Ireland – Day 9
After yesterday’s beautiful weather, today’s was a bummer. Mostly cloudy, which made for a gray, flat day of photography. We did get the occasional burst of sunshine, but it never lasted more than a couple of minutes.
After a stop in Westport to finish some shopping (have to bring home for the grandkids), we drove south to the border between County Mayo and County Galway. Part of Connemara, we were headed for the village of Cong, home to Ashford Castle.
Ashford Castle, or part of it anyway
Ashford Castle was started in the 11th Century. It has been a bishop’s residence, owned by the Guinness family and is now an upscale hotel for the (as Olcan calls them) Hooray Henry’s from Britain. Situated on the shore of Lough Corrib, it offers golf, boating, falconry, etc. Very posh posh. The castle is so large, you really can’t get a picture of the entire thing. Quite the building.
Typical Irish door
After visiting the castle, we drove into the village of Cong for lunch and some walking around. It is a picturesque village, with lots of typical Irish village structures.
Irish Row Houses
Vine Covered Cottage
After lunch, we drove over to Cornamona for some landscape photography. There is a section there with patchwork fields along the shore of Lough Corrib, divided by networks of stone walls.
Fields in Cornamona along Lough Corrib
Our final stop of the day was in Ballintober to see the Ballintober Abbey. Those of you who follow celebrity news will know that this is the abbey that Pierce Brosnan was married in. It is a picturesque place with a history that dates back to St. Patrick and the 400′s. The abbey itself dates to the 1200′s.
Interior of Ballintober Abbey
Tomorrow is our last full day in Ireland. We are packing tonight and heading south towards Ennis tomorrow and I hopefully will get one more post in tomorrow night.
