Because we missed our pub night and fell asleep before the band even began we were up and at it – waiting for Trim Castle to open.

Trim Castle is the largest Anglo/Norman in Ireland built in 1172 when it was gifted to Hugh de Lacy by England’s Henry 11 in order to counter the power of Strongbow, another British colonist.

We saw the castle with a tour guide and walked up over 3 stories on a winding stone staircase. The view from the top was astounding.

Next stop- Clonmacnoise – the ancient ruin of a catholic monastery and cemetery built in 544 on the Shannon River.

Sitting in the tea house at the site, we found our next B and B – the Greenfield Lodge in Headford,Curraghmore near Galway. We thought we were on the Atlantic so imagine our surprise the next day to find out that that great sea air was really great Lough air!

Stan announced that night that he was taking back the car the next day, he couldn’t handle it one more day! Our GPS was taking us on the narrowest roads it could find and besides the shock of finding oncoming cars around blind corners and multitudes of round and roundabouts and having no idea where you are when roads look more like private driveways – driving all day on the opposite side of the road takes its toll. Fortunately, a good nights sleep and a big Irish breakfast prepared him for one more try.