More about Ireland

Our last blog mentioned our dash to Cork to obtain more gas, and so far it hasn't run out again and we are back in the UK where the gas fittings aren't a problem and we can simply exchange bottles. So be warned if you ever take a caravan or camper to Ireland!

After a night in Cork, we decided to go back north to Corrofin, because we simply hadn't finished exploring and photographing it. They were surprised to see us back. But we are glad we did, because after chatting to a couple of locals, we wrote two letters to members of the Fitzpatrick family to whom we think John is related.

The next day was long and tiring driving. We decided to go to the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast. The scenery is quite varied between Corrofin and the west coast. Our photos can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/JohnMoxon1/CliffsOfMoher

Whilst we were looking at a dolmen - an ancient burial site which looks like a smaller stonehenge - we saw a paraplegic dog using a doggy version of a wheelchair. It was so funny. The dog was enjoying itself. There is a photo on the link above.

After that, we travelled to Killaloe, a lovely lakeside town in East Clare and spent Sunday wandering around. We found the street where our George Fitzpatrick owned a house in 1855, and imagined him as a police officer in town. He would not have been popular. It was just after the potato famines and the constabulary were seen as the puppets of the English landlords.

On Sunday afternoon we headed for Limerick where we wanted to visit Galbally, set in a beautiful valley just below Tipperary. We found an old farm where we think John's great grandfather was born. It was totally derelict, and very sad to see. There are still some people with the same name in the village, but two were in a nursing home in a bigger town and the old lady was very suspicious of strangers and even people she'd known for many years, so we didn't want to worry her. I think she was in her nineties. They are the last of the Quaine family so we were told.

And then south though Waterford to the coast, and finally to the ferry on Wednesday morning. We didn't visit the Waterford Crystal Works unfortunately. Just couldn't fit everything in.

We were sorry to leave Ireland. We just loved it. The people were so friendly, the country was astonishly beautiful, the accents were beautiful to listen too and the pace was laid back. But funnily enough it appears to be a much more prosperous country overall than England. I'd been to Ireland for a few days in the early 70s and at that stage it was far from prosperous.

The ferry trip to Pembroke from Rosslare was somewhat more rough, since the weather had turned windy. We had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry but arrived in plenty of time, only to find they'd waved us nearly onto the wrong ferry! But all was well.

And so to Cardiff. Next post. We are here for three nights.