Rosa,

I forgot to mention that our recipe also mentioned boiling the cans of condensed milk in water!  I'm sure all the effort will be worth it.  We hope to  "wow"  some of our Irish friends with this great dessert!

Dan

-- Edited by murphy on Tuesday 6th of October 2009 12:23:59 AM

Great trip report, and I'm glad your wife is healing... I'm planning our June 2010 trip to the same areas now, so I was glad to read all about it. :)

Sidz,

In reply to your question about other B&B's that were really great:  The best one we found in 15 nights was "Churchview B&B" in Gurteen.  It was fairly new, only 4 years old, and purpose built.  Jacci has a real flair for decorating, super delicious breakfast and it was very clean, comfortable and homey.  More about that in the next few upcoming posts about Gurteen.

Haywoods B&B in Donegal was  fairly good also, but a little longer walk, maybe 10-12 minutes to downtown...easily done, if not for Joyce's accident.  Cawley's in Tubercurry, and McCarthy's in Westport were just ok...nothing exceptional.  Murphy's Hotel/B&B in Tubercurry had the biggest room size of all, typical I suppose of a hotel versus a true B&B.  Pearse Lodge in Sligo, which we didn't get to, had exceptional reviews on trip advisor.  Our B&B the last night in Ennis, was Sleepy Hollow.  It was exceptionally nice also, and was an easy 5-8 minute walk to downtown Ennis.  Would definitely stay there again, if I were to depart from  NW Ireland via the Shannon airport.  That pretty well gives you the run-down, and hope this helps you out!   Dan

Sidz
We spent a few nights at the Boulevard Guest House in Westport. Great spot in an ideal location.
http://www.boulevard-guesthouse.com/
Stewart

Monday August 16

Got up and enjoyed one of the best breakfasts of the entire trip! Kathlene had really outdone herself....fresh home made bread! After packing our luggage to the car, we noticed that it had rained overnight, a regular happening during the 2nd week of our trip. It was threatening day time showers, but decided to do an outdoor activity anyway, umbrellas and raincoats in hand. We drove about 20 minutes west of Gurteen, to see "Eagles Flying"

This turned out to be more fascinating than we thought it would be. Our two resident B&B hostesses highly recommended this, so we went.

A German biologist and his wife had purchased a run-down farm and acerage out in the country, and turned it into a bird, wild life, and domestic animal recovery sanctuary and rehab facility. They breed birds of prey, as well as take in all kinds of rescue birds and animals, or birds-of-prey that are hard to manage or train, many from other falconries. The main gate opened at 10:30 AM, which allowed for a leisurely tour of the facilites, and observe the animals and birds being cared for before show time.

The flying demonstration took place near and around all sides of the bleachers set up out in an open field for this purpose, starting about 11:30 AM.  They had a huge new indoor pavilion available for a partial flying demonstartion, if the rain drops caused the feathers on the wings to get wet, and not work properly.  We were able to stay outside.   What a show! It lasted about an hour and featured 5-6 flying birds, from the falcon, owl, and eagle families. The birds flew in very close proximity to the audience, sometimes inches over our heads and you could feel the air currents generated by their giant wing-spans. Some audience members, including kids were allowed to glove-up, hold some food, and have the birds land on their arm. What a thrill for them!

Departed about 12:30, and headed to Gurteen to check into Churchview B&B. It was a newer purpose built B&B, and was the best one we stayed in the entire trip. Nearby are 3 pubs, with 2 featuring traditional Irish Music on a regular basis. One of those pubs serves lunch, and the other, Crossbow, serves great dinners. After checking in, I caught up on the laundry, while Joyce took a much needed nap, after a restless night of sleep. About mid afternoon, we walked down to the Coleman Music Center.

This is a government sponsored venue for a 4 county area, that showcases "Irish Traditional Music, and Musicians" especially the unusually large number of them  that had hailed from southern Sligo and Gurteen area. It is a fairly large facility (for a small town) on 2 floors. We spent over 3 hours there, upstairs in the listening lab. There were computer stations with headsets for selecting and listening to a choice of thousands of selections of music, from fiddle, to pipes, flutes, tin whistles, accordian, guitar,banjo, vocals and drums. What a neat place to spend a rainy afternoon! It also had a new theatre added on to the west side recently, and that is where the Wed and Sat sessions were held during July & August. It was a state-of-the-art facility, and a Brittish Music group that has been touring for over 3 decades recently played there, and said it was the best acoustics they had ever found in a facility of it's size.

