It was hard to believe a week had gone by and we were starting the second week of our adventure!

On the day we were leaving Camac Valley, we needed to resupply grocery items, so once we had finished showering and getting ready to go, we followed GoogleMaps to the nearest grocery store, which happened to be an Aldi. Coffee, berries, cream (for the coffee), and other staples were quickly placed in the “buggy” and we were on our way to the next destination within the hour. The Aldi was located right next to the motorway, and it was very convenient to make our way to Kilkenny. This was a very special stop because we visited with long-time family friends, Pakie (Patrick) and Deirdre Keating. Pakie had been my Dads best friend for about 27 years. They met the first time my Dad visited Ireland.

Pakie and Deirdre treated us to a delicious lunch at Langstons Hotel, the same place they were married 13 years ago. We all (independent of one another) opted for the fish & chips. After, we walked to see the Kilkenny Castle and just walked through town. Deirdre also kindly let me do a load of laundry, which I had planned to do at Camac but their machines were broken. The day was warm and mostly sunny.

Eventually it was time for hugs and “see you next times!” Bill and I found our way (using GoogleMaps and detour signs when there was a road closure along our route) and arrived at the Rock of Cashel just before dark – another amazing day!

Day 9: First thing I saw when looking outside in the morning was the Rock of Cashel. It was a bit silhouetted with the sun behind it but an amazing site! Bill and I were at the entrance at 9am when they opened and were one of the first to enter. We decided to take the optional Chapel tour, which started at 10, so we had plenty of time to see the rest. The views were just breathtaking!

The Rock of Cashel, located in County Tipperary, was the seat of the High Kings of Munster, the center of power in Ireland, for 400 years. It is also known as being the site where St Patrick baptized King Aengus, making him Ireland’s first Christian ruler – and giving the Rock the alternate name of St Patrick’s Rock.

Our next stop was about an hour and 15 minutes south in the town of Cobh, which is pronounced Cove, and is in County Cork. It was there, at the Aire along the harbor, that we met up with Linda and Steven. It was quite a moment – realizing we had been planning this for so long and here we all were!

We toured each other’s motorhomes and then settled down to relax while Linda made us all tea and scones, with clotted cream and strawberry jam! YUMMY! A perfect snack! , Discussions of up on what we’ve been up to, and what the following weeks would look like continued and next thing we knew it was Happy Hour! Longer term readers will understand how important Happy Hour is! Linda made a warm and delicious batch of beef and cabbage for dinner. Shortly after Bill and I walked back next door to watch a bit of TV before falling asleep – we had a lot of walking planned for the following day!

Day 10: Our alarm woke went off at 7:30am, although I think we were both already awake. We had a 10am train to catch! Breakfast was quick and easy so we didn’t run late. Steven and Linda opened their door at the same time we did, and we arrived at the train in plenty of time.

Our walking began as soon as we got off the train a half hour later. We followed a walking tour that Ingrid, a friend of Linda and Steven who happened to live in Cork, had put together for us so we could see the best things in Cork. What I loved about it, aside from the time she spent doing it for us, was we saw some things the tour books don’t necessarily tell people. For example, we went to a little church on a little back road that was so cute! We walked on a “shaky bridge” and smelled some beautiful flowers!

The return train got us back and we had just enough time to relax a little and enjoy happy hour before dinner. Ingrid and her husband Mark parked next to us at the marina, and we walked into the town of Cobh. The town was about 10 minutes away, and we took the scenic route, up Spy Hill and then down Sandymount, past St Coleman’s Cathedral, to The Mauretania Bar. Guinness and Jameson accompanied the fish and chips we got at Mimmo’s Take Away while we chatted. Steven and Linda had met Ingrid and Mark while traveling in Europe (I believe in Croatia) and they’ve met up a few times since then. We loved their stories! Excellent end to an excellent day!

Day 11: The alarm went off again at 7:30am, we were moving on to Killarney, or more specifically Kate Kearney’s Cottage in Gap of Dunloe. We parked there because we would be taking a tour the following day. Once we arrived however, and upon reading the finer print in the email confirmation, Steven realized we actually had to gather for the tour at Ross Castle. Discussion ensued and we decided to stay the night there but leave early the following morning and park near Ross Castle so we would be where we needed to be. Arriving early would hopefully allow us to park in convenient spots so we could easily pull out. Steven, Bill and I took a walk to see the horses that would be pulling the carts we would be in for the first part of our tour.

