Ande, Thanks for the comprehensive trip report. What a bummer about the weather. Hope you had a jacket with a hood. A must when it is too windy for an umbrella. I take a rain hat too.

Next time you are in Killarney try Mac's for food. I've never had a bad meal there. I also have a few recs for B&Bs within walking distance of town.

Did the GPS send you astray?

Here is the continuation and conclusion of my report.

Day Five- Time to pack up and head to Portmagee where we would station ourselves to be close to the Skellig Michael boats.
After another delicious breakfast, we visited Torc Waterfall, Muckross House and Abbey, and Ross Castle. Grabbed a sandwich in town and then proceeded to Portmagee.

Our b&b was Portmagee Heights. To my relief, I had a much larger room and bathroom. I had two window hatches I could open and take in the views of some farm land and the water. Nice!

Our hostess gave us a map and we headed off to Valentia Island. To my surprise, most of the roadway loop was really tiny. For some reason, I had thought the roads would be more spacious here.

We paid to go see the Fogher Cliffs. At the first view point, the wind and rain let loose and we didnt go up to the higher levels. It is very pretty here and it was disappointing the weather made it miserable.

Knightstown was really tiny and nothing seemed to be open. Dinner was at the Bridge Bar, which had a nice atmosphere and good food.

Day Six- Skellig Michael day!! The day I had been dreaming about!! I was so anxious about the weather as it had been so crummy and I knew the day before had no sailings. The hostess daughter told us the boats were a go, so I was thrilled! It was misty, wet and foggy, but who cares!!
I had booked five months in advance with Brendan Casey. 70 euro per person. Per instructions, I had called the day before to confirm.
When we arrived at the dock, the gentlemen running the show were disorganized and we walked from boat to boat with them until they shepherded us on to one. There were a total of 12 passengers per boat, and two crewmen.

The first mate (?) gave us a good safety briefing as we pulled out of the dock. Everyone had a life vest and they had other open sea vests in the cabin if things turned really bad.

The sea was incredibly rough. Half of the passengers threw up. Luckily, I was not one of them. I believe my decision to pass on the big breakfast and just eat toast was a wise one and I recommend that to anyone reading this post and planning to take the journey. As I was closest to the cabin, the first mate would hand me the sick baggies to pass along as needed. I had to keep my eyes focused on the water to the side and not the sick people!

Our captain had the pedal to the metal and we blew past other boats and made it to the island in about an hour. Because of the fog, we could not see the rock until we pulled up to it and even then, we could only see a small distance up. This was disappointing, but what are you going to do?

Getting off the boat was a work of art. Because of the waves, timing was very important. The first mate was a pro at telling people when to jump. All made it off just fine.

A short distance from the dock, there is a guide going over the safety rules for making the climb. The steps were very wet, so it was stressed to be very careful. I think there were two small sections with chains to hold on to, other than that, there was nothing to separate the visitor from the drop offs.

The steps are irregular and very steep in some sections. There was one section in which most people used their hands on the steps in front of them to assist in the scramble up.

There were a few people (not from my boat) who chose not to do the climb. I wasnt scared of the height or drop offs, but I admit that the stair training I had done in advance did not cut it. My office building has 13 floors and I would climb them most days to prepare, but it wasnt enough. I had to huff and puff my way up. It seemed like the stairs would never end!

Up top, the marvelous stone beehive huts await the visitor. The place is in remarkable condition. You are free to go inside the huts. There was a guide at the top who gave a presentation on the history of the place, but she made no effort to project her voice and I gave up trying to hear her, even though I wasnt far away from her.

There were probably three boat loads of people up there at the same time. Everyone seemed thrilled and awed and rightly so.
We allowed plenty of time to make our way down in a cautious fashion. Some stretches of stairs required walking down slightly sideways because some steps were very shallow.

A guy ahead of me fell, but luckily he fell backwards on his bum and was ok. Had he fallen forward, it would have been a dreadful scene, not only for him but those ahead of him on the stairs. I purposely stayed back so I wouldnt have anyone immediately behind me.

The boat pickup was disorganized because only one boat at a time can dock. The boat that was there was not our boat and its occupants were not back at their designated time. Our 12 people got there in a timely fashion, but we had to wait about 20-25 minutes before we could be picked up.
Watching other people board their boats, it looked like it would be challenging to get on with the waves, but it was no problem.