The folks that were working at the facility were very friendly and helpful, and proud of their center. It had a snack bar, and a complete one at that.....including lattes! Since it was soon approaching closing time, we knew that a return trip was mandatory before leaving town, as we had not yet even been into the gift shop and music store part of it.

Went back to the B&B to freshen up and get ready to head 2 doors down to the Crossbow for dinner. I ordered deep fried scampi (turned out to be regular deep fried popcorn shrimp) and Joyce tried the Seafood Chowder. The oysters and Salmon were not her favorite, guess she prefers the clam chowder, so regularly available here on the west coast. We went back to the B&B to kill some time playing cribbage, until the 9:30 PM music hour arrived.

Joyce was too tired to attend, so she hit the hay, and a wandered over to the pub for the Monday night session. It was being led by a famous "local" flute player; Peter Horan. The locals all said he was famous now, but would some day be viewed as a legend after he was gone. About 10 other musicians joined in, and it was some of the best music we heard the entire trip. I vowed to hang in there till the end, and about 11:30, a formal sounding composition began, at which time everybody stood up. So I stood up too. I asked the local next to me what was going on, and she said that Peter always closes the evening session out by playing the "Irish National Anthem".      Dan

Tuesday Aug 18

Slept in untill 8:30 this morning, since several nights of late night Irish music was taking its toll! After breakfast, we headed down to the Coleman Music Center. We spent most of the morning there. Decided to buy several CD's and a tin whistle in "D", some tin whistle song books, other song books with ballads and pub songs complete with melody line, words, and chords. The lady at the cash register decided that we spent enough that we deserved complimentary beverages at the snack bar, so we took part in our daily latte ritual. We spent considerable time with the barista, (sp) discussing the finer points of making lattes and the art of drawing a good shot of espresso. We own, and Joyce runs an espresso outlet here in a tourist resort town in NW Washington, and we found that espresso has overtaken much of Ireland, much like it has where we live. We enjoyed "talking shop" with the lady at the snack bar, and found that their methods and techniques were a little different, so we traded information. We found that there wasn't as many big name franchise coffee outlets in Ireland, even in the larger cities, unlike in Portland or Seattle, where they seem to be on every street corner.  I always wondered why the per capita consumption of espresso was so high here, and is fairly big in Ireland, and it must be because of the cool/cold rainy climate that we share.

Next we drove southeast out of Gurteen, destination Carrowkeel Megalithic Tombs. These are located in a very remote area, and I can assure you that there will not be any large tour busses to contend with. We got to the small parking area, and found the steep, unimproved car path heading up the mountain. We were afraid to try it, due to the fact it was extremely rough, and under ordinary circumstance, we would have gone; several other small vehicles of all kinds were using it. With Joyce's injury, we didn't want to take the chance of the bumpy road causing further harm to her shoulder, so I elected to take the hiking path instead, heading off to the southwest. I got all the way to a barb wire fence on the lip of a canyon, and the pathway was getting very obscure. As I was ready to climb over, I noticed several cattle...mostly cow/calf pairs. The calves were rather large, and looked to be near weaning time. I was concerned about bulls! Having grown up in ranching country of Northeast Nebraska, I knew all about bulls!  I didn't fancy being chased around a muddy pasture, so I stood there quite a while, watching the herd which was mostly hidden in the underbrush, and widely scattered over the valley, and though I never spotted any bulls, I decided I could not take the chance of something happening "Murphy's Law" that far from any means of help...with Joyce in the car, left arm disabled, and a left handed stick shift, and I had the cell phone. So I turned back for the car. This killed almost 2 hours, but I did get a great hike and good scenery for my efforts. I should have taken the car path route on foot instead. We sat in the car eating a light lunch, and I debated about me striking out on the car path route, but it started raining, and without any restroom facilities close by, we decided to bag it. We did talk to a young couple who had just returned from the tombs, driving a small SUV and they said it was way worth the bumpy ride, very unspoiled and an impressive set of ruins.

From there we headed to "Wynn View" on a small narrow paved road. There was a picnic and scenic lookout area at the top. It offered a tremendous view of a broad valley stretching from Boyle to the south, following the Boyle River that emptied into Lough Gara, a fishing lake that was located due west between Boyle and Gurteen, the village of Gurteen, and on northward almost to Ballymote. The rain showers had stopped, and we were able to take numerous pictures of the area.

