Yesterday i began my latest tour, and my first tour with people from the Netherlands. They are a family of three, Dad Emiel, Mom Marrieth, and son, Martin. I am really enjoying their company, and they are so easy to be with, and loving every minute so far. Their grasp of English is a wonderful bonus, and an unexpected one, but seemingly it is not uncommon for the Dutch to speak numerous languages.
Today we began our tour proper as we made our way into Connemara.
My party, pictured together in the Maam valley in the heart of Connemara today. The day was a typical Irish day, sunshine and showers, but nice and warm, with the best of fresh air.
Another lovely family picture from the Maam area.
Here we have Martin, smiling and happy, and really enjoying Ireland. Martin is a musician, and plays the trombone in a band back home. I am booking them for my next birthday party. He has to find out for me if i have to pay for their flights. Maybe i can collect them.
The fjord at Leenane is the most westerly fjord in Europe, and here we are once again, all smiling as usual.
Our tour today included a visit to the Holy Shrine at Knock where Our Lady appeared back in 1878. This Shrine is recognised by the Vatican, and is similar to Lourdes or Fatima, and many claims of healing have been accepted as genuine by the Catholic church. In the background in this photo, we have the Basilica, which was built for the visit of Pope John Paul 2nd in 1979.
The wonderfully restored Norman castle on the outskirts of Galway city was built by the De Burgo family back in the fourteen hundreds, and here we have Marrieth, pictured in the castle grounds today. This castle is known as Claregalway Castle, and is in the small town of Claregalway just about six miles out of Galway city on the N17, the Sligo road.
I would highly recommend a visit to this most historic and spellbinding castle. You can thoroughly enjoy a guided tour there, as we did today.
Here my friends are pictured in one of the main halls inside the castle.
Another view inside this wonderful castle, which has been restored with such care and attention to detail. It is a credit to everybody involved, and there is so much to learn from a visit here.
My photos do little justice to it , so go see it for yourself when you get to Galway.
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