Ireland Archives • Page 2 of 3 • Folksy Travel by Bill Smale

April 17, 2026April 17, 2026

Doneraile Castle

in the southwest of Ireland, Tipperary, the Butler family was given control of the area by Queen Elizabeth I. This is just one of the castles in the area not too far from Waterford.

Butler Doneraile Castle — If I remember correctly this is the Butler who saved Elizabeth from potential violence when her half brother became king. She was whisked away to Ireland for safety

Famous book Doneraile Castle — A copy of a famous book written by one of the attendees of the castle

Steeplechase cup Doneraile Castle — A commemorative cup of the bicentennial steeplechase race. A horse race from one church steeple to another church steeple of a certain distance which I believe is 5.7 km is called a steeplechase. This steeplechase, 200 years ago was the first one. Saint ledger is the name given to this fellow, not that he was a saint but he was the Lord of the area.

Last inhabitant Bill Smale — The last inhabitant of the castle

Elizabeth Bowen, a well-known writer of the time Bill Smale — This Elizabeth was a close friend of the last inhabitant of the castle and wrote many books. When she sold her castle, very close to this one, she had built a small house for herself and she told her friends that it was the first time in her life she was ever warm. These castles are very cold and difficult to heat

Bottle window Bill Smale — A famous architect designed this castle including this beautiful foyer glass window made up partly from the ends of bottles

Silver mirror Bill Smale — A very unusual mirror. It is made up of 95% silver and that’s why it has not developed the tarnishing that mirrors tend to get overtime. It is said that the kids used to bounce balls off of it

Original dining room set Bill Smale — Most of the original furnishings were left

April 13, 2026April 13, 2026

Dublin was a trading center established by the Vikings and later built up by the local people and of course, since it was close to England, the Normans and then the British. It’s an interesting town with almost as many pubs‘s restaurants in some areas. It’s a good place to spend three or four days and there was a lot to see. If you were interested in the history the Irish people are very proud of it is not only their ancient heritage but also how they gained their freedom from England.

Kilmainham Goal

this is the jail where they kept people to be punished and also temporarily housed before they shipped them to some other place in the world. This is also the place where the major organizers of the Easter rising in 1916 were executed by the British. Make sure to book this in advance on their website. In the off-season you have to book a few days in advance. During the tourist season it could be very crowded.

Courtroom Dublin and history — The courtroom where you start your tour and where judgments were made upon prisoners

Eire Dublin and history — This is the symbol of Ireland. Eire is the name of the country and it means “the land“. The English, be because they did not understand what the name meant, they added “land” to the name and therefore became Ireland.

Here we go on the tour through the prison

The cells Dublin and history — Walking through the narrow passages next to the cells

Chapel Dublin and history — The chapel were prisoners are allowed a service. There was one famous prisoner who got married the day he died here in this chapel.

Thick walls Bill Smale — You can see there were very thick walls

Cell inside Bill Smale — The inside of one of the cells

The new part of the jail Bill Smale — This was a later addition to the old jail. This is the section where the Easter rising organizers were imprisoned.

Patrick Pearse Bill Smale — His history is in another photo blog. He was executed for participation in the Easter rising

A rebels Cell — Simon was a rebel who was captured in 1921

She was not executed but let out within months

Thomas Clarke — Thomas was executed also

Execution plaque — The execution of the organizers of the 1916 rebellion

Eamon’s cell — Eamon was not executed because he was also a US citizen. He was let out and went to the US to get support and then came back and eventually became the president of Ireland for many years.

