Rush, near Dublin

Hello friends.

You might have noticed that we've now put a link to our photos above these blogs to make it easier for you to check out our latest photos.

I'm writing this with the beach at our front door (the driver's seat) at a little town just over an hour's bus journey to Dublin. We spent the day there yesterday, and saw the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and the Long Room, the magnificent old library with many many 14th-15th century manuscripts.

We had lunch at a pub in O'Connell Street (their George Street) and wandered around the old town. Dublin now has a huge spire, 3 metres in diameter at the bottom, and almost needle sharp at the top. It is 120 metres high. It replaces the Nelson Column which was blown up in 1966. Wonder why?

Funny thing, we were told yesterday that the Irish don't go to Spain for the sun, because that's where the English go. Some Scots chuckled when I repeated that yesterday. The Irish prefer Greece apparently.

We'd been told that all the buses in Dublin were wheelchair accessible. But guess what? That's right - the bus we aimed to catch wasn't. So we waited another hour for a bus, and luckily both it and the return bus were OK. John got his hair cut in the meantime. What a shock. He got a number 2 (I generally give him a number 3) and if you'd seen him before, after 8 weeks without a cut, most of you wouldn't have recognised him.

Since our arrival on Tuesday, by Irish Ferries, the weather hasn't been kind to us, although brighter yesterday, and good this morning (Saturday). Hope it stays that way.

We are camped next to some very friendly Aussies from Woodford - our first Aussies. There are many Dutch, Germans, a smattering of English here. In England it was many more English at the caravan parks - most of whom had close relatives in Australia.

The Irish accent is gorgeous. There are many young women with dark brown (almost black) hair with pale complexions and blue eyes. A very nice combination of features. Not as many red heads as I expected.

We've had trouble obtaining gas. The fittings in Ireland are different (no one warned us) and we spent all day Wednesday looking for gas. There are only two places in Ireland which refill it now. One in Dublin, the other in Cork! And the one in Dublin is only open for 2.5 hours in the morning! We ended up getting some 60 kms north, strictly not allowed! But they felt sorry for us.

We are off to Athlone in the middle of the country now. Just an overnight stop on our way to Corrofin in County Clare where we think John's Fitzpatrick gg grandfather is buried.