Saturday 19th August

After another freshly cooked Irish Breakfast - eggs, mushrooms,bacon, tomato, potato cubes and two slices of g/f toast, we were off by bus to pick up our hire-car - a Skoda. It goes OK except whenever I indicate for a turn the windscreen wipers come on.

First stop, 100krm northwest of Dublin was Strokesdown Park - a huge mansion, parkland, walled garden, woodlands and the National  Famine Museum. The huge estate was granted to a man, family name Mahon,  because he supported the English King in the 1600s. We had a good tour of the mansion which was bought by a local garage owner years ago when it became too hard to manage for the elderly lady who was the last of the Mahon family descendants. It was in a derelict state and he was going to knock it down but had a good look round inside first and discovered great treasures  - furniture, paintings, children's toys, and 4,000 items (many letters and parliamentary papers) relating to the 1840's famine - hence the Famine Museum being established there by the Heritage Trust.

 

After lunch we travelled to Tulsk where we explored the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre - it details the significance of another ancient Royal Site - much like the Hill of Tara. As I write this I am sitting on the bed in our room which overlooks the main street of Tulsk, there is an Irish music concert on the TV and we have had a massive meal in the local pub. Life is good!