We were taken to Little Skellig to see birds and seals from the boat. No puffins on this trip since they had left for the season several weeks earlier.
The ride back was much easier for people to endure because we went with the waves rather than against them. It was still a bouncy ride, but only one person got sick.

As soon as we got off our boat, we made a beeline for the Skellig Mist Café. I was starving since I had eaten such a light breakfast and had not snacked on the island. I thought it would be crowded, but it wasnt. The ordering process is slow and disorganized, but the food was good.

We went back to the b&b to chill out for a while, then set out for a drive, going to Waterville. Stopped in the Waterville Craft Market and found a nice cross pendant for my mom as a thank you gift for taking care of my pets while I was away.

We then drove to Derrynane House. It was past closing time, so we just walked around the grounds for a few minutes. This is a lovely estate and had I known it, I would have made a point of getting there earlier.

By the time we decided to head back to Portmagee, there was the most incredible fog that had dropped in. Visibility was next to nothing! And it was getting dark. I can only imagine what it must be like driving those roads after complete sundown.

We went back to the Bridge Bar for dinner. Service was not very efficient or professional this night, but the food was good. They have a Taste of Ireland sampler of Guinness beers that I ordered. It was more for a photo op since I knew I wouldnt like them. I tried each one and confirmed that Guinness is not my thing.

Day Seven Last real day in Ireland. I had a big breakfast this day and it was good. The weather was miserable, rainy and foggy, but we were hopeful to drive out of it. The forecast showed the eastern half of the country as being good.

We had to head back to Dublin for our morning flight the next day. We stopped in Cahir, Rock of Cashel and Rock of Dunamase en route (thank you, Bob, for the recommendation of Dunamase). The Rock of Cashel has a bunch of scaffolding, much needed maintenance, I imagine. The weather was much better at these stops. Cahir castle does not allow going up on the ramparts anymore, sadly. I have really fun pictures from a long time ago up on the ramparts.

Our final hotel for the trip was Clayton Hotel at the airport. My GPS rebelled and sent us around in circles, very annoying at the end of the long day of driving. Finally we found it. We wanted to unload our stuff at the hotel before returning the rental car. Check in was a nightmare. This place was so busy, there was a long line and each transaction seemed to take an eternity. I couldnt understand it. It was more like a rental car counter, with each transaction entailing a lot of discussion. Eek.

I had stayed at this hotel long ago when it was Bewleys. It was much better back then. The rooms looked like they had not been updated in 10 years. The couch and chair were grubby. To my horror, there was no air conditioning and it was a very warm day in Dublin. My travel companion was not pleased and I felt bad since I had picked the place. It had not occurred to me to check before booking. I assumed any corporate type hotel near the airport would have air conditioning. The windows only opened a tiny bit. Everyone was asking for fans. I lucked out and got one. Delivered at 10:30 pm!

Since I last stayed at the hotel, a gas station had been built across the street. We filled up the rental car there and then took it to the airport for return. Only one guy was processing returns, so it was slow.

We shuttled back to the airport and then took the hotel shuttle back to the hotel. I grabbed dinner at the gas station because they also had a Super Macs and Papa Johnss there. I was happy to eat for 5 euro rather than an expensive hotel meal.

Day Eight Flying home. The hotel front desk had advised being outside for the shuttle 30 minutes before you wanted to be at the airport. I was out at 6:30 am. The bus sat there for 20 minutes before leaving. There was a guy on the bus freaking out because he did not build in time for waiting around. I wonder if he made it! By the time we pulled out of the hotel, he had an hour before his flight was to take off.

Irish security was first and wasnt bad. They didnt even ask for photo ID, just the boarding pass! Then, USA security and then immigration and customs. I have global entry, so it was quick for me to get through the immigration process, no wait at the kiosk and only one person ahead of me to see the agent. I was fascinated to see that when I saw the agent, he had a picture of my suitcase to identify as mine. Fancy!

Flight home was the best it could be because I had a whole row on the transatlantic part all to myself. Hooray!!! My connection was in Chicago and it was easy, with the next flight only a few gates away in the same concourse.

Even with the wacky weather, I had a great time. Im already brainstorming about another trip, maybe as soon as next year.
Thanks, Michele and Bob, for your advice in advance of my trip.

I think watching the OPW safety video really made it less scary. It was sort of a rehearsal to the actual visit.