I started it up and the fuel light was on. I had just under a half tank when I started the trek and that was only 40 minutes ago. The needle was well into the red. A gulp of panic snuck up on me, and I had to assess was it better for me to keep going forward or to turn around and go back? I didn’t feel worried about the situation; I just thought, “Well, this might be a very cold night in the car.”

I opted to keep going. In part, because I thought I might be over halfway and in part because turning around on this road could prove difficult.

As soon as the car started going down hill, the fuel light went off and the needle inched its way over the quarter tank mark. Ah-ha! It was the incline that caused the sudden drop on the petrol gauge.

When I found a level spot, I stopped the car and found the needle to be somewhere above the red zone. That was still too close for comfort. Driving up those hills sucked up more petrol than I expected.

At this point, the sun was getting lower, and I was a bit more focused on getting to a petrol station than the scenery. That still didn’t stop me from getting out a taking photos though.

Once over the Gap, the roads were a bit less curvy, but there was still a ways to go. As the sky was turning from orange to purple, the needle was dipping into the red and the fuel light was on for real now.

I tried to employ every gas-saving technique I ever heard about, but they were rather useless when I had to climb a mountain and take sharp turns.

Follow the Horses
At one point, I came to a sort of crossroads. The hiking route was clearly marked and another sign pointed to the Upper Lake. I had no idea which route would take me to the nearest petrol station.

As I looked at the route, I noticed one route had a lot more horse poop on it. My theory was that with so many people taking jaunting car rides around this area, the poop-lined path must be the more popular tourist route. In fact, the other route had barely any horse poop at all.

I pushed onward along to poop path. I came upon a big gate/bridge that boasted a tea room and boats back to Killarney. “No cars beyond this point,” the sign said. Another read, “Lake cruise - the shortcut to Killarney.” Sigh, no shortcut for me. Alas, the area had already closed for the day, so I continued on.

The road became more gravely and less paved as I entered a more wooded area. Then a farm gate blocked the road. It was a very casual gate with no lock. I’ve been places before where there were such gates to keep livestock in/out or away from train tracks.

I figured I’d open the gate and continue onward. I hopped out of the car and opened the gate. When I turned back to the car...it was slowly rolling toward me. Parking Brake! I forgot to engage the brake. Fortunately, I managed to hop back in the car before it ran me down. As I climbed out of the car to close the gate behind me, I decided this was another reason to want to share this experience with someone...they could at least be in charge of gates!

It wasn’t far from the gate when I realized this was not the road I wanted to be on. It was getting rougher and narrower and there was a sign in front of me that read “Private Property.” Okay, now to back up to a spot where I could turn around.

Killarney or Kenmare
It was back out the gate...this time ensuring the parking brake was engaged and then back to the cross where the horse poop lead me wrong. Apparently, the horses must take a boat back because the wasn’t really any more horse poop on the rest of this drive.

The needle kept dipping lower and lower, and now it really was getting to a point where I might actually run out of fuel. If I only knew how much further I’d have to go, I would have some idea of my chances.

I finally came upon a sign that said, “Killarney/Kenmare.” It didn’t say how far, but at least it told me I was on the right path. A few turns and hills later and I was at Moll’s gap. Now, this spot I recognized. Whew.

Now I had to make a decision...take a risk and try to make the 20km to Killarney or go 10km in the opposite direction to Kenmare. I decided to play it safe and headed to Kenmare. I knew exactly where the nearest petrol station going that way, and I could grab a bite to eat while I was there.

By the time I arrived in Kenmare, it was completely dark. I fueled up and headed into town. Parking was simple, and I walked the main streets in search of my dinner. There must be some animal fair going on in Kenmare tomorrow, as there were several trucks loaded with sheep in the main street. In another spot someone had a pen lined with with straw that took up two parking spots.

I enjoyed a nice walk around town and had a good meal. While I ate, I read the Killarney walking tour and then it was time to head back to Killarney.

Moll’s Gap and Ladies’ View in the Dark
I headed back up the mountain to Moll’s Gap and passed Ladies View. In the day time these are some of Ireland’s most beautiful sites, but after dark, it’s an entirely different story. In the spot where there is usually amazing scenery there is an enormous void. Just complete blackness. It really felt like on the other side of the railing there was nothing...and if I drove off the edge, I’d be falling into an endless pit.

A little further down the mountain into Killarney National Park, there were more trees, and I felt less like I was driving in space. It was a bit comforting to have the trees nearby, but with that came another threat...DEER! They were all over the side of the road.

The two cars I passed on the way, didn’t seem to mind the animals, but coming from the upper midwest in the US...I’ve seen too many deer-related accidents to take their presence lightly. Fortunately, the animals stayed off the road and it wasn’t long before I was back at the B&B recounting my adventure.