On we went to Templeronan Graveyard. It was a rural cemetary, and it dated from the 7th Century. There was the remains of a small Church in the cemetary, St Ronan's. It was thought to be one of the oldest churches in the area, and was rather small, measuring only about 29'x16'.

Next stop was St. Patrick's Rock. It was on a paved rural road, and a dark narrow path led into the woods where we found the moss covered rock. It had an indented area the shape and size of a knee, and legend said this was where St. Patrick stopped to kneel and pray on one of his many journeys criss-crossing Ireland, spreading Christianity.

We happened to go by Jerry and Kathlene's farm, and decided to stop in since we had left our polar ice pack in her freezer. We finally got to meet Jerry, and spent about a half hour visiting in their front driveway. We made arrangements to meet Jerry at the Pub later in the evening for a pint before the session started.

Drove a couple of miles farther down the road to see the Michael Coleman Homestead and historical marker. It was closed, but we had access to the grounds. There was a thatched roof cottage that was a replica of Michael's home, a heritage center, well manicured grounds, and a stone memorial marker nearby on the other side of the road.  We peeked in the windows, and it would have been a great place to spend an hour between 8-5   It was a fitting tribute to a man who really put traditional Irish Music to the forefront on the world stage in the early-mid 1900's, at which time he toured extensively in the US.

Next we located St. Attraca's Holy Well. It was difficult to spot....we expected something much bigger, so had driven right past.  Drove back almost to the highway, and spotted  it  located just a stone's throw from the highway, and is just a 4' diameter stone well, fairly shallow, with the glimmer of many coins that had been tossed in. We had read that there were many Holy Wells in Ireland, so we wanted to see at least one.

Not too far away is the "4 Altars" monument.   It is a stone structure, also located in a cow pasture, and the parking is very limited. The driveway into the long lane is gated, and not enough room to park there. We found a wide spot on the shoulder a couple hundred yards south, so we pulled off there, walked back to the lane, walked eastward up the lane and found the 2 white painted rocks that marked the 3 step entry way thru the rock wall, to gain access to the the pasture and altar. The altar was built out of stone, on the highest piece of ground, and looked downward in all directions for quite a distance.  It was built as a 4-way altar, and the location was chosen because the British were trying to prevent the Irish locals from the celebration of Catholic Mass. The 4 altars faced N, S, E, and W so that they could choose the one they wanted to use,  so as to avoid the prevailing winds, and could also watch for the potential arrival of the Brittish soldiers.

It was nearing 7 PM and we really enjoyed being in Ireland in the summer to take advantage of the long daylight hours. We had found no other tourists at the final 4 stops that day between 4 and 7 PM. We got back to the B&B and  changed out of my muddy hiking clothes and I  cleaned up my shoes. We then headed out for dinner. I had checked out the menu at the Gurteen King Hotel, the only other place in town to eat in the evening. The Crossbow seemed to have  better menu selection and prices, so we returned there. I ordered a cup of the seafood chowder, along with a seafood salad. It had a square of baked salmon, baby shrimp, dressing that tasted like thousand island, steamed veggies, and coleslaw. What a meal! Joyce had one of the toasted sandwiches that are very popular in Ireland, and her  toasted ham and cheese with pineapple, coleslaw and french fries didn't disappoint. The food took quite a while to arrive tonight, due to being a weeknight, and not a huge staff on hand. One young man was bar tender, cashier, ordertaker, and waiter, and busser all in one. And so it goes in a small establishment in a rural area. We were in no hurry, since we were not meeting Jerry till 9:30 anyway. We noticed that all pubs had at least one, if not more,  large screen TV's and there always seemed to be a soccer game going on. The locals seemed to really be tuned in to soccer at all times!

We went directly from the Crossbow to the other pub 2 doors down, which was hosting traditional music. I had a pint at the bar with Jerry while Joyce visited with some locals at a table we had secured right next to where the musicians were setting up. The session was once again led by Peter Horan. This time, however, he was playing fiddle. What a talented guy! There were numerous musicians, including piano, guitar, flute, fiddle, tin whistle, concertina, accordian, and 2 vocalists, a man and a woman. The middle age gal  sang several songs, and was the best vocalist we had heard in Ireland.   She sang acappella (without accompanyment) and her Gaelic/English song was beautiful.

