Day 41 - 6th August - Leaving Dublin

Departing Dublin

The other weather arrives – Dublin scurries to escape the rain – we gather at the Cox’s to rearrange our bags and to make space for Trudy’s shopping excesses – Graeme pretends to be cranky – Trudy pretends to be unconcerned about her expenditures – they both seem to have had a great time.

We head home via Bangkok - we will use the opportunity for some R&R. By the time I get home I will have been on the road from early April until early August save for a couple of weeks in June - the trip(s) were great but too long and too intense.

Day 40 - 5th August - Wicklow to Dublin

Wicklow to Dublin

We agree the plan for the day – a quick visit to Wicklow jail – back to Mary’s for a final cup of tea - then off to Dublin – visit the jail – a museum of the conditions faced by Irish prisoners before deportation - features Michael Dwyer a leader of the United Irish and a famous son of Wicklow - interesting – liked the role playing by the tour guide – loved the AV presentations – laughed at the display of wild creatures faced by the transportees upon arrival in Australia – Emily will be pleased we visited – she descends from Michael Dwyer now buried in Waverly Cemetery in Sydney.

Back to May’s - Mary is not to be denied – we must accept her tour of Wicklow including a visit to the original family home and the farms of her brothers – I was intrigued by the interplay between Mary as the eldest of the family and the sister in law who now occupy the family house – Mary is accepting of the traditions that see the family house pass to the male side of the family and equally the sister in law see herself as the custodians of the family home on behalf of all of the remaining family members. She sees it as the family house rather than just her home! – very special!

Family home is a sight!– built in 1840 – magnificent double storey dwelling surrounded on three sides by expansive lawns and trees and on the fourth side by a gravelled courtyard formed from white farm buildings with bright red doors. The farm buildings contain machinery relics including butter churns and rotating wheels driven by horses to propel early milking machines.
The house has generous sized rooms with the passages and corridors filled with photographs and memorabilia that have remained as part of the house long after the prior inhabitants have moved on.

The family home is surrounded, at very generous distances, by the homes of other family members including Mary’s brothers, nieces and nephews – the total land in the hands of the Delahunts seems to be in the order of 2000 acres.

As we tour the Delahunt farm lands we note the clusters of “Traveller” camps. The glamour of the Porsche four wheel drives clashes with the austerity of the mobile homes that they are parked between them within the camp – the camps are a mess – one wonders if this is not deliberate – a thumbing of the nose at the establishment.

We bid Mary and Anne farewell and head for Dublin - A final stint in the Royal Oak – a final dinner with Coxs – listen to Graeme talk about Ireland – off to bed – the trip is practically over.

Day 39 - 3rd August - Wexford to Wicklow

We rise at a respectable hour – I wander out to look at Nicholas’ thoroughbred colt – magnificent animal – takes an interest in me – head over the fence –what is in your pockets? - sniff all around – nothing? – here is a little nip to remind you not to forget something next time you come!

We are bundled into the back of Moira’s small Mercedes for the Whitty Clan tour – we visit the Whitty castles at Kilmore – the grave of Walter Whitty (1642) in the cemetery at Kilmore Quay – we visit the traditional lands of the Whitty’s – Graeme is forced to stand on the land and be photographed.

We lunch in the Whitford Hotel in Wexford – owned by Nicholas’ nephews and niece – meet and photograph Gerard Whitty.

We bid Nicholas and Moira farewell and we slowly and steadily head for Wicklow – the traffic is significant as people head back into Dublin after the long weekend.

Wicklow – not as sparkling as we remember it – its streets still narrow and pretty but its vitality seems to have waned – the Murrough where we once walked and walked and walked by the seaside is now a road construction site as the Tiger struggles to find a way to get larger and larger trucks down into the Port of Wicklow – progress? – probably not!

Mary greets us – this delightful lady is thrilled to see us – she has waited a long time to be able to return the hospitality that Bernie showed her and Anne when they visited Australia – she treats us to high afternoon tea – to an evening meal of the finest quality lamb – she is universally crowned “Queen of the Roast” – even Graeme concedes and seeks advice on the minutia of her approach to lamb preparation – her family have been summoned to meet the Australians and all duly arrive – brothers and sister-in-laws – a wonderful, close family who delight in each other’s company – the Irish are masters of the late night and we struggle to stay awake as they depart slightly after the midnight hour.

