Beautiful Galway and Killarney

We seem to be having a year of castles - so we started our stay in Ireland at Ashford Castle. We flew to Dublin from Southampton - a first for me. The appeal was a small airport just over an hour from here and avoiding the crowds and energy that Gatwick or Heathrow demand. It was indeed a small airport but with 30 people inside it soon becomes packed. The small queue took forever to process but the upside was that we didn't have long to wait at our gate. I had no carry on luggage but N always takes his medicine in his carry on as it is life saving! Security was a nightmare and I swear we will all have to turn up naked at the airport soon as shoes, belts, jewellery and were removed. I got through pretty much unscathed  but poor N went back and forth as lights flashed and was frisked like a criminal - all because his passport was in his pocket and setting everything alight. More drama as when we went through the departure gate they decided that his tiny carry on case which has been through many airports and is the same one he has travelled with for years was deemed too big and he was fleeced out of £30 - the same carry on on the same journey on the same plane was not a problem coming home - we would complain but  at Aer Lingus it is impossible to speak to a human! Enough ranting.........

Castles! We opt to stay in the less grander Lodge at Ashford Castle - it is warmer, cosier and friendlier than the actual castle and you can enjoy all the amenities and also the restaurant in my opinion is better. However I don't know who decided on the colour scheme of our suite but it was RED - like a fire engine. Red bedhead, red and white striped curtains - i felt I should check behind them in case a clown jumped out! We got used to it though and after three days thought it was perfectly normal to have a shiny, red PVC headboard. The lodge has an eclectic art collection and I can only think the red bed was part of some art installation. We unpacked, settled in and enjoyed a wonderful meal while enjoying a view of Loch Corrib  and so we relaxed as we always do in Ireland. Its a completely different vibe over there - friendly people who smile a lot more than folk here and a different pace of life. We had a lazy breakfast and took a ride to Achyl island where I had the best prawn sandwich in the world once upon a time. On this trip we ventured into a small family owned restaurant and was served traditional Irish fare - home made pie served with enough vegetables for 20 people! The scenery around the coast in Ireland is amazing - very like New Zealand on a miniature scale with mountains just dropping into the sea which is dotted with small islands all up the coast. A grey day which turned out to be beautiful - we parked the car and walked along the beach - no one really thinks Ireland and beach in the same sentence but they have lovely, long, windswept stretches of sandy beach that are usually deserted.  

The following day we decided we would make use of the castle and enjoy drinks and afternoon tea - one of the best I have enjoyed. I chose a cocktail to enjoy with it - not realising that it came in a smoke filled dome and looked like a Harry Potter special! It made quite an entrance and was very enjoyable. We watched the weather change as we sat there and our plans to explore the gardens changed accordingly so we whiled away the afternoon and caught up with reading and the news. 

Wednesday was racing day - and N had plans to meet up with old friends. I love both watching the horses and the ladies fashions at the races and those Irish ladies have bags of style. They just look beautiful - we had a lovely afternoon with two horses running in the same race - no winner but they ran well. The party was still in full swing when we headed back. On our last day we had planned a trip on Loch Carrib - the Carribean as the skipper calls it. The weather was perfect - the loch like glass and I took the most amazing photographs of the cloud reflections - even the skipper was impressed and asked me to send them to him and they were featured on their social media. Another wonderful stay in a favourite place.

We headed to Killarney for more adventures, more delicious food - including a traditional Irish restaurant hidden above a craft shop - we left two hours later with a little blue pottery jug and a collection of Seamus Heeny poetry! I am always lucky in Killarney and found shoes and other bargains in TK MAxx - a place I usually don't have the patience to shop in. 

We drove our last day around the Dingle Peninsular to the most westerly pub in Europe and meandered off the beaten track homeward bound. I'll  never get tired of that beautiful land or its lovely people! Always sad to leave and always grand to be back.