The New Edition — The outside of the New Edition

This is the wall against which the prisoners were executed

The hydra — The Hydra represents the five most heinous crimes

Trinity College

Graduating class — I arrived just at the graduation ceremonies

The book of Kells is an ancient fifth century Bible which was rescued and preserved in the city of Kells and later moved to Trinity College

Irish symbolism — You see the symbolism of the whirling circles with three items inside exactly the same as the Japanese symbol which I found very interesting in 1985 and I find it everywhere in ancient Irish art

Ogham letters — You can see here the old language which shows some letters carved on the left of the edge and some on the right and some going over the edge. They all represent different letter letters

The long room library — This is the library where every published book is kept. It has been added onto over the ages

Republic declaration — One of the original declarations of the Republic in 1916

Old map — A very old map Showing Ireland

Political districts — The different political districts in Ireland

16th century harp — This is called the Brian Boru harp but it was made almost 500 years after he died. This is from the 16th century And the oldest one found to date.

Sandycove and James Joyce

The author of Ulysses and Finnegan‘s Wake, James Joyce, was often staying in Dublin but he loved SandyCove. The tower he stayed in is one of his memorial spots and a very interesting place to visit. It’s just outside Dublin so a very easy trip.

St. Joseph’s Parish — Saint Joseph’s Parish

Stained glass window Bill Smale — Beautiful stained glass window

James Joyce memorial — A memorial to James Joyce

Sandycove and James Joyce

Many smoke stacks — You see the many smoke stacks from just one building. It represents the cooking ovens and the fireplaces in each of the rooms

The tower — You can see the tower in the distance on the right

This is where James Joyce stayed for a while and the characters he met here are very much reflected in his book “Ulysses“.

April 10, 2026April 10, 2026

The Dingle peninsula

The Dingle peninsula is a really amazing place and if you have time don’t miss it. It is so beautiful and it has so many interesting places to stop and see and learn. The town of Dingle itself is quite touristy but it’s fun to walk around this Port town. I stayed in the Base which is a hotel and it was much more than sufficient. To see music in the evening I went to the dingle pub and a nice thing was the local flavor of the tunes and the amount amount of fiddle music. It was really a great experience.

Tralee

St. John’s parish The Dingle peninsula — St. John’s parish

the rose of Tralee it’s about a couple who fell in love, the woman far below the gentleman’s station in life and so of course the families wanted them separated so the gentleman’s family sent him off to war. The woman died before he could get back and she was his rose.

The rose of Tralee The Dingle peninsula — The rose of Tralee

Drinking consultants The Dingle peninsula — This must be the place to go if you want to understand more about drinking.

this town doesn’t seem to be very busy and not very touristy but it’s a cute little town and maybe because it’s not so busy it would be an easy place to find accommodation and it definitely is worth stopping by during the day at least.

on to the Peninsula

the fairy Circle is actually a small circle inside a larger circle which you can walk around. It has not been extensively excavated and it’s on private land so in that respect it’s kind of interesting, left pretty much the way people found it hundreds of years ago. For a nominal fee you can enter the area and they give you some food that you can give to the sheep, the donkeys, the pigs and any other animals that happen by. The land is owned by a family of farmers. The father is 87 years old and has a heart problem so he doesn’t manage the entrance fee collection. Instead the granddaughter is there and she had her very young baby with her at the time. Have a chat with her. She is a very nice and interesting person. This is a fun place to go with the kids.

Sheep everywhere and interested in food Bill Smale — Sheep everywhere and interested in food

Donkeys Bill Smale — They even have donkeys but you’re not so interested in you touching them

The food that is dropped on the ground of course can be picked up by the birds

Small circle Bill Smale — You can see the small fairy circle just on the left why are you are standing on the larger circle

Big circle — From the top of the larger circle you can see the whole area enclosed in the large circle itself. In the center is the small smaller circle

Famine cottage — This site was closed at the time. I am pretty sure it’s on private land and the land owners were just not down at the booth to collect the fare at that time

Cottage — This is one of the cottages from a distance

Beehive Hughes — I didn’t go to this attraction since it only accepted cash and I didn’t have any Small money with me

Small room — This is one of the forts and there is an entrance here to a space down below which requires stooping down and a flashlight

Top of the fort — This is the fort from the top

Old buildings — Older buildings with new roofs

Fallen down building — Of course this one was just left to fall apart. People often take the stones from these older buildings

Different vegetation — You can see the brown hills in the back and you wonder why they’re brown since there is so much rain, three days rain and one day sunshine. I was told by a tour bus driver that it must be a different kind of vegetation since it does turn green around June and July

Ancient structure — This was obviously some ancient structure

The museum — These islands are just off the coast and are not now inhabited. This historical museum was established to preserve the history, writings, culture, music and the language.

