Ireland-part two

The next morning was bright and sunny.  

We stayed at a lovely B&B in Kinvara and the boys got to experience their first "full Irish."

Eggs, sausage, thick bacon, puddings, baked beans, grilled tomato, and toast.

Delicious.

We packed up and headed out.  For Kevin's birthday I had arranged a guided walk in the Burren.

The Burren is an area in the west of Ireland that is exposed limestone.  At first glance it appears very stark and bleak, but looking closer you see so much beauty.

Kevin was excited to learn more of the geology of the area, and how people have lived out here.

Boys were excited to explore.

I was happy to see wildflowers in bloom.

Wildflowers in the Burren are unique:  not necessarily the flowers themselves (although most are mini versions), but the fact that you have arctic varieties growing next to Mediterranean varieties.

Our walk took us through rolling farmland, and across rocky fields.
Ann was our guide and she was wonderful.  Loads of knowledge about the geology, history, and folklore for the area.  She also showed us & helped us to identify edibles along the way.

Our destination was just beyond this hawthorne tree.
It's been used as a "rag tree" for years.  Locals tie strips of cloth or paper to the tree representing prayers or blessings.  Now that Ann had told us about rag trees....we noticed them all along our trip.

 St. Coleman's hermitage was our destination.
Tucked among the ferns and trees on the side of a mountain, St. Coleman lived (with a servant or two) as a hermit spending most of his time in prayer.

Hazelnut trees, wild garlic, rabbits, wild sage, and plenty of other edibles all grew right in this spot.

A fresh water spring still flows, and is still said to have healing properties.

St. Coleman didn't build a house though, he slept in this cave.
Thankfully the bears are no longer in Ireland.
Now the cave is full of candles, cards, a bit of trash, and ribbons.

 After we finished our walk, we drove to a nearby Chocolate maker.
Yes, chocolate in Ireland.
Hazel Mountain Chocolates is tucked back well off the main road, and behind a long stone wall.
The air smells of chocolate and in the back of the property you can watch them roast the beans (they do import them), process the beans, then cook, and pour their chocolates.
In the front they have a lovely tea shop where we treated ourselves to some delicious carrot cake (Keenan and I):

a wild berry tart (Kieran, who ate his so fast I could not snap a photo), and a cheese board for Kevin (full of local cheeses and fresh fruit chutney).

After that we said goodbye to the Burren and headed further north.
Originally we had planned to watch a sheep herding demo, but we spent longer on our walk and tea time so we just headed directly for our next accommodation:
Westport Glamping.
Yup, we had a "glamping pod" for the night on a small cattle farm just outside Westport.
The view was lovely.

 Our wee pod held a double bed, daybed with a trundle, small table & chairs, and a petite half bath.

 Oh, and Scamp the farm dog.  :)

 We settled for a bit, then drove into town for dinner.
Our host had told us about an evening "session" at a local pub that would be worth going to for some great Irish music (no doubt it would be good since the owner is a member of The Chieftans).

 But after returning to our pod, and relaxing outside with Scamp, the boys were too tired to head back into town for the session.  It wasn't starting until after 9:30 which is when these pictures were taken.

 So we just relaxed and enjoyed the view.