Hannah's Ireland Page

Hannah's Ireland Page 2

Hello My name is Hannah and this page is about my Holiday in Ireland April 17th-21st 2005!
This Page was created on the 1st May 2005
Sunday 17th
On Sunday We got a flight from Stanstead, to Kerry Airport, now I hate flying and having flown only twice before and the last flight (to Portugal) was terriable, but this was fine.
We picked up our Hire car, a lovely blue Citroen Xsara and dad drove to Dingle where our Hotel was. Unfortunally i'm not aloud to drive in Ireland, due to you having to be 25 to drive a hire car :(
We arrived at our Hotel The Dingle Skellig Hotel.

The views from the hotel were lovely, looking at the Dingle Peninsula. They'd had rain all morning but we got the lovely afternoon sunshine!

After unpacking we heading to the town, about a 10 minute walk from our Hotel.
But first we walked along the dock looking out to the mouth of the harbour.
Dingle is famous from it's wild dolphin Fungie, who hangs around the Harbour enterance, but alas we couldn't see him, but saw the statue dolphin, which was placed there 1st January 2000 for the Millennium. The Plaque says:
"Fungie"
The Dingle Dolphin
January 1, 2000
At the dawning of the new Millennium we celebrate Fungie the Dolphin
who since 1983 has made Dingle Bay his Home. His joyous and generous spirit reminds us that all Earth's creatures are connected in the great web of creation. Let us all be Caretakers.
Gift of sculptoy James Bottoms and Decker studios Foundry, California

So then went to the pub for dinner!
When we came out of the pub, it had been raining. when walking back to the hotel this guy was drunk (not leggless though) and was pretending to be a motorbike and said to me "would i like to ride his motorbike" -his mates were bend double with laughter on the other side of the road, of course I just laughed, smiled and said no thanks
Monday 18th
Today we decided to just stay in Dingle, and have a look around town, and so we booked a boat trip to see Fungie, for 12 noon, so with time to spare we visited the Aquarium, it was really good, very big and when we paid to get in, your hand is stamped, which allows you to go back in again on the same day for free.
We then headed back to the dock, where there was about 20 people awaiting for the boat trip.
As we left the dock, the views were stunning, the sun was shining, the water was clear, we got further out of the harbour, and now into the open sea. We still couldn't see Fungie.

The boat started to go fast and then round in circles... then Fungie appeared, and dissapeared, then appeared again, eventually he decided he would ride along side the boat apearing about every 20 seconds, but capturing him on camera was hard. So after 30 mins we left him as the boat trip was for 1 hour only and went back to the dock.
When back at the dock, we went and had lunch in a restaurant, where I looked at the pictures on the camera, but the digital camera got nothing of him, which upset me more, but was hoping that my camera film had shots of him (but it ran out on the boat :-S).
After lunch we went back to the Aquarium for feeding time on the "touch tanks" -but either we missed it, or they didn't do it. We brought some gifts in the shop. I brought myself a fungie mouse mat, so now i'm reminded of Fungie when on my comp!
Then we went to "super Valu" (supermarket) before walking back to our hotel, so I could get a new camera film (why I left them back at the hotel I don't know!).
After loading up a new film in camera, we walked around the ground of the hotel, taking picture, when I saw this woman sitting on the beach wall eating chips, chatting to a passerby, talking if they had seen Fungie, So headed over, the passerby walked on with there dog.
I told the woman we saw Fungie today, when we took a boat trip out of the harbour, we sat chatting on the wall (dad looking at the scenery) the woman told me she comes from Vancouver in Canada, but was born in Cork, She was telling me about her job, where she studys Whales, as well as travelling around the world. And she was hear vising her dad in Cork, so natually I came out with Jonathan Rhys Meyers comes from Cork...
Woman:"Oh from Bend It Like Beckham... Lovely name" (so I told her his real name!)
Woman: "He's a lovely boy, shame i'm to old, nearly 40". Me: So i'm half your age"
Woman: So you must be 18. Me: No nearly 21..... dad was really bored
Anyway after that the woman had to go as she had a 2 hour drive ahead of her. -but the convosation had me smiling for the rest of the day!
So myself and dad carried on walking, taking lovely pictures of the beautiful scenery, before heading back to our room for tea, which was soup, Knorr soup!
Tuesday 19th
We got into our hire car, drove past Inch, touched Killarney, bypassing the town centre. Taking a road to Cork.
We stopped at Macroon, for lunch, before setting off again for Blarney Castle.
Myself and dad kissed the Blarney Stone, even though I did it in 2002, dad didn't due to his bad hips.
Then we drove on through Cork, to Cobh -the last port of call before the Titanic ship sunk. Also it was a port used alot when Ireland had a Potato blight.
After going round the musieum, we headed back to Dingle when it rained the heavest so far, but we headed back a different route, getting lost trying to find Middleton, then onto Mallow for a pit stop. Then we drove to Buttevant -the place Jonathan Rhys Meyers lives!!! -took a picture of the sign when entering, but we didn't go far in Buttevant due to our turning off for Kankurk came up before getting into the main part of Buttevant! (CILL NA MULLACH is the Irish name for Buttevant)
We then drove to headed for Killarney, finding the route back to Dingle.
Arriving back at out hotel 9:45pm -2 hours later than planned, so shattered and evening meal at hotel had finished!.. so ended up having to have room service food!
Wednesday 20th
Today we went to Inch beach... only to find they've knocked down the gift shop, which used to have a lovely painting of a Dolphin on the side, so I was a bit gutted bout that.

