Cobh to Clonakilty

Nice blue skies but I’ve reason to believe that may be the only day. Rain is anticipated.

We started out with a quick look around the heritage museum. I won’t dwell too much as the Irish history is so sad and it was a bit relentless with the history of Irish slaves and indentured servants who were treated worse because the owners only had them for a limited time. Then it goes on to describe the preventable tragedy of the I Titanic and the horror of the Lusitania.

We started to drive to Kinsale, and let no one forget it’s on a stick shift car driving on the opposite side of the road where the roads are at 30% steep hills, and only a foot on either side width of the car. It’s all parallel parking, and I must commend myself as I’ve done a splendid job …. So far

The banter from the Irish is unique and often trading insults. There was one man at the bar who told us he had just buried someone. I thought it was his father and Pat thought it was his mother. He then went on about making a simple mistake and how it was just one mistake. I couldn’t quite make sense of this but he was so insistent about the mistake that it intrigued me.

There are so many old churches from the Norman times. There must have been a roaring trade in confessionals as there was often three sets of double booths on either side of the church. That’s 12 sinners a shot! ( I think only the Catholics amongst you will get that. ) And in one was a shrine with a splinter from the cross, authenticated by the pope. It made me think of Florence where there are so many shrines with bones of the various saints.

As you probably know by now I have a fascination with graveyards. They often have the best view and while we were in the one at Cobh a man was refreshing the gold paint on one. Fortunately I said it was by far the best looking grave as it turned out it was his family grave. He was with another man and I asked him about the man who was drinking by himself who had just buried someone. Once they got his description from me they both laughed and said it was Kirk. The gravedigger who had just been fired. They teased me for not buying a drink for him

I chose to take the N roads as opposed to the motorway so that we could stop and admire views etc. …not going to do that again. One way traffic through the tower in the center of the town !

Athlone was a complete washout. Horrible rain so we headed straight to Ballycastle where Fiona my sister was waiting for us and it was worth it.

Ballycastle will have its own blog. ( or two)