West of Ireland Coastal Tour October 21 - 27, 2007

Our Final Tour Day in Ireland

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:16:29 -0400

It’s Bon Voyage to all today! The above photo shows our 35 tour members all together in our “official group photograph.”
This morning, we all enjoyed a leisurely (and sumptuous) breakfast in the Dromoland Castle dining room, with time for a last minute stroll around the grounds and packing. At 10 a.m., our tour members slowly (and reluctantly) came down the castle steps (photo below, left) and boarded our bus (photo, below right), as our driver/guide Tom Keane made sure all the luggage was in the coach and ready for the airport.
Pat Byrnes of New Harbor, ME, charmed everyone by composing a final “limerick” about our trip:

Pat Byrnes’ “limerick”

There was a fine lady named Pat
To her we take off our hat
For planning a great tour
That no one had to just endure.
But instead we laughed, ate, shopped and sat.

The drive to the airport was just 20 minutes and soon everyone was checking in for their flights - and on their way through security and boarding. So, it’s safe journey to all. And come back soon!

To Dromoland Castle!

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:33:53 -0400

The skies were misty as we left Killarney and set out for the drive to Blarney. We were at Blarney by 10:15 a.m., and then all spread out in different directions - some to kiss the famous Blarney stone, some to stroll the village, some to visit the pub, and many to shop at Blarney Woollen Mills. The photo above shows about a dozen of our “shoppers” who got some bargains at the Woollen Mills. Photos below show, from left: Lee Reckler of Ramsey NJ and Rhonda Roddy of Sardis, OH, raising a toast in Christy’s Pub; and the Kingston, NY, contingent in Christy’s Pub - Rose Quick, Agnes Loughran and Pat DuPont.

After Blarney, we drove, mostly in the rain (but with plenty of songs and jokes from Tom to brighten our ride, plus some tunes from Andrew O’Brien, age 12, of Winchester MA, playing his new tin whistle in the middle of the bus) via Mallow, Charleville and Limerick City to arrive at Dromoland Castle by 3 p.m.
And guess what, the rain clouds cleared as we pulled into the long driveway leading to the castle - and blue skies and sun greeted our arrival (see photo below). The rest of the afternoon was spent at leisure enjoying the many facilities of Dromoland Castle - from golf and biking to strolling the grounds and taking pictures, as well as afternoon tea or some Irish coffees in the bar - or just walking around the corridors of this great castle. Photos below show (left) Ken & Judi Muckenhaupt of Poughkeepsie, NY; (middle) Thelma Nissan and Andrew O’Brien of Winchester, MA, and (right) Suzi McNutt of Canyon Country, CA. Tonight we will dress up for our candlelight dinner and feel like kings and queens of the castle, with harp music playing in the background. It is a very special night for Bill & Clara Storms of Wading River NY who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today (final photo).

(Happy 50th Anniversary, Bill & Clara Storms of Wading River, NY)

Killarney & The Ring of Kerry

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:03:49 -0400

Today was our day for the Ring of Kerry Drive - and we were not disappointed. We were blessed with beautiful sunshine, blue skies and awesome scenery. Our photo above shows our last stop of the day - as about 25 of us assembled for a photo at Ladies View in Killarney on the last lap of the Ring of Kerry.
Our other photos below show:
First row, from left: a man with a donkey near Caragh Lake poses with Thelma Nissan of Winchester, MA, Andrew O’Brien of Winchester, MA, and Pat DuPont of Kingston, NY; Bill and Ellen Dyke of Wilbraham, MA pose in front of the gorse by the roadside; Helena Gaviola and Kathleen Van Velsor, both from LI, admire the view near Caragh Lake.
Second row, from left: Donna Herlihy of N. Weymouth MA examines a cut of turf; Pat & Ron Freitas of Fall River,MA stand beside Dingle Bay; Ellen Dyke of Wilbraham, MA and Sue Pearsall of Holliston, MA take photos of the sheep dog demonstration at Kells.
Third row, from left, at Commakista Pass: Rose Quick, Pat DuPont and Agnes Loughran, all of Kingston, NY, with Dot Lancella of Poughkeepsie, NY; and Holly & Janet Balik of Ringwood, NJ.

