Cong, 15 June 2008

On Sunday Marian and I drove north to Cong, a small village just across the border in Mayo.

Cong

Cong's claim to fame is that the 1953 John Ford film "The Quiet Man", starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, was filmed there:

The Quiet Man still supports a museum, guided tours and souvenir shops in the village, but the area is very picturesque and is a great spot for walks. The ruins of a monastery built in 1120 are situated in the village. The monastery continued as a site of worship and learning until it was suppressed in the reign of King Henry VIII.

Cong is situated on a narrow isthmus between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib, and the cavernous limestone countryside supports clear, spring-fed waters and underground rivers that flow between the two lakes. Fishing has been a popular activity here for centuries, evidenced by the fishing house built by the monks over the river beside the monastery.

Fishing House Over the River

The grounds of nearby Ashford Castle contain many walking tracks, through forest and beside the shores of Lough Corrib.

Marian on top of a Viewing Tower (which is about 20 m high - those are tree-tops)

Ashford Castle Front Lawn

Ashford Castle Ashford Castle from Lough Corrib

Edinburgh, 1 June 2008

Marian and I took a half day off on Friday 30 May and drove down to Shannon Airport, where we hopped on the Ryan Air flight to Prestwick (south of Glasgow). A train took us into Glasgow where we had a short walk across town to the other train station to board another train to Edinburgh, where Brad and Sue met us at the station.

We woke the following morning to a brilliantly sunny day. We spent the morning having a look around Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, which is now permanently docked at Edinburgh next to the Ocean Terminal shopping Mall.

The Queen and Prince Philip chose the furniture and fittings and the rooms looked homely and comfortable rather than opulent or extravagant. The tour was well worth it.

HM Royal Yacht Britannia Rum Barrel
Me on the Rear Deck where the Royals Hung Out and Played Quoits

Marian in the Officers' Mess

Me in the not so salubrious Royal Marines' Bar

The Dining Room (lots of souvenirs on the wall)
The Drawing Room (note card tables)

Just what I need. In the Laundry

After lunch we took the bus into town and walked up Calton Hill which overlooks the New Town and offers fine views of the city and the Firth of Forth. At the top is the partially completed National Monument which is modelled on the Parthenon.

View of the New Town from Calton Hill

A Wedding Party enjoying the View from Calton Hill

National Monument, Calton Hill

Looking towards the Old Town and Castle from Calton Hill View of the Castle from Calton Hill

Looking down onto Scottish Parliament (on Right ) from Salisbury Crags

View of the Castle from Princes Gardens

That evening, after a pub meal in town, we did a ghost tour of the Old Town, including some underground vaults which supposedly housed assorted ghosts and spooky type entities. We didn't see any unfortunately, despite Brad brazenly stepping inside a cursed stone circle.

Marian Strolling Down Royal Mile

Ghost Tour Guide in a Dark Vault under the Old Town

The following morning we headed to Murrayfield for the International Sevens Tournament. The weather was freezing, a complete contrast to the previous day. Nevertheless, we had a good time, especially as New Zealand won.

Heineken Cup Final, 24 May 2008

On Saturday 24 May, Marian and I drove down to Limerick to watch the Heineken Cup Final between Munster and Toulouse which was being played in Cardiff. Limerick is one of the two main cities of Munster, the other being Cork. However I have been told that Limerick is the rugby capital of not only Munster but Ireland. So we were expecting a good atmosphere.

We arrived at around midday and met up with Marian's friend Dave, his fiance Sarah and flatmate Vispi and duly walked down to a local pub Synott's, to watch the match which kicked off at 5 pm.

l-r: Maz, Sarah, Dave, Vispi

It was a sunny warm afternoon in Limerick, and there was a large screen set up in the carpark of the pub, so it made for very pleasant conditions for watching rugby - more akin to cricket watching actually. Denise's parents Eugene and Siobhan very kindly bought some deck chairs for Marian and I to sit on so we settled in for the afternoon. There was a band playing before the match to get the crowd warmed up and the atmosphere was pretty festive - especially after the final whistle - Munster getting home 16-13.

Vispi and DaveMarian and I enjoying our deckchairs

Denise's Dad Eugene

The crowd at Synotts before kickoff

Here is a video of the leadup to the Munster try in the first half, and the final minute of the match:

The following day, Marian and I went into town to watch the homecoming celebration for the victorious Munster team. O'Connell Street, the main street of Limerick, was a sea of red as Munster fans celebrated again the previous day's victory and welcomed the team and the trophy back to Ireland.

Open-topped Munster team bus driving through Limerick

The Munster captain Paul O'Connell (in foreground)


Paul O'Connell addresses the crowd

Marian's friend Mairead Hegarty from Louisburgh was the signer during the ceremony

Looking down O'Connell Street

To wrap up proceedings, the three New Zealanders in the Munster side, Doug Howlett, Lefeimi Mafi and Rua Tipoki, performed a haka, much to the delight of the crowd:

Famine Walk 17 May 2008

On Sauturday Marian and I participated in the 20th Annual Famine Walk from Doolough to Louisburgh, a distance of 16 km. The walk was organised by Marian's friend Maria who runs the Louisburgh Community Trust, in association with Afri (Action for Ireland) a Dublin-based human rights group. The aim of the walk is to remember the suffering of the local people on the night and morning of 30-31 March 1849, and to raise awareness of current human rights issues. The following is from the Afri website:

"The immediate cause of the death march was the arrival of two ‘commissioners’, who were to inspect the people and certify them as paupers, so entitling them to a ration of three pounds of meal each. For some reason the inspection was not made and the hundreds of people were told they must appear at Delphi Lodge (ten miles away) at 7am the following morning. They set out on foot along the mountain road and pathway in cold, wintry conditions, including snowfall.

When they arrived at Delphi Lodge, they were refused either food or tickets of admission to the workhouse and so they began their weary return journey. It was on this journey that maybe hundreds of people died."

Marian in front of Doolough
The start of the walk
With About 5 km to Louisburgh

Bank Holiday Weekend 2-5 May 2008

On Friday 2 May we drove to Limerick for the wedding of John Madden and Louise Kennedy, friends of Marian's:

l-r: Sarah, Louise, Dave, Maz

On Saturday we drove up to Louisburgh where we had a good weekend taking in some of the events of the Fiele Chois Cauin (Festival by the Bay) the annual festival of music held at Louisburgh. On Monday the weather was warm and sunny, and on Monday afternoon Marian Thomas and I had a good time down at Old Head Beach:

And we had the first swim of the summer:

Brad and Sue's Visit to Ireland, April 18-21

Brad and Sue flew in from Manchester on Friday April 18 in the evening. We drove to Mayo the next day via Connemara. On the Saturday evening we went into Wetsport for a bit of the old "diddly-i" music in Hoban's, one of the pubs in town. Tom's brother Liam usually plays there but unfortunately he was off that night. We had a good time nonetheless.