Category: Trella Diaries

Tuesday, July 21, 1998
Westport to Letterkenney 234 miles via Limevady
9:20 Lvg Seapoint – trimming hedges along road with huge vertical trimmers.
Corraun Peninsula to Achill – not interesting so turned back. N on N59 – R314 to Ceide (Kayde) Fields – in bog – 5,000 yr old site buried by 3000 yrs of bog building – uncovered – lunch & A V presentation.
High Cliffs – mts to sea – Atlantic Drive high foggy – wild gunnara – before Ceide peat harvesting – bog train being loaded with peat – sheep grazing & on road – misting rain – N. Atlantic Ocean – Giants Causeway
3:50 Sligo – Dual Way 70 mph
4:25 Mullaghmore – Lord Mountbatten home – killed by IRS bomb off shore – Donegal Bay – boats – drove down and had to back out!
4:40 – Called Cinci – Drove to head
5:25 Donegal – lots of building Georgian facades
5:30 Ballyshannon – Greeks founded town after “Great Flood” oldest town in Ireland
6:45 – Letterkenney cascading down hill – I never got into town
7:15 Glencarin House
2 hrs Dinner at Silver Tassie in Country
David and Karen to Letterkenny to Cottage Pub – T reading in room.

Monday, July 20, 1998
Spidal-Galway-Clifden-Westport 128 miles
9:00 Lv Dunli9u-Spiddal – back to Galway – Dappen’s Fabric Store- bot buttons, Karen bot linene – She shunned Durne Stores – A Mall – I bought blue aran sweater 32 punt. David found “cyber cafe” & set up an emaill site & sent Journal 1 – Back past Spiddal to Costello but not to shore here. Sheep & cows.
Clifden took sky road – 1st transatlantic flight ended near here in 1919.
Drove in Roseleague Manore (Hotel Type) Kass & Pete Matimore stayed here. First Avoca Mills shop – David bought coat 39 punts.
12 Bens (mountains) in clouds – rhododendren hedges.
Co. Mayo – chartreuse fields – Bogs & bogs.
7:10 Westport Seapoint House
2 hrs Westport Dinner 45 punts – trout & salmon
Gas at Westport 6.09 per litre – 28 punts
Seapoint House – View of Clew Bay – hydrangeas around oval driveway.

Sunday, July 19, 1998
373 – 9:50 Lvg Woodfield & all its variety.
9BY402 – Renault – To Athalone
Lunch at Monk’s Pub in Ballyvaugh
Cliffs of Moher looking toward Irish Cottage we occupied in 1978 – Toured Burren – DId Ailwell Cave

Goodgy to Kieth & Helen – He gave me cand I’d been using – Thru Galway to our first B7B at Spiddal – Room so small – no romm for suitcases
Dun Luis Pub

Saturday, July 18, 1998
Sat mileage 138
Birr Castle, Leap Castle
Mile 235
9:40 Lvg Woodfield Esker sand Quarry – solid fences Palm Treet
9:50 Tulamore COnal shpping cups – food
11:30 lvg Tulamore
11:50 lvg Tulamore – then back to Tullamore for N52
12:15 Kilcormac – SIlver River
12:30 Birr Castle
3:00 Telescope Demonstration – Tea at the Stable
4:35 Lvg Birr Castle Area
Petrol Stop 57 p litre 7/24 – $33
to to ?? or Clareen – Lost – man helping this way & turn left to miole hter – cross over & 1st turn to right
5:10 Clareen
5:25 Ruined haunted castle – Tincar D&K walk
7:30 Lvg Leap Caslte – Ann & Sean Ryan – Sean flutist – Ann teaches Irish Dance. Some River Dance her pupils. Restoration a one main project all very old materials. Est cost 20,00 pd started in 1991
7:45 Kinnitly – Telefone Lambs

Friday, July 17, 1998
To Locke’s Brewery restoration
Lunch at Port(?) All had Quiche
Meadowsweet everywhere
To Sleive Bloome – Cat Hale Falls along Barrow River
Forest walk
up to “the Cut” – spotted orchids

