We bid goodbye to Borris and began the day with the obligatory visit to a ruined castle, in fact, we visited two, just to be sure.
First stop was only 15 minutes drive on the usual skinny roads and was called Ballyloughan Castle. It was on private land, but David did manage to get close enough for some photography. It was huge and covered a significant area. The 'mind the bull' sign made me decide to wait in the car!
Second castle was only a few more minutes down the road, called Carrigadrohid Castle. It was also on private land, but had a gate and a path mown across the field for access. It was unusual in that it was built in a square design with a central courtyard. Even though there wasn't much left standing, it was still easy to see where the living quarters had originally been.
Set Google maps (what did we ever do without them?) for Dublin. The roads were faster and wider, but we almost miss the narrow windy country lanes.
Found another tiny parking building in the centre of the city any walked to St Stephen's Green, a very pretty garden with a lake, spring blossoms and plenty of seriously big seagulls. It felt like a tranquil oasis in the midst of a bustling city.
In our search for a public toilet, we ended up visiting Stephen's Green Shopping Mall. What a treat that was, not for the shops but for the building with it's impressive staircases and ornate ceiling.
Continued our walking tour to the Ha'penny Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Liffey. The bridge was built in 1816, made of cast iron and cast in Shropshire, England. Prior to that, there were seven ferries crossing the river.
Managed to find our way back to the car and drove out to Howarth Peninsular which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay. It was described as a fishing 'village' but is really more of a significant township. We walked the pier out to the lighthouse in a howling wind, where the spray was being blown right across the path. There is a cliff walk, but decided against that due to the strength of the wind.
On to our final Irish AirBnB which we chose for ist's proximity to the airport. The address is Foxhill Lawn - imagine quaint cottages, with spring blossoms and lots of green spaces. Reality is none of that, rather rows of semi-detached houses on the outskirts of the city.
David wanted to have a Guinness at an Irish pub before we left so we visited the Water Mill Bar not far from here. He was very happy that it had the atmosphere that he was looking for and the Guinness was surprisingly good. Needless to say, I drank tonic and drove us back!
We will be sad to leave this beautiful country behind but looking forward to being able to spend time with Ella again over the weekend. Hopefully the wind has died down before we fly out tomorrow.
First stop was only 15 minutes drive on the usual skinny roads and was called Ballyloughan Castle. It was on private land, but David did manage to get close enough for some photography. It was huge and covered a significant area. The 'mind the bull' sign made me decide to wait in the car!
Second castle was only a few more minutes down the road, called Carrigadrohid Castle. It was also on private land, but had a gate and a path mown across the field for access. It was unusual in that it was built in a square design with a central courtyard. Even though there wasn't much left standing, it was still easy to see where the living quarters had originally been.
Set Google maps (what did we ever do without them?) for Dublin. The roads were faster and wider, but we almost miss the narrow windy country lanes.
Found another tiny parking building in the centre of the city any walked to St Stephen's Green, a very pretty garden with a lake, spring blossoms and plenty of seriously big seagulls. It felt like a tranquil oasis in the midst of a bustling city.
In our search for a public toilet, we ended up visiting Stephen's Green Shopping Mall. What a treat that was, not for the shops but for the building with it's impressive staircases and ornate ceiling.
Continued our walking tour to the Ha'penny Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that crosses the River Liffey. The bridge was built in 1816, made of cast iron and cast in Shropshire, England. Prior to that, there were seven ferries crossing the river.
Managed to find our way back to the car and drove out to Howarth Peninsular which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay. It was described as a fishing 'village' but is really more of a significant township. We walked the pier out to the lighthouse in a howling wind, where the spray was being blown right across the path. There is a cliff walk, but decided against that due to the strength of the wind.
On to our final Irish AirBnB which we chose for ist's proximity to the airport. The address is Foxhill Lawn - imagine quaint cottages, with spring blossoms and lots of green spaces. Reality is none of that, rather rows of semi-detached houses on the outskirts of the city.
David wanted to have a Guinness at an Irish pub before we left so we visited the Water Mill Bar not far from here. He was very happy that it had the atmosphere that he was looking for and the Guinness was surprisingly good. Needless to say, I drank tonic and drove us back!
We will be sad to leave this beautiful country behind but looking forward to being able to spend time with Ella again over the weekend. Hopefully the wind has died down before we fly out tomorrow.
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