Day 9: Creeslough and Letterkenney

When we woke up at Paul and Annie's, the hot water bottle that had been placed in our bed the night before (by Annie) was still warm! That morning, we met Michael McFadden, Paul and Annie's son and father to Michelle and Yvonne pictured with Eleanor and Ian below. He is a cabinet maker who had done all of the woodwork in Paul and Annie's beautiful home. Annie and Sadie put together a breakfast of ham, sausage, fried egg, beans, half of a roasted tomato, and toast. It was delicious and very filling. Then off we went to Glennveagh (Glenn-vay), a beautiful national park with mountains, lakes, and a beautiful, well-preserved castle. Paul drove us, which was quite a wild ride! In the late afternoon, we went over to Samuel McFadden's house in Letterkenny for tea and a visit. He showed us around the house he built next door and we all went out to dinner at the Silver Tassie. Then back to his house to meet his daughter Theresa and granddaughter Hannah. Around 9, we headed back to Paul and Annie's to put the kids to bed. They were exhausted and so were we. But someone asked us whether we wanted to go dancing around 10:30- Kevin and I jokingly answered that we'd be up for it and next thing we knew, we were off to the Log Cabin Inn (which had pictures of John Wayne on the wall) to dance to an accordion/guitar combo and participate in a raffle for 280 euro. We were back at their house at 1:30am, when Paul and Annie had a little tea and crackers before bed. It was a long and exciting day!

Day 8: Galway to Creeslough, Donegal

(Day 8 of our trip was a few days back, but we didn't have internet access for the last few days in Donegal and Derry.)

I was so excited to visit the Irish relatives in Creeslough, Donegal, so much so that there was a risk of disappointment if the visit didn't go well. Creeslough was extremely remote and rural but finding it was not as challenging as I'd expected because we had a good GPS system with the rental car. We arrived a little later than expected and Annie was at the door to greet us. She had several of the grandchildren there with her, so we got to meet some of them. More grand kids showed up and whisked Ian and Eleanor off to play (and watch a lot of tv). When Paul arrived home, he took Kevin and I to see where my great grandmother and his his father were born, as well as where their parents were from. We went past Doe Castle and drove along Atlantic Drive. Creeslough and its surroundings are absolutely amazing! When we arrived back at Paul and Annie's we had a roast with potatoes and veggies (or "veg") with Paul, Annie, their daughter Sadie, Paul's brother Samuel, his wife Sheila, and their granddaughter Emma. Sadie took me into the other room and helped me to work through the McFadden family tree, which I have handwritten on the kids' drawing paper and will type up when I get back home. We finished the night in front of the tv with beer and Irish football.

Day 7: Galway

When I woke up (late) this morning, I could hear the TV in the other room. When I got up and came into the living room where the kids were, I realized that it was Irish children's programming- the equivalent of Sprout. I am so glad that we found it, because a morning TV has become a special vacation routine for us. Everybody wins. Eventually, I called the McFaddens to let them know about our arrival tomorrow while Kevin took the kids on a windy walk along the promenade in hurricane-like conditions. Fortunately, I was able to reach Paul McFadden (my grandmother's cousin) and the kids didn't get blown into the ocean! In the afternoon, we had lunch in a pub, listened to some live music in another pub, and saw one of the Galway sites- the Spanish Arches, built in 1584. Amazing.

Tomorrow, we head to Creeslough, Letterkenny, Donegal, where we will get to explore my mother's family's roots. My great grandmother was born there. We will visit and stay overnight with the McFaddens. I am doubtful that we will have access to wi-fi, so I will post here again when I can.

Day 6: London to Galway

Trains, planes, and automobiles. That was the kind of day we had. Jon and Mariam saw us off bright and early when we left for London's Gatwick airport by train. Then we boarded our flight back to Dublin and rented a car from there. Who would have guessed that Hertz carries BMWs here?? Kevin bravely drove for 3 hours to Galway, on the right side of the car and the left side of the road. The place where we are staying is centrally located near the shops and restaurants and has a great view of the sea. But we've been heating the place for hours since we checked in and we just can seem to get warm.

Day 5: Last day in London

Eleanor was surprised to see the image of Queen Elizabeth on the magazine cover at the train station, especially after her imagination conjured up a much younger and more glamorous queen. This realization happened only moments after visiting Buckingham Palace. Then we visited Piccadilly Circus and rode a double decker bus today- but unfortunately did not get across town to the Tower of London. Back at Jon and Mariam's we had another amazing home cooked meal by Mariam. Then lots of wine and whiskey! Hopefully we will be ready to wake up nice and early for our flight back to Ireland. Ian had a little fever today so we'll be keeping an eye on him in the coming days.

Day 4: London

Today we braved the London train system without a trusty guide and got ourselves to the Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge, and St. Peter's Cathedral without getting too terribly lost. Back at Jon and Mariam's place, we relaxed and ordered food from an amazing South Indian restaurant. It's been another fun day- and finally we seem to have adjusted to the time difference.

Day 3: London

Back to the Dublin airport this morning for our flight to London. Kevin's old friend Jon picked us up at the airport, brought us back to his place for a fabulous brunch, and then took us for a wonderful walking tour of London sites. Such a fun day!