Up early to drive to airport in Dublin. Overcast - mist on the Mournes! Porridge for breakfast - no wine for us!!
We continued our chat with Colm and Francis over breakfast about this, that and everything! He told us more about the local golf course - the Royal County Down which apparently costs £60 a round!! And every 12 minutes a new round starts! It opened 127 years ago in 1889 and is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland. For the golfers out there, the fourth and ninth holes are featured in the book The 500 World's Greatest Golf Holes and Rory McIlroy named Royal County Down his favourite golf course in the world.
We followed a complicated route inland to Newry and through Newry in order to join the M1; changed Tom-Tom back to kms just south of Newry.
We pass through County Louth then County Meath. We see the turn-offs to Drogheda and Newgrange. I would have liked to have done these to round off our education of Irish history but there wasn't enough time. We could easily have spent more time up north too around Ballycastle and in the Glenariff area.
We managed to successfully navigate our way to Terminal 2 where My Friend left me with the bags while he returned the car. Then through the usual routines of airport check-ins - but pretty efficient apart from having to remove boots, i-pads etc. through the screening - it's like getting undressed!
I think this is our plane in the background.
We have had a great time here in Ireland. Ireland is a wonderful country: lovely scenery; green; polite, helpful and friendly people; clean toilets (and free!) everywhere; neat houses and gardens; ruins and rock walls everywhere. I think it ticked ALL my boxes!
So have Peter and Kate enjoyed Ireland. I spoke with Kate this morning. Peter is cycling in Tuscany in Italy and having a great time. The Reillys have completed their Camino in Portugal. The Robbs are meeting up with the Harpers in Nice. And I haven't heard from Prue and Deirdre re their Spanish Camino although I know Tony has been sick with the 'flu. And news just to hand is that the Western Bulldogs have won - not that I follow the AFL. POSTSCRIPT (we are transferring in Dubai) - just had word from Prue - they walked 25 kms today and 26 kms yesterday and it is VERY WARM!
I enjoyed one film on our return, but mostly watched the golf (the Ryder Cup). The film was The Dresser about the relationship between a domineering and self-centred actor and his dresser; it has a stellar cast: Emily Watson, Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins who were absolutely superb and Edward Fox in a wonderful cameo role.
