Lough Neagh
20 June 2015
We left the land that time forgot quite early the next morning, bidding the young couple farewell we set off along the course of the Shannon, towards the town of Carrick on Shannon. On the way we remarked how universal the thatched cottage seems to be here. The thatched roof that I associate with the west country in England appears here all over the place, slightly less so in the north than the south, but not such a rarity as they would be in Scotland.
We have been finding ways of inputting instructions into Jim so that he takes us the way we want to go, rather than some fantasy route in his electronic mind which involves everything from motorways to cart tracks. We had wanted to get out of Crosshaven using a ferry south of Cork, but found ourselves in the middle of morning rush hour queuing through the Jack Lynch tunnel! On other occasions he has taken us up near-vertical slopes on very thin roads, where meeting an articulated lorry can be a near-death experience! We prefer the more minor roads for leisurely sightseeing and looking at the countryside, and finally Jim is getting the message. Our choices for route settings are: fast, short, green, and easy. We are experimenting with these all the time.
This time we had chosen a largish site, close to a pub, with wifi and laundry facilities. When we arrived at Leitrim, the pub was closed until 5pm, didn't do meals on a Thursday, was refurbishing the laundry so it was out of action, and the wifi was on available on the pub patio, not on the pitches. So no laundry, but the site was nice, with a river at the bottom of the field and a canal walk next to it, where Jack and Ju could wander at will.
I begin to. Wonder, when is high season here, as very few sites we have visited along the way have been full or even near full.
We roasted our fourth chicken of the trip on the Cobb barbecue in very pleasant sunshine, and had a reasonably early night.
Friday morning dawned, and we headed towards Ulster again, wanting to have a look at Monaghan, supposed home of the McNally clan. We were not disappointed, spotting the name on a shop in the centre. But Monaghan itself was not particularly interesting, so we diverted to Armagh, where we spotted another McNally business, and a magnificent cathedral. Our goal was to have been Dungannon, but when we arrived to take a look at the park it felt like Alcatraz, all barriers and codes and gates, and there were schoolchildren everywhere, in huge numbers. On enquiring what was happening it turned out to be a sponsored walk, for which the teachers were glad of the good weather. No rain today. So we moved further north to a combined marina and campsite it Ballyronan, prior to heading for Larne tomorrow for the start of the journey home. I think we are both all Irelanded out, after four fantastic weeks.
One regret I have is missing out on Dundalk, although we have visited most of the counties this one was a miss, especially since the Rough Guide to Ireland, of which I have a venerable twenty year old edition, recommends visiting Termonfeckin, where you can find the church of St Feckin. Suddenly Mrs Brown's Boys terminology is clarified at last.
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