Sheep shares — I recognize these right away. They are sheep shears for cutting the wool off of the sheep. My grandfather had a pair of these and I use them to trim the grass edge at home every Saturday

Old boat — This is one of the old boats upside down built from a wooden frame and a canvas hull which made it very light at maneuverable and enabled the people on the islands to get to the mainland quickly or to go out and fish quickly and then get back quickly before the weather turned bad which can happen very suddenly.

Intact church — This is one of the amazing places in Ireland, a Christian religious church made completely out of stone which remained intact for so many hundreds of years.

Church ceiling — Inside the church ceiling

Secret agent room — I think they knew that I was a secret agent

Dingle pub music — Music in the evening at the Dingle pub

Dick Mack’s pub was recommended to me since it is partly owned by a very famous musician of traditional Irish music

Fish and chips — They very kindly replaced the “chips“, french fries, with a salad

Owner of the pub — A photo of the original owner of the dingle pub. The fellow on the right is a Brosnan, but probably not related to Pierce Brosnan

The Chieftains — I was a teenager when I got my first album of Chieftain’s music. About 10 years ago I saw them live in Arizona.

April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

Donnegal and there abouts

Donnegal is an interesting place for those who want to study or involve yourself with the Irish language. It is here that Patrick Pearse set up his cottage and spent his time with the people he loved to be with, the people who spoke the native language. It’s a very beautiful place that has such a varied scenery and landscape. There are many ancient sites to visit and the place just rings with history and legends and music. I was told that the English, when they wanted to keep control of part of Ireland. They decided Donnegal was something they could give back since it was a lot of land that was not very useful for agriculture. But there is also a lot of greenery here so you won’t be dissatisfied. You will hear Irish spoken from time to time.

inishmore

Beautiful rivers Donnegal and there abouts — Beautiful rivers in this area

On the Riverside Donnegal and there abouts — How would you like to live on the Riverside

An Irish cross Donnegal and there abouts — A Celtic Cross with a tombstone in Irish.

Adapted letter letters Bill Smale — The letters are also adapted

Dungloe

Beautiful beaches Bill Smale — There are so many beautiful beaches in Ireland

Ice cream truck Bill Smale — Was I following this truck in order to get my daily share of ice cream?

Beautiful geology Bill Smale — Some beautiful geology

Good surfing — The ocean sides seem to be just so much fun and I understand the surfing is good

Donnegal flag Bill Smale — This is the Donnegal flag

Lawnmower Bill Smale — A built-in lawnmower

Old tomb — This is an old tomb left as it is

donegal Castle

Donnegal Castle — In downtown Donnegal you will find the castle

The two families — These are the two major families that occupied the castle

Irish books — Of course the old books were written in Irish, not English

continuing on the journey

In Kilcar I saw a fairy. People don’t say leprechaun in Ireland. They talk about fairies.

A US contribution — I guess somebody from the US either came back or made a good contribution to the church

Magnum flavors — One of my favorites in multiple flavors

Organized gravesite — The cemetery was the most organized I had seen. Here are the names of the people buried here and the location of the grave

Flags — The EU, Ireland and Donnegal flags

CORNELL COLLEGE in Ireland — This place looks like an extension of Cornell College

Barbershop — I should’ve had my haircut here

Charlie Bonner’s shop — Well, we know who owns the shop

Cavan

A Tracy relative — I wonder if Hugh is one of my relatives

I was amazed to find a Tibetan Buddhist retreat in the middle of the countryside

on the way to see a monument. This goat didn’t fare well. Mullaghgarve mass rock

Pathway view — But it was a nice view from the pathway

Antique museum — An old knickknack museum near Cavan

Countryside photo — This photo was taken from my bed-and-breakfast room

Donnegal

Old restaurant — This is a nice old restaurant

Donegal castle — Meanwhile, back at the castle

A jail cell — Does this look like a comfortable accommodation?

