Day 34 - 29th July – To Cork

Slowly, slowly away – tiredness is setting in – Mike ignores every instruction Tommy issues – Mike gets lost – eventually we escape Limerick and head for Tipperary in search of Tipperary Crystal – no wonder Tipperary Crystal is hard to find – it has gone belly up with its remnants receding to Dublin and Blarney –

What now – “you must see the Castle at Cahir” says the tourist lady – no – no - not another (expletive) castle says Graeme – I know what you mean says the tourist lady – I went to Italy last year – it felt like a pilgrimage rather than a holiday - Ok we will stop at Cahir – Graeme impressed with the pretty little Irish Tour guide – Katie O’Brien – he takes an immediate interest and gives the tour his full attention. Cahir Castle - small but impressive – owned by the Butler Family for 600 years - well worth the visit.

Onwards towards Cork following Peadar’s instructions to his refuge outside Cork –everyone is tense and tired - we arrive – quaint standalone cottage bordered by large hedges – a small brook flows down the block towards the stream below – the back of the house looks out over undulating farms lands with the small paddocks edged by low brush fences – the farm lands display every conceivable shade of green from the darkest of the dark to greens that approach yellow – an observer of the group would have seen the tiredness and tension dissipating from the brows of all – we draw up chairs on the back patio – lie back in the soft sunlight and enjoy the moment and the environment.

A visit to the supermarket for food and other vital supplies – sit back and enjoy New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and await Claire’s arrival home from work – the oldest Cox grandchild could only be described as another Cox – the same gift of the gab – the same tall thin build – the same quick wit – like Angela and Aoife she is more than a match for Graeme – Civil Engineer in charge of a major concrete plan in Cork.