A fine day in Ireland

Beginning our decent over the Emerald Island of Ireland.

Our first day in Ireland gave us a glimpse of its beauty, people, and most importantly, its hospitality.  The trip itself was spawned over a deal I found on the internet: flights to Dublin from Germany for ZERO EURO!  I know you are probably scratching your head on this one, but it's true - budget carrier Ryan Air (based out of Ireland & England) often times offers ridiculously low fares to entice travelers.  Of course, if you want to check a bag that will be 20 euro & then to use airport check-in (the only way to get the bag on the plane) is another 20 euro, plus taxes and of course, using VISA online to pay for it (5 euro charge per passenger per segment)... so it does add up.  But by skipping all of that (except the VISA part), all we were responsible was for our taxes - so for under 50 euro both Christie and I flew roundtrip!  

The paparazzo (singular = me) was on hand for Christie's arrival.

We "hired a car" as the locals say and headed West across the island.  I'll be honest, driving on the opposite side of the road took a little getting used to, but all in all it was fairly smooth sailing.  There were a number of old ruins, churches, and castles we passed, and the number of sheep were far too high to count.

  

We grabbed a great lunch at a pub in the middle of the island, but were feeling a little tired as we neared the end of our 3 hour drive.  That was when we noticed a little sign in the distance, a fortuitous oasis in the endless rolling green hills.  It could only be...

TIM HORTON'S!

The Canadian Embassy: Tim Horton's!

Yes, the famous Canadian coffee chain has made its way across the pond!  For those of you who don't know, in Canada these joints are far more popular than Starbuck's, offering a wide range of cheap coffees and donuts.  In fact, I would place Tim Horton's among the big three now in Canada (with Hockey and Mounties filling out the list.)  Christie was actually sleeping at the time we spotted it, and I casually woke her up by saying, "Hey, why don't we grab a Tim Horton's?!"  This is often a conversation we have on Canadian freeways.  She laughed and said how good that would be... until she realized there actually was one! 

Good ol' Timmy's!

Westport was a personal destination for us, as our good friend Dan Mulloy, the husband of Christie’s best friend, is from the area.  We were determined to find the house of some of his family members and maybe take a few pictures.  Finding him would require more creativity than is normally required, though. According to Dan, once in Westport, “you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Mulloy.”  I was curious as to where one could find these cats to swing, as this seems like an archaic way to find a relative in the age of cell phones and GPS.  The only directions we had been given for finding Dan’s relatives was an email that stated the house was at Lower Quay.  No number.  No street.  Just Lower Quay, as if everyone there knew what it meant.  No wonder the Irish postal service is not known for its timeliness.  Perhaps we would need the cats.

            We reached the center of Westport around 5 pm, a heavy rainstorm drenching the hamlet and making navigation a little tricky to begin with.  At first glance it seemed to be the quintessential Irish town, a collection of a couple hundred buildings nestled in a green valley not far from the Atlantic.  Pubs were decorated in a rainbow of colors.  A river gently flowed through the center of town, dissected by a collection of stone bridges.  The signature Irish font decorated the fronts of buildings, advertised daily specials, and pointed the way to historic sites on brown road signs.  Intuition led me south out of the town and towards the harbor, where suddenly we found ourselves in front of a brightly painted, purple B&B slash pub with “The Quay” splashed on the front.  Christie immediately jumped out of the vehicle and headed inside to ask for directions.  (It was no time for the male chauvinistic approach.)

   She emerged just three minutes later with a local man who was pointing us towards a driveway about 100 yards away.  GOOD WORK!  We drove up the driveway, still a little unsure of which house might possibly hold Dan's relatives, until we saw a house that had to be that of Dan's late Uncle Maurice.  Jackpot!

Lower Quay - destination ahead!

We cautiously knocked on the door, and we totally surprised when one of Dan's cousins answered.  Her name was Evelyn, and she was incredibly nice.  She immediately invited us in for tea, which soon turned into an invitation for dinner.  Talk about Irish hospitality!  We shared a great meal & talked about "Danny Boy" and the old country.  It was something you could never sign up for on any tour of Ireland, and far more memorable!

Christie with Linda Mulloy and Evelyn Mulloy - great people & hosts!

We spent the rest of the day exploring Westport and the Quay.  It was as beautiful as it was peaceful.  Despite the weather, you could really get the feeling that this would be a nice place to live.

A quiet cove near Westport.

The Towers Pub was a favorite hangout for Dan's uncle and the rest of the Mulloy clan.

In front of The Towers.  As advertised, something for all ages: Beer Garden & Playground!

Sunset over Clew Bay

My favorite shot of the day - Frosty: Red Car / Blue Car analogy?

"The Mall" runs down the city center and casts beautiful reflections at dusk.

ROCKVILLE GUEST HOUSE

Mary has ran the Rockville Guest House since 1992

We finished the day by checking into our fine bed and breakfast, the ROCKVILLE GUEST HOUSE.  It was located about 2 km outside the city of Westport on a quiet bluff overlooking a pair of lakes.  I had never stayed in a B&B before, and was blown away by the hospitality of our host, Mary, and the cleanliness!  It was so nice, and actually felt a little bit like home.  WHEN IN IRELAND - MAKE IT A POINT TO STAY AT A B&B!  There are at least 1,000 registered B&Bs in the country, and all offer a better value and experience than a standard hotel.  If ever in the Westport area, visit www.rockvilleguesthouse.com and stay with Mary!  

Not a bad view from our B&B to end our first day in Ireland

~ J. Twice