Killybegs

Saint Mary’s inside — The inside of St. Mary’s

Nice photo — Walking around I just thought this was a nice photo

April 2, 2026April 4, 2026

going for Guinness

I think every tourist to Ireland has heard of Guinness. They are one of the most successful beer brands in the world. They have a long history of creating a unique range of stouts which revolve around certain taste ideas. There is not only one Guinness flavor. If you’ve never been to a brewery I highly recommend visiting the storehouse tour. If you’ve been to several breweries I’m not sure how different this one will be. I have only visited maybe five different beer breweries in the world but I did not find this experience to be tremendously different than the others. But if you’re excited about Guinness then do the storehouse experience. You can also in addition or separately book the experimental beer tasting at the open gate brewery on Saint James Street. That is definitely a place you must go if you’re interested in Guinness, the company and the different flavors they have invented over these several hundred years.

Storehouse buildings going for Guinness — You have to go around this walkway here and at the end turn left to get to the entrance. It is not on Saint James Street even though the open gate brewery is. At the top you can see the round Guinness tasting room and pub which is a nice place to view the whole city.

Entrance to the store house going for Guinness — The entrance to the storehouse. They are self guided tours but you book a time to go in, get an initial presentation and explanation of the storehouse and then you walk around by yourself.

Company charter Bill Smale — The initial charter for the company

Grain for Guinness. Bill Smale — The specific grain use for the brew

Decked out a guy Bill Smale — This fellow was very interestingly decked out

Nitrogen flavoring going for Guinness — Nitrogen helps with the flavor

Beer barrels Bill Smale — Showing how they used to stack up the barrels for transport

Tasting room entrance entrance — The entrance to the tasting room

A view of Trinity College — A view looking over Trinity College

St. Patrick’s memorial — You can see Saint Patrick’s memorial

Horse carriages — Outside the brewery you can get a horse carriage

Take a Dublin tour on a horse carriage — They are lined up to take you on a tour around Dublin

Open gate pub — This is the open gate pub which you really must visit

Experimental beers — These are a list of the experimental beers they create and are not yet marketed. You pick three of them for the triple tasting experience

Delicious experimental beers — They were all amazingly delicious

I had tried the West Indies Porter before and it was interesting and OK

Wicklow Mountains — You can see the mountains from which the water is drawn

Belgium brews — These are two beers which are brewed in Belgium

after World War II there were no functioning breweries in Belgium so Guinness went there to set up a brewery and it now makes two different types of beer in Belgium which are not exported around the world.

Timmermans — This one is a very thick and a little bit sweet flavor with a tang. It is an extremely delicious beer and one you must try but I warn you, this beer is twice the price of a regular Guinness

Special export Guinness — This special export is also very delicious and very different from the standard Guinness. It has a wide range of flavors

March 30, 2026March 30, 2026

Landing in Dublin

this was only the second time I was in Dublin, the first time being 1985. Things have changed quite a bit but a lot of things have remained the same. I noticed quite an increase in tourist traffic.

Kathleen Emerson landing in Dublin — The custom house, because it was controlled by the British government, became a target in the rebellion against British oppression.

Custom house landing in Dublin — As you visit these buildings you will see the perspective of why there was so much pent up discussed for the rule of the country by England.

British rule landing in Dublin — The Irish were not a priority for the England government.

Jewish boy display Bill Smale — This was an interesting display

Immigration museum Bill Smale — Irish immigration Museum

Fish and coleslaw Bill Smale — This food was not bad. Instead of green peas they kindly replaced it with coleslaw

Coffee in Ireland Bill Smale — Of course I have to stop for coffee. Every place I’ve been in Ireland seems to have pretty good coffee. It’s not strong so you may want to request a double or triple shot to increase the flavor.