The place was packed and the music was so good, we ended up staying untill the end, almost 12:30PM. Of course, the final selection was the Irish Nationa Anthem. It was great to be able to walk out of the pub, and be in our B&B 2 minutes later! Dan

Dan,

Just be sure it is sweetened condensed milk not evaporated milk. I have had an email exchange with a man who couldn't figure out why his cans of toffee didn't turn out right. He was using evaporated rather than condensed milk.

Michele

Wed Aug 19

Today was our final Dr. Appointment in Castlebar, so we opted for the earliest (8 AM) breakfast time. We bid Jacci goodbye and started our journey south by 9:15.

We decided this early departure (by Irish B&B standards) would allow us a chance to visit Knock Shrine. We arrived by 10:00 AM in time for the 10:15 Mass at the Shrine Chapel. It was another off and on drippy day, so with umbrella in hand we strolled around the beautiful grounds, admiring and taking pictures of the numerous flower gardens. Stopped in the Basilica gift shop, and then on into the huge Basilica. It was being completely decorated with thousands of imported fresh cut white flowers in a stunning display all around the interior. Bought prayer cards for all fellow members of our St. Jerome Church Choir back in Washington. We also walked down the street with all the gift shops. Tried to locate a real latte, but no luck....all were powder based, out of the instamatic machine.  Maybe when we retire, we could relocate to Knock and put in a REAL latte stand!  Maybe not.....

Departed Knock about 12:30 and arrived at Mayo County Hospital in Castlebar 1 hour early.  Managed to find a REAL latte in the hospital cafeteria.  We got in line for the 2:00 appointment about 1:30.  The price was right for socialized medicine, but be prepared for long lines and long waits if you happen to experience it.

The orthopedic Dr. was new to us, and I inquired why we kept getting different Drs.  The answer was:  We are all a part of the same team!  He was very nice to us, cleared Joyce to travel, and agreed to visit with our travel insurance company on our cell phone.  They had called us earlier in the day requesting a conversation with the attending Dr. if possible.  He readily agreed, adding about 15 minutes to our appointment.  He assured them that Joyce needed to be in a 2 seat configuration for the return trip, not a 3 seat arrangement.  Since we were scheduled on a 757, they had 2 choices:  Either switch us to a different flight, like on a 767 or upgrade to Business/First Class.  They asked him if first class would be necessary.  He said no, just do whatever it takes to get us into a 2 seat configuration.  He was concerned about passengers jostling her to get in or out of a cramped 3 seat arrangement, and required her to be up walking once an hour to prevent blood clots.

They called us back about 1 hour later, and had made the decision to upgrade her to First Class.  They also offered me an upgrade for $3000.00.  We declined. I decided to request a seat reassignment to put me in close proximity to first class.  The First class option must have been a less expensive option for the insurance company rather than putting us on a different flight.  We were satisfied with the arrangement because a  possible schedule change could have made it difficult for the rental car return and final night of B&B reservations that were already in place.  We checked out of Mayo Hospital with medical records and xrays in hand about 4 pm .

We had previously made reservations for the last 2 nights in Ennis, but realized that we would not make it that far from Castlebar in a timely manner, with the mid-afternoon appt.  We had called our Hostess to let her know we wouldn't make it both nights, but would still like the final night.  We told her that the unused lodging night would be covered by our travel insurance.  So, we opted to spend our 2nd last night in Galway, since Anne at Griffin Lodge B&B, where we had spent 3 nights at the beginning of the trip,  had a room available.  We got into a terrible rush hour traffic jam in north Galway, and didn't arrive at the B&B till around 7PM.  

We checked in,  then walked the easy 3 blocks downtown to do some last minute gift shopping.  Found a cozy small restaurant, Riordans Food House, on the south side of Quay Street, or High Street, I can't remember for sure.  It was one of the few non-pub evening meals we had on the trip, and it was great.  It featured a meal with a main entree, a choice of either soup or salad or dessert, and complimentary non-alcoholic beverage all for 14.95 Euro.  Joyce had lasagna and Baily's Irish Cream Cheesecake, and I opted for Irish stew, and a smoked salmon salad.  It was reasonably priced compared to most of the other non-pub restaurants along that street.  Of course we were too late for an early bird special.

