Ireland 2022
The beauty of a flower after the rain.
Fly fishing in the Cong River which runs through Ashford Castle.
One of the many ornate rooms in Ashford Castle.
The walls of the castle were covered with many intriguing paintings.
A special dining room at Ashford Castle.
Another reception area at Ashford Castle.
The art of falconry is practiced ast Ashford Castle and is recognized by this beautiful sculpture.
Here is our guide showing us not a falcon but an owl.
Susan Ingeman, one of our travel companions, holds the falcon as part of the demonstration.
Larry Bennett, another member of our group, holds a falcon. On command the falcon would fly out and then return with lightning speed to land on Larry's arm.
The owl with something in its beek.
The falcon waiting to return on command from our guide.
From the small village of Lahardane 14 young people left in April 1912 to travel on the Titantic to the United States. 10 died and 4 survived. This small park with the poignant tribute to the loss of these people is shown by this touching memorial.
Here you see the passengers moving toward the ship. Visiting here caused us to pause as we think about the fragidity of life.
We visited Foxford Mills to learn about the old art of weaving.
Make cloth by these old looms was tedious but produced wonderful products. The use of wool has been in sharp decline replaced by all types of synthetic fabrics.
We were driving along and spotted a series of small boats sitting by the shore. Sometimes the best shots are fortuitous.
We made a late afternoon visit to Dunluce Castle. When we began photographing the sun was out and the sky blue, but it soon changed.
The castle was perched on the high cliffs of the coastline.
The castle changed hands through conflict several times during the 15 and 16 hundreds.
Julie peeking through a window.
And then the fog rolled in.
These are the basalt stone columns at Giant's Causeway, a world heritage site. We waited patiently for the sun to peek out at the end of the day to light up the basalt rocks.
A woman from Siingapore climbed up to the top of these rocks an provided this unexpected view.
We were hunting bluebells when we saw this couple walking their dog along this bucolic road. We never found the bluebells.
I found this scene to by idyllic.
A picturesque house on our hike to see the Dark Hedges.
The intriguing view of the trees leaning in over the path of this tourist site called the Dark Hedges.
Tanya Cox, our co-leader, takes a stroll along the Dark Hedges. And this brings us to the end of our Irish journey.