FRIDAY THE 3RD-WELL ANOTHER FAIR DAY DAWNS IN KILKENNY; DOSEN'T MATTER FISHING TODAY FOR TIM AND MEGAN AT CASTLECOMER. WE HAD ANOTHER EXCELLENT IRISH BREAKFAST-BUT NO BLACK AND WHITE SAUSAGE. THE OTHER 6 LOAD OUT FOR A ROAD-TRIP TO THE ROCK OF CASHEL-ANCIENT FORT- AND THEN ADDED IN A SIDETRIP TO TIPPERARY. LYNN WAS THE DRIVER AND SHE HAD ASSORTED NAVIGATORS ON A SELECTION OF 'N' AND 'R' ROADS. WHEN THEY RETURNED AT 5ISH-LYNN NEEDED A SEROUS LAY DOWN-SHE DIDN'T GET TO SEE ANY OF THE 'ON THE ROAD SIGHTS'-STAYED FOCUSED ON DRIVING.

MEGAN AND I HEAD OFF TO CASTLECOMER; 20KM NORTH OF KILKENNY; IT'S AN OLD COAL MINING REGION AND THEY HAVE RESTORED THE MINE WORKS INTO A VISITORS CENTER&CRAFT WORKSPACES/SHOPS AND DEMENSE [ESTATE] INTO AN EXCELLENT PARK ALONG THE RIVER DEEN. THERE ARE TWO LAKES -THE LOWER ONE FOR FLY ONLY FISHING AND THE UPPER ONE FOR BAIT FISHING; THE WHOLE STREAM FISHERY IS BASICALLY CLOSED FOR RESTORATION OF THE NATIVE AND HATCHERY SALMON AND TROUT POPULATION. WHEN I HAD ENQUIRED ABOUT OPENINGS IN GALWAY AND KILLARNEY; NONE OF THE GUIDES HAD BEEN OUT FOR THREE WEEKS AND IT'S A DAY TO DAY DEAL. THE 'PARK' IS ABOUT THE ONLY OPTION AND THEY ASK YOU STILL TO USE CATCH AND RELEASE-WITH BARBLESS HOOKS. MEGAN HAULED ALONG HER SUPPLIES-'HARRY POTTER'- AND SET TO ON THE SHORE WITH 'HIM' ON HER LAP. I DID THE SAME AND HAD A BIT OF A SNOOZE ALSO. THE FISHING WAS FINE JUST A FEW BITES. THEN THEY BROUGHT IN FISH FROM THE LOWER LAKE-THEY'D MADE THEIR WAY OVER THE FALLS AND WHERE TRYING TO GO INTO THE RIVER; THEY COLLECT THEM AND MOVE THEM BACK UP TO THE TOP. THE FISHING WAS MUCH FASTER ACTION THEN-MEGAN WAS THE BETTER CATCHER! AND WE HEADED OFF WITH 3 THAT SET THE HOOK IN TO FAR. ON OUR RETURN TO THE B&B PAT WAS AMAZED AT THE SIZE 12-14" AND 1+lb RAINBOWS; HE WAS ALSO WORRIED THAT HE WOULD NEVER SEE HIS BROTHER WHEN HE CAME TO VISIT BECAUSE HE'S A FISHERMAN ALSO AND HASN'T BEEN ABLE RO DO MUCH IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. PAT SAID HE'D SERVE THEM THE NEXT MORNING FOR BREAKFAST. MRS TERESA WEIGHED IN LATER THAT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN-SO THEY WENT TO THE PRIZE WINNING GARDEN ROSES. MEGAN WAS FEELING 'SHOP DEPRIVED' SO WE HEADED INTO TOWN; SHE VISITIED SEVERAL SHOPS-IT WAS 'BANK HOLIDAY' [READ 3 DAY WEEKEND] AND THEY WHERE HAVING END-OF-SUMMER CLEARANCE. IN ONE PLACE-MONSOON I THINK MORE THAN 1/2 OF THE STOCK WAS ON THE FLOOR-EVEN ON MY WORST DAY IN A STORE THAT WAS BEYOND THE LIMIT. MEGAN WANTED TO STAY AND HELP THE STAFF CLEAN UP. IN ANOTHER STORE -WHERE MEGAN HIT THE HANDBAG BONZANZA- I RECOVERED AN ENTIRE SHIRT DEPARTMENT JUST SHOPPING FOR MY SIZE; THE STORE MANAGER ASKED IF I WANTED A JOB. THEN WE MOVED ON TO THE KILKENNY CASTLE AND THE 'STABLES' -BUTLER HOUSE FINE CRAFTS CENTER' AND BACK TO THE B&B. ABOUT THEN THE 6 RETURNED IN THE SUV AND WE BEGAN DINNER PLANNING WHILE LYNN RESTED. WE SELECTED LANGSTONS-A LOCAL LANDMARK-ACROSS THE RIVER. IT WAS ALSO DECIDED THAT THE SUV WOULD BE TRANSPORT-LYNN TOOK ABOUT A NANOSECOND TO PASS ME THE KEYS. AND WE LOADED UP-AS YOU MAY REMEMBER THE STREETS ARE ABOUT 1 1/2 CARS WIDE-BUT IN THE CITY INSTEAD OF ROCK WALLS YOU HAVE 2' FEET OF WALK AND THEN THE HOUSE/BUILDING. AFTER DROPPING THE 7 OFF IN FRONT I GOT MY FIRST SHOT AT ON-THE STREET-PARKING; THE ANSWER ON RETURNING IS THE MIRRORS WHERE STILL ON THE SUV AND IT HAD NOT BEEN HIT; SO SUCCESS! WE THEN HAD PROBABLY THE BEST DINNER OF THE TRIP; OUR WAITER WHOM RESEMBLED 'LEO' OF TITANIC FAME ALSO PROVIDED THE 'CHICKS' WITH LOT'S OF ATTENTION. WE THEN MOVED INTO THE BAR WHERE THE 'CHICKS' AS A MOTH TO A FLAME DREW SOME 'LOCAL' ATTENTION. WHEN THE 'OLD' FOLKS HAD FINISHED THE TWO MOM'S INTRODUCED THEMSELVES TO THE LOCALS; THEN THE TWO AUNTS GOT INTO THE DISCUSSION; AND FINALLY THE DAD. THE 'MOLLY' LOCAL SAID HE DIDN'T GET OUT MUCH, BUT NEVER HAD MEET THE ENTIRE FAMILY QUITE THAT FAST. THE 'CHICKS' USED OUR EXIT TO COVER THEIR TRACKS AND PROCEEDED OFF INTO THE NIGHTLIFE; WE OLD FOLKS HEAD HOME TO THE B&B. THUS ENDS DAY SEVEN [WELL ALMOST]

