Bit, I told Janet earlier about you calling these kind of trips I make Fairy Trips....and she laughed. Later, she turned round and asked me what I had said about Fairies.

The more I think about this, I smile - travelling through Ireland with nary a care in the world, not worrying about where you are going because when you get there you will find something worth remembering - it is actually a fairy trip. Earlier today we were trying to get home from Castlecomer and I saw a sign pointing to Ballyouskill - and I told Janet, 'Take that turn' and she did and next thing I knew we were up in our baby mountains where you can see 5 or 6 counties and Janet had to stop the car to photograph...... and me..I was sitting in the car hoping to God that no-one would come round the corner and hit me from the back But......I was so glad that I had brought her to this place

The beginning of my post...... Fairy Trip Janet arrived this morning and we talked and talked and talked. It was just so wonderful to see her again, so wonderful. I pulled up the O.S. maps and showed her all the graveyards, she pulled out notes and books and showed me stuff. I set my oldest computer searching for photographs with one of the surnames she gave me and boy did I find one out there in Donaghmore outside Ballyragget. We decided on a plan, go to Donaghmore find the stone and photograph it again, then on to Freshford cos there were Maher gravestones in the little Protestant cemetery there…… That’s where the plan went astray but I’ll get to that in a while

Donaghmore graveyard, someone had cut the grass in the first 1/3rd of the graveyard and left it long in the back – Janet being the brave one set off down the back looking for our stone – me, well, my son was busy up in Croke Park and he decided to call me, so I let Janet get wet all by herself – AND, no, she didn’t find the gravestone BUT we do have a copy of it and I can mail her a fresh photo soon as Ireland dries up. Back to Ballyragget to photograph the Castle – I can’t even imagine how many times I’ve driven through that town, looked at the Castle and told myself “Must photograph that”

From Ballyragget, we then headed for Freshford and then we took off on our Merry Little Way. We spotted a sign to (I think) was a Rory O’Meagher centre and said we have to go there. Janet was taking photos on the Green, walked up to a map and took photos of that, I walked up to her then and said, ‘Hey, is that the place I have Google Maps (if it was working), looking for – and she says, yep, you’re right Jane. So, I say, do we want to go there and she says Yep. Off we go on the road the map said to get to Upper Woods (I’m sure it was Upper Woods) EXCEPT we didn’t get to Upper Woods on that road, instead, I spot a building in a field and say to Janet, een here, there’s going to be a gate in a minute…..and there was. Here, I did not mind getting wet one bit (Janet was SOAKING after her graveyard trip) –off I went into the field taking photos left, right and centre – the grass, wet grass was up to my knees……. And there was or were the remnants of another old building across the road plus………sheep, there were sheep. Mammies and babies and Janet had to take photographs of them Baby sheep are lovely.

Back into car, back to Freshford and now, we set off for Tullaroan and en route we come across entrance to Upper Woods – and yes, Janet is not shy, in she turns and off we go up this road with her stopping to photograph the trees lining the road – and this lady, she knows more Irish history than I do – listening to her – wow, I don’t know history. We literally did not shut up all day I’m going to save the rest of the day for tomorrow…….tomorrow’s easy, we’re only heading off to Glasnevin but, en route so long as Janet gets an email back we are meeting someone for lunch in the National Museum.

To be continued ...