The little fellow messed around for awhile before we headed over to the main house for breakfast - I was starved but did he care - he got one lot of food only. We shared a table with a couple of priests, an Irishman by the name of Michael Maher SM and Fr Stefano Gobi, the internationally known Priest who works with priests and people around the world, especially involved in devotion to Our Lady. Luckily he spent so much time talking that I was able to get at his plate and no-one noticed. As expected the conversation dwelt mainly with what had happened in the US and any further news that we could share.

After a somewhat sombre breakfast we headed back to our room where we repacked our bags so that we only had one bag to take around Ireland with us - the only problem is that he thinks about himself and it is really difficult to get any space for myself. Anyway we managed to get all of that fixed, got a taxi and we were off to Marianella.

The taxi driver really didn't know the other side of the city so it meant that we chatted a lot on the way, especially about yesterday's events. While we were on our way over I suggested that we should try and drop off our bags at Marianella and get the same taxi driver to take us back to the airport - who gets the credit - not me, he thinks he's real clever.

Anyway, that's what we did. HE introduced himself (I'm right beside him and not a word is spoken) to Beth the lady at reception and she said that we could leave our gear here and it would be taken up to our room (203). She also told us that we have our own phone number (4067203 - with all the other numbers in front of it).

We got back into the taxi and headed for the airport where we had a short time to wait before Michael and Cathy and their friends arrived. He really is quite hopeless - everyone knows that getting off an international flight takes time so when the plane lands he starts running around as if he has missed them coming through the departure area. I was getting embarrassed as he moved around from one spot to another - I just made out I didn't know him.

Then he starts shouting out to a lady coming off the plane. What a surprise - he's so slow - I'd already recognised Debbie Piggott, a woman from Tasmania coming through the lounge and he's the one making a fool of himself. She and her husband are going to be living here for a time with their daughter. I only had a few seconds to say hello when he races off again, this time to greet Cathy and Michael and their friends Greg and Jeannie as they come through the gate. I wanted to say hello to Debbie but it seems like I am the junior partner in this trip and I'm not really happy - hopefully it might change but I'm beginning to doubt it.

Anyway we went out with Michael, Cathy and the others to go to the people mover they had hired. As they started driving towards Dublin they started talking about what they might do when they got back to Dublin for accommodation on Saturday night and I suggested that they might try to book into All Hallows for the night so we headed back there and made the bookings. Cathy was stoked because her daughter Elli had been to All Hallows (not here) as a boarder. It was a bit squeezy in the car but we were managing as we headed south out of Dublin via the coast road - I'm not sure whether that is what was intended but I think we will be doing quite a lot of sightseeing - most of it unintentional.

We stopped for some food (they weren't thinking about me when they put their orders in so I had to pinch chips off the plate again!) before we continuing on to Avoca where they all got out and pretended that they were part of the TV program "Ballykissangel" - for heavens sake. All I did was sat in the corner of the pub and enjoyed a Guinness and watched them get around. Mind you there was not a lot going on other that people watching TV reports of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the US - it seems there is little else on people's minds at the moment.

From there we continued down the road until we got to Wexford and hunted everywhere to find Michael Lacey, the guy that my travelling mate reckons he knows. Well almost no-one else did until he got lucky. There was an Internet access point in the pub (where else did you think we'd be!) and he managed to track him (Michael Lacey) down via a web site and when the fellows in the pub who didn't know him looked at the photo on the web page they all suddenly recognised him as a barman from 'White's' and could then tell us where he was now. Big help but - we'd passed by his pub on the way down and were now going in the opposite direction.

After some Chinese food we headed back to the B&B and hit the sack.

So we headed off - this time with a reformatted seating arrangement. The car can actually take seven people (no luggage) so they set it up for six and squeezed the luggage in (which made things a little tight for me but I had my own space so I was alright) - everyone else seemed more comfortable as well.

First stop was the Waterford Crystal Factory where we took the tour and saw how they make all that wonderful stuff - I was a little frightened because wearing my habit in a factory can be dangerous so I stayed in the background - I certainly didn't want to be a workplace casualty.

We then continued on towards Cork and decided that we'd stay in the old port -Cobh - which looked a quieter place in the guide books - big mistake. The place was awash with people including American tourists off a Norwegian Cruise Ship and we found more than a little trouble trying to get rooms for the night - mainly because we couldn't get to a phone as all the crew seemed to be lined up to make phone calls. I wanted to walk up and say that there was an emergency and I had to ring my Bishop in Australia but the others would let me. Eventually we were given the name of a B&B just out of town and were able to get some rooms so we took our gear out there, had a coffee and then headed back to town for a very pleasant meal with a couple of Guinness's brought in from the pub next door.

Then back home to bed - after he has a few Guinness's he seems to sleep fairly well so maybe his clock is getting back into sync.

We decided to hit the road early because we still thought that we might get to Cleggin, on the Galway Peninsula. We drove towards Blarney Castle, uncertain whether it would be open or not, and found, because there were so many tours booked in that it would be too difficult to close, we were able to climb the tower and kiss the Blarney Stone - this time I took a picture of him doing it (aren't I a good photographer!!) so that it really can be known that he is full of it.

From there we travelled around the Dingle Peninsula, deciding that looking at something a little different might be better than simply saying we had been around the Ring of Kerry. It was interesting as we saw a number of ancient sites including the Gallus Oratory, bee-hive huts and an ancient fort overlooking the South West Coast of Ireland.

< It was interesting listening to the others as they tried to work out where to go and what to see - himself kept putting his oar in but thankfully he didn't get his own way all of the time and we actually got to most places.

Towards evening we got to Tralee where we were able to find a B&B without too much trouble and learnt that pubs would be opening about 7pm for meals and such so we were able to get some food and have a Guinness before heading back to the B&B for an 'earlier' night.

After Limerick we headed off towards Kells and stopped at a little place called Toonyvara for lunch - it was the first little pub that looked like a pub and not just a space with a bar and some seats. The only trouble, as the photo suggests is that the two drivers weren't sure where we were going - in the photo they're checking the GPS (and they're still in the pub!!

The trip to Kells took us forever as we made some poor choices (alright decisions if you believe the maps) - if we had turned off the main road earlier and headed through the back roads we would have got there mid afternoon, as it was we got there about 5pm which meant that we couldn't go through the Heritage Centre so we did the tour of the town and then stopped for a Guinness before heading back to Dublin.

The trip back went easily with Greg taking charge of the navigation and getting us all back to All Hallows without too much trouble. That is until we got in the door and the rest of the team tried to get the keys for their rooms - somehow there had been a mixup and the keys weren't there. Luckily a guy came along and sorted it all out and it was fixed fairly quickly. While all that was happening the little fellow organised a taxi to bring us over here to Marianella and he was told that it would be about half an hour. As we went back to tell the others it would be some time before we left the girl at reception came and said that the taxi had arrived so we left without being able to say farewell to Jeannie and Greg so that was bad - hopefully we'll get a chance tomorrow to catch them but we'll have to wait and see what happens.

A little bit of trouble when I arrived trying to get in but that all worked out and now I am setting myself up for the holidays. Himself is running round trying to make all his electrical things work - he's been at the computer already and has managed to download all his emails but can't seem to send any yet so he's a little bit anxious about what might happen. Me, I'm going to bed - I've seen a fair bit of Ireland and I'm looking forward to seeing some more so I'm not going to get hassled by little things - he'll do enough worrying for both of us and anyone else as well.

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