It was a rainy drippy night, so we went back to the B&B and got Joyce settled in.  I returned downtown to Tig Coile Pub for some more Irish music and a pint of Guiness for a night cap.  I didn't stay too late, so that I would be some what rested and ready for our final full day in Ireland.

Dan

 

Sounds like you have a great time.  We are planning a trip next year to the western side of Ireland.  We are considering the Connemara Country Cottages about l7 miles from Galway.  Is anyone familar with them?  We have never been to Ireland before and you all are making me even more anxious to get there.  If you have any suggestions to make this a better or easier trip, we would appreciate it.

Again, thanks and hope all is well.  Joeytwotwo2

Ahhhh Dan,

As they say in Ireland "You're a devil"!   Unfortunately I can't say it on the forum with the same charming brogue. 

I guess I will have to stay tuned for the final details and banoffee update.

Michele

Thursday August 20

We had made arrangements with Ann for an 8 AM breakfast, so we could get an early start on our last full day in Ireland. During breakfast, we got a cell phone call from the travel insurance company, and there was final paperwork required in order to change the economy seat to first class. It involved getting to a fax machine to receive some paper work that required Joyce's signature, then a return fax with the signature to them. Ann and the owner of the B&B determined that there was an internet cafe right north of the bridge, so I headed off on foot.

I got to the internet place, and they indeed did have fax capabilities. I got their fax number, and called the insurance company to give it to them. After a few minutes wait,  the fax machine rang, but no fax came in. After a few minutes more, the machine rang again, and still no fax.   It wasn't long and my cell phone rang, and they indicated that the fax had failed. They wanted me to try to get to another location that had a fax machine. The young lad that worked there was very helpful, and inquired if an email would work for the documents to arrive, download and print, sign, and then try to return it by fax. The insurance company agreed to try it. I gave them his email address, and then the document arrived. He printed it off. I carried it back to the B&B for Joyce to sign. It turned out to be a document that Joyce signed that bound her to return the $3000.00, in case it turned out to be a fraud!!   Anyway I took it back to the internet place, they faxed it back, and shortly the phone rang and it was done. By this time it was nearly noon. So much for an early start

We headed south from Galway and decided to stop at Thor Beeley (Yeates Tower) near Gort.  We saw the 20 minute video about Yeates restoring the castle to make it into a dwelling for his family.  We took the self guided tour through all the floors and up on to the roof for a great view of the countryside.  The river adjacent to the castle was running full banks due to all the recent rain.  We bought a few gift items in the gift shop, and then went to the car for our final car lunch, an attempt to clean up all the left overs.

Departed for Ennis, and arrived in town at a petrol station a few blocks south of the B&B that had a car vacuum.  Our note on the glovebox stated that a dirty car would be subject to additional charges, so we got rid of the crumbs that were left in our mobile cafeteria!  Got  to Sleepyhollow B&B about 4:30.  It was easy to find, just a half block off a main road on the south side of town, and located in a nice neighborhood.  We checked in, had a cuppa and cookies along with a nice visit with Elizabeth.  We paid for our room ahead of time, due to an early check-out.  We offered to pay for the night we missed, but she wouldn't hear of it....must of felt sorry for Joyce in her condition.

We brought all of our souvenirs and gifts that had accumulated in shopping bags in the back seat (probably not a good place for them to be left, due to potential theft) and packed them into our two day bags and one backpack, as we planned to check our luggage now that Joyce wasn't able to handle anything much at all.  We had heard of theft problems with souvenirs and gift items in checked luggage, so elected to carry them all with us.  We had achieved, for the first time,  total carry on for our inbound flights, because we wanted to eliminate the posibility of lost luggage.  On the flights home, we didn't care so much if the checked luggage full of dirty clothes got lost or not!

We walked down town, and couldn't believe all the beautiful flower beds enroute.  This was probably the best blooming flowers of any town or city of  the entire trip.  It was an easy 10 minute stroll downtown, and sure enough, Chauffeur Bob was right....it turned out that it would be a good town to spend a couple of days and nights in at the end, or anytime during a trip to this area.  We looked one last time for "Murphy" pint glasses, and no luck.  