After taking pics we went to Killarney, following the Ring of Kerry, stopping and taking pictures a few times. We stopped at Ladies View (a place we stopped a few years back) the view was georgous. the lakes were blue, it looked so nice. anyway we had lunch in the cafe.
Then drove into Killarney, stopping in the town to look around, buying a few gifts, as well as seeing lots of horse and carts.
Then drove back to Dingle, had a rest then myself and dad went for a walk through the fields, up to the lighthouse. I got a little scared cos the cows were lose cos the fence had broken, and when walking back a dog chased then, making them stampeed, and I was having a panic attach, and as the dogs got them rounded up into the top of the field, they had blocked the footpath out of the field, so myself and dad had to scramble down onto the beach, then up again to rejoin the foothpath.
I was wiping my eyes, not looking where i was going.... straight into cow pat!
Once back at hotel we could hear Gaelic Foootball, over the road, but had to wash trainers as we were to go into town. So once I had cleaned my trainers, the football had finished :(.
We headed into town bout 9pm, and ended up in the pub, that we ate at the first night in Dingle, so we just got our dinner order in, then the pub had live Irish music. I was stupied enough not to take pictures (i'm am idiot) but they were very good.
Unfortunally we couldn't stay and watch the rest and irish dancing, as dad had a sore foot, and we had to pack as we were leaving in the morning.
Thursday 21st
Woke up at 4am to hear dad in pain, he hadn't had any sleep and was worried as he couldn't feel his left foot, so handed hotel phone to dad, to call reception, who will call doctor later. so went back to sleep. 6am hotel phone rings -its reception, saying they will phone for a doctor, 15 mins later phone rings and dr will be here in 10-15 mins.
6.45am knock on door, female doctor enters, takes one look and dads foot and says it's "Gout" (uric acid that forms around arthoritic joints, mainly due to fatty acids, and drinking to much) SO doctor gives his some strong tablets, then 5 mins later two others, just incase the first two make him sick!, she wrote dad a prescription, and suggested that when dad gets home to see GP and get blood test as Gout is traced in the test.
Once she left at 7am, I was wide awake, so took shower whilst dad slept.
had breakfast, dad was able to walk to breakfast as drugs had kicked in!, then after breakfast, I walked into Dingle, and found a chemist, got his perscription, and brout a few more gifts, as well as a Fungie picture for myself, as dad and I were going to do the boat trip again, so I could video Fungie as I, didn't see much of him on Monday, due to trying to snap him on camera :(
When I got back to room, I finished packing my handluggage, I'm lazy when on holiday, and live out of my suitcase... well its one less thing to worry about!
Left hotel about 11am, dad drove to Tralee (though it was painful) stopping in the town, eating the freshly made sandwich I got in Dingle town earlier this morning.
Then dad drove us to the airport, where we had fun!
after checking in, we went to departures, where dad set off the security walkway gate, turfed out his pockets, put pedometre through security machine belt with the bags(the pedometre set the alarm off at Standstead.. well what we thought), was made to go through again as it beeped.
He was body searched, then made to re-enter gate again, still beeping it off, so the bloke goes: "by any chance you haven't had any hip replacement have you?"..... dad: "oh yeah I had 2 new hips about 18 months ago!!!"
Anyway the plane home was fine, brother picked us up at the airport.
I really enjoyed Ireland and as I said in 2002, I want to go live there, and its still true today.
but what was strange was a few days later I went to the post office and was strange to have English money, not the Euro, I nearly cried!
Here's is a postcard from the Hotel. This is a great picture, It's Fungie jumping infront on the hotel :)