Day 29 - 24th July – Kildare

What in the hell are these Car Rental companies up to? – we arrive – G&T have ordered a four door auto and pay an extraordinary amount – we rock up having ordered a tiny manual – we both received basically the same car – no justification for the two to one price difference.

Plug in Tommy – none of the tendencies of Marge (the US bitch) – beats the taxi driver back home – pack up and head to Kildare

Two car convoy heads for KIldara via Glendalough – completion develops between Tommy and Angela as the GPS’s for the two vehicles - convoy breaks up – Tommy outpoints Angela – so much for local knowledge - Stop off in Glendalough – home of St Kevin - lots of visitors – majestic scenery – site not as exciting as 1999 – site best seen in winter with no one else around – then it is magical - spiritual.

Arrive at the Cox-Martins – greeted in style – feel sorry that Colm is not here – his brothers, sisters, aunts and parents arrive – drinking – drinking – eating –story telling- eating – drinking – singing – singing – singing late, late into the night – Emma is a star – the eight year old gets the singing going – Colm senior recites, Aunt Helen sings, Angela Senior and Angela junior join the circle in turn – Romy sings - Gerry sings – Tom recites – Graeme tells jokes – Romy joins the joke circle – Gerry joins – laughter abounds – the parent sit back quietly observing and smiling – very proud of their offspring – singing starts again – Helen and Paula takes requests from Bernie and Trudy - Aoife sits back clicking the camera – smiles when she is happy with the captured moment – pensive when the outcome was less than she had hoped. Trudy entertains – encourages – tells nursing stories and continues to fill the memory card of her ever active digital camera – a night to be remembered – a series of video excerpts collected for transmission to Colm.