For our evening meal, we ended up at the pub, of the "Old Soil" Hotel.  The food was great, and the service was very good despite it being extremely busy.  It was our last chance for Irish Fish and Chips, and they didn't disappoint.  Went back to the B&B for a couple games of cribbage, and then about 10, after Joyce got settled in, I headed back downtown for 1 last night of Guinness and music.  After 1 pint, and 1 hour of music at the Old Soil, I decided to call it a night.  We had a good night of rest in preparation for 2 long haul flights and a 5 hour layover at JFK.    We would highly recommend the town of Ennis and this B&B  for comfort, convenience, and price.

Dan  

Friday Aug 21

6:30 AM wake up for our departure day. Elizabeth had layed out a cold breakfast for us, and we were on the road by 7:15AM. We filled the car with petro and returned it to the rental lot. We were in line for the check in process before 8:30 AM.  Customs, immigration, and security were a breeze....no lines anywhere the whole process took about a half hour.  Three cheers for Shannon Airport!!!  It was much less stressful than Dublin!

Checked in at the departure gate to make sure Joyce's upgrade to business class was on schedule. Everything was in order. I requested a seat change from behind the wing, to move up closer to business class. They said they would see what they could do for us after boarding.

Since they allow pre-boarding for those who need extra help, we were allowed to board as soon as they opened the jet-way doors. We stopped in the business class section, and I proceeded to get Joyce settled. She wanted a pillow to put behind her sore shoulder, but they were too big and fluffy and not comfortable. She asked for one of the smaller pillows like we had in economy class on the way. The flight attendant responded that they would have to wait till everybody had been seated, and then find a small pillow from an unused seat! I said that she could have the one from my seat in back. The flight attendant asked me if I was sitting in 1st class.  I said no, that Joyce had gotten a medical upgrade due to broken bones in her shoulder and arm, from our travel insurance company, and I showed him my regular ticket so he could retrieve the pillow.

In the mean time, another flight attendant came in and mentioned to one of the flight deck crew that there was only 4 people scheduled in business class. I looked around and counted 16 total seats! The flight attendant returned with the small pillow, and I finished getting Joyce settled, buckled in, water bottle handy, day bag handy etc. He was watching this whole process, so I visited with him about her needing to get up once an hour to walk, as per Doctors orders, to prevent blood clots. I indicated that she would need help getting buckled back in, as the twisting motion was really painful.  I told him he could come get me if she needed help.   He looked at me, then said: "Why don't you just have a seat right there" pointing to the vacant seat by Joyce. I decided I had better sit there, since you are suppose to follow flight attendant's orders!  Our airline was Delta, and they were awesome!  (We also had a great experience with American 3 years ago.)

It was our first ever trans Atlantic flight in  business class. (We had flown 1st class one other time on a domestic flight)  What a difference!  We were first given the menu to choose the meals for the flight, then offered champagne and orange juice (or other beverage of choice) while everyone else was boarding.  Next we were treated to a snack of hot mixed nuts, and they took our adult beverage order.  Joyce had a diet cola, and I had a micro-brew beer.  We got the salad course next: lettuce, tomatos, and goat cheese along with  cheese and cauliflour soup.  By this time I was offered another beer, then they brought the main course.  Joyce had pasta, and I had a filet mignon steak with aspargus and scalped potatoes.  The next course was a fresh fruit and cheese tray with crackers.  After all of this we were offered a hot wash cloth!  What a way to travel!

 I was seated on the left side of the plane, and during departure and climb out, was able to see the Irish countryside with all the multishaped green fields surrounded by stone walls,  all the way to Doolin and the Cliffs of Mohrer, then the blue Atlantic.  I would have been able to see it from my economy seat, but it just seemed much more impressive from 1st class! 

I managed to get a couple hours of  sleep in between getting Joyce up and down for her walks.  The isle was much wider in 1st class, and it would have been much more difficult for her in the narrow isle of the economy section.

It wasn't long, and they wanted to wine and dine us again, so I allowed my arm to be twisted and had a glass of wine!  Joyce stayed with cola since she was on pain pills.  They offered a light lunch, which was a chicken breast/cheese sandwich for Joyce, and I had a smoked salmon salad.  The rest of the flight resulted in some cat naps for both of us, and we did finally see some land below.

