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| Denis and Eileen at Adare Country House |
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| Aunty Lena's Pub |
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| Faschinators |
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| Smyth Farmhouse |
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| So many new big houses everywhere similar to this one |
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| Near the Cliffs of Moher |
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| Near the Burren |
Being a much larger B&B, we had other guests at breakfast. We sat with a family from the Boston area whose daughter had just finished a 1 month art course and were headed back home today. French toast was on the menu, which made the boys' day. A visit with the proprietors, a walk up mainstreet to check out the shops of Adare (where Janet & I got to try out the fascinators we had seen everywhere) and we were off in search of the Smyth (we were told outrightly a few times that in Ireland it is pronounced Smith) Farm where Janet's Grandfather was born. Once again it was in a Pub that Janet got the information that led us to the (I think sole remaining) Smyth family. They were shocked to see us as they had no idea this branch of the family even existed. They don't live in the house we were looking for, but happily took us there. It is no longer in the family and there were only 2 young girls answering the door, so we tried to explain who we were and that we just wanted to take some pictures of the house. Once we found the cemetery and Smyth headstones we were satisfied that we had found all the places we set out to and headed toward the scenic west coast.
With a good part of the day behind us, we chose to take a ferry across the Shannon Estuary and head north along the coast from there. It is a beautiful drive through seascapes, lush farmland and "The Burren" which appeared to be rock covered hills and the only part of Ireland that wasn't green. Janet was amazed at all the stone - stone fences crossed the land as far as the eye could see. We didn't stop at the visitors site at the Cliffs of Moher as Aidan sprained his ankle at the graveyard and we had been told by the locals that the cliffs that we drove by all day were the same and the centre was a money trap (10 Euros just to park), not to mention we were all feeling a little weary and still had a 2 hour journey to Dublin. Keeghan had by now absolutely had it with the windy roads and so we looked for a place to eat before finding the 4 land Motorway to Dublin. The first place we passed through was absolutely packed with people and cars and so thankfully we passed through. We turned off the coastal road and found a pub at some crossroads where a few locals were cheering on their favorite Hurling team. Hurling is BIG in Ireland and we had been told that the senior championship was being played in Dublin the next day. They looked a little stunned when 7 of us walked in and interrupted their game, but were very friendly and we enjoyed a nice meal.
The GPS proved useless when it came to finding the Motorway (which was relatively new and not even on the map) and so it was with some confusion that we found our way. Once on the Motorway it didn't take long to get to Dublin where we pulled in to drop off the van at 11pm. Our day wasn't over yet - we still had to take a cab downtown where we at reservations at the Generator Hostel in Smithfield Square. We weren't sure what to expect, but were very pleasantly surprised when we got there. It was new and bright and clean and was relatively quiet for a Saturday night. Apparently it had been a hotel at one time and recently converted to the hostel. The rooms were bright and clean with 3 sets of very quiet, sturdy bunk beds, each complete with privacy screens, reading light and plug-ins. We had to make the beds with the fresh linen provided and we all crashed and had a great night's sleep without setting an alarm for the next day - breakfast was served until 11am!
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