SATURDAY THE 4TH KILKENNY TO DUBLIN

THE CHICKS ARRIVED 2ISH BY CAB AND FELL INTO BED. IN THE MORNING IT WAS AGAIN DECIDED THAT GET-THERE WAS GOING TO BE THE MANNER OF TOURING TO DUBLIN. WE ALSO AT BREAKFAST GOT A HIGHLITE REPLAY OF THE CHICKS EVENING; AMANDA HAD DEVELOPED AN CASE OF BROWN LIQUID FLU-A BIT QUEASY SHE WAS, OUR WAITER IN THE WEE HOURS HAD HELPED THE CHICKS FIND A CAB HOME AND THAT'S ABOUT ALL A DAD NEEDED TO KNOW. THE LOAD OUT WAS BECOMMING AN ISSUE-VOLUME OF PACKAGES BEGINNING TO EXCEED VOLUME OF SPACE-BUT IT ALL CRAMMED IN AND OFF WE WHEELED ON THE N10-N9 AND ONTO COOLGRANGE. IN THE ROUND ABOUT[S] THERE THRU THE CONSTRUCTION ZONES-MOLLY DID ANNOUNCE SHE MIGHT ALSO BE MAL-DE-MERE, BUT NO SHE MADE IT. UNFORTUNATLEY AMANDA DIDN'T CAUSING OUR SECOND CONVOY BREAKUP WHILE THE SUV ATTENDED TO HER. THE LEAD JUST PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE AND WAITED FOR THEM TO CATCH UP. AT KILCULLEN WE MADE A NECCESSARY & FUEL STOP-ALSO AN ICE CREAM WAS INORDER FOR MOST. AMANDA ANNOUNCED SHE WAS 'SWEARING OFF THE DRINK' AND PROCEEDED BACK TO HER NAP-A-LONG AS WE HEADED INTO DUBLIN ON THE N9. FROM OUR OUR 1ST DAY'S TRAVELS WE LEARNED THE ATHE M50 [RING ROAD] HAD ISSUES SO NAVIGATOR ROSE HEADED US STRAIGHT INTO TOWN. THE LOGIC APPLIED WAS THAT WE WHERE GOING TO BE STAYING AT A PLACE CALLED 'FERRY VIEW' WHO'S WEB PAGE SAID YOU COULD SEE THE FERRIES TO ENGLAND&SCOTLAND SAILING-SO HEAD FOR THE PORT. WE HAD AN EXCELLENT TOUR OF THE STRAND ALONG THE RIVER LIFFEY THRU THE HEART OF DUBLIN, THEN FOLLOWED BY A QUICK VIEWING OF THE CONTAINER YARDS [LOOKED ALOT LIKE TACOMA'S]-AND SPOTTED HOUSES ACROSS THE WATERWAY THAT RESEMBLED THE AREA FROM THE WEB SITE PHOTO'S, SO THERE WE HEADED. WITH ONE SHOUT-OUT A THE LIGHT TO CLONTARF RODAE-THE CABBIE SAID TURN RIGHT-WE ARRIVED AT NUMBER 96 IN FINE ORDER. PARKING WAS LIMITED-ROOM FOR 3 AUTOS AND TWO OTHER PARTIES ALREADY IN; SO SUV MOVED NEXT DOOR TO THE HURLING CLUB GATE. WE ALL GOT SETTLED; STROLLED DOWN CLONTARF TO THE YATCH FOR EARLY DINNER AND THEN FURTHER DOWN CLONTARF FOR SIGHTSEEING. ALONG THE STROLL WE LOCATED A ST JOESPH'S WITH A 7PM MASS. LYNN, KAS AND TIM DID ATTEND; ALL 25 MINUTES OF THE SERVICE-THE PRIEST WASTED NO TIME BETWEEN THE OPENING PRAYER AND THE FINAL BLESSING; HE EVEN GOT IN A SERMON. I; LIKE WE ALL PROBABLY DID; HAD A SPECIAL PRAYER FOR JOE AUMELL SR. WHO WAS BEING BURIED IN WENATCHEE THAT DAY. THE 'HEATHEN'S' STAYED IN TO PREP/RECOVER FOR DUBLIN DAYS. THUS ENDED DAY 8.