After a 6 hour and 40 min flight, we landed at JFK.  We were scheduled for a 5 hour layover, so called family and friends and our chauffeur to let them know we had safely arrived state-side, and so far we were on schedule for a late evening (10:30PM) landing in Portland.  However, heavy thunderstorms moved in during the next hour, and the skies got black, and there was severe lightning and cracking thunder, and lashing rain showers pelting JFK.  Then we noticed on the arrival and departure boards that some arrivals were late, and some departures delayed, and even some arrival and departure flights cancelled.  We found out that the business class was full on this leg, and at least 6 people were waiting for an opening for an upgrade.  So much for me getting to ride in first class again.

Our flight was scheduled to load at 7:10 PM Eastern time, and sure enough it was delayed to 8.  Then 8:30, then finally we boarded at 8:45.  We were perplexed because the plane was sitting at the gate.  We found out that due to a cancelled incoming flight, the delay was being caused because we were missing a pilot.  They had to get a relief pilot from LaGuardia, and he had to taxi over to JFK thru rush hour traffic, hence the delay.  Once on the aircraft,  the pilot announced that we may have a 1 hour taxi to the departure end of the runway, due to all the transatlantic night flights taking off.  They allowed us to turn on our cell phones for 10 min to call loved ones at the other end to let them know we would be arriving Portland about 2 AM.  However, soon we were moving rapidly, and  then an announcement came in  that they had opened up another runway, and would be 5th in line for takeoff.  They allowed us once again to use our cell phone to notify people on the other end that we would lift off at 9:45 and arrive Portland at 1:05 AM!

I did managed about 4 hours of sleep on the 5 1/2 hour flight, and our ride was waiting for us in Portland.  Arrived home about 4:30 AM.  I had about 3 more hours of sleep, and then up at 7:30AM and down to the coffee shop to see how the fill-in help had done during our 2 week absense.  Everything there was in good shape, and an 8 hour shift at work didn't seem to be too bad, despite a long final day of vacation that spanned over 4000 miles!  I figure I had about 8 hours of sleep over a 35 hour span, and didn't feel all that tired.  I think I was still more jet-lagged flying east, than I am going west!

It was an eventful Ireland trip, and we both have no regrets even with the accident.  Surprisingly, Joyce has already mentioned a return trip!  She is finished with physical therapy as of Nov 5th, and also got a sign off from the orthopedic Dr. unless some unforeseen complications surface.   She will need to do home therapy (exercises) for at least a year, and may not get to her ultimate mobility for up to 2 years.  They still hope for 90% of her upward reach.

I am sad to see this trip report come to a close...almost as much as I was sad to have the trip itself end...it is always such a let down upon returning home from Ireland.  As for next time....we plan to do a 10-14 day trip to county Cork to do some extensive geneology research to try to find some "Murphy" relatives still in Ireland.  It will be in the Kanturk/Mallow area, specifically starting near Drumtarrif Parish.  We may try a self catering cottage if available, and would like to spend more time in Kenmare, the Ring of Beara, and Kilkenny.  We would also like to do a 3 week trip to Northern Ireland/Scotland some day, as Joyce thinks she has geneology family links to Scotland.  Also we have not been in Dublin as of yet, and our geneology research may take us there, if we are not successful in rural county Cork.

In a wrap up, Northwest Ireland was a perfect choice for a "high season"  summer trip to Ireland.  Very few crowds,  it was not overrun with tour busses,  the tourist attractions were not very crowded, and we were even able to walk in and get some B&B's on weekends without reservations.  Of course tourism was down all over Ireland, but I think the Northwest is a real sleeper....so much beautiful scenery, numerous attractions, and except for Galway, and Westport (during the music festival) we had no trouble with traffic congestion or parking.

I would be glad to offer any advice or contacts for those of you who are considering a trip to Northwest Ireland!

Dan

-- Edited by murphy on Sunday 15th of November 2009 01:18:47 PM

-- Edited by murphy on Sunday 15th of November 2009 01:20:16 PM

This has been a fabulous trip report to follow along with- I've enjoyed every chapter.  Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out and share it! 

Stewart, Rosa, and Michele:

Thank you for your kind words regarding the report. It seemed to me at times that it was getting kind of long-winded...glad you were able to bear with me!

Today is the day we try the banoffee pie recipe using the sweetened condensed milk baked in the oven in a pan of water for three hours, rather than boiling it for 3 hours. We will let you know in this post, on the Ireland trip report forum as well as in the general forum how it turned out, in the event that some of you may want to try it for Thanksgiving.

Dan