Arrived in Galway this evening after a big day of driving and sight seeing. We set off from the B&B in Dingle at around 9 and it was a pea souper ! We tried to see more of the coast but it was thick fog. So we continued onto Tralee where we had a little walk , looked at all the roses got some info from the tourist office and scooted off for the ferry across the Shannon River. Weather started to clear and we had a good drive along the coast.

Stopped for lunch by the water and as the pub began to fill quickly ( we were the only people for about  5 min) and we realised why. Katie the local Irish lassie was about to box in the Olympic Games!. And box she did  – winning easily and providing some very colourful commentary from the announcers. She goes for GOLD  tomorrow and they predict the whole of Ireland will come to a halt at 5pm tomorrow. Can’t wait!

Drove onto the Cliffs of Moher and by now it was fine and sunny. We only got a little lost because we decided to take a more minor road to look at the scenery and before we knew it we were lost. We stopped to ask directions from  a lady out walking along a country lane with 5 children and she gave some very encouraging directions. Then she told us she wasn’t a local so could be wrong! How very Irish. We found the cliffs , along with lots of other tourists and climbed up the side to look over the magnificent cliffs. The area around the cliffs is all farm land with lots of stone fences and cattle grazing so it’s an interesting scene with all the tour buses around the area.

We continued on and came to Doolin. I had heard about Doolin from Pip, my niece , who went to the McGann pub – my maiden name for those who don’t know that interesting fact!. Pip had gone there during her travels,  so we followed  her instructions and found it. We were going to stay the night but I’m glad I changed in favour of 2 nights in Galway, as Doolin although quaint was just a little too small.

We found the McGann pub and I went in, all smiles, and we found two men at the bar . One had no teeth ( slight exaggeration ) and the other was what we would say was  “a sandwich short of a picnic”. We asked if someone was there to serve us a drink as it seemed very quiet.
Just then a lady came out all happy gappy smiles,  wild red hair and looked strangely at me when I said my name was McGann. I asked if there was anyone named McGann around the area and she and the toothless man laughed together and said “oh no McGanns are from around Ennis.” End of conversation! I wonder at the name of the pub!
We sat outside in the bright sunshine drinking and watched all these young people down the street drinking as well -all dressed up . It was their deb ball for the end of their school days! Very glamourous they were too .

We left Doolin and made our way to Galyway and into a lovely apartment. We needed a washing machine so I changed from a B&B and found a new apartment  – huge with a washing maching. It even has views down towards the bay. I love Booking.com. You can book and change booking usually with no penalty…….

Watched a bit of Olympics and went to dinner where !!!!  surprise they had the Olympics on and we saw yet another Irish boxer in action . It seems Paddy Barnes ,who was trained at the Holy Family Golden Glove Boxing club in Belfast was going to win a bronze. What a name for a boxing club. These Irish love a fight!

We’re looking forward to seeing Katy win GOLD tomorrow..