Week One in Ireland: Beautiful Adventures, A Heatwave, A Wedding and a Funeral

Well. It hasn't been as easy as I had hoped to keep on top of blogging and posting photos. But that's okay. I'm at the most adorable and colorful coffee shop in Carrick-on-Shannon, VDA Coffee, doing my best to get caught up on a rare day of doing nothing in Ireland. I came here yesterday in search of a delicious vanilla latte and a place to work and was delighted to taste what has been the best coffee of my trip. The wi-fi (not a guarantee in coffee shops in Ireland), decent work space and easy access to plugs means that I'll be spending more time here while I'm based at Mary & Alo's for work. 

Now let's dive into what I've been seeing, doing, eating during my first week in Ireland:

Saturday, June 20 (Mullaghmore, Gleniff Horseshoe, Eagle's Rock, Glencar Lough, The Thatch)

The day started with a visit in Carrick-on-Shannon with John's nephew Steve and his wife Yvonne and their two girls, Aria and Anna. They just happened to be here from Manchester (UK). It was great to see them.

From there we enjoyed a glorious day of warmth and sunshine and I took John on one of my "best of" Ireland drives. We hit the coastal town of Mullaghmore:

Then continued on to the Gleniff Horseshoe, a beautiful 10km scenic route in north Sligo:

We pulled over to take this photo of an idyllic Irish scene and it wasn't until after that I realized I caught some cheeky cows getting it on:

We drove straight towards Eagle's Rock:

And ended at Glencar Lough and waterfall:

Back at the house, Mary fed us a delicious meal and then we headed off for a night at the Thatch:

It was a wonderful day and I loved showing John some of my favorite places from this beautiful part of Ireland.

Sunday, June 21 (Downpatrick Head, Belmullet)

We needed to end up in Belmullet and, of course, took the scenic way there. When I was here last December, I stopped into a pub I had read about, McDonnell's Pub & Undertakers, and thought it'd be a good spot to return to. 

Before leaving town, we stopped by the Thatch to take some photos against the sunny skies and called into my favorite Irish artist, my good friend Malachy:

Then it was off to Downpatrick Head and on to Belmullet where we enjoyed some beautiful scenery along the way:

Once in Belmullet, we got settled into the hotel, ate a hearty dinner and then I left John at the pub while I took a 5-mile walk around town. When I came back to collect him, it was mental. I wasn't in the mood for a loud and crowded pub, so we didn't stay too long. 

Belmullet was perfectly fine, but I don't need to go back. I may have felt differently if I was in the mood for drinking and planted myself at the pub and had one of those unforgettable nights at McDonnell's. Instead, I enjoyed being back at our hotel at a relatively decent hour and took full advantage of the bathtub while John started working on his wedding speech. 

Monday, June 22 (Blacksod, Achill Island)

We had a great breakfast before going to check out the Blacksod Lighthouse. Last December, the bartender at McDonnell's said I had to go, so I made sure to incorporate it into this visit. Am I glad we went? Um...sure? No. I guess not. It wasn't really anything amazing and it added an hour onto our trip because it was about 30 minutes beyond Belmullet and we had to retrace our route to go to Achill. 

While the day started out a little cloudy, cool and rainy, once we got to Achill Island, the sun came out and it was glorious. This country is beyond beautiful when it's sunny. I felt so lucky that our only full day on Achill was so perfect. 

Achill is an interesting place. We had a hard time finding a pub that was open. We found one that was a 10-minute drive from our hotel, but it was only open until 8:00 p.m. The two that were within walking distance weren't open on Mondays. We had been warned that this may be the case, but I was still surprised. But, once again, I was fine with it because I needed to move my body more than I needed to sit in a pub. So, after a delicious dinner, I went for another 5-mile walk. 

Here's the view at 10:00 p.m. from the tail end of my post-dinner walk:

We were supposed to spend two nights in Achill, but when I looked at how long the journey was going to take to get to Castleconnell — coupled with the lack of pub options — I proposed we move on. I had a place in mind and luckily it was available. It was a splurge, but it was nice to surprise John with it. He's so very good at letting me take him on these (random) adventures. But, to be fair, I have rarely led him astray!

