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Old? Probably not. A quite new rocking chair outside a shop in Killrush, Co Clare back in April 2009. Photographed while we were on holiday and we were lucky to have a beautiful day. Unfortunately not every day was good but we made the best of it! Related Posts The green chair The Big Issue Doorway into the...

The next pub I visited on my quick stop to Macroom Co Cork was Dineens bar on the main street just up from TP Cotters. There was a good crowd inside on heading in. The bar man was extremely welcoming and served me promptly. The pint of Murphys here was top class and I took it down the back of the pub to enjoy it. The television was on in the pub but to be honest it was way too loud. Dineens appeared to be a real locals bar and had a good atmosphere. The toilets were in good condition on checking. This pub was enjoyable to pop into for a pint. Toilet rating: 7/10 Pint rating: 8/10 Overall rating: 7/10 Final comment: Dineens is a pub in Macroom that is worth consideration for a pint of the black stuff or anything else for that......

Rain falls on a river in a town in County Clare while we were stuck in a traffic jam. I used to know what town this was taken in but now it’s a mystery. It did have a very distinctive walled off area right in the middle of the river though. Anyone recognise it? Related PostsOut of the rainAnd the rain keeps pouringChicago on the river...

Kilkee Beach in County Clare is a beautiful stretch of sand going on forever and ever. Well, seems like it, it’s a massively long beach and on the day we accidentally discovered it the sun was beating down on us. Hooray! I have no idea what RMA stands for. That little rock was sitting next to the shell where I found it. Related PostsWaves on Allihies BeachA storm brewing at Allihies BeachSpectators on the beach...

One of the two impossibly beautiful Harley Davidsons parked on the Promenade in Lahinch. Coincidentally enough, some hours earlier we had passed the two bikes in a petrol station in Charleville, presumably as the lucky owners stopped off for a cup of tea. It’s been a while and a bit since I last saw an entire bikes worth of chrome polished up to a perfect mirror finish so this was a rare treat. As I sprawled myself around on the ground beside the two bikes, I became oblivious to the fact that the owners stood behind me watching intently as I photographed their pride & joy. Didn’t really matter though, they were both nice fellas (as bikers often are). Ah tis the life for me. It has further spurred me on to getting my bike in a roadworthy state. Needs servicing, tax,...

Somebody forgot to bring their beer bottles home with them, and there’s a recycling bin not far from here! I had forgotten that I had posted a few pictures from the Lee Fields last summer.  It’s one of the nicer parts of Cork, which is why it’s a pity when it gets littered. By the way, I’m in Lesotho, probably slogging away at this stage so don’t be offended if I don’t respond to comments, or they get caught in moderation for a......

A recent trip to Lahinch in Clare was greeted by some beautiful weather (well, for the first day anyway) and the opportunity to visit lots of places I’ve been meaning to get to for years. Like Lahinch beach for......

Another week down, a short week but a week none the less. See if you can come up with a caption for this weeks FCC. Use the comment link below to add your captions, comments, etc caption, clare, Cork, Friday Caption...

A bit late again with this weeks FCC….. Anyway, for the week thats was here is a topical FCC to have a go off. Use the comment link below to add your captions, comments, etc caption, clare, Cork, Friday Caption...

Its Friday…buiochas le Dia! Almost a year to the day since the first FCC on AGH!! Add as many captions, short stories, comments, etc to the picture above. You can add them by clicking on the comment link below… Cuir ceannteideal, scéal, slr leis an pictiúr thuas, usaid an nasc thios chun iad a sheoldadh. caption, clare, Cork, Friday Caption...

Bit early in the year to be talking hurling maybe, but I couldn’t resist when I found this back in the AGH vaults. Add your caption to the scene above and if you don’t know the main protagonist in the scene is, you can find more details on him here. Saghas luath sa bhlian chun bheith ag caint ar iomanaiocht but hey…cuir ceannteideal leis an pictiúr thuas, usaid an nasc thios chun í a sheoldadh. caption, clare, Cork, Friday Caption Comp, gaa, galway, ger loughnane, hurling,...

Another sunset taken at Lahinch beach in County Clare in June. ...

Windmills in Clare soon after getting off the Tarbert Ferry on our way to Lahinch.  I don’t think windmills mess with the beauty of a landscape, in fact they were quite a feature as we drove around Clare.   ...

Taken as we left the Kerry side. You can see a power station in the background, which is Moneypoint I think. The second photo is of the Kerry side just after the ferry was loaded up and ready to go....

The sunset at Lahinch in Co. Clare as you come down the hill into the town.   ...

Since Ryan has decided to venture into hotels i suppose i’d better add my two-pence worth as well! I have stayed in many hotels down throught the years, some excellent, some not so. The most recent one i visited was The Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis Co. Clare. Greeting and Check-in We were met at the reception desk by a very friendly lady who was on hand to check us in. We were staying at the hotel with the supervalu get away breaks. Of course i brought the wrong card (that was only half full) but the lady agreed to let me send the completed card up after i arrived home. It was a fast and efficient check in with a smile. Appearence & Location It is in the center of the lively town of Ennis. It is convenient to all amenities in the town and is a short walk from shops,...

