Chauffeurdriven tours of Killarney, Kinsale and Cobh with Dave Hogan

Rita and Nancy outside the Killarney Plaza Hotel before our departure yesterday.

Wednesday morning we finally left Killarney behind, after a wonderful few days there, and set out for Kinsale where we were to spend two nights.

We passed this happy pair on the back roads near Macroom, as we made our way to Kinsale.

A view of the lovely countryside near Kinsale.

These yellow flowers ,which we call furze bushes, are found in plenty all of the west of Ireland.

 Rita and Nancy at the Grotto in Ballinspittle, the scene of the moving statue mania a number of years ago.

The view from my bedroom window at the Trident Hotel on the waterfront in Kinsale. This hotel is ideally located just off the town centre. It is a nice hotel with great food, and the service here is excellent. The ladies loved this hotel.

Nancy and i, with the old fisherman, in front of our hotel. Nooooooooooo......i am not the guy in the middle.

Our host,, Martin in the famous Fishy Fishy restaurant in Kinsale.....a nice man, in a great restaurant.

Rita and Nancy, waiting patiently for their food in Fishy Fishy.

A feast fit for a king as Rita and Nancy tuck in last night in Jim Edwards pub in Kinsale. Rita had a chicken dish while Nancy and i had the stuffed loin of pork. We all had the garlic potato, carrotts and turnips, red cabbage and chips (French fries) and it was delicious.

Now we move on to the town of Cobh, the final stop off for the vast majority of our emigrants as they set out on the final leg of their journey to many different destinations worldwide. It was from here that the Titanic finally set out on the last leg of her fatal voyage.
The Cobh Cathedral is truly a magnificent church, and one that is well worth a visit. The sight of this cathedral must have left a special mark on the memory of those setting sail from the harbour below.

Today saw a real change in our weather as we had gale force winds and plenty of rain to contend with. Here we have Rita and Nancy posing at the bronze figures of Annie Moore and her two young brothers, the first emigrants to register at Ellis Island. It was from this spot that the tenders carried our emigrants to the trans Atlantic liners at anchor further out in the harbour.

The entrance to the Heritage Centre in Cobh where you can experience the final moments our emigrants had to endure before boarding. The history of the final stages of the Titanic saga are re-enacted here also, and this centre is a must for anybody whose ancestors departed from this port.

Rough seas today, even in the shelter of the harbour.

We are now in the final stages of our tour and it has been a very special one indeed. The ladies have been great company and we have shared some wonderful memories, and some great laughs. Tomorrow we make our way to Dublin where we part company as the ladies relax before catching their flight for Chicago on Saturday morning. I will say my goodbyes and begin my journey home again to the West of Ireland.

Touring with chauffeurdrive in the south of Ireland

Blue skies over our hotel in Kinsale this morning before we set out on the final leg of our tour.

Our first stop today was in Cobh and here you see Terry and Marianne outside the Cobh heritage centre. The Trans Atlantic liners all left from here and it was here in the early nineteen hundreds that the ladies Mom boarded her ship as a young girl on her way to the USA.This was a special visit for them.

Here you can see the interior of the departure area at Cobh terminal.

Al and Terry, Ed and Marianne, posing for a final photo in Cobh at the memorial to Annie Moore and her two young brothers. Annie was fifteen years of age when she left Ireland with just her two brothers and became the first person to register at Ellis Island in 1892.

A parting photo at Bewleys Hotel in Ballsbridge in Dublin at the end of what was a most successful tour with a happy group of people.
Safe home and God Bless.

Dave