Ireland!

On the 27th of May we crossed the Irish Sea from Cairnryan, Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland, a smooth two hour voyage.  No icebergs.  We then visited the Titanic Museum, located right by the shipyards where the Titanic was built.

I'm King of the World!

On to Dublin, the Irish capital and pilgrimage center for beer lovers all the world over.  The Guinness Storehouse is like Disney for Beer.

Among the many statues along O'Connell Street , the main drag of downtown Dublin, is this one honoring Father Mathews the Temperance Priest.

A close look reveals that the fingers of Fr Mathew's upraised right hand have been broken off -- by boozy vandals, so the story goes, who over the years repeatedly attempted to stuff a flagon of drink into the statue's hand.  Cheers!

The River Liffey

A colorful hostel along the river

This one is called Callagh Man, found in 1821

Shannon and I had a full day to explore Dublin.  We visited the National Gallery, Trinity University, and the Irish National Museum, where among other amazing sights we saw four of the specimens called bog bodies .

Then it was off again, sightseeing along the Cliffs of Moher.

Windy

Lean in and hold on to your hat

My darling Shannon crossing the Shannon River, near the town of Shannon, before dinner at Shannon Castle, the Bunratty.  And our hotel in Killarney was on Shannon Street.

The Dingle Peninsula, a popular route to circumnavigate

A curiosity spotted on a rainy Ring of Kerry

And then next day the sun came out for us to visit the Blarney Castle.

My photogenic sweet ginger

We stopped in Waterford to see the famous crystal being made

And then we crossed the Irish Sea again, a four hour trip this time, from Wexton to Fishguard, Wales.