Tonight we go to Kate Kearney’s Cottage pub at the Gap of Dunloe for music, dancing and dinner. It will be a great finale to an extraordinary day! Thanks for all your comments! And please keep ‘em coming......

From Galway via the Cliffs of Moher to Kerry

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:44:56 -0400

What an adventurous day - and much of it unplanned! Happily, we left on schedule from Galway and drove in bright sunshine south into the Burren - the views of Galway Bay and the rocky limestone hills were stunning. So far, so good. When we came to Ballyvaughan, our plan had been to head up the Corkscrew Hill to Lisdoonvarna and on to the Cliffs. But a “diversion” (otherwise known as “detour”) greeted us in Ballyvaughan, so we had to take the Black Head drive around the coast instead. While it is a grand drive on a sunny day, it also put us a bit behind schedule. We arrived at the Cliffs and everyone spread out to explore the cliff walks and new visitor centre. We left at 12:30 p.m., with plenty of time to reach the ferry at Killimer for 2 p.m. That is, until we came to a spot just south of Kilrush - the the road was closed! With just 20 minutes to ferry time, Tom, our driver, had to follow a really narrow road all around the Clare countryside. We reached the ferry dock at 2:02 p.m., but the ferry men had seen the bus approaching and kindly held the ferry for us. Janet Balik of Ringwood, NJ, was inspired to write a “limerick” to commemorate the nail-biting race to get to the ferry in time (see below). The rest of our afternoon seemed easy - the drive to Killarney via Listowel and Tralee, and then a jaunting car ride in the Killarney National Park to reach our hotel.
Photos above show: top row, from left, Suzi McNutt of Canyon Country, CA, celebrating her birthday today with a view of O’Brien’s Tower at the Cliffs of Moher; Christine Galati of Hicksville, NY walking along the CLiffs’ path, followed by Virginia Cooley of Saratoga Springs, NY; and Pat & Bill Byrnes of New Harbor, ME on the ferry.
Photos below show: from left, Our bus finally on the ferry!; Andrew O’Brien & Thelma Nissan of Winchester, MA stopping at the snack shop on the ferry, with Kathleen Van Velsor of East Hampton, NY; Pat & John at Killarney National Park; and on board a jaunting car are Janet Balik of Ringwood,NJ, Sue Pearsall of Holliston,MA, Holly Balik, Dennis Pearsall, and Billie Klawitter of New Bedford, MA. Final photo shows Pat taking the reigns of the jaunting car as our “jarvey” Michael takes a photo showing Ed & Janet Riggins of Holmes, NY, Judi Muckenhaupt of Poughkeepsie, NY, John, Dot Lancella of Poughkeepsie, NY, and Ken Muckenhaupt. The horse’s name is “Jessica.”

Janet Balik’s “Limerick”

There was a young man from Limerick
To drive a bus was his gimm’rick
To get to the ferry
He sure did hurry
For the road they did close
And young Tom thumbed his nose.
This Tom had steel nerves
As we rushed ‘round the curves.
But we made it on time
For he did just fine!

Added News! This evening before dinner, Conor Hennigan, General Manager of The Malton Hotel, hosted our group to a pre-dinner drink and we all posed for a group photo (see photo below left) on the stairs of the hotel. Conor also gave a gift to Pat & John in recognition of their 25th tour to Ireland (photo below, right). Lastly, after dinner, we all sang “Happy Birthday” to Suzi McNutt of Canyon Country, CA. (last photo)

Happy Birthday, Suzi!!!

