spudkid

[spudkid]

A grey dawn greeted competitors on September 21, 2024 for the second installment of the Nephews-Uncles Invitational! This year’s NUI was a $5 Nassau best ball of partners competition with Bob Clements and Mike Last matched up against Ryan “what a head of hair” McCarthy and Nick “I love my pre-shot routine” Strzeletz. The 8:50am tee time proved difficult for Nick who arrived at the driving range in flip flops with 4 minutes to spare. (something about a malfunctioning alarm clock?). The match would be played “clean” (without handicaps) but with the Hazleton rule which gives any team, that is two down, a stroke on its next hole.

The Uncles got off to a fast start, both paring the first hole to go one up. Nick hadn’t even laced up his shoes and the kids were one down! Not to worry…on the second hole Ryan hit a 3wood to the right rough, slashed a 9 iron to the green-side bunker, blasted out