To the Island off the Island

And now, from the Better Late Than Never Department. Ireland the country, and Ireland where we've been/are going.  

Ireland

Our little southwest corner. We landed in Shannon (at the top with the airplane symbol) and went directly down to Cahirciveen. Glenbeigh is just above — where we ate a few times. Next, Cork City (the other airplane symbol). Then west to Ballycotton (all the way to the right). Our final five days here will b e in Bantry — back a bit east.

 

On Wednesday, we drove to Valentia Island, just off Portmagee, where I’d been earlier, but Fred had not. I drove him down this treacherous road to a lighthouse, where he drew for an hour or so, while I was back in the town’s big hotel for tea and to do some work. (Turns out there was a café and presumably a wifi signal AT the lighthouse, but I had a lovely setting — albeit a super grouchy waitress — back in town.) Valentia Island had some Lynch connections, but nothing too concrete, so there was no house/ruin/graveyard hunting. 

After the lighthouse, we walked around the town shooting pics of what charmed us. 

At a pub near the day’s end, we sat next to a guy who told us if we walked out and took a left, not the first house, but the one after that was Lynches. The one after that was Lynches. The one after that was Lynches. The one after that was Lynches. And the one after that was Lynches. And across the street was a guy who’s usually in this pub right now.. but if he’s home, we should talk with him because he knows everything about the Lynches, His name is Liam Lynch. (I suggested this as a name for one of our boys, but Fred thought it sounded too much like a soap opera star.) I knocked. He wasn’t home. Dinner back in Portmagee at the Bridge Bar again. Seafood stew for Fred, vegetable soup (puréed and very good) for me. Fred also had a gin and tonic because there’s a local gin here called Skellig Six 18. Very tasty! 

Here's where the gin got its name: The distillery is located right on the Cahersiveen coast, where the mountains meet the sea. The same wild landscape that motivated sixth-century monks to build their monastery 11km out in the Atlantic Ocean on Skelllig Michael. From a small landing cove on granite rock, they built 618 steps to reach their monastery on the top of Skellig Michael. This feat, their journey, inspires Skellig Six18 today.

Photo courtesy of the internet :)