Another early start - ready to go by 9.00am.

The Aussies - Wade Mai Megan Gregg Tanya Brett Dave - and Bess!!! (two photos)

......and the rest of the tour group

A view of the Church from the National Park

At that time we were picked up by two jaunting carts (horse and open carriage) for a ride into the Killarney National Park.
The seven Aussies were in the first cart and the rest in the back one.
The driver even stopped and took photos of us all on seven cameras!
Other than by foot it is the only way to get there.

(two photos) (two photos) (two photos)

(two photos)------ "and Bess's head!"

It was lovely.
The morning was a bit cool but not too bad and the fresh air was wonderful!
The park is beautiful…there was a nice house just on the outskirts of the park that was lived in by the man (an Irishman) who designed the Pentagon in the US!

The cows!

We saw cows - Ireland is full of them and I think I saw more cows in the four days I was there than I have in my whole life, deer and rabbits - all very cute!
There were bluebells everywhere (they are very sweet flowers) but none of my shots worked as I was moving in the cart when I was trying to take them.

Then we got on the bus and drove to our next stop which was lunch.

Tanya and the group on the ferry

To get there we had to cross the Shannon Ferry and pass through Trallee which a very small town but it has 58 pubs in it.
At one place on the main street there were four in a row on one side and three in a row on the other side!

"A surfing beach?"----- Gregg Wade Brett

(two photos)---Tanya on the beach---

We stopped for lunch in Lahinich which is apparently a surfing town.
Make your own decision when you see the photos.

We had lunch in a pub that is run by a guy that used to be in the TV show "Father Ted".
It was a very funny show and Joey said that we had to call him “Farrder” the whole time.

A few "facts and figures" (postcard from Tanya)

(two photos)------ (two photos)

(two photos)------ (two photos)

--(postcards from Tanya)-- Includes brief details

Then it was off to the 750 foot Cliffs of Moher.
This place was good cool.

(three photos)

Joey wouldn’t let us out of the bus until he had drilled into us the fact that if you fall you die and not to be 'stewped'.

He then told us to make sure that we go down onto the ledge and hang over the edge.
He contradicted himself slightly as we had to climb over safety barriers to get to the ledge but we did it anyway!

Tanya on "The Ledge"!!! (animation - two photos)

......and the view she had - looking straight down!!!

I am not afraid of heigths at all - in fact I love it but this was high.
We got down on our hands and knees and hung-crawled to the edge of the cliff then layed flat on our stomachs and poked out heads out.
I got a bit of a head spin actually!

Tanya back from the edge!!!

Then it seemed to me that there were far too many people hanging around near the edge and I could see someone getting knocked over!
Went and sat way back!.

Wade Elaine Tanya Gregg Dave Mai Megan

Organising a photo!!!

One of the girls on our tour was a gymnast and we had her do a handstand on a bit of a rise (way back from the edge) but it looked like she was doing it on the edge.

(two photos)

After we all got back on the bus safely we headed off through the Burren (which is a limestone plateau).

(three photos) The Walls across the Burren A closer look

There were rock walls built on them that went nowhere and served no purpose.
They are called the 'famine walls'.
They were built during the famine in Ireland when the Brits, when trying to break the spirits of the Irish and have them renounce their Catholicism, made the men, women and children build these walls.

Tanya checking out The Walls

Joey stopped the bus and we climbed out on the Burren.
It was like being on the moon - so different to the Ireland I thought which was rolling green hills and that sort of thing.
It seemed so pointless and Joey was very passionate when he was taking to us about it.
It did bring the mood down a little bit then he just did something else crazy and got us going again.

A few details on the hostel - and Tanya's room number

The facilities at the hostel - and internal photos

The last drive of the day was into Galway.
We got to the hostel which was really nice.

He told us a bit about the history of the place including that of the Claddagh ring - there is a brochure in the parcel I sent. (see diary Saturday 15th May)

There was one American girl who didn’t mix with anyone on the bus at all.
She sat on the bus with her headphones on and as soon as we got off it to do stuff she took off on her own.
She didn’t have lunch or dinner or a drink with us the whole time.
She also mentioned to the South African girl on the tour that she felt left out - you have to help yourself out a bit.
I was on my own and had the best time!
Anyway, at the hostel one of the group was going to have to be in a room on their own.
She said that she would do it - jumped in so fast it wasn’t funny.
She was thinking that she would get a single room (which we all knew she wouldn’t) and instead she found out she was going to be in a room with no one from the tour that she knew and there was going to be boys in there which she wasn’t happy about.
I saw her in the hallway and she was looking very upset.
She couldn’t understand why hostels weren’t arranged according to sex and age and she thought she was going to be stuck with a whole lot of young drunk boys - I checked the bag tags of the people already in the room and there were girls names and boys names.
I offered to swap the rooms with her.
She asked if I really minded.
I said that I had absolutely no problem with this as I preferred being in dorms with boys and girls as they are usually more social.
I said that I did it most places I stayed.
I told her that I couldn’t guarantee there were no boys in the room I was already in but at least there were two girls from our tour on there.
She was very appreciative and I had done my good deed for the day - nice hey, Mum?

Tanya and her tour group--- Joey Tanya

We all (minus the American girl) headed to a pub for dinner.
They had reserved a space for us and we had dinner.
They played some funky music and the place soon filled up.

"Doing the 'Belfast Car Bombs'!!!"

Then the "Belfast Car Bombs" came out - half a pint of Guiness, a shot glass half filled with Baileys Irish Cream in the bottom and the top half was Irish whiskey.
You drop the shot glass into the pint and then skull the whole think.
The last thing you taste is the Baileys which is really nice but the rest of the grog just rocks you.
Joey (who was a drinker) wouldn’t do one and the American girls did two.
The rest of the group only did one…far too dangerous!!!!

Meagan wasn’t feeling well so her, Mai and me went back to the hostel.

There was no one in my room yet so I had a shower and dried my hair and got into bed before anyone got back.
I think I had a great room!