Egad…time has gotten away from me. I would like to blame it on something really cool sounding, but it’s just simply that I’ve been lazy 🙄I have had to work a bit more than I had intended to – sigh.
Enough of the lamenting…it’s summer (finally) in Ireland! I see blue skies and it’s been upper 60s. There are promises of mid 70s through this week. Last year it was much warmer but I’m happy with 70s.
Our amazing property manager, Leo, kindly took us out to a couple of off the beaten path places last week. Since she is a local girl she gives us a great perspective (and she seems to know everybody!). We drove to the nearby village of Askeaton where the Earls of Desmond had one of their many castles. This one is a bit older than the one here in our town, built in 1199. When the earls abandoned the castle in about 1580, and left it to the English, they didn’t go quietly, they blew up the walls as they left.
To the left of the castle building is a later structure, built in 1740. This is one of the two Hellfire Clubs in Ireland. Hellfire Clubs were for rich, bored men to party, gamble and, in general, behave badly. There were many other rumors of things that went on in these clubs – none of them good.
Down the road from the castle is a Franciscan Friary built in 1389. This might be one of our favorite sites in Ireland. It is beautiful. It is also a sad place – in 1579, after an English commander, Sir Nicholas Malby, tried (and failed) to take the castle he turned his anger on the Friary. He burned the buildings and killed most of the monks, along with destroying the Desmond family graves here. In spite of, or maybe because of, this violence, this is a peaceful place.
After we left Askeaton we drove to Foynes. If timing had worked out we would have gone to Foynes on the great driving adventure with the Cousin and the Brother, so this place had been in our minds for a while. What’s in Foynes – other than a super cute town on the Shannon River? The Foynes Flying Boat Museum (https://www.flyingboatmuseum.com ). It was the early 1930s and the idea of being able to fly passengers across the Atlantic was being realized. I won’t go into a ton of historical detail here, click the link to the museum website for more background. There’s a lot to see, but the highlight has to be the replica of a B314 Flying Boat. Unfortunately, none of the actual flying boats still exist. This replica was made by local craftspeople and is quite the sight!
I know this museum might not be on the main tourist routes but I can’t recommend it enough. It’s not that big, but it is worth the time. And, if you’re a Maureen O’Hara fan, be certain to go to the top floor!
Another stop on our little trip was at Leo’s house. She lives in a 300 year old cottage way outside of a little village. She and her partner have an amazing collection of vintage cars. How cool is that?
A grand day was had by all and we so appreciate Leo taking us around. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have meet some really wonderful people during our time here!