Thursday, July 16, 1998
David up early photographing garden.
9:00 Bfst – Keith potted up plants I brought
K & H to Clara – David’s Secret Garden – walked along lane – huge beech. To Woodfield Bog 2:00 lunch 3:00 to Clonmacnoise passing Clara – Shannonbridge – shopped General Store
Keith & Helen at home while we were at Clonmacnoise -bot Heritage Pass used it here and at Ceide Fields and Muckross Castle
6:40 lvg Shannon Bridge.
7:30 arrive Woodfield
Dinner at Woodfield. Keith showed me his family scrapbook – family tree thru his mother to the 1700s.
Toured the house – portrait of his great uncle & aunt – last farmers & large land owners – Dishi Ansby – blue willow – was this great aunt who also had the house enlarged.
Library filled with books some in Latin 1600s – vellum binding.
Keith’s library is in their upstairs sitting room. They live as they did in 1983 when Mame & I visited and his brother Adam lived in the front part. Keith’s mother (in surprize) inherited Woodfield from her uncle (Keith’s great uncle’s above). They retired here, Adam retired here, Keith retired here – they call in “The retirement home”

Wednesday, July 15, 1998
2:00 AM Ohio Time
Arrived Shannon 6:50 AM 30 min early

Picked up car Ford Mondo.Changed $100 cash and $100 traveler’s checks ($2.50 chg)
Made Res for Great Southern at airport for Tues July 28.
To Limerick Divided Highway
Vines on wire fence make hedge-
10:45 – Galbally – snack. $8.50-$10
11:45 – lvg – bot phone card – stamps & postcards – mailed.
12:00 – Tipperary-
12:20 Rock of Cashel – LV 1:50. N8 Good road to Port Laoise 2:30 – Cullahill re-forested hills. Thatched roof – Slieveardagh Hills
Road Name Abbylaux end of left margin. Loose chippings ahead.
3:00 – Mountmeille
3:15 – Co. Offaly & sun shines
3:20 – Tullamore
3:40 – Woodfield mile150
Tea – Gardens – dinner.
“Jungle” – Keith’s books authored.
Bed 10:30.
(Evening note: Soup Leg of lamb, vegetables, tea)

Tuesday, July 14, 1998
Off to Ireland -The Day at Last!
Up at 8:15 bath, bkfst, fed Chessie & birds, moved hanging baskets & prairie plants near side porch so Mary can easily water them. Dug T.grandiflora but cut into the tubers, silene regia, her gament[?], trefoil for Keith. Call from Ray Gottfried – he had materials from Monica Leftin also. Wrote short note to Monica. Finished packing – 1-21′ traveller, Natl Audubon carry-on (checked both) camera bag & my “Irish” tote – Odds and Ends in yellow Breeden plastic bag – loading into car at 12:15 Hair wash 12:30 & cut and blow dry, 1:30 at Mary’s & transferred to her Caddilac with Mary Cline.
Headed for Kenton – chicken sandwich & root beer float at Kenton Dairy Queen at 2:15.
Parked on E side of courthouse – David & Karen & Dave & Sarah Sapp arrived 2:50. Loaded into Sarah’s 94 Honda & headed to Detroit Metro International Airport – arrived 5:15 – American Transfer Key Tours – Shannon right at door – checked in by 6:00.
Thru Security & coffee shop 6:10 $31 food. Waiting to board since 6:30 Trans American Charter 8444.7:40 push off – flight time to Shannon 5 hr 44 minutes – temp S 64° – 3,321 nautical miles – non-stop 39,500′ 10 seats across – row 32 Seats H&K – changed watch to 1:00 AM
1:07 takeoff – Lockheed 1011 – 3:00 dinner over – arr Shannon 6:55 AM
Bfst snack
8:30 Lvg Green Ford 98 0008 miles.

Monday, July 13, 1998
To H.H. for Director Evaluation meeting & how could “the girls” nit pick when Jane has given her all and brought MCHS into the kind of programs we should be doing. I came away drained – wrote report & sent to R. Carey.
Howard Mitchell in & picked up his 100 books to return to Windmill Publications for corrections.To Marion Bank & found I do have my ATM access even tho I was a little slow in remembering it.
Bought a soft thermal bag at Meijer.
Mary here when I got home – gave her more instructions on taking care of house.
Don Keil over to see where I want mowed. He is so nice. Then I sorted & loaded recyclables in car so Royce can sweep basement Thurs.
Kass called with some places they stayed near Clifdon – Kathi called to wish us well.
Post from Monica Leftin & order for another Hemmerly book.

Sunday, July 12, 1998
Spent the day selecting clothes for outfits for trip & washing, etc.
Mary out PM off & I showed her how to create Civil War notebooks. Fried catfish, boiled potatoes & beets & canteloupe for our supper.