This Morning i collected Sheryl, Jack, and Sean at their hotel in Galway on what was once again, a lovely morning. Our first stop was a visit to the famous Lynch's window, beside the old St Nicholas's church in the heart of the town. It was from this window that the famous Magistrate Lynch, hung his own son after he was found guilt of killing another man. They say it was because of this event that the term Lynching came into being. This is a story worth Googling.
Our journey began at Ashford castle in the heart of "The Quiet Man" country, in Cong Co Mayo. Here we have my happy group, with Ashford castle and the Corrib lake in the background.
This lovely picture was taken in the grounds of Ashford, outside Cullen's cottage, named after a great pal of mine,Peter Cullen, who worked in the castle for many years.
A welcoming party for my new friends, formed by some of my old friends at the castle. This castle is by far my own personal favourite of all of the Irish castles. If you can afford to stay here, make sure you avail of this opportunity. When you consider what Ashford has to offer, it is worth every penny.
This bridge, which you have to cross over to enter the castle, featured in the Quiet Man. This is Jack's favourite movie of all time, and indeed one of mine also, so this picture meant a lot to him.
After spending time strolling through the wonderful Ashford gardens, we had a little break inside the castle.
This new bronze memorial to John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, stands in the centre of the village of Cong, right outside the castle grounds. This was another was another must photo shoot for my friends.
What a lovely scene, and what a lovely picture of my very happy friends. I took this one as we made our way into Joyce country on our way to the Maam valley. The Corrib lake is pictured in the background with a few of its 365 islands also to be seen.
Here we have my friends deep in Joyce country, surrounded by beautiful mountains, guarding magnificent glacial lakes. The lake in this picture is Loughnafooey.
Ballintober, or Ballintubber, is the site of this ancient church, known as the church that refused to die. It was built in the thirteen hundreds, was totally destroyed by Cromwell and burnt to the ground, was left roofless for hundreds of years before being finally fully restored in the mid nineteen hundreds. All through the years that it remained roofless, its parishioners refused to attend any other church, and continued to attend mass there, regardless of weather conditions. Today it proudly stands and services its loyal congregation once again. It is a most popular venue for weddings, and it was here that our Irish actor, Pierce Brosnan of James Bond fame, married his wife.
Our final destination today was the holy shrine at Knock where Our Lady appeared back in 1879.This was a special visit for my friends as they had wanted to come here to give thanks for blessings received.
This was day that i am sure we will all remember for a long time to come, and one which left us all feeling very satisfied and happy.
Tonight we rest, before our next adventure tomorrow takes us to the awesome Cliffs of Moher. and on to Killarney.
Once again, i have to finish off by pointing out to detractors of Irish weather, please note all this glorious sunshine, and i do not use Photoshop.
If you need me, just message me.
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