Three flags Bill Smale — Here you have three flags. On the left is the Dublin flag, in the middle is the Irish republic and on the right is the EU flag.

Books — This is a very interesting bookstore

The long hall — Look at the name of the building. It’s kind of a play on words.

American Launderette — I wonder if an American Laundrette is any different than an Irish Launderette.

Interesting display — I thought this was an interesting display

Singer bicycle — I didn’t know singer made a bicycle.

Smithwick’s Irish ale — I tried this and it was OK but I prefer Guinness

The act of union might’ve been a response to a attempted overthrow of British rule in the late 1700s

Of view from the bridge — Love you from the bridge

Custom house — The custom house from the bridge

Interesting old building — Just an interesting building

Interesting building — Another interesting building

The Irish yeast company — This is an old company

The gym pub — Interesting name for a pub

Casinos and betting offices are everywhere

View from the bridge — Another view from the bridge

Daniel O’Connell

This is a full Irish breakfast. I always bring my own spices so it is filling

An old pub — Peter, a friend and myself at one of the very old pubs in Dublin. We drank a lot of course.

Splitting the G — There is this drinking game type thing called “splitting the G“. When you receive your Guinness you take the first big drink and try to leave the remainder below the halfway mark in the G of Guinness. I wasn’t trying to do this because I don’t think it’s the way to drink but it seems to be popular with some people.

There are not that many people attending Catholic services anymore especially after the scandals following the 1970s.

Beautiful flowers — I just found these flowers to be beautiful

christ Church Cathedral

There is a Magna Carta in this exhibit area, one of the original copies.

Mummified cat and rat — These two were trapped inside an organ

Old relic — Part of the old church dating back 700 years

The Royalcrest — This is the crest of the England monarchs. The words below translate “God and my Liege” . It’s in French because the Norman Viking descendants took the throne in 1066 as the Plantagenets, William the conqueror

A bound heart — I don’t know what the significance of this image is

Foggy dew — The foggy dew is also a very famous song in Ireland about the rebellion

Light meal — I decided to have something light at the pub where I stayed on the second floor

Guinness perfect pour — 99.9% of the time the bartenders pour Guinness perfectly

The music schedule at my pub which was Kennedy‘s in drumcondra

I just decided to have some Indian food which was very delicious

Gelato — Of course a day would not be complete without gelato

A comedy show — I went to see several comedy shows. Craic his Irish for a very difficult word to translate but it encompasses enjoyment, entertainment, fun etc.

Guinness brewery — Of course I had to visit Guinness. I didn’t find the brewery visit all that different from any other brewery visit though it had a lot of visuals and things for families to enjoy. The open gate pub is much more interesting and it’s on Saint James Street.

Of course I had to go see a music show with the guy down below as the main singer

Gary Og — This was GaryOg who kind of specializes in rebel songs of the 18 and 1900s. He’s very famous in Ireland and I’m glad I went to see him

Abby Theatre — I saw this play and it was a lot of fun but the week after that I saw “the plow and the stars“ which was here at the Abbey Theatre which is the national Theatre of Ireland and that play was on its Centennial production. It appeared first in 1926 and was about the people during the Easter rising in 1916.

March 25, 2026April 5, 2026

The Men of the West

there is an Irish song made popular during the fight against the genocide imposed by England called “the men of the west“ and popularized by the Clancy Brothers. The other song I remember clearly is “the hills of Connemara“ which is well known by my generation in the area around Galway and to the west. The song is about making moonshine and trying to avoid the tax man. You will enjoy the hospitality of the people here. The weather is a little rough but the beauty of the place is incredible and the landscape is very diverse and some very amazing. And of course you can visit the cottage of Patrick Pearse, one of the great heroes of Ireland who was hanged by England for opposing English oppression.

Achill

Sheep The Men of the West — They came to say hello

Baren land The Men of the West — It looks fairly baren in this area. It’s very windy and I expect to difficult to grow very much.

