Day 30 - 25th July – To Galway

We rise late but are still the first up – Emma joins shortly after – others arrive from the sleeping quarters in turn – heads held – eyes bleary - the universal claim – “there was something wrong with that last drink” – this has been a great stay – off to Galway.

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

Day 35 - 30th July - Cork

A quite day for the boys - a shopping experience for the girls who head for Blarney and the Blarney Stone - the Irish weather sets in - the view over the Irish farm land enchants - Pizza for all - we are off to Baltimore tomorrow.

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.

Day 33 - 28th July – Galway to Limerick

The Irish weather sets in and the tourists hide away in their B&Bs - my love affair with Ireland is rekindled - away – away – away from Galway –“ have you ever been across the sea to Galway” – yes – I will return one day in the depths of winter to enjoy the solitude of the Connemara but to do so I will need to find my way even deeper into the back country..

Towards the Cliffs of Moher – past picturesque Irish country side – narrow roads – the small villages – road side stalls – multi-colours painted houses of the villages - stone fences enclosing white painted farm houses – not the Connemara so the new houses don’t clash with visualisation of how the country side should be

The Cliffs of Moher – a waste of time – I look forward to wandering the sea cliffs around Baltimore.

Lovely morning – stop for lunch at a pub and high tail it to Limerick – taxi driver says the population is around 90,000 with almost 10,000 directly or indirectly employed by Dell Computer..

We dine at the Texan Steak House – not exactly Irish food – delightful – on the way home – Graeme to taxi driver – “lend me your wallet so I can continue my travels” – Taxi Driver - “you’re welcome to it – unfortunately for you my wife goes with it!”

Day 32 - 27th July – More of the Connemara

Perhaps I had not ventured far enough into the Connemara yesterday to be critical – wrong – we head further out – on the more major roads the once pristine Connemara shows the signs of tramplings of the now old and slightly arthritic Celtic Tiger – new houses and untidy construction sites are far too common and litter the country side like the tiger droppings - the minor roads show a much more original but still damaged landscape – we selectively photograph the way we image the Connemara should remain – perhaps it is not entirely too late – this is a sad failure of planning – perhaps it will be realised before the landscape of the bog Irish is lost forever – not my definition of progress.

Day 31 - 26th July – Aran Islands or the Connemara

Head north from Galway – struck by the development that has occurred on the immediate outskirts of Galway since we were last here in 1999 – it is hard to see all of this as progress – modern houses now speckle the landscape leaving the original tiny stone fenced paddocks strangled by untidy weeds – I head north slightly depressed and questioning the management of the Celtic Tiger.

We arrive at Rossoveel to meet the ferry to the Aran Islands - a greater extent of depression envelopes me - Too many tourists – this is Galway Race Week – abort plans – prefer a slow wander through the remaining back lanes of West Ireland – thank God some remain – the area leading up to Connemara needs urgent planning controls – slowly I feel some delight with the area returning as we encounter black faced sheep in full white coats and amusing black and white spotted legs – peat piles drying in the summer sunshine and their remnants in the form of long regular trenches abound in the dales of the vast undulating rock encrusted, treeless range – we stop and contemplate the role of the produce of these peat bogs in warming the winter hearths of Irish bog farmers over the centuries – we wander further along even more remote lanes past small lakes and streams only to be disappointed to find clusters of modern homes at their terminus.

We emerge from the range and lunch on local soup in an increasingly modern Irish pub and hightail it back to our B&B for a sleep – a nice day but one tinged with sadness – why am I not experiencing the sheer delight of my first visit to Galway and the Connemara? – have I changed or indeed has it changed – I suspect the latter – perhaps winter is really the time to be here

Dinner in town – the races on – the crowds large – the pubs crowded – the buskers abundant – some photos of the sun going down over Galway Bay

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.

Day 28 - 23th July – Wandering Dublin

Bernie and Graeme compete to find the prettiest looking individual to ask a question – Graeme starts – Bernie hits the lead at Molly Malone – Graeme trumps her with the barmaid at Cassidy’s Pub .... “where are you from?” – “Brazil but I am Italian” – “gee they make them pretty where you come from”

We arrive for dinner – expecting to go out – only Aoife (pronounced “effer”) and Trudy are home – Angela and Graeme are at the pub -

Roast lamb Cox style with supervision from the master chef .... Graeme loves his time with the girls – memories of late nights in the kitchen in Wangaratta complete with sullied strainers carrying the dregs of aging port bottles flood back to him – his external appearance and mannerisms points to a warm inner feelings - you could not help but feel happy for him.

