Friday, September 20, 2024

Day 18 - Chores, footy and Inchicronan

 Day 18 - Chores, footy and Inchicronan

Ruined Abbey at Inchicronan

I had a few jobbies to do this morning.

There was no 10 am Mass as there was a funeral at noon. Did I mention yesterday that the queue went forever last night??  The vigil time was 5.30 -8 pm and there was a constant queue outside my house during that time.  
Today's funeral must have been a biggie,  cos the Garda were there directing traffic before the funeral. 

People kept parking across my driveway but it was OK when I was ready to go out. 

Anyway... back to the jobbies!  I have hired this apartment for 4 weeks and part of the agreement  is that it is not serviced, but they leave me a change of linen and towels etc...  So today was the day to change my bed linen . I thought it was an opportune time  as the footy was on and I could do 2 things at once!!! 

Also had to work out how to fit my coffee in,  so went for the half time take away from Coffee Hatch. 

Then after a quick chicken  sandwich for lunch (I bought a chook for tea last night!) I was ready to hit the road.  On to yesterday's target of Inchicronan. 

Lahinch to Inchicronan


One of the things I haven't discussed so far is that terrifying corner in Ennistymon. 

The Lahinch road meets a T intersection  in Ennistymon and its the intersection from hell...  It is narrow as... and there are buildings that encroach right on to the corner, combined with a ditch that could swallow a car.  I always pray when going round that corner. Unfortunately  if you're on the road to Ennis there's no way around it.  And the other consequence  is that the traffic builds up for well over a kilometre. When the buses try to turn there I just close my eyes and pray!!! It's so scary  😨  Luckily many people are very generous and let you through - otherwise I might still be there!!

Sadly I had to go through that corner today, but I think school must have finished at 1.30 pm on Friday  so that doubled the traffic jam.  Ah the joys of  travel in Ireland. But me no complain!! I am so lucky to be here!! Just describing what happens.  

Anyway I set my little Google Maps for Inchicronan  and that brought a few interesting results.  

The first was that it found every little back road  between here and Inchicronan and took me along it.  Actually it was very pretty  but I was working the gears around all the bends and twists and turns. 

It took me to the nearest town which was Crusheen. I was looking for a coffee shop,  but Irish towns don't always have shops. It's a bit weird.  There was a pub, but it looked very closed. 

So I thought I would just go on to Inchicronan, thinking there might be something there...

As usual I followed my GPS  slavishly,  and I ended up  at a building,  that didn't look like a tourist place.  A gentleman  came out and I told him I was looking for Inchicronan and he told me that I was there.  So I asked him if this was a tourist place and he said no, it was a private house! 

But he was lovely... the first thing was he let me use his loo in his house.  

Inchicronan house



Then he told me there was a ruined Abbey about one mile up the track.  So I decided to follow it... 

It was a long walk !!! 

Track to the Abbey

It was actually quite warm too and I had left my water in the car.  Bad move.  I should remember  from Newman days to always carry water when you're trekking! 

Eventually  after about 30 mins walking I arrived. It was a lovely old ruin. I couldn't get inside,  and there were heaps of brambles or blackberries surrounding it.  But I managed to take a few pics!!! 

Abbey at Inchicronan 



Abbey at Inchicronan 

Abbey at Inchicronan

Apart  from the fact it was a long walk, it was also a very pretty walk, with views of the Inchicronan Loch along the path

Inchicronan Loch


So, on the drive home, my Google Maps tried to get me to retrace my steps along the  long and windey roads. But I wasn't having any!!! I selected the M18 which is a double lane highway, and although it  was a bit slow through Ennis, it was better than all the bends and hills and ups and downs!!!

I didn't manage to get my coffee while I was out... but there was one thing on my mind as I was driving home!!! I was straight over to Kenny's Bar once I arrived and got myself organised... Gotta love that Smithwicks!!!

Recovery time

So it was a lovely day weather wise, and Inchicronan was special too. Just a big shout out to that Irish fellow who owned the house and let me use his loo, and gave me instructions as to where to go for the Ruined Abbey. I have found the Irish people in general to be so friendly and helpful, and he was just a classic example. I am so lucky to have so many people go out of their way to help me on this holiday. 



13 comments:

  1. I remember being given the wrong info on our Google maps when we were in Ireland and ended up at a farm surrounded by wild geese that wouldn’t move until a farmer appeared and said something to the geese in Gaelic and they moved 🤣🤣. So glad you got to the pub in one piece!! Enjoy 🇮🇪

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    1. Yea , I've heard stories about Google taking you to very obscure places. All part of the adventure I suppose.

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    2. Google is not the only one, Siri is just as bad, if not worse. Col

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    3. I've never used Siri... don't think I'll start now!!

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  2. That corner sounds awful, after my experience driving around the UK I am never going to hire a car again. Scotland and Wales were ok but London and the surrounds were so scary.

    You are certainly having a lot of adventures and I look forward to the next instalment. Col

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    1. Driving is not too bad here, especially in the country. At least we drive on the same side of the road.

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    2. That’s the only good thing I can say about driving in London…

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  3. Had a good chuckle over your adventures today. The old google map trap - plans the shortest route which is often longer due to unseen traps. Let me into deep bush and a ditch in country NSW. Think it was an old bullock track! You definitely meet some lovely people xx

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    1. Yes it's all part of the adventure. The people are just the cream on top.

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  4. The Lions have just beaten the Cats Moira so it will be an interstate GF next weekend! It was a fantastic final quarter but you may have seen it! You are certainly having some exciting daily adventures and seeing beautiful places. Take care, Annette.

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    1. Yes just watched it Annette. Great game. It came on here at 8.30 am. I'll have to get up early next week for the Grannie!!

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  5. I’m feeling your pain with that intersection Moira but you’re doing so well driving to all these places, even if Google Maos does like to give you a bit of a run around ! I have only ventured as far as the supermarket so far! I’m ok with the manual car but it’s driving on the wrong side of the road that’s a bit of a challenge. Katie

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    1. That's a good start Katie... just keep thinking.. "keep right" "keep right'. I wore a band on my right hand when I was driving in France... I found that helped.

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