HOLIDAYS in IRELAND

Sheila and Jessie outside their B&B in Kinvara this morning.

Waiting to board their bus for the Aran Islands today.

I am pleased to say that the ladies had recovered from the ordeal of the last couple of days and were all set to go this morning for their trip to the Aran Islands. They had a great nights sleep and a good breakfast and were obviously excited about this adventure. Aran is a special place and still has that old world feeling about it. There are many interesting sights to see on the main island and the old fort at Dun Aengus has to be the most memorable. This fort dates back thousands of years. It is still unclear as to who built it and inhabited it. It stands at the top of the cliffs overlooking the mighty Atlantic below. There are also many old churches here dating back to early Christianity and Irish is still the islanders main language.
Tomorrow we go racing in Galway. This has to be a very special day for the ladies. Irish hoses and Irish horse racing are a passion here and there will be thousands of people flocking there tomorrow evening to enjoy both flat racing and steeplechasing (over the fences). Lets hope we get a few winners.
As it turned out today the ladies hired bikes on the island and enjoyed a cycle around. They really had a great time eventhough they were tired once again by the time they got back to Kinvara, where they are staying. Kinvara is alive at the moment and all the pubs have great music sessions going on. This region is well know for its traditional music, song, and dance. The pubs are quaint and old-fashioned and there is a great selection of places to eat offering everything from the finest of sea-food to steaks and Irish Lamb, and also a variety of continental foods including Italian. Kinvara is a harbour town situated on the southern shores of Galway Bay about twenty miles from Galway City and has its own ancient castle. It is a well known centre for writers and artists and poets and well known for its crafts. It has its own farmers market every Friday so tomorrow morning we will be having a look at the great and varied selection of home produce including a fine selection of organic products. There will be fresh free range eggs, fresh meat, free range chickens, home baked products such as scones and brown bread, apple pies, rhubarb pies, chocolate cakes, a wide range of vegetables, cheeses of all kinds, and much more. I love to browse as i listen to the live traditional music provided by a variety of artists, fiddlers, pipe players, guitarists and banjo and mandolin players, with some vocals thrown in. What a nice way to spend a few hours while you spend a little money to support small home industries.
This was another fine day in more ways than one, as the weather was also nice.
Lets hope that tomorrow is just as good as it will make the races all the more enjoyable. The forecast is good, now all we need are a few winners.