Land of Eire, Day Three:

Off to Kilbeggan in County West Meath to give the distillery (1757) a once over, and of course a taste test. (Ah, deir makin' us inta mornin' driners on dis trip.) Ishkabaha, Irish for whiskey.

Arrived at Westport where we'll stay the next two nights. Quaint little burg on a river with lots of pubs and knickety knackety shops. Our hotel room overlooked the top of a tree, and the key to the door was stubborn as an Irish mule. How would it work after a Guinness or two?

Matt Malloy's provided pub music and Guinness. It is owned by the flute player from the musical group The Chieftans.

Da fourt day:

Took a boat cruise around a fiord near the village of Lenanne where salmon and mussels are raised and harvested. Windy day with sun and rain fighting for dominance. Had a grilled cheese tomato and onion sandwich in Gaynor's Field Restaurant; no Guinness this time, just tea. Pictures of the movie "The Field" on the walls, as it was filmed just down the road.

Westport House, an 18th century mansion, like Downton Abbey. Bells in the basement for the servants to answer. The history is that the original lord of this house had a daughter whom he forbade to go with him on trading (pillaging?) trips, so she cut her hair and dressed like a man to sneak on board. She proved herself a tough broad, and he took her with her on future trips.

OK, so it's a bit commercialized, complete with amusement park for the kids. A tourist attraction's gotta do what it's gotta do to say afloat, you know. 

Dinner at the Clew Bay Hotel. Delicious fresh prawn salad and beef stew, cream puffs for dessert---and off to the pub for Guinness. An upset table, and Kaaren got more Guinness than she ordered all over her jeans and shoes. Worse tragedies could occur than a Guinness bath I suppose.