County Carlow, Irland

Not the weather, but our B&B’s.

But first things first. We had another wonderful breakfast at Loch Lein and actually left before it was 10:00 a.m. But we had a long drive ahead of us. Sat nav programmed and off we went.

Again nothing really planned, but this seems the best way to travel. After driving almost 1.5 hours Karsten suggested a break. I looked at the map and had two suggestions. Mitcheltown Caves or Cahir Castle. Eric wanted the caves, but I have to admit we ignored that and decided that there were not enough castles on our trip.

What an excellent choice. The Cahir Castle is THE best castle in Ireland we have seen so far that has suffered the least damage. We had a fantastic and funny tour guide and spent over 2 hours there.

After a light lunch we continued on to Lorum Old Rectory. Since we didn’t have exact coordinates we had to stop and check where we were going. At last we found it and once again I felt as if I had won the lottery. A beautiful house, just as you would imagine an Irish Country House. Peat in the fireplace and a cup of tea in the drawing room.

Since Eric needed something to eat ( I think I have to go on a diet), our hostess recommended a restaurant in Borris. So we drove into Borris, parked our car and decided to take a walk. Across the street from the restaurant we saw what looked like a park. There was a sign saying closed for a private function, so we continued down the street and found out that Borris has a viaduct. We found it, wandered over it and headed back into town for Erics meal. The pub was packed but we were able to sit at the bar and we had Smithwicks and Eric had some noodles. I saw an ad for a whiskey called Writers Tears.

I guess it is nothing unusual in Ireland that a woman drinks a pint and orders a whiskey. I seem to be doing it right in the way I drink it too. A smile and a wink from the bartender at least led me to think so. Since Karsten had to drive I tried it and found it quite enjoyable.

After that we decided to see what the park was and much to Erics dimay, ignored the sign and walked through the open gate.
It didn’t say prohibited!!!!!

Seems this is private property called Borris House and has been in the family that lives there for 500 years. We did walk up to the castle, when a woman with a dog asked who we were looking for :-).
I just wanted a photo was my answer and she told us that this was private property and a wedding was going on. Of course we left, but only after I had taken a nice photo.

We came back to our B&B to find our beds turned down and the lamps lit.

Our last real night in Ireland. What a way to end a perfect vacation!