Horse Riding

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 11:13:28 -0500

corey says...Neighbors Pat and Mikey had quite a treat in store for Tony and I today. We were told to arrive at Pat’s at one o’clock this afternoon. I got there before Tony, so I was introduced to Paddy, a beautiful brown horse. Pat already had him hitched to his riding buggy and he said, “Now, Corray, get in.”

I, of course, did as instructed and off we were for ride through Knockahopple.

I have to say, I’ve been down the road through Knockahopple several hundred times, and it was a completely different experience from atop the buggy. Firstly, it was a glorious day...there was only a slight nip in the air, but the sun was bright and the air fresh. From the buggy seat, I was twice as high as I would have been in a car, so I was able to enjoy the view over the hedgerows. Then the quiet clopping of Paddy’s hooves and the relaxed pace just made the experience perfect.

Pat pulled the horse and buggy into the drive of Knockahopple Cottage, so we could get some photos to send Liam. Liam has ALWAYS wanted a pony and trap to ride up and down the road, so the fact that I was in his yard with Paddy and Pat would make him terribly jealous.

We continued to the end of the Knockahopple road, passed Bolingbrook School and onwards to the viewing area a Foilnamouk (sorry, I don’t know the right spelling...it means hill of the pig). When we arrived, Tony and Mikey were there waiting for us.

Pat unhitched the horse and let him eat some grass, and Mikey opened the boot (trunk) of the car and produced a tin of muffins, tea cups and a thermos of tea. “This is the Clifford’s AgriTours,” Mikey joked. We settled into the picnic area and enjoyed the view of the valley. It was absolutely perfect...good weather, good company and a fine horse.

View the photos...

Walk and Party

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:38:35 -0500

corey says...The weather was quite miserable this morning. The wind was fierce and the rain was coming down on a horizontal. I rang Tony to see if he wanted to go in to Nenagh and pick up the chair he bought at the secondhand furniture store. He of course jumped at the chance.

An hour after I called, I arrived at his place. The wind had died down, but the mist was still quite heavy. As we headed over the Silvermines Mountains, we could see blue skies ahead. The clear air was coming in from the west, and by the time we reached town, it had become a favorable day.

We picked up the chair the Irish way...by double parking in front of the store. We loaded it in the hatchback, and we were off to run our other errands. As we drove home, the sunlight was brilliant. The colors of the landscape were saturated with dark greens and reds, but in the distance, the mountains were clouded in sun-drenched haze. It was quite spectacular.

When we returned to Tony’s, a neighbor Pat came up to remind us to visit tonight at eight. He was then off to check on his cattle.

We didn’t want waste a minute of the sunshine, so we headed out for a walk. Two hours later we were back and the weather was even more splendid. Here it was mid-October, and we were sipping tea in Tony’s kitchen with the front door wide open and the sun shining in.

At eight, we headed over to Pat’s. A few other neighbors were there, and we were sipping whiskies. I enjoy going over to his place. It’s a wonderful, no-fuss kind of home, and he’s always sure to have plenty of tea, whiskey and sandwiches.

Pat’s niece and nephew also showed up with their parents and new puppy Rex, so Tony and I caught up on how school and Tai Kwan Do and tin whistle lessons were going.

Grand Dinner at Glenculloo

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:36:56 -0500

corey says...right from the start today was beautiful...despite the fact that everyone had been telling us the weather would change for the worse on Sunday. I got out and did a few things outside, but I spent a good bit of time working on the computer. Not the best way to spend such a beautiful day, but the work must get done.

In the afternoon. I went over to Tony’s in Glenculloo to help him prepare for dinner. He was having six other people over tonight for lamb. He had just about everything ready when I arrived, so I just pulled out the vacuum and “hoovered.”

Tony has learned a few secrets about the Irish...he wanted everyone to arrive at about six-thirty, so he was sure to tell them to arrive at six. On cue, the car pulled in at 6:30. Our friends Eddie, Julie, Rory and Sheelagh all rode together. A few minutes later, Tony’s neighbors Jimmy and Kathleen arrived.

Julie brought the starter, so she plated her cheese and crackers and Tony was sure everyone had something to drink before the tour of the cottage began. Each person had been at the cottage at one point or another in the past, but for some of them it had been well over a year.

Everyone ooohed and aaaahed at the curtains, the throw, the various furniture. The place really does look great.

Kathleen and Jimmy brought Tony a decorative milk jug they found at the garden centre they were at earlier in the day. Rather than give it to him, it was placed on the top of the press.

Later, Sheelagh was complimenting the various bits of the cottage. She then pointed to the milk jug and asked Tony about it. He was all smiles when he saw it...of course he had no idea where it came from, but he knew this group and knew they couldn’t just hand him a gift.

After some great visiting, dinner was served. Salad and lamb and beef roast and cheesy potatoes. It all turned out perfectly, and Tony could officially say his cooker was christened.

Sheelagh made one of her apple-blackberry tarts for dessert which was of course delicious.