Sheeeeeep!

"Is he stuck?  Should we help him?"

Gap of Dunloe and Killarney, County Kerry

The jaunting car guy at the Gap of Dunloe: "Any of ya ride a pony?


Me: "Um, okay, sure..."


Cart horse was named Barbie:

Marianne took a turn aboard Sandy:

 

Not sure who to root for

Do I want them to vote yes or no? I am torn. Perhaps if I knew what exactly they are talking about I could decide.

Charleville, County Cork

Dad in Newtownshandrum:

Dad and Marianne in front of St. Joseph's church in Newtownshandrum where my great grandfather Noonan was baptized circa 1857.

Mom in front of same:

St. Mary's Charleville:

Interior:

Marianne's impractical shoes:

Dad and man-purse:

My first Irish coffee here - but not really because I'm just posing and it really belonged to Uncle Warren. No really!

No explanation necessary.

Fanningstown House

First, my bedroom at Fanningstown House, County Limerick.

And the naked lady painting in the bathroom:

And a big tub:

Speaking of walking vast distances

It took me like a half hour to walk from one end of this place to the other. I wonder what Google maps would say about that.

It's much quieter here though.

Did you Best Buy has vending machines? Seriously. Say you're in the airport and you think, "Damn, I sure need a DS." Well, there is a vending machine to suit your needs.

The Seventh Circle of Hell, aka JFK Airport

Okay, maybe it's not quite as hellish as I had anticipated, but I have only been here for two hours. I have six hours and thirty minutes to go before my flight to Shannon Airport. I am holed up in a laptop recharging station just outside a newsstand, and I am currently afraid to get up because who knows if such a perfect place will exist elsewhere in hell.

The flight from Philly went off without incident, and took all of 28 minutes. Almost doesn't seem worth the effort. I could have walked here. Well, not really. Google maps tells me it wouldn't be prudent to walk here.