Blarney and Kinsale with Dovechauffeurdrive and Dave Hogan - REPOST OCT 4 2016

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To my many followers, especially those involved in these particular three tours.
Due to a computer error, three of my recent tour Posts were deleted from the Blog, and I am now reposting them.

They were the Blog posts for the following tours:

Phil and Barbara Reichart - Sept 13th- Sept 23rd
Dick Shannon - Sept 27th- Oct 6th
Pat Scanlon - Oct 8th- Oct 13th

Please note the dates of these Posts, as they are not being posted on the actual dates that these tours occurred. 

Sincerely, Dave Hogan
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Blarney and Kinsale with Dovechauffeurdrive and Dave Hogan - REPOST OCT 4 2016

These Canadians do know how to eat. Last night it was a feed of the finest of Irish fresh fish and home cut chips from real potatoes, (not those stupid fattening things some misled people call chips, which are really crisps). The place for these in Killarney is Quinlan's, where you get the finest of both. It was there that they met up last night with Patrick Schmidt, all the way from Germany, and who was touring on his own. I think he enjoyed their company, and laughed a lot, as he was not used to what he described as "The Hilarious Canadians". Well he got that one right anyway. It must be all that "Irish" in them. They do not know how lucky they are.They enjoyed your company also Patrick, or should i call you Paddy?

My pals in the grounds of the popular Blarney Castle today. You can make out the top of the castle over Joe's head. (I should have made him take off his hat, but then Dieny would be disappointed, as she likes him with his hat on.) Who's Dieny you ask? Not telling. Just watch this space.

I never had it so good.There are bonuses on this job.

Pictured together again with the Blarney castle in the background.

Believe it or not, this stone was used for ladies to stand on, before mounting their horses in the stable yard at the castle, as they rode side saddle.Here Jane demonstrates this for some interested tourists.

We spent some time walking in the lovely gardens at the castle,before going for a really nice lunch in the Blarney Woolen Mills stores restaurant, which is really good. The plate with the fish and chips was mine, and also the one with the profiteroles,and gorgeous chocolate. Note how i kept it away from poachers. You need to know these things when you are in my job. You could end up skinny.

In Kinsale at last, and pictured together on the balcony at the rear of the Mac Donald's Hotel, overlooking Oysterhaven Bay. This is a lovely Hotel and one i would recommend. I am not sure what Annette is doing with her hand bag but i think she wanted her Mom back home to see that she still had her bag. Mom's do worry about their little girls.

Pictured together again with the harbour in the background.

The harbour, and town of Kinsale are really lovely, and also have a great, but tragic history, as it was at Kinsale that the Irish suffered a final great defeat at the hands of the English. Dick reckons that if the Mounties had been called in instead of the Spaniards, that we would have won that battle hands down. Next time Dick.

Tomorrow we head for Middleton, and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery, another great adventure, with a drop of "The Creature" thrown in. If you do not know what that is, come visit yourself. Then its on the Cove, the harbour at the entrance to the river Lee, and Cork city. It was from there that the vast majority of Irish emigrants sailed to the USA and Canada, and many more world wide destinations.
It was also the last port of call for the tragic Titanic.