Wednesday Left Galway and headed for Dingle. Along the way we stopped in Adare, the most photographed village in Ireland. It had thatched roof cottages. It costs up to $40,000 to have a cottage roofed. There are artisans who do this and their trademark is usually a animal figure they attach on the roof. We went to a concert in a church 4 musicians played for 2 hrs and then we went to a pub and listened to music. A young woman played the concertina along with ...

Tuesday A beautiful sunny day, we jumped in the van, driven by Tony, and drove to the Connemara area. Our first stop was at a grocery store to buy drinks, Linda our tour guide told us that little bottles of wine are called "babies", so some of us bought a baby! Then we drove off....this area was mountainous and rocky, full of sheep, water and natural wonders. First stop, the "Quiet Man Bridge", shown in the photo. This is where they did some of the filming for...

Monday... We are staying at the Imperial hotel in downtown Galway . It has very long and windy hallways, so running up to you room is not quick! Today the adventure begins, we started off by visiting Ashford Castle, shown in photo. It is a hotel now, top notch. Linda Rosen, our tour guide got us onto the grounds and we had a tea in the castle. Then we went to Ballintubber Abbey, where mass has been offered for 800 years without a break...I should clarify, it...

Sunday, called Bertie after breakfast and he drove us to Middleton to the Jameson whiskey factory. We did the tour, became professional tasters, and learned that Jameson is the best whiskey in the world. I have a new favorite drink, whiskey, ginger ale and lime. Sharon said she was amazed how making whiskey is such a art form, and how the barrels need to age for years, so it's a long term process. John just liked tasting the whiskey! Bertie waited for us and ...

We met Sr Sheila for breakfast and she took us to the Presention convent in Cork to have tea with the sisters! These sisters were so cute, they loved John , and all had great travel stories to tell. I wish I had taken a photo but mom got sick and we made a hasty exit. Sr Callie drove us back to the hotel. We put mom to bed and found a cab to go to the Blarney Castle to kiss the stone. John and I are now gifted in eloquence and will speak at gatherings for a smal...