Interesting Irish conversations

This helpful sticker on my dashboard helps remind me to drive on the left!

Sheep picture of the day-standing proud.

Mike's glasses broke yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. Unfortunate timing--it was too late to get them repaired, he's basically blind without them, it was raining cats and dogs and we didn't know how to get where we were going, and he's the navigator. We managed to find our way to our hotel--Castle Lough Eske! You'd think it would be easy to find a castle, wouldn't you?

Solis Lough Eske Castle, County Donegal--not my picture; it was pouring when we arrived!

So this morning we went straight to the opticians to get Mike's glasses fixed. We were chatting with the girl at the shop about the weather--it was clear and sunny this morning, quite a contrast to the deluge of the afternoon before. She was telling us that last Tuesday it had been "a real scorcher--it was at least 21; I could hardly bear it!" For my US friends, that's all of 70 degrees. Hmmm.

Mike in front of Castle Donegal. Seriously, EVERY town has a castle! This one was  the O'Donnell clans--and has been extensively restored.

We drove and then hiked down to St. John's point, a narrow finger of land that extends from the  northwest coast of Donegal into the Donegal Bay.

On the cliffs at St. John's point--we were the only people there, other than a couple of fishermen down below.

The day was so clear! Not a lot of air pollution here.

The next conversation was at dinner. We were asking our waitress how to pronounce a name--I mentioned how we were struggling with some of the pronunciation of local names--like "lough"--pronounced "lock" here, as mentioned earlier. She asked me how I would pronounce it. I said, "low" like "dough". She paused, and said, "oh, yeah, I guess I don't have anything to say to that." How can you figure out how to say things when the rules are so arbitrary???!!

The fishing village of Killybegs. I love the names of towns here--Letterkenny, Bruckless,
Glencolumbkille, Bundoran, Ballymoney--they're so much fun to say! 

The Slieve League of Donegal.

Mike at the top of the mountain we hiked up beside the Slieve League.

We had a lovely day--the weather was sunny and WARM! We looked around Donegal and then drove up the northwest coast to the Slieve League--Donegal's cliffs. The lady at the tourist office had told us the Slieve League was better than the Cliffs of Moher--Mike and I disagree with her assessment. While the Slieve League is beautiful, the Cliffs of Moher were much more dramatic; dark and brooding and you are actually right on them so you can hear the waves crashing down below and the puffins and seagulls chattering or whatever they do.

The Cliffs of Moher--dark and dramatic.

Sitting on the cliff edge at Moher when you hike beyond the barriers-terrifying I might add.

Standing on the mountain beside the Slieve League--they just aren't as dramatic! Though you can't sit on their edge--they are too high.