Ireland #3

Ireland #3
Sept 12th -- Ethan's birthday!!!!
Today we woke up to a misty moist morning which the tour guy said was "a lovely soft morning". I love the way they express things. Soooo, we headed out for the day in the rain and mist so didn't see much of the countryside except green fields, trees, cows and sheep. The houses are interesting in that they all look so neat and tidy. No messy yards. Houses are made of stone, brick or stucco as a rule. The yards are paved right to the house most of the time. The lawns are well looked after with a few flowers in a bed or maybe some shrubs. I said they look tidy but after several days they begin to look boring! Occasionally there's a child's slide or something similar on the lawn.
Our first stop was to see the "Holy Well" --- one of many similar sights around Ireland. Others are called "Mass Stones". I guess ours was a well as there was a little stream going through it. It was where the Catholics had their services when the English banned Catholacism.
Next stop was to see Yeat's grave. He wrote much of his poetry about the area. His grandfather was the church's minister so he spent a lot of time there. Found a grave marker for Wylie-Warren. The lady was born in the early 1900's so not a relative.
Next stop was Parke's castle. This was a fascinating tour of what is now one of Ireland's historic sites. It has been resurrected and there are regular tours. Our guide was so delightful with her accent and engaging manner. Loved listening to her. We found out, among other things, how a thatch roof is made. She herself lived in a thatched roof cottage until into her teens so really knows what it was like.
We went from there to a cruise on the lake (Lough Gill) where they served us a huge scone plus tea or coffee. The views were restricted due to the low cloud and rain but the commentary was interesting. We heard lots of Yeat's poems.
We got back about 5:30 with dinner at 7. Great food with salad, cod and rhubarb crumble.
For anyone looking on a map, we went west as far a Donegal Bay then looped back to the hotel. Tomorrow we move on.