Soggy r us

Never been so happy to see a taxi as when our taxi buddy Mike showed up right on time this morning. I dreaded getting out of the taxi and waiting on the pier as the wind and rain was nonstop. Fortunately they let us get right on, so we headed below and midship to the most stable place on the boat. We settled in, popped Dramamine ginger chews in our mouths prophylactically, and away we went. Looking back at Inis Mor, I’m sorry the weather didn’t cooperate for us to explore the island. The landscape is so severe, with fields more rock than soil. The stone walls that partition the fields look like lace made of stone, as you can see light through the holes in them. Suspect it helps decrease windage, but truth be told the walls are built as a way to clear the stones from the fields. The passage back to Rossaveal was rather uneventful and a lot smoother due to following seas. Did notice that this morning they gave us a safety briefing as we got underway, unlike the passage over with a conspicuous lack of the standard briefing we’ve come to expect. Once the passengers were unloaded, the ferry turned around and hightailed it for home port on Inis Mor to beat the storm. We got in our rental car and headed for Limerick. The drive wasn’t too bad despite the rain and we made it in time for lunch at a local pub. We roamed some of the streets of Limerick before trying to locate our lodging that doesn’t quite seem to have an address or show up in our navigation app. We are staying at the Shannon River House and Estate, a place steeped in Irish history and built by the son of the young Ireland leader William Smith O’Brien and passed down through the generations. Its restoration is a work in progress. The place is pretty secluded and it took several passes before we located the hidden drive with an iron gate offset down the lane. We finally arrived and were greeted by our host Mark, who along with his 2 dalmations, showed us around the place. It’s a fascinating old home and we’re looking forward to exploring the grounds tomorrow.Read more