Long weekend in Southern Ireland May 15th-19th 2003

When I sat down to write this report, I realised it would take for ever to write up fully all the great stuff that this trip contained. So, I decided to make it a "fill in the blanks" report. 

Below is a list of memory joggers for those of you who were with us on the trip. For those who weren't; you missed a great trip. Let me know of any stuff I've missed out.

For LOADS of picture click here

• Meeting up at Pont Abraham and Michelle and I arriving late because we were reading Version-1 of the itinerary
• A green Astra support vehicle complete with wheelchair
• The trip over on the Big Cat in "moderate" sea conditions and some green faces
• Ros' dastardly movie quiz
• Our first Irish pub lunch. "Can you serve lunch for 20?" "No bother!"
• Clive falling asleep after lunch.
• The Excellent Three Rivers Guest House
• Losing Bob and Ros on the drive to New Ros for dinner
• The dinner cruise with the rain lashing down and the ^{high tide} just allowing us to scrape under the bridge. The captain "flogging" the South Wales connections with everything we passed along the way.
• The Scenic coastal drive and the "Men Only" bathing rocks
• Dinner in the McAlpin Suir Inn in Cheek Point and the walk back up the hill to bed
• The Jameson distillery at Midleton
• People stopping to chat as we crawled through the Midleton traffic as though we were walking by
• Clive's short cut to the N25 on the way home and the rest of us who waited in the garage for him
• Jane, Frank, Idris and June and their jumbo sized plastic "takeway" whiskey bottles
• Kevin and Alison's car and their James Bond smoke screen
• Drive up to Lismore Castle (it was shut) but we did see Ireland's best public toilet
• Guinness in the Red House Inn
• Lunch at the Lismore hotel with the Wake and first communion parties
• Kevin eating two meals plus dessert
• Loads of great cars and the drive up to the Vee
• Trying to keep up with the Irish owners on the drive to Cork
• The greyhound racing. The Tote people going on strike!! Clive had his Dickey on.
• Presenting gifts to Tim and Aine and having our pictures taken with them
• Dinner in "Ireland's only Fly-Over pub"
• Lunch in the pub in Kilkenny and the great Irish music
• Finding out the Big Cat was a scaredy cat that wouldn't sail in the bad weather and having to come home on the super ferry
• Problems with the support vehicle "Is that an important part?"
• Arriving at Fishguard at 01:30 and then having to drive home

As I said above, it was a great trip with very few problems. Thanks to Mark for the organising and to all those who came making it a very enjoyable time for all.

Hi Ho Silver