What a guy! So sweet and generous with his time, I think, I know, I will miss him most of all.
He picked me up this morning, for the last time, to take me back to Dublin. He was certainly not done sharing his vast knowledge of all things Ireland with me. We saw more passage tombs on top of the mountains as  we headed east. Left a part of the rim of Ireland to the vast bowl like midlands.  On the way we stopped at sculptures along the way. The most poignant stop was a true step back in time.

A Franciscan Abbey that was founded in 1270. It the only church in the midlands that still functions as a Catholic church for more than 700 years.

There are four windows in the chapel that depict the story of the Children of Lir. Leo told me this story a few days ago, and I feel fortunate to have seen the friars built near the lake where the story is based. The story is about the four children who were changed into swans by their cruel stepmother, jealous of their father’s love for his children. The only way to break the spell was for the swans to hear a bell. According to the legend, the four swans  spent 900 years on three waters; near the friary, waters between Ireland and Scotland and waters off Mayo in the Atlantic ocean. Here the children were rescued after hearing the bells calling all to mass.

So, funny note, just outside the abbey, I found these….barrels (kegs?) of Holy water!

Now we end up in dublin, with Leo going over the easy way back to the western part of Ireland. He decided to stay in Dublin to go to the natural history museum and roam about. Again, not part of the tour, but fascinating listening to my private tour guide, making sense of all there was to see.

We parted after having another lovely meal.

Things I learned about Leo:
1. Great eater! There is no doubt if he enjoys a meal.
2. Lost in Ireland was not a bad description of my blog. At random times on our rides, he would say, ‘I don’t have any idea where the feck we are’.
3. All roads lead somewhere, and who cares if you are lost, it’s a lovely view.
4. Rhubarb pie is lovely.
5. He is a very kind, intelligent, interesting, understanding and nothing is a bother, man.
6. He can talk up a stranger that they forget they were going somewhere.
7. He can talk!

Safe traveling Leo, thanks for the lovely rides.
See you soon!

Each day I think,  cannot possibly be more lovely.  I won’t bore you with pictures yet, that day will come!

Today was my first full day with Leo Leydon. He survived! Was it life changing for him, I can only imagine, it was for me, as is every day here.

We started with the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetary and passage tombs. A short walk around a sacred area with structures so 5-6 thousand years old. Then the Blarney began. Would you like to hike up this hill, just about a half a kilometer?  Sure, I say, I’m game to try anything. So, we start our trek.  Not too bad, but I’m looking up, how could this be just a half a kilometer? So we walk and chat as the hill gradually inclines, and then inclines more.  We stop and I catch my breath. (This would be the first of MANY breath catching stops.) All the while he would say, just a few more stops (not steps) and we’ll be there. You will not believe the view. Up we go. (Now, imagine all he is saying, with the Irish accent, now you understand, just a few more stops is believable!) So, we get to the top, the view is good, I see up close the passage tomb. Now he says, let’s climb to the top of the tomb, the views are amazing of the sea and lakes and mountains. In my head, I am saying ‘FOR FECK SAKE! But, those words don’t come out, I say ‘but the sign says ‘no climbing on the tomb’. He says ‘everyone does it, you’ll be glad you did’. So up we go, even steeper.

I MADE IT, I have the pictures to prove it. It was the magical part of this day, now he says ‘I know you were thinking, for feck sake’. HA HA HA,  he had me!!

That hike took the better part of the day, we then traveled country roads that all I could think of was ‘dad would have loved this ride’. We saw ruins of homes, abbeys, crazy colored houses, sheep, horses, dogs running along side the car, sheep, donkeys, lambs and more lambs, lakes, crazy road signs, mountains, oh, and did I mention sheep?

One other stop today was to a woodcarver. The most unassuming shop. Pieces of wood, sawdust on the floor. The smell of fresh cut wood and carvings of mythical figures and some not quite mythical.  He gave me his ‘card’ a handwritten paper that says this:

Michael Quirke      The Woodcarver and Wordweaver

He was both, and did both very well. He told me stories and carved a piece of wood while he talked. It was a simple carving of Bailey.  With my Irish name on the back ‘Aine’. Another lovely gentleman, definitely a wordweaver.

Our last stop was at Glencar Waterfall. This time the walk was very easy. Peaceful, listening to the water rush by, watching it as it cascaded to the stream below. There is something so serene in that.

Back to the B & B to rest up a wee bit before dinner.