Tuesday, June 23 (Westport, Doolough Valley, Delphi Lodge)

When we went to bed last night, we had a beautiful view out our window of Keel beach. We could see the sheep grazing, the tents and campers set up, and the water. When we woke up, you couldn't see across the street! 

After breakfast, we packed up and headed off. About 11 years ago, I stayed at the Delphi Lodge, a beautiful Georgian country house with only 13 rooms. It's perfectly situated at the foot of these gorgeous mountains and sits lakeside, and is a huge draw for fishermen. I think about this place often, not just because it's such a lovely place to stay, but the surrounding area is some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland and home to one of my favorite photos I've ever taken here. 

At the beginning of our drive, we passed by a thatcher in the middle of rethatching a roof:

We stopped off in Westport and walked around. It's a very cute and charming town and it was really busy. A little too busy. I spent the night there in 2008 when Obama won the election and I'll never forget talking to Meghan who was telling me that Brooklyn was going off and I looked out the window and not a soul was stirring. 

From there we had a beautiful drive through Doolough Valley and I got to take some great photos:

John was commenting on how remote and beautiful it was and I said "just you wait." Then we pulled up to the Delphi Lodge:

I mean...can you handle it?! 

I was grateful to be in such a beautiful place because it helped with the very sad news that I got while out for a walk: my friend Olivia had passed away. 

Side note: I knew of Olivia and Harry from my time at the Thatch because I'd see them in there frequently. I never spent time with them outside the pub, but always loved talking with them and listening to Harry sing. But I really got to know them in 2021. A week before my first post-Covid trip to Ireland, Gene changed his mind about me staying at his house and I was suddenly without a place to stay/a home base for my two-week trip back home. I was seriously considering cancelling my trip when Olivia got a hold of Gene's phone and said "Hi Molly. Olivia here. You are very welcome to stay with us. Looking forward to seeing you. xx" I was shocked but wrote back "Olivia you're an absolute angel. Thank you!"

It says everything you need to know about Olivia that she let me stay at her house for two weeks without a bother. I continued to stay with Harry & Olivia for a couple more years and loved my time in the warmth of their home. Olivia taught me how to make potato cakes and I loved watching her go out into her garden, grab some veggies and effortlessly make dinner. 

I was — am still — devastated to hear that she had died. I hope Olivia knew how much she meant to me and how grateful I was — and still am — for her generosity and friendship. Some of my best memories in Ireland have been from sitting in her kitchen and talking with her and Harry and enjoying a delicious meal and an easy conversation. I'll miss her, but I'll never forget how she showed up for me. 

Back to the Delphi Lodge...

In the evening, John and I went into town to get a drink before taking advantage of the dinner experience at the Delphi Lodge. It was a beautiful drive:

I was looking forward to relaxing in the pub and writing in my journal. But someone lifted my pen in the room while I was out walking to work on his wedding speech and forgot to put it back in my bag. I was slightly devastated but managed to borrow a pen from the bartender. And I don't think John will make that mistake again! 

We were excited to get back for dinner. Here's how they describe it on their website: It's a very special experience, with guests gathering in our Drawing Room where pre-dinner drinks and canapes are served in front of a cosy log fire. Then it's into the Dining Room for a wonderful six course meal, specially designed and prepared using the best quality, fresh and locally sourced ingredients. Guests are seated together around our large antique dining table to exchange anecdotes about the day in the wonderful Delphi Lodge atmosphere, with coffee and chocolats later in the Drawing Room; log fires and good company — a perfect evening. 

We had a truly exceptional meal. I didn't take photos of everything, but here is John's starter (Delphi style crab meat salad, melon & pineapple salsa), my main course (roast fillet of chicken supreme, savoury stuffing, buttered baby potato, green peppercorn sauce), John's main course (steamed lobster, baked root vegetables, lobster espuma) and dessert (warm thin sliced apple tart, bourbon vanilla ice cream):

We went to bed very full and very satisfied!