Carrickkildavnet Castle The Men of the West — Carrickkildavnet castle

Rescue boat Bill Smale — A rescue boat practicing

Church Bill Smale — The local church graveyard

Westport

Young musicians Bill Smale — The young musicians

Buncrana

Frank stagG — He was a famous hunger striker who died in opposition to British oppression

Three door doors — Obviously the same owner

Funeral procession — A funeral procession

Fisherman’s wharf — There is one not only in San Francisco

The beach — A view of the beach but a little cold to go swimming this time of year though there are a few who do

Volunteer bench — A memorial bench obviously of someone who people respected for her kind volunteer work

Agrarian sign — Obviously an agrarian area

Axe throwing — I’m not sure if this is just for tourists or if this is something that local people enjoy as well

Conemara

Incredible scenery — You have to visit this area of Ireland. It’s just incredible scenery

Lemon pie — A small café with delicious lemon pie

Map — It shows you how to travel along the Atlantic way from Westport down to Galway

KyleMore estate — If you have kids this is probably one place you would like to go since the children have a lot of things to do at this estate and Castle. Anyway it’s a beautiful place to visit

Water texture — It’s beautiful water texture and reflection

Beautiful yellow flowers — These beautiful yellow flowers are blooming everywhere

Patrick Pearse

Patrick was enamored with the Irish language, wrote an Irish and established to school to teach in Irish which were sometimes referred to as Irish Gaelic. He was very much opposed to a British control of Ireland and so eventually joined the Irish brotherhood which became the IRA. Below you will see a speech he wrote at the funeral of a great Irish patriot of the late 1800s. The speech launched him on his political career. He helped write the declaration of freedom from Britain and helped to organize the Easter rebellion in 1916. He was one of the few who was hanged by the English government in Dublin for his part in the Easter rebellion, the effects which sparked the Countrywide rebellion against British control of Ireland.

This is Patrick’s cottage which he built in Rosmuck, not far from Galway.

These are photos of the cottage after being built

Pearse cottage — This is the cottage where he came as often as he could to be with local people

The bedroom and memorabilia — The things in the cottage were contributed by the family

Aughnanure castle

The short history is that in the 12th century the Normans arrived and pretty much integrated with the local people, mostly Irish speaking. Henry VIII started the “protestant“ Church of England which worshiped him instead of the pope and so he didn’t want the popes people coming in from Ireland and that’s what started the great increase in oppression by Britain.

Irish Lord ships — Ireland was very clan oriented, divided up into all these different Lord ships in the 1500s.

I tried eating with a fork, this Chinese food, but I finally got chopsticks since it was so much easier eating with them.

A discussion

Poitin — This is Irish moonshine and it seems to be the most famous brand. I had moonshine made in Oklahoma many years ago and this has a very similar taste, like a whiskey without the smoky flavor.

March 24, 2026April 5, 2026

County Galway, Limerick and Tipperary

in order to see Ireland in a detailed perspective you really need to rent a car and drive around. Every time you stop in a town you need to go to a pub and talk with people. People are very welcoming and you will get a good glass of Guinness wherever you go.

Listowel and John B. Keane

I didn’t know who Keane was but when I got into town and went to the pub people explained his literary creations.

Portumna castle

Ennis

The vertical lines indicate the corner of a stone. So a letter written on the left side of the corner is a different letter from the one written on the right side of the corner or one which goes through the corner.

This is a member of the OPW (office of public works) showing me one of the stones with an example of the alphabet on the stone. OPW is the nationwide government organization dedicated to restoring and maintaining historical sites. You can get one of their cards which allows you to visit all of the sites for one year and it’s a very reasonable price. If you’re going to stay more than two weeks then I really recommend getting one of those cards to save some money if you intend to visit historical sites.