A Day in Connemara

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:29:00 -0400

We departed Galway City before 9 a.m. and spent the day touring beautiful Connemara. Our pictures tell the story:
(Above) Top row, left to right: Ellen and Bill Dyke of Wilbraham MA find two Aran sweaters to buy at Standun’s shop in Spiddal; Rose Quick and Agnes Loughran of Kingston, NY shop at the jewelry counter of Standun’s of Spiddal; and a stop at Connemara stone walls for Helena Gaviola of Montauk NY, Kathleen Van Velsor of East Hampton, NY; and Pat DuPont of Kingston NY.
(Above) Second row, from left to right: three Poughkeepsie NY residents pose at Kylemore Abbey - Dorothy Lancella, Ken and Judi Muckenhaupt; and Holly and Janet Balik of Ringwood NJ stand before Kylemore Abbey.
(Photos Below)
First Row, from left: On the catamaran boat trip from Leenane - Virginia Cooley of Saratoga Springs, NY chats on the upper deck with Pat & Bill Byrnes of New Harbor, ME; Sue and Dennis Pearsall of Holliston, MA; and Bill & Clara Storms of Wading River NY with Thelma Nissan and Andrew O’Brien of Winchester,MA.
Second row, left to right: Ron & Pat Freitas of Fall River, MA enjoy the upper deck: Billie Klawitter of New Bedford, MA raises a toast on the lower deck with Judy Pond of Sarasota, FL; another toast from Lee Reckler of Ramsey,NJ and Rhonda Roddy of Sardis, OH.
Third row, left to right: Donna & Richard Herlihy of N. Weymouth,MA on deck; tour members gather on deck to watch for dolphins in the sunshine; and Bill Byrnes of New Harbor, ME takes a parting photo on the dock at Leenane.

The Start of Our Tour

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

All of our group arrived safely at Shannon Airport around 5:45 a.m., a little ahead of schedule, but we were there to greet them, along with our CIE Tours driver/guide, Tom Keane. It was “a soft morning,” as they say, with scattered raindrops and darkness, since the sun does not rise till about 7:30 a.m. these days. However, everyone got their baggage, boarded our bus, and we then enjoyed a “Welcome Breakfast” at the Park Inn at Shannon. We drove northward via Ennis and Gort to Galway City. Since we arrived in Galway around 10 a.m., our rooms were not ready, so we took a little tour around the city to Salthill and then to Moycullen for a visit to the Connemara Marble Factory (well known for selling its products on the QVC-TV channel). Ambrose Joyce, owner of the factory, gave us a brief tour (see photo top right - Pat DuPont of Kingston, NY; Suzi McNutt of Canyon Country, CA; Christine Galati of Hicksville, NY; Pat & Ron Freitas of Fall River, MA; and Judy Pond of Sarasota, FL). Some of us also enjoyed seeing the open turf fire at the cottage across from the factory (photo, second row, left - our driver guide Tom Keane; Judy Pond of Sarasota, FL; Janet and Edward Riggins,of Holmes, NY). After learning how Connemara Marble is quarried, we then headed to Galway Cathedral to see this distinctive marble in use in the cathedral decor (25 of us paused for a quick photo on the steps - photo second row, right). Finally, around 1 p.m. Irish time, we were able to check in for a little rest at the Meyrick Hotel overlooking Eyre Square in the heart of the city (photo top left shows our bus in front of the Meyrick).
At 5 p.m., 16 of us headed to the Cobblestone Cafe for a baking demonstration by Kate Wright (see photos below). We learned how to bake brown bread and scones, and savored delicious samples. Afterwards, we returned to our hotel for a “Welcome Drink” hosted by CIE Tours, followed by dinner.

We hope you will continue to join us on our tour via this “Blog” - each day we will have new photos of our travels in progress.
As you can see by the “Add a Comment” option below, you can also be in touch with us as we travel. We look forward to hearing from you, and we’ll pass on your comments/news to the members of our tour. Many thanks for joining us on this “Blog”....