Bar 26 is another pub on our quest to conquer Ennis’ many public houses. We encountered bouncers at the door of this pub. There is a long narrow area inside the door of the pub. The area up near the bar was busy but the area at the front was quiet. I ordered our drinks, a Guinness and a Bud and we took a seat. There was a dj playing music and he for no apparent reason would turn up the music to unbearable levels and then down again! The pint of Guinness was only alright, not great. The pub itself is fine. It is most certainly a young persons place. There was a stag party there while we were inside and the groom was tied up and fell backwards and hit his head off the wall. A member of the party asked Jen for her lipstick and gave her a tenner for a nearly used stick! The...

Directly across the road to Cruises is where we went next. Most certainly the busiest pub we visited on the trip to Ennis. It is also a restaurant. There was a one man band playing and to be fair to him he was excellent. He was the main reason that this pub was so busy. There was standing room only and the queue was three deep at the bar. A Guinness and a glasss of Bud was ordered and enjoyed immensely. There was a mixture of all ages in Cruises. Because it was so busy it was hard to get a good look at the pub but it is a fairly good size. I took a walk around to see the place and it is certainly the kind of pub that i like visiting. The toilets are up the back of the pub and were ok on checking them. We spent all our time in this pub listening to the man playing guitar and...

The Front Bar is next door to Cruises pub in the town. This was much quieter than the previous pub. We took a seat at the bar and were served by a very pleasant bar lady. This pub is long and there are plenty seating areas. Again we ordered a pint of Guinness and a glass of Budweiser. It was quiet for a Friday night in what appeared to be a decent pub. There is nothing striking about the place, it is just a comfortable to enjoy a drink. I had to ask the staff where the toilets were and found them with a bit of direction. The gents was in very good condition so no complaints there. Even though it is a nice pub it is not somewhere that would stick in your mind. Toilet rating: 8/10 Pint rating: 7/10 Overall rating: 6.5/10 Final comment: The Front Bar enjoys a prominent...

Another pub that was recommended to me was Alexander Knoxx and Co. We encountered a bouncer on the door and headed inside. It was packed but Jen managed to get a seat by the bar. There is a very nice seating area at the front of the bar where you can sit and watch people passing on the street. I had a pint of Guinness and it was grand. At one stage even all standing space was taken. I didn’t feel squashed in at all. I took a walk down through the pub and noticed that it is very long. I think there is a restaurant upstairs but am not certain. I went up another set of steps to the toilet. There was an area up here reserved for people. The toilets were in very poor condition. To be honest i was disappointed as the pub itself is a decent place. The state of its toilet...

Preachers is the bar in the hotel we stayed at. The Temple Gate Hotel in Ennis is built on old monastary grounds and is steeped in history. There are still some original features in the hotel that are very impressive. Their great hall is one example. Preachers is a fine hotel bar with a very high ceiling and huge pillars. Their bar food has a great reputation and may be worth trying. I had one pint of Guinness in the bar. It was a nice pint. There are many different sections in this pub and it can accomodate a good number of people. I was reading that this pub came runner up in the Black and White pub of the year in 2002. It is one of the most stunning bars that i have been in, in a long while. You would have to see it yourself to appreciate it. The toilets in the hotel are as...

The Diamond Bar is just across the road from Brogans. This was our last port of call on our first night in Ennis. It is a very small bar and was very busy when we headed in. We sat just inside the door, thats the only space there was. Another pint of Guinness and glass of Budweiser was ordered. Even though the bar staff were very busy we were served quite promptly. The pint of Guinness was a good one as with all the previous ones that night. In house cd’s provided the music and there was quite a good selection playing. A Guinness poster on the wall with a cat and mouse made for funny reading. The toilets were in good order when i checked them so i have no complaints there. From what i saw on the night this bar is popular. A lot of people appeared to know each other so...

Next off we headed to Brogans which is just down the street. I have previously reviewed a pub of the same name in Dublin. A girl that works with me and knows Ennis well recommended a few pubs to me and this was one of them. Brogans is both a bar and restaurant. We walked in through doors that would be more at home in a bar in the wild west! Brogans is a big pub and we sat across from the bar in a booth of which there are a good few. The bar man was very pleasant and a Guinness and glass of Bud were ordered again. The Guinness was another good pint. In contast with the last pub there was only a few people in here. It is a nice pub but i found because there was a small crowd and without any live music, a bit boring. I noticed a number of national flags hanging from the ceiling....

We went for a chinese on our first night in Ennis. It is called Jasmaine chinese and it was a top class meal and the service was excellent. The first pub that we went into is called Michael Fawl. I thought it read Michael Favl but on closer inspection it appears to be Fawl. There was a group of three girls involved in a Irish trad session that i found very enjoyable. The front part of the bar is narrow and there is another small section down the back of the pub. Being out of Cork i resorted to drinking Guinness which i find fine to drink. This pint was a very good one. Jen had a glass of Budweiser and enjoyed it. It was quite busy here on a Friday night. There was a relaxed atmosphere and we both felt very comfortable. As i sat on the bar stool my attentipn was completely...