Eamon was Prime Minister for many years but he was also one of the members of the 1916 uprising. This is the story of the Buick he brought from the US and used for official occasions after he became Prime Minister.

on to Limerick

A glass of Guinness County Galway — A perfect pour every time. I spilled a little on the way back to the table

Harp recital Bill Smale — A harp recital to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

County Galway Dancing at King John’s Castle — Outside King John’s Castle a group of dancers gathered

The Pogues Bill Smale — A fellow in the pub indicated I needed to listen to this song

two days before St. Patrick’s Day in Limerick

The Pipers Bill Smale — Of course the Pipers were there

People waiting Bill Smale — people lining the street

Small cars — In Ireland people like to buy small cars for economy and to fit the narrow roads. In Thailand everybody wants to have a big truck or SUV even if they can’t afford it

Cleaning crew — The cleaning crew after the parade

Chinese noodles Bill Smale — A restaurant called Wokking had some fairly good noodles since it’s a Chinese restaurant, basically. However they had no sauces at all which is very strange for a Chinese restaurant so I could not give it a really high rating.

Daley gelato — And of course you need to have gelato every day

The CODFATHER

The Still house pub — The still house. The place to come for music in Limerick

Limerick flag Bill Smale — Just approve I was here

Five euro coupon — This is an interesting solution. Since Covid it’s difficult to get people to work in hospitality especially in cleaning. This hotel, the George, gives you five euro a day each day you do not use the cleaning for the room. This can be used in the restaurant downstairs. This benefits the hotel since it cuts down on the need for cleaning crew, it benefits the customer and it also benefits the restaurant since a large number of Hotel customers don’t use the hotel restaurant.

The hotel restaurant was all decked out in St. Patrick’s Day decorations

Pre-Latin language — The pre-Latin written language, Ogham, a clever series of strokes

A catholic grave — I thought this was interesting since after Henry VIII the churches were modified for the protestant Bent, the Church of England and they were called “the Church of Ireland“.

This castle was built after King John’s reign but named for him

The Norman sections — Excavating the Norman portion of the castle

Ocean explained the Ogham system of writing which is a series of strokes or lines. In the very north of Ireland, in Donegal, there is a standing stone with this old writing on it. It was deciphered. He explained it has the traces of the Irish sarcastic humor. It says, “turn around“.

Norman portion of the castle — The old Norman portion of the cast

Arthur’s Quay Park festivities — The festivities begin in Arthur’s Quay Park

She is Patricia to celebrate Paddy’s day

I met some interesting people to chat with here

Guinness lined up — All lined up and ready to be topped off

English language school? — It’s nice to see English is taught properly

Old store — An old store, green grocer and news agent

At Doolan’s pub the Kilkennys were playing

Experienced musicians — And then a small group of experienced musicians and singers playing for the pub goers

Time clock — How do you spell day? It doesn’t really matter. It’s not a language clock, it’s a time clock. I guess somewhere you punch your time card.

Cart racers — Take me back to my childhood

Limerick shopping District — The shopping District in Limerick

Clean undertaker — If you want a clean undertaking this place looks very spic and span

It is this organization that Frank McCourt’s mother used to get charity from as you will find from reading the book “Angela’s ashes“.

““Angela’s ashes”. This book is an accounting of Frank McCourt’s childhood in Limerick and his house is a tourist attraction but it’s not really his house it’s just a museum. If you happen to be interested in this book which some describe as dark and dismal”Angela’s ashes“. This book is an accounting of Frank McCourt’s childhood in Limerick and his house is a tourist attraction but it’s not really his house it’s just a museum. If you happen to be interested in this book which some describe as dark and dismal. Get the audiobook version in which Frank McCourt himself does the reading, narration. If you do that you will encounter Irish humor as he reads it and understand that part of the culture and why he words it the way he does but it must be through his reading that you get this humor.

This was the pizza that only cost me €3.50 because of my five eurocoupons for not requesting the room cleaning

Add to now you can see the “Codfather”. Go to the Still house pub at about seven or 8 PM and you might bump into the 87-year-old Paddy Fish.

