6 Jul 2012 – From Kilcloon to Portrane
Sun: breakfast at Caffery’s (1640) in Batterstown, Co Meath where Mick and the boys gather! The old section has much history and personality.
100,000 thanks to Ann & Mick for their warm hospitality and great to catch up with Ivan & Karl too. Glad to meet Trish and the twins, also Jack with a wooden heart 🙂
The drive from Kilcloon to Port Reachrann/Portrane=landing place of Reachrainn took app 40mins, appreciations to Ann. Poor Stephen was in a job accident, lost his 5 toes but still in good spirits. Have not seen him since 1974. Today he lives in Portrane with wife Trisha. Local and only pub here, The Brook is where the movie Jerry Maguire*** (Tom Cruise) was filmed.
The Fingal Dublin region is renowned for its old world charm and rich heritage. Deriving its name from the Gaelic words Fine Gall=land of the fair-haired stranger in reference to the Vikings who settled in the area from the 8th Century onwards.
Martello towers are small defensive forts built during the 19th century from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. 40ft/12m high (with two floors), their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. Bro Les wants to buy a Martello to renovate for a holiday home!
In the distance is Lamby Island (must be the Viking influence!), a privately owned island. With a name like Lamby where Lamby=Lam town in Norwegian, it would be good to own a Martello with Lamby in the background 🙂 🙂
St Ita’s Hospital is an impressive collection of Victorian red brick buildings which dominate the peninsula. St Catherine’s Church and Bobs Castle are the ruins on Burrow Rd where Stephen & Trisha live. 3 above pix credit goes to Stephen.
Tóg go bog é, my favourite Irish phrase!
Yeah… more or less up to date with the Irish’s journey postings 🙂 🙂 🙂
How about a little piece of integrity in this world that is so full of greed and a lack of honorability that I don’t know what to tell my son! Except, ‘Here. Have a look at a guy who isn’t yelling ‘Show me the money’… – 1996 movie Jerry Maguire