Where we move into the Farmhouse
We had a great time in County Sligo! (Sligo Posts: One, Two, Three, Four.)
Next up, we headed south a bit, down to County Galway.
We loved the Farmhouse.
First things first.
So, now that Duncan was settled, we went out to meet the neighbors. You’ll be surprised to learn that our closest neighbors were not sheep.
Definitely Close Encownters.
The sheep were down the road a bit:
And… horses!
Some other neighbors provided us with eggs, marmalade, and granola ….
It’s an “honesty box”; the eggs (laid earlier that morning), preserves (homemade), & more were inside, along with the price list, and a tin for putting in the money. What there wasn’t was a lock, or a security camera.
This was the first one we saw in Ireland, but it would not be the last.
Everywhere we go … it’s just beautiful.
One thing about very rural Ireland, is that it gets seriously dark at night. Kevin tried his hand at some astro-photography. (Note from Kevin: With just my phone!)
The closest village to us was a great town called Athenry (accent on the second syllable). We had errands to run, so we headed down.1
Athenry is a very old village. By old, I mean the town was founded around 664 AD. (From Kevin: whoaaa.) The Normans came in the 13th century, and much of what we saw dates from that time.
One of the pleasanter things we learned about 13th-century castle life was that the resourceful residents stored their clothes just above their…ah…lavatory. The idea was that the ammonia from the, um, contents, would kill the lice and things in their clothes. Truly, it was a magical time to be alive.
On a more modern note, this sculpture was awesome:
We also needed to tend to some of Duncan’s health care needs, so we visited the local vet. He was great, but has a more diverse clientele than we’re used to:
Another sign of the times:
And, the grocery shopping included some extras.
So we headed home to check our work
Next up.. Galway City!
Yeah, we went grocery shopping. But we went grocery shopping in Ireland.