Sheehan tour continued

The boarding point for the boat trip down through the lakes of Killarney.

 All aboard, and away we go.

 Excuse the order of my pics here but we are now back in Dingle at Inch where we have Joanne gazing at the wonderful beach there.

 A picture of the lovely patchwork quilt like fields in Dingle.

 The signpost that says it all for Bob, the emigrant son.

Now skipping back to that famous Matchmaking town of Lisdoonvarna in county Clare.

Sheehans Tour of Ireland West and South West.

I have now received some additional pictures from Bob, and am adding his selection here to begin completing my Sheehan Blog. Sorry about the delay, but there were camera issues which messed me up a little.
Enjoy

 This is the view of the Ballinahinch river from their hotel in Ballinahinch on the second night of their tour with me. This is a beautiful, and most peaceful place to stay, and a wonderful choice if you happen to like your fishing. An Irish salmon would be the icing on the cake for any fisherman, and Bob is such.

 One of the jewels in the crown for Connemara is the beautiful Kylemore Abbey, set in the heart of the mountains known as the Twelve Pins, or Bens.

 Here we have Tom and Kathy, obviously enjoying as snack at the Medieval banquet in Dun Guaire Castle in Kinvara.

 The wonderful cathedral in Galway city was another memorable visit on their tour, and here we have Joanne, lighting a candle before the altar.

" Go Patriots Go" was the battlecry through the streets of Killarney as i made my way around during our stay there. Of course i am not sure if the shirt would look as well on everybody, but i think it suits me fine.

Another nice pic of Joanne, Tom, and Kathy, enjoying a siesta in Il Vicolo restaurant at the Bridge Mills in Galway city, with the river Corrib in the background.

 Joanne, pictured at the famous Spanish Arch in Galway City, one of the remaining sections of the old Galway city wall which encircled this Anglo Norman town. Where Joanne is standing was actually on the inside of the wall.

 Pictured on their way through the Gap of Dunloe in their jaunting car, and they told me that they had to walk, all the way!!!!!? That car looks pretty full to me.

OK ...they did walk a little bit.

Joanne also.

Looks like it took its toll?

Someone got back in the car? I wonder who.

OHHH yes....Tom and Kathy.

 

 And then it was on to the boats. Ahoy there skipper.


More to follow later.

Tuesday was their day in the Gap of Dunloe. The day was not as bright and sunny as yesterday, but it was still ok, as they made their way up through the mountains in their horse drawn jaunting cars. Unfortunately, there was a problem with my camera, and i will be updating my Blog again when Bob forwards his pictures to me for me to add here.

I do have some pictures of this trip from previous tours, just to give you an idea of what this journey is about. In this picture above you can see the horse as he makes his way up the narrow Gap road towards the top of the mountains. This road was carved through these mountains by a giant glacier during the ice age.

Another picture as he nears the top.

Here we have my party arriving back at Ross castle, at the end of the boat ride, the final part of the Gap tour, which takes you firstly on the jaunting cars, and then on the magical boat ride, down through the lakes of Killarney, and back to Ross castle at the end.

Here is a fine view of Ross castle as the boat arrives back to land.

Our time in Killarney ended on Wednesday, as we began our journey to the historic town of Kinsale.

We stopped off first of all at Killarney's beautiful Cathedral, St Mary's in the heart of the town. Here we have Bob, pictured inside this magnificent church.

The view from the patio at the rear of our Kinsale hotel, the Mac Donald's Kinsale Hotel. The water below is part of Oysterhaven Bay, where they grow lovely oysters.Kinsale is known as the gourmet capitol of Ireland, so you can try the oysters out for yourself, if you find yourself there.

From Kinsale we travelled to the town of Cove, the harbour port from where the vast majority of our emigrants departed on their way to the New World, mainly America.

Bob and Joanne, pictured seated on the base of the memorial to Annie Moore and her brothers outside the Heritage center in Cove. They were the first people to be registered at Ellis Island back in 1892.

 From Cove we went on to the town of Midleton, and the home of the world renowned, and the Jameson Distillery. Here we have Bob, pictured outside the dsitillery.

 It looks like Bob is about to make a delivery.

Another great picture of Bob, in the garden at the front of the distillery, with this huge copper still in the background.

This was to be the final part of our tour, as we left for Dublin on Friday, after what i hope was an enjoyable tour for this group.

Sheehans in Dingle Sept 2017

Today was Bob's birthday, and what better way to celebrate it than to visit the land of his ancestors, the wonderful Dingle peninsula.

 The birthday boy, with the lovely lakes and mountains of Killarney, in the background.

 The beach at Inch, on the Dingle peninsula, featured in the movie Ryan's Daughter, and is quiet a spectacular beach. Here we have Bob and Joanne, seated with the beach and the mountains of the Iveragh peninsula, better known as the Ring of Kerry, in the background.

Tom and Kathy, also at Inch.

 Here we have Joanne and Bob, in the heart of Bob's ancestral territory, the homeland of the Carmody family, the connection on his Mom's side. It is indeed a wonderful area, and one i know that Bob is very proud of.

Tom and Kathy in the same spot.

My camera did not quiet do justice to this beautiful butterfly on Dingle, but it still is a nice picture i think.

Sheehans on Tour with Dovechauffeurdrive and Dave Hogan

On Monday we left Kinvara behind, as we began our journey into the Burren of County Clare, and the Cliffs of Moher.

On our way to the Cliffs, with a stop off on the corkscrew hill, overlooking Galway Bay.
From the left, Tom, Kathy, Bob, and Joanne.

In the famous town of Lisdoonvarna, the Matchmaker town, where the annual matchmaking festival was well under way. Joanne and Kathy could not resist making an appearance.

Bob and Tom were not to be left behind.

 Look what i found, lucky me.

I thought that this member of the crow family was a perfect addition to this carving at the Cliffs of Moher.

 Bob Kathy and Tom, with the cliffs in the background.

 We found her again, Bob and Joanne at the top of the cliffs, with O'Brien's tower in the background.

 After leaving the cliffs we continued on our way to the lovely town of Adare in County Limerick.
The beautiful Trinitarian Abbey in the center of the town, is unmissable.

 Adare is also renowned for it's thatched cottages.
After spending time in Adare, we continued on out way to Killarney town, where they were staying on this night, and for the next three nights.

This morning, Monday, we were on our way to the magical Dingle peninsula. This was a very special day as it was Bob's birthday. I was able to celebrate this special day with Bob as we were both born in the same century.

 The beach at Inch is such a beautiful place to make a stop, and here we have Bob and Joanne, enjoying the beautiful sunshine on his special day.

 Tom and Kathy look happy here also.

Bob has ancestral connections with this area, mainly in Annascaul. Joanne, also has connections in areas close by, including Blennerville and Tralee.

The countryside around Dingle is exceptional, with the wonderful patchwork quilt like fields everywhere.

 A roadside sign, indicating some of the close-by towns.

This was another really nice day, and one i enjoyed very much, as we were blessed with such beautiful sunshine.