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Off to Belfast today….there is rain in the forecast for this afternoon. We went to the Titanic exhibit at the docks. What an exhibit! Very cool effects on some of the floors. There was one where they panned through all of levels as they would have looked back then on a huge three walled screen. And then we were able to go out and visit slip 401 where the Titanic was built. It’s all filled in with concrete now, but it was still cool. We then went to check in at Ravenhill House and were able to get in our room early. Yea! Of course it is now raining pretty good…out come the umbrellas. We took the Metro bus into downtown and went to the Crown Liquor Saloon also known as The Crown Bar. We were able to get one of the well sought after “snugs”. Snugs as they were known were like little meeting rooms where men talked business and were private. Women typically weren’t allowed. Thank goodness that has ended. As it was still raining, we decided to do our civic duty and hang out in the snug for a few hours “discussing business”. LOL.

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Phew! A very busy day today….we started the day at Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. This used to be a single rope system used by fisherman to bring in their catches. We also spotted some dolphins in the bay! We then drove over to The Giants Causeway. Truly an amazing natural wonder that we were able to climb on and get some good photos. Next stop was the Bushmills Distillery were we completed the tour and received our complimentary sample… Lol. Lastly was Dunluce Castle. It still amazes me that this castle was built in the early 1500’s and is still standing in shell and we are able to walk around these rooms. Tired but feeling good….

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On a recommendation by our host Liam, we detoured to Glenveagh National Park & Castle. Boy are we glad we did. The land was originally purchased for hunting by John George Adair. Adair incurred infamy through out Donegal and Ireland by evicting some 244 tenants in the cold April of 1861. Adair built the castle around 1870, but died in 1885. His wife survived until 1921 and unlike her husband, is remembered as a kind and generous person.
After several other owners it was turned over by the last owner of the property to the Irish government in 1981 by Mr Henry McIllenny of Philadelphia. He had purchased the estate in 1937. It was said that I gave him so much joy over the years that he wanted to share it with others. Greta Garbo was one of the many celebrities to stay here. Mr McIllenny had passed on before the dedication of the castle and grounds.

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Traveling from Galway to Donegal took a few hours so we didn’t get as much in today….we went into Donegal Town to see the Castle and ate at The Old Castle Bar, we then made it to The Cove B&B for our stay.

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Traveling west out to Connemarra and saw the bridge that John Wayne sat on and walked across in “The Quiet Man”. Pretty cool as its one of our favorite movies. Traveling further west to Kylemore Abbey. This place is so beautiful! I could have stayed there all day….big sigh. They had a huge Victorian garden that they are restoring. It fell into disrepair a few times and now they are doing a huge restoration effort. It will cost approx. 1.5 million pounds to complete the project. The Abbey was unbelievably humongous. They had an all girls school there for many decades and it was just shut it down in 2010. The castle and grounds were given as a gift by Mitchell Henry to his bride Margaret. Some gift!!!! But alas there was tragedy….in 1874 the family holidayed in Egypt and Margaret fell ill with dysentery and died. Mitchell built the church in memorial. He passed away 40 years later having never remarried. They are both laid to rest on the property in the mausoleum.

After we drove back we walked down to the shopping area in downtown Galway where I did some shopping….bought some new leather boots and an original Claddaugh ring made in Galway. We also stopped in at the pub called Tig Neactain and sat in a snug for a couple pints. ;0)

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The days seem to be flying by here in Ireland….we’ve had great weather… Meaning not a lot of rain. Which is unusual, but we will take it! The Cliffs of Moher, Dunghaire Castle and Moran’s Oyster House for the famous Galway oysters! Yum! Another week coming up of fantastic destinations!

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We had our Hawk Walk this morning and it was even better than we were thinking. Jim had brought along a Harris hawk named Bomber. We took a walk down one of the roads and into the wooded area and let the hawk fly into the trees and then call him back to our gloved hands. Quite the talons this hawk had. His sister Alice was three times the size of Bomber as the females are larger than the males. We were escorted back to the perches to view the other birds. It was an amazing morning with the hawks. For the later morning we checked out more of the grounds an laid low today with several walks and afternoon tea again which then led us to cocktails in the bar where I beat Lou in two games of Cribbage. Lol. Now we are getting ready for our travels to Galway tomorrow.

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Our 20th Anniversary! Drove up to Dromoland Castle and started our day with an upgrade to a tower suite. We also went for a soak in the jacuzzi and then a couples massage at noon. After they poured us out of the spa we had afternoon tea with tea sandwiches, tea cakes and scones. Our first afternoon tea! It was amazing! We then dressed a little later on for dinner. The Nostalgic Tasting Menu! What an exquisite meal…8 courses.

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Had a great day at Blarney Castle and Midleton where we did the Jameson experience… I am now a two time Jameson whiskey taster…LOL. Blarney castle was an experience, as the stairs to the top were super narrow and spiral and scary. Super Eeeeek!
See below for the results of the Blarney Stone!!!!

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Today we left Dublin to go to the Rock of Cashel and then to Cahir Castle. We ended up in Mallow at Annabella Lodge where we are staying….

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