Ireland GREEN, GREEN, GREEN

 

Wow, is it green here! Ireland has not let us down. Lots of the fields are grass for grazing.

After disembarking the ferry we headed straight for Robert’s cousin James’ house in Clonakilty - in the very south of the country.

James and Evie live in an old schoolhouse which was built in 1876.  James is a poet and Evie is an editor and translator of German. Here it is with Robert’s car (still running smoothly) in front.  jamesharpur.com

G

First day out James showed us the hot spots in Clonakilty (population 5,112). We toured the town and had a picnic lunch at the beach - way too cold for us to swim but others were going in.

One of the highlights was passing by a famous pub where every great musician has played since who knows how long.

This grey stone seems to have been a popular building material in the old days. This former church, now post office is an example.

One claim to fame here is the blood sausage company. As we passed it today there was a robotic lawnmower working in the front. It looks like those robotic vacuum cleaners people have at home. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a photo. 

Here is the headquarters and also their shop in town. The sausage is on the top left shelf. Not sure if I’ll be eating it. Doesn’t sound particularly appetizing.

Something that seemed more appealing is this bread at the local health food store. Nice display!

Here are a few more interesting sites from around town.

Also a great way to recycle old phone booths.  It’s a book exchange. Why didn’t we ever think of that?

We were immediately introduced to this charming Italian baker - an unexpected surprise! It is fairly international here. Had a yummy Indian dinner one night.