Day 38 - 2nd August - Cork - Waterford - Wexford

Cork to Waterford to Wexford

We rise late – the trip is becoming tiring – we pack and restore Peadar’s house to an acceptable state and head off to off for Wicklow through Wateford and New Ross.

Trudy and Graeme take the Waterford tour - Bernie and I coffee, sit, talk - talk about the size of world - see those people over there! - they look like the Egans from Wagga - sure enough - chat with them about old times and the size of the world.

We arrive at the Whitty “Estate” at Wexford – is this the right place? – cars everywhere – people everywhere – Bernie ventures to the front door – out comes Moira – they are having a pattern - A pattern? – the blessing of the graves – an opportunity to families to meet to remember their departed – the Whitty clan has gathered after the blessing to remember Nicholas’ brother – we are welcomed and introduced, introduced some more and welcomed some more – where have you been? - where are you going? – are you going to Kilarney?

Gradually the patterneers depart and we join the Nicholas and Moira for the evening meal – we are entertained by Nicholas and his stories of horses and farming and family. We marvel at his plans to convert the central heating of his house to firewood – Graeme offers advice on the refinement of the prototype log splitter mounted on the hydraulics of Nicholas’ ageing tractor – We listen as Nicholas joins of the chorus of the Irish as he bemoans the worsening arthritis of the Celtic Tiger – the poor old Tiger is well past his best.

Day 37 - 1st August - Back to Cork

Bernie and I rise early and drive around to our old haunts – the lifeboat house – Roff’s – the view to Bear Island - all bring back fond memories of times gone by – we note the development on parts of the foreshore but also note the half finished projects that must have had designs that could not accommodate the special needs of the geriatric tiger.

Leave Baltimore – we vow to return once again in winter – we stop in Skibbereen – 10,000 people die in the famine – visit the Famine Interpretative Centre – thought provoking – how much of this is still going on!

Skibbereen to Union Hall to Glandore – we remember and remember – the pictures cannot do the area justice – a visit to West Cork must include this drive – take it slowly – stop often.
Onwards towards Rosscarberry – turn right to the Dromberg Stone Circle – Druids – what were they upto? -

Home to Cork

Day 36 - 31st July - to Baltimore

Sun is shining - as usual the good weather travels with us - its cousin only delivers rain if we remain stationary too long.

Into West Cork - pause at the picture card that is Rosscarberry - natter with locals - photograph them feeding the white swans - anticipation grows - we pass through Clonakilty and move on toward Skibberine - much smaller than we remember - traffic chaos hasn't changed - onto towards Baltimore.

Deviate to Lough Ine - it remains a mystical place - a sea lake in an inland environment - access it along twisty and very narrow hedged roads past the Well of St. Brigit - cast our eyes around the environment - remember the hours spent walking, climbing and wandering its environs.

On to Baltimore -

We park the car on the cliff top – we revisit the descent that we so enjoyed during our 12 weeks at Baltimore in 2000 – the 43 steps to Bushes Bar – down the lane – view the old O’Driscol Castle – round the corner – Bushes Bar – has not changed a bit save for the hordes of tourists hovering inside and out – it is as delightful as ever – still I wish the tourists were not here – I yearn for winter when the town returns to be itself.

We walk to the Beacon – Graeme impressed – Trudy impressed – the harbour waters calm and serene – the Atlantic – windy but not angry – trawlers look impressive as they exit the harbour past Clear Ireland and the harbour entrance.

I sit on the cliff edge looking down at the Atlantic – no seals to be seen today – I contemplate the afternoons I spent here – crave for the absence of even the small number of tourist who are here today.

We wander back to Bushes Bar – it remains crowded inside and out – the bar staff frantic but polite and efficient – I manage to catch up with Marian – she remembers me as having a fascination with Lough Ine – the locals still sit inside the bar – they sneer slightly at the tourists – prepared to tolerate them but anxious for them to leave – we chat with a young fellow waiting to go home on the Clear Island Ferry – he is much friendlier when we reveal our attachment to the area.We drink just a little too much of the atmosphere and product of the bar and adjourn for dinner overlooking the wharf. We adjourn to the residential rooms of Bushes Bar - generous in size and very reasonably priced