Hello,

January 2^nd was a short day, we had some trouble with our scheduled B&B (they denied we had a reservation even though we had the email dated 12/26 confirming our stay) so we ended up pretty far out of Sligo town.   We went into the town for lunch and to walk around.   Most of the town was still closed due to the New Year’s holiday.  It gave us a chance to reboot and plan out our next few days events.  I did hang out with Yeats after lunch, he was pretty cool.

January 3^rd finds us on a travel day to Cong in County Mayo. http://www.tourclare.com/cong.html.   For those unaware, the movie, “The Quiet Man,” was filmed here with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Mom wanted to see the town the movie was filmed in.  We had lunch in a small pub: I had bacon and cabbage, Steven had fish and chips and mom had shrimp. The icing is the little used book store I found (Steven found), in the town center.  I purchased a few gifts and an Iris Murdock novel for myself.    We washed it all down with some delightful tea. (Delightful wow – my friends will mock my new words when I return). After lunch we made the short drive   to Ashford Castle.  We had visited this the first time I came to Ireland with Melissa and Rob, it is just as wonderful and I remember.   It hailed like crazy almost the whole time we were there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_Castle.  Both destinations were wonderful. 

On the road to Cong we happened upon a religious shrine.  The Shrine of Knock apparently is the site of a visit by the Virgin Mary.  “On the evening of 21 August 1879, people whose ages ranged from five years to seventy-five and included men, women, teenagers, children, witnessed what they claimed was an apparition of Our Lady, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist at the south gable end of the local small parish church, the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar. On the altar were a cross and a lamb (a traditional image of Jesus, as reflected in the religious phrase The Lamb of God) with adoring angels. The Blessed Virgin Mary was described as being very beautiful, standing a few feet above the ground. She wore a white cloak, hanging in full folds and fastened at the neck. The crown appeared brilliant, and of a golden brightness, of a deeper hue, than the striking whiteness of the robe she wore; the upper parts of the crown appeared to be a series of sparkles, or glittering crosses. She was described as "deep in prayer", with her eyes raised to heaven; her hands raised to the shoulders or a little higher, the palms inclined slightly to the shoulders. Bridget Trench "went in immediately to kiss, as I thought, the feet of the Blessed Virgin; but I felt nothing in the embrace but the wall, and I wondered why I could not feel with my hands the figures which I had so plainly and so distinctly seen.” Mom (being Catholic) took away some holy water from the site.  Steven and I waited in the car, but it was a very interesting place.   There were many priest and pilgrims about, and each one would cross the alter- like building and bless themselves just as Catholics do if they cross the alter of a church (where the sacraments are kept).  Everyone also lovingly touched a panel of stone on the front of the shrine building.  It turns out that the piece of stone embedded in the building’s façade is a piece of the actual church where the visit allegedly took place.   Very cool and mom seemed to enjoy it.   Sometimes the coolest places are happened on by accident. We are staying tonight in the “Atlantic View” B&B. http://www.atlantic-view.com/rooms.html. Steven and I went into town found a real coffee shop and dropped our laundry off to be picked up in the morning all clean and folded.  We are now sitting in the “common room” working on our blogs, mom is sleeping and the fire is roaring. Good night everyone.

Fun Facts:

Community Alert = Neighborhood Watch

The Sheep do not like apples:   We stopped on the way to Clifden (the town we are in now) and I tried to feed ungrateful sheep a sweet apple.  They stared at me in a rude manner and then turned and walked away.  Looking back occasionally to make sure the crazy American in the blue car was not coming any closer.  (See video)