Encarna in Ireland 3rd Jan

The breakfast in 'Bay Head' is not up to our usual standard but it did provide sustinance for the howling gales that followed. A stroll along the seafront brought us to the Aquarium and well worth a visit it is too. As the name suggests, it's full of water with fish swimming around. They have an amazing variety of fish and it's all very accessible. There are dedicated tanks to different eco-systems and one huge tank with a big turtle (Encarna's new best friend) and a shark as well as other creatures of the deep who seemed to get along fine together. Another great thing they have is a tactile pool where you can touch various fish who seem to have been trained for the purpose, they certainly like a good tickle and when it's the sweet Encarna doing the tickling it made me think about changing our rooms back, lucky fishies. Along the coast and a stop at Paudi O'Sé's. He is a GAA football legend (Kerry is the greatest football team IN THE WORLD) and he has a bar to prove it festooned as it is with photos of him with all class of people - the best one is of him with Dolly Parton. On to Slea Head, the westernmost point in Europe, though the people in the Azores might take exception. Down to Coomenole beach which is where I spent many a happy day as a child getting flattened my the enormous Atlantic rollers that started life somewhere off Newfoundland. Bits of the film 'Ryan's Daughter' were filmed here and most of the double glazing and central heating around the area was installed as a result of the earnings from that. As well as the photography and it's effect on tourism, it's all the film was good for, oh and Sarah Miles nipples. A stop was made in Kruger Kavanagh's - the westernmost bar in the world. I met him when I was a child, he gave me a rabbit he had shot on Blasket Island and I had to carry it back on the curragh (a type of rowing boat used along the West coast of Ireland), the rabbit pissed all over me, even though it was dead. So that's a memory. Clogher strand is a spectacular sight, especially if the sea is up, not today though. Encarna did manage to make friends with some stones though, is there no end to her talents? We stopped at Dun an Oir to visit the site of this particular massacre of Irish and Spanish soldiers way back at the time of FelipeII. Back to Dingle for a massive feed in Murphy's pub, by far the best value for grub in the town. Dingle has some great bars, but more of that tomorrow.