Day 12: We were on our way to Ross Castle by 7:30am and the plan to park in east in/easy out spots worked perfectly! Linda and Steven left to walk around and get some steps in; Bill and I visited the castle. I told him about when I was there with my Dad. It was special to me to share that memory. We rejoined Linda and Steven and after packing a lunch, we went to gathering spot. Once everyone had arrived, we took taxis back to Kate Kearneys Cottage to begin our tour of the Gap of Dunloe. I’m not sure what everyone else was expecting but I knew it would be a special day – and it was! Our horse Tom and his handler got us safely up the 7-mile trip through the “gap” and up to Lord Brandon’s Lodge. We did need to get out of the trap a couple of times on the steeper parts to give Tom an easier time. Nobody minded though – it was good to stretch our legs.

We had plenty of time to enjoy our picnic lunches before gathering again for the second part of our day – the boat ride back to Ross Castle. During the ride, we learned the young man, Dux (pronounced Ducks) was the nephew of the man, Dermot, who was the guide on the boat when I went with my Dad, 18 years ago. The giveaway was I remembered the man had a little white and brown Jack Russel dog; Dux reminded me that the dog’s name was Sam. Dux was 5th generation of his family running the boats. What a great place to live and work! He was very knowledgeable about the area and was just a very impressive young man. We learned he built the boat we were in, as well as a couple of others in their fleet. He was funny and kept us entertained the whole time!

Our day of touring the Gap of Dunloe ended where it began, at Ross Castle. We were all thrilled that the weather, which was threatening on/off all day, held for us. I will say that with mixed feelings though because the area clearly is in need of rain. There were areas where we almost got stuck due to low water levels and one area we had to get out and walk around because the water was so low. Climate issues are affecting everyone, even small business owners in County Kerry, Ireland.

It had been previously decided we would be moving on to Dingle, so once we had a snack we headed out. Dark clouds blew in and back out throughout our drive, which was beautiful! We were about 10 minutes from Dingle when the skies opened up and down came the rain. We got parked at the marina and quickly found our way to Murphy’s Pub for Guinness Beef Stew; Bill and Steven each had a pint and I opted for a Jameson, while Linda enjoyed a sparkling water. It was perfect meal to end a perfect day!

Bill’s Lingo Lesson:

Foot path = sidewalk

Fill Your Boots = Take all you can (reference to when there was a distillery fire and residents were “filling their boots” from flowing whisky river that was in the street)

Lorry = truck

Chipper = fish & chips or feeling good

Barrier = gate

Dash Cam Footage:

There are several clips today, I kept them short and to the point. Hope you enjoy!

This first clip (between Kilkenny and Cashel) shows us driving along a narrow road with a dump truck coming the other way. A pretty normal thing here in the US, and while usual in Ireland, it’s definitely more challenging. You can hear Bill drop a rare-for-him F bomb.

Next, we are driving along a narrow road, still on our way to The Rock of Cashel, following truck loaded with hay bales. Bill decides to pass the truck, which you can tell from my reaction, I am not happy with.

This one is when we arrived at the marina Aire in Cobh (pronounced Cove). Notice on the left the “sloosh box” (under the blue sign with the P on it), grey dump area (open storm drain looking grate in the ground), water station, and recycling containers – which BTW – we saw EVERYWHERE – sadly, unlike here at home. Last item on the left is the porta-potty, which was very clean – nothing at all like the filthy things at home. Made me wonder how can they get it so right and we get it so wrong?

While driving through a small town, we hit mirrors with a parked vehicle and our mirror was pushed in. It was easy enough to open the window and push it back out, I was just grateful it was designed to push in and it didn’t break.

The following clip was from our drive to Dingle; we knocked mirrors with a passing van.

Sadly, Steven lost his tool box on our way to Dingle. The compartment didn’t lock properly.

Sorry – this time I dropped the F bomb – it’s just crazy how narrow the roads are.

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