Wednesday, June 24 (Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Doolin, Castleconnell)

Even though we made a conscious effort to cut our drive short by not staying another night in Achill, we still had a very long day in the car. It didn't help that we took a wrong turn (so easy to do in Ireland and also not something I do often here!) and ended up adding about an hour onto our drive. We left the Delphi Lodge around 10:00 a.m. and didn't make it to Castleconnell until nearly 6:00 p.m. 

We passed by Kylemore Abbey and drove through Connemara:

Passed through Doolin to take a couple of photos of the famed Fisher Street and Doonagore castle:

Stopped for coffee with a view:

And then finally made it to the Castle Oaks House Hotel — where John's daughter Katy was getting married — our home for the next three nights. After moving around for a bit, it was nice to know we could settle in. 

Thursday, June 25 (WEDDING DAY!)

Ireland is in the middle of a heat wave. Our room is gigantic — Katy booked the other bridal suite for us to stay in — but it's hot. There's no AC, no fan and Ireland doesn't do screens on their windows. And with the midges you're taking a risk keeping windows open. I was very grateful for the dress I chose to wear but I was feeling really bad for John and anyone else wearing a suit! I waited as long as I could to get ready since I wasn't excited to blowdry my hair in an already too hot room. 

Festivities kicked off at 2:45 p.m. and we didn't get back to our room until nearly 1:00 a.m. — and we left on the early side! It was a beautiful wedding and I'm so happy for Katy and Colleen, who planned everything so perfectly, and so them! 

The wedding ceremony was under a tent out front of the hotel but the speeches and cocktail hour were inside the bar area, which didn't have AC. That was brutal. We were all waiting impatiently for a little more than two hours before the reception space — which luckily did have AC — opened up! 

I got so many compliments on my dress, which was so nice. I was told I looked like a fairy, a mermaid and Cinderella. And a random hotel guest said "I thought you were Emily Blunt." I'll take that to my grave! The suggested dress code was pastels and garden chic cocktail. I nailed it! Thank you to Cyrena for going dress shopping with me about a month before the wedding and helping me pick out the perfect dress!

I wasn't kidding when I said it was hot. This poor lad...

John's grandson, Jack, was the life of the party and outlasted us! 

I survived my second Irish wedding, which is no small feat. I had every intention of behaving myself and not drinking too much because I really wanted to attend Olivia's funeral mass (2 1/2 hours away) the next morning. Let's just say the end of the night was quite fuzzy! But good lord did that shower feel amazing before I passed out.

Friday, June 26 (Castleconnell, Aughrim, Castleconnell)

I wouldn't say it was my smartest move getting up at 8:00 a.m., packing up all my stuff and driving 2 1/2 hours to attend Olivia's funeral mass while likely still under the influence, but there was just no way I was missing it. 

Because it was such a long drive, John and I discussed the logistics of everything and decided that I should just stay with Mary & Alo after the funeral and meet up with John in Cobh at some stage on Saturday. That meant I had to pack up all my stuff and good lord was that a struggle while hungover. Let's just say that I stumbled and literally fell into my suitcase — and have a hell of a bruise on my ass to prove it.

I am very glad I went; it was a beautiful mass and I got to see Harry and his children and grandchildren. I learned more about Olivia and got to see how loved she and the family are. It was a packed standing room only church with people spilling out the front doors. 

I was struggling after the mass. The effects of the night before were still heavily influencing me, especially since I hadn't had time to eat anything and was afraid to hydrate in case it added more time to my already long journey! I felt unsteady on my feet and opted to skip the graveside burial. Instead of going back to Mary & Alo's — which absolutely would have been the sensible thing to do — I turned right back around and met up with John and family for the "afters" at a bar in Castleconnell. I gave John quite a shock since I didn't tell him that I was coming back and he wasn't planning to see me until the following day in Cobh! 

Luckily we left at a reasonable time — just before 8:00 p.m. — so he could watch the World Cup in the hotel bar and I could get some food. And after that, I went up to the room and easily fell asleep for 10 glorious hours!