Our Christmas in Ireland

Stone Cottage in Ireland, Cloonloo.

IT seems such a long time ago yet it was just two months ago. Ruth and I had really a special Christmas this last Christmas. We were spending December in the UK and had the opportunity to stay with Trevor and Collette at their lovely stone cottage in Cloonloo, Ireland. We had talked about this cottage while staying with Trev and Collette and could tell by the way their eyes lit up whenever it came up in conversation that this was a special place to them.

Our Christmas base, thanks Trevor & Collette.

This cottage and the land surrounding certainly has a special place in Collette’s heart because it has been in her family for generations. Collette kept us entertained with many stories that gave us an understanding of some of the joys and trials her family had faced here. Although she grew up living in Boyle, she often visited the cottage with her father who farmed the block of land.
We left London on the 21 of December, planning to spend a few days exploring Dublin before catching a train to meet up with Collette in Boyle. We enjoyed Dublin and did lots of exploring, with some tourist things included. We really enjoyed the train trip, for much of the train trip a canal runs beside the tracks. I found this fascinating. It was easy to see why Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, as the green paddocks just kept on getting greener.

Brother & sister out behind the cottage

Collette had gone to a lot of effort to make sure that the cottage was as she had planned it would be when we arrived. Trevor had the fires set, when we arrived and the cottage was very cosy. The weather was cool and although we were dreaming of a White Christmas it was looking more and more like it might not happen.
One of the highlights for us was meeting Collette’s family and spending Christmas Day with them. We felt like royalty as they would not let us do anything to help. Fine Food, Fine Wine and Great company it was a special day for us.

Lough Key, the castle on the island.

Surfing beach, Sligo.

We did get lots of opportunities to get out and see some of the sights. Having our own local tour guides made it so interesting. We enjoyed long walks in the country side with Trevor, and often felt that there were so many similarities to the NZ countryside. The weather was very kind to us. We went for a lovely drive out to Sligo and to the beach. It was a great place to wander, I did notice surfers going out with wetsuits, even though it was midwinter, hardy souls that they were. Another highlight for us was our walk around the park where Collette’s father used to work. It would have been a great childhood playground for Collette.

In the park at Lough Key, Ruth, Collette &Trevor

A lasting impression of Ireland.

Like all great holidays it came to an end far too quickly and all too soon we were catching the train back to Dublin and flying back to work in Singapore. We did get a good taste of the UK and I am sure we will be back for more sometime soon.