HELLO FROM IRELAND!

Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary.
The outcrop of limestone rises 200 feet. Wow! It was the castled seat of the kings of Munster at least by A.D. 360, and a royal fortress until 1101...and one of our favorite sites on the trip.


Having tea outside in Adare, County Limerick...
I could live on tea and scones! Yum!


Looking for good Chinese food in Dingle Town, Dingle Penninsula, County Kerry... Can you see the name posted in both Gaelic and Chinese characters?

Dingle is also famous for Fungie, the wild dolphin. He loves to play and everyday will swim up to boats and play hide and seek. We took a fishing boat out to see him. He really is playful and you'd be amazed at how fast he can swim!


Me at Blarney Castle, County Cork.


Yes, I just had to kiss the Blarney Stone (County Cork). Well, wouldn't you? This gentleman's job is to hold the feet of the Blarney kissers. You bend over backward over the grate, hang your head over a 10-story drop...
and he holds your feet while you kiss the rock. Here we are shaking hands. He amazingly asked no questions (although you'll see his eyebrow raised).
I guess he's used to pandas coming to kiss the Blarney stone?


Walking around the ruins at Kells Priory (near Jerpoint Abbey), in County Kilkenny.
The ruins date from the 13th to 15th centuries.
(I'm hiding in the backpack here, I confess I'm rather timid around so many sheep!)


We stayed overnight at a REAL haunted Castle in County Meath, in one of the tower rooms... we arrived VERY late and had take-away Chinese at midnight (my favorite!) Can you see me at the very head of the table?


The weather was generally in the 60's and always changing... part of the charm was seeing the weather change so quickly and even seeing showers in full sun!

Had to add just one more picture...this was taken at Dun Aonghasa on Inishmor, the largest of the Aran Islands. Dun Aonghasa is a massive prehistoric stone fort covering 11 acres and perched on a cliff 250 feet above the sea.
We took a ferry out from Doolin, and rented bicycles for the day. I love the view here of the cliffs. And while the top appears very flat, it is not, there were plenty of hills...lots of fun for Connor and his dad on the tandem bike. To get to the fort you also have to leave the bikes and hike/climb for about 10 minutes.
Don't lean over too far when you look at the photo!

Hi everyone,

I had a wonderful time in Ireland with my five-year old friend Connor and his mom and dad. We arrived on July 31 and returned on August 14.

My friends love history, so we explored lots of castles and gardens. Our favorites definitely included going out to the Aran Islands, and also to Knowth and Newgrange. Newgrange
is a burial mound built more than 5,000 years ago (earlier than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt). The mound is 36 feet tall and 260 feet in diameter, with 200,000 tons of stone. Every winter solstice (and only then) light pierces the inner chamber (far inside the underground mound) for 17 minutes. The artwork on the carved stones is also amazing.

Really, Ireland is a wonderful place. I had a wonderful time, and can't wait to go back. (Did I mention the tea and scones?)

Looking forward to a new trip soon...

Love,

Flat Panda