Nengha

Terryglass

Some of these boats at the harbor needed some repair

The garden at the church with some religious flexibility

Look at these decorations. I would never expect to see gremlins or fairies here

Portumna

March 22, 2026March 22, 2026

On to Kerry

I was very lucky there were a couple days with absolutely beautiful weather. I think you can appreciate how nice it is to drive around when you can get out, walk around and enjoy a cup of coffee outside and not have to worry about the rain. So it was on to Kerry.

Adare

Hatched roof house On to Kerry — Not only is this house with a patched roof but on the left you can see a little gazebo type structure which is all made of wood and a attached roof

Monastery On to Kerry — This is the monastery described to below with an interesting, unique history.

Foynes

I went to this place because I was told of an interesting history, all of it true or not is something that I have not confirmed. I talked to somebody in a pub about the origins of the Irish coffee. As I remember what I read there was a fellow who got a concession at Shannon airport two provide some beverages to people who arrived from the US on this closest airport in Europe to the US. He devised the Irish coffee in the 1950s I believe. It might’ve been in the early 60s. The fellow said that the first Irish coffee was served at this airport which was the first airport connecting the US to Europe with direct flights but they were on pontoon planes which would land here in this inlet. But the information here indicates they stopped these flights in 1945 which seems to be a little too early for Irish coffee to have been invented but more investigation is in order. Anyway, there is a museum in this little town with the aircraft which flew the Atlantic nonstop. It was closed when I went there but it should be open in April.

Motorcycle group Bill Smale — There was a group of bikers with a variety of Japanese and BMW motorcycles. It reminded me of my motorcycle group in Japan.

Country road view Bill Smale — Just a nice view on a country road. You will notice how narrow the roads are

Tarbert Bridewell courthouse and jail

Courthouse Bill Smale — This courthouse and jail was closed for renovations

Listowel

St. Mary’s Church Bill Smale — Saint Mary’s Church

March 22, 2026May 8, 2026

st. Patrick’s Day Limerick

I saw some people posting somewhere that the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Limerick we’re not what they used to be. I’m sure things have changed but what was interesting was the participation. You would see many young people and kids with their own groups and self created decorations among the groups marching in the parade. This gave it a very family oriented feeling as opposed to the very commercialized in giant St. Patrick’s Day parades in some places in the world. It was a very fun and refreshing treat to be in Limerick on this day.

St. Michaels st. Patrick’s Day Limerick — St. Michaels Catholic Church

Rabbit hole st. Patrick’s Day Limerick — Very close to the milk market. A funny name for a place

The milk market

Milk market event Bill Smale — This is very much a university town and these were university students at the milk market event

Painted faces Bill Smale — Some of them had painted faces

Local characters Bill Smale — All the local characters showed up including Donald Duck

Old milk market — This is what the milk market used to look like

the parade

Kids watching — The whole family came to watch the parade

Funny kids — The kids were having a lot of fun

Military groups — Different military groups were marching

Water rescue group — These are the water rescue people

Japan group — I think this was the Japan Ireland friendship group

Suicide prevention — The suicide prevention people are very organized in Ireland

Colorful group — I’m not sure what this group was but they were very colorful

Slapping hands — The kids would come by and want to slap hands. It was definitely a thing with the kids

Boat group — This group brought their own boat

Young athletes — Jong athlete support group

Interesting Nepalese costume — The Nepalese really had an interesting costume

Rugby group for kids — A kids rugby group

Missouri kids — It looks like some high school kids from Missouri showed up

University characters — Here comes the characters from the university kids

Irish coffee — I had this at the still house which is a nice rowdy local pub

Good Irish music — Music at the still house

A rebel song — They played a rebel song to the tune of “Roddy McCorley “

Irish dancing — Some people are just having fun dancing

Harp concert — Of course I had to go listen to a harp concert at King John’s Castle

Crowded pub — A very crowded pub near King John’s Castle

The quiet man was a movie with John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and Barry Fitzgerald. It was playing on the Hotel bar screen

Hotel bar music — Back at the bar listening to the music

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