My sweet daddy has been planning Cressey's maiden voyage to Ireland for years. I backed out in 2019 when I realized that Cressey was a terrible airplane traveler at 3 years old, and then COVID killed it in 2020 AND 2021. But 2022 was our year!! Off we went to show Cressey around her Twohig homeland (which was kind of kismet timing since HG was 6 when she took her first trip to Ireland), and we also squeezed in a stop in Edinburgh on the way home. We were so happy that Jeanne joined us too.
Come along with us on our Irish adventures....!
We flew Memphis-Atlanta-Dublin on July 1st, and by the time we got on the overseas leg, both girls were ready to sleep. Both took melatonin and started snoozing before we took off (a plane issue caused some delay). HG was never terribly comfortable, but she napped on and off. Cressey was like a mad drunk, kicking and grunting every time she woke up and realized how uncomfortable she was. She even leaned over on the stranger on the far side of us and refused to lean the other way on me, so John had to pick her up and switch her seats. Whew, it was rough. But we made it alright and were happy to wake up in Ireland!
We hopped in our rental van and were relieved all of our luggage fit. It was actually pretty spacious! We headed south toward Clonakilty. HG had to sit shotgun while Granddaddy drove because of her motion sickness, and I think that was a really smart add-on to her already strong navigation sense and a cute dimension to their friendship. We stopped for lunch at the Rock House and then walked up the hill to wander around the Rock of Cashel which was amazing! We could have played for hours, but we needed to keep going (and they literally had to unlock the already closed gates to let us leave- we might have outstayed our welcome!).
We stopped quickly in Clonakilty for groceries and headed out to the Galley Head light house. It was so good to be back. We made some dinner, explored a little, and fell into bed.
The next day, the 3rd, we took Cressey to Red Strand Beach- she had been driving us crazy to take her to the beach- and then went to lunch at the Mountain House. Cress couldn't quite hang, so she asked to take a nap in the van. Jet lag is tough! After lunch, we stopped by to visit with Mary Twohig at the old Twohig homestead. We were able to meet her son Aidan and his son Matthew and wife Aileen who live next door. What a treat for Helen Grace and Cressey to play with a Toohig cousin! (His little sister was sick that day, so we didn't get to meet her) We ended the day with a pizza truck and happy hour at O'Donovan's pub, and Cressey and I hopped out of the van for the most wonderful hike back to the lighthouse, while HG and John talked to the cows. Beautiful memories.
On the 4th, Cressey was begging to go back to Red Strand, and this time she was ready to fully explore without worrying about getting wet so she was in her bikini! What we weren't expecting was to find were jellyfish everywhere. So our trip got shortened a little, but it was close to lunchtime anyway so we headed into Clonakilty for lunch. Turns out that a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays, but after a little looking, we found a great little spot with lots of options for everyone and a cool playground- Fig & Olive. (Other ones to try on other days- Scannell's Pub in Clonakilty or Smuggler's Cove in Rosscarbery) We then explored the town and Church of the Immaculate Conception, checked out the West Cork Model Railway Village, and headed to the Clonakilty Distillery for tour and dinner at the Whale's Tail. On our way home to the lighthouse with full bellies and tired bodies, we had quite possibly one of our biggest adventures of the trip- a flat tire out in the boonies! So many people stopped to offer help, but a grandfather and grandson dynamic duo GOT TO WORK. And then they wouldn't even take any money! So so nice! Turns out that our Irish cousins know them, so we've asked them to buy them a pint next time they see them at O'Donovan's!
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