Here is Part II

Marie

We left Westport the next morning at around 11:30 and drove 120 miles to DonegalTown.  We checked in at Donegal Manor, our favorite of the trip.  Then we went back into town, ate at the Bluebery Tea Room (loved it) and walked around the town.  This was one of only 2 days of rain during the trip.  Other times it rained on and off, but always cleared up enough for us to enjoy things.  We saw DonegalCastle, and had lots of fun talking with the cashier and taking pictures.  The reason for being in Donegal was mainly to just stand on the land where my mothers family lived.  The plan was to go to Creevy the next day on the way to Trim.  Anyway, we shopped a bit and then returned to the Manor for the evening.  A word about Donegal Manor we LOVED the place.  Sian and Michael made us feel so at home there.  Since it was rainy, they built a turf fire for us, and then turned over the sitting area to us completely.  They turned on the television, brought us movies to choose from, encouraged us to re-arrange their furniture so we could all see the screen and be comfortable, ordered pizza for us, and talked with us at length about their family and Ireland in general.  Despite the rain, it remained one of our favorite stops. 

The next day we drove to Trim, via Creevy. We went to the Abbey at Rossnowlough, and then drove to the sea.  It was windy and partly cloudy, but really beautiful.  Kasey looked for sea shells while I just thought about my mother.  We drove on to Creevy and stopped at a local store (the only one I saw on that road).  The man who ran the store was so nice, and he asked me about my mothers family.  When I told him the name, he gave me the name and phone number of someone with the same name and suggested I call him.  It was the middle of the day, and he said PJ would be at work.  SoI still have the number, but I havent called yet.  It just all seemed like too much.  It will be great if it turns out we are related. (Ill let you know.) Anyway, I had not remembered how close to the ocean Creevy is.  Since I was only 3 when I was there, what I remember most are the mule (Fanny) and the dog, a border collie named Dawn.  As we were driving down a VERY narrow lane in Creevy that day, a border collie appeared from nowhere and ran in front of the car, jumped on a stone wall and just stood there, posing.  Thank God Kasey had the presence of mind to get a picture. 

We drove through a bit of N. Ireland on the way to Trim.  I was amazed at how different it looked, despite being right across the border.  It was lovely, in a different way.  Once again, we ended up finding our B & B, Highfield House with no problem.  This B & B was our least favorite.  We had no real complaints, but it was just adequate and not nearly as clean as the others we stayed in.  We walked to TrimCastle and took some photos, went back to the B & B, rested, and then headed out for dinner at Francini OBriens.

I had to try the Banoffee, and I was REALLY glad I did! 

So, this seems like a good time to tell you about THE PHONE.  I rented a phone from Range Roamer.  They mail you the phone, charger, etc. and they give you a toll-free number so people can call you free from the states.  They also give you an international number (Estonia) so that people in Ireland can call you.  The calls cost me .69/minute.

OK.  The problem was this:  I was able to receive 3 phone calls the entire time.  Also, I had a lot of difficulty calling Mary in Ireland, and also calling B & Bs(for directions, etc.)

The system just did not work right.  Mary attempted to call me about 20 times over the course of our visit.  My husband tried a few dozen times, too.  He was able to get me twice.  I have learned my lesson.  Next trip to Ireland, I will buy an Irish phone.  Meanwhile, Range Roamer is supposed to contact me soon with a suggestion on how they can make it up to me.  J

So there I was, at a gas station in Kilnamanagh, Dublin, with 2 angry daughters, and a phone that would not work.  I went inside and explained my dilemma (leaving out the part about the angry daughters) and asked the young lady behind the counter if I could make a local call on the store phone.  She graciously handed over her personal cell phone for me to use.  I was really touched by this, and began crying immediately.  Mary was walking over to the gas station by the time I hung up and we were tearfully reunited.

36 years melted away in an instant.