Day 27 - Tuesday 22 July - Depart NYC

Wednesday 23rd July – Arrive in Dublin – Bernie and G&T delayed on tarmac at JFK – Taxi driver amazingly helpful – he rings the Cox’s for advice on how to get to their house – travelled OZ last year – knows more about the country that me

We meet Angela – one of the Cox girls – G&T immediately look like they have arrived at home – banter between Angela and Graeme commences immediately – Angela the match of Graeme – she would say – surpasses Graeme.

Dinner in town – taxi driver – immediately identifies us as Australian - “you are not from Sydney then“ – what do you mean - “Well no one comes “straight” from Sydney”

“Where are you going in Ireland” – west - “you have to go to the Galway races” – got a tip for us – “yes – don’t back women and don’t ride horses”

We walk through the streets of Dublin – cleaner - much much cleaner than I remember - where am I? – I could be anywhere – surely Dublin is still Dublin and not just another city – even the swearing seems restrained - Everyone knows Australia or has a immediate relative who is or was there recently ....

Day 26 - Monday 21st July –NYC

Last night in New York – out to a steak house – waiter greets Graeme like life long friend – we roll on home – store owner comes out on the street – Hello Graeme! – who doesn’t know him – this is Crocodile Dundee comes to NYC

Day 25 - Sunday 20th July – Gospel Choir

BB Kings on Time Square – the Harlem Gospel Choir – an experience – we head the queue – we admire the doorman who refuses the $50 that peeps out from the back of the white hatted southern gentleman’s hand – an attempt to jump the queue – we sense a secret delight on the part of the doorman at the new balance of power - we acquire our tickets and take our place at our table – the buffet is expertly handled and 250 people are fed in 15 minutes – food is superb - Harmonies superb – recommended to all

Graeme continues to meet more and more New Yorkers – their chests puff out as he tells them how friendly they are – they are intrigued by him ...

Day 24 - Saturday 19th July – Lancaster County

Drive through the lanes of Lancaster county – Armish and Menonites in abundance – strange combinations of allowable technologies see petrol powered whipper snippers carried in the back of horse drawn carts – likewise horses pulling self powered implements with Honda motors –

Bernie and Trudy photograph madly - both fascinated with the blacks, blues and purples on the Armish clothes lines – Graeme is over it and is keen to get back to New York

A long- hard – tiring drive back to NYC.

Day 23 - 18th July - The Road to Lancaster

We change our plans and decide to head for Lancaster - A long – long – long – tiring morning – bright sun shine – haze – bright sun shine – haze – shower – bright sunshine – drizzle ......

Lunchtime arrives – we arrive at Williamsburg – we are hungry and Graeme wanted a drink – we are a little desperate – that diner and that pub cannot be that bad - yes they can – they become christened as the “red neck diner” - I keep my head down – Trudy photographs everything in sight including the patrons – I cringe -

A long – long – long – tiring afternoon – bright sun shine – haze – bright sun shine – haze – shower – bright sunshine – drizzle – hot – humid – hotter – more humid – there is a Holiday Inn – to hell with the cost! – just book in and get it over it!

Ah but life is never continually tough – Dinner in a new Italian restaurant- pastas superb - lemoncello excellent – Trudy impressed with the young waitress and offers her sons as prospective bridegrooms – waitress selects the lawyer son and agrees to email him a marriage proposal – the Armish of Lancaster would not be impressed with our swaggering progress back to the motel!

Day 22 - 17th July Niagara

We sleep well and rise late – drive to Burlington for coffee and a stroll along the foreshore – we take summer photographs to contrast with the winter shots taken in early 2006 – We note the CSU advertising sign on the foreshore.

Graeme and Bernie sleep while Trudy and I “do” the Maid of the Mist” – Trudy smiles so broadly it is hard to imagine that she did not permanently damage her face – thrilling trip – return to meet the others for an equally enjoyable Imax movie about the escapades of early Niagara adventurers.