Yesterday was a long full day so I apologize that I did not get the blog posted last night. We got on the bus at 8:30am and did not return to the hotel until 8:30pm. Fortunately, I did get the photos processed and we have a little free time this morning so I can catch up.
Our destination yesterday was Connemara. A beautiful, rugged and somewhat desolate peninsula on the west coast bounded by Killary Harbour on the north and Galway Bay on the south. We only had one photo stop in the morning so I tried to take a few shots out the bus windo
w to give you a sense of the terrain. Along Killary Harbour, which is actually a fjord we saw boats out tending mussel farming operations.
And this sheep gave us a nice demonstration of his (or her?) thick wool c
oat. Our guide, Patrick, talked some about sheep farming. He said that it is
no longer economic to raise sheep for the wool. Though they do shear the sheep and sell the wool to textile manufacturers in China and India, it is not very profitable. On the other hand, Ireland is a major exporter of mutton and lamb to the tune of $230,000,000 Euros. The primary buyers being Great Britain and France.
Kylemore abbey, our primary destination, is a manor house built in 1866
which was later purchase by the Benedictine order and used as a girls school. The school is now closed but the Benedictines seem to be doing a good business in tourism. I had visited Kylemore back in the 1990s on my first brief visit to Ireland but the gardens had not been restored at that time so it was a delight to get to see them now. We had a voucher for lunch at the cafeteria where I chose quiche and a salad, at least slightly 
less rich than the usual fare and possibly my first meal in Ireland without potatoes! By the time I had seen the gardens, had lunch, toured the mansion, and explored the gift shop our allotted three hours was well a
nd truly spent.
Next we proceeded to the Logh Inagh Lodge for a taste of Irish coffee, a
magic elixir which makes both coffee and whiskey more palatable than either in their native form, at least in my humble opinion. The scen
ery at the Lodge was amazing and I could see getting lost in Connemara for a few weeks, or
months, or years.
Next we proceeded to a heritage center called Cnoc Suain. Not at all the commercial enterprise I had envisioned, here a couple has taken it upon themselves to preserve what they can of Irish culture. They have restored some old cottages out in the middle of the bog lands. We had a demonstration of Gaelic speaking and singing, the making of Irish soda bread (along with a taste, yum), there was a peat fire and we had an opportunity to taste some seaweed. Hoping I never have to rely on that for 
a food source. Next we went to another building for a fascinating talk and demonstration on the peat bogs and how peat is harvested and dried. The sphagnum moss which makes up most of the bog vegetation is actually a great carbon dioxide sink so the burning of peat for fuel is now being discouraged. In the third cottage we met a musician who demonstrated the Irish version of an accordion and a variety of tin whistles. Then some of our group learned an Irish dance. All in all, a fun and interesting stop.
Finally, we headed to the town of Spiddal on Galway Bay where we were served fish and chips (at least the potatoes were fried for a change). We were all quite satisfied and then they proceeded to bring out a huge slice of apple cake with ice cream. Somehow I am still managing to get into my smaller pants, I suppose it is all the walking, but I’m afraid I am going to have to start saying no to the sugar, the cream and the ubiquitous heaps of mashed potatoes. I may also have to buy new shoes as the ones I bought just before leaving are already starting to come apart.