Let the journey BEGIN! Part 5

Ok! Let's wrap up this Around-Ireland travel week and reach the present day! Today host mum, host grandma, the girls and I took a trip to the zoo, unlike most people on an irish february day. Hint taken: I must try doing all the tourist stuff while it's still cold! Most of the animals were quite unwilling to go outside of their shelters so I hate to think how they handled the snow. But I did discover that a bongo is an antelope-looking creature, not just an exotic percussion instrument. Over the weekend it was finally happy enough weather to do my bus tour around Dublin. It came with an entertaining commentator who made neverending jokes about his mother-in-law, and if you sat uptop in the open air, a complimentary new hairstyle.

Saturday, 24th January: Galway - Cootehill

Fresh out of our B&B in Galway, with another chat-up incident I won't divulge in, we warmed up the cameras with a castle site and frosted-over playground in town. Today the rent-a-car and its aussies were heading north-east back over the midlands.

A few pics along a quay of the river through Galway: I was paying careful attention not to fall in and icicle-ize!

Late morning we reached county Offaly and its monastery of Clonmacnoise. Across the road from the visitors' centre Clonmacnoise Castle sat teetering on the edge of its hill, and I really wished the property wasn't prohibited. :( Or maybe I should've gone for it anyway..

Mm, gallivanting through a wonky castle

Clonmacnoise, historic monastery of St Cieran (actually pronounced Ki-rOn), was being infiltrated with young schoolgirls on a school excursion today, so it was a very busy place, though I'm not sure all of them wanted to be there. Nevertheless, Grandma decided to make the most of the herded tour and join on the end of the school group to hear all about St Cieran.

Grandad comforts the distraught pilgrim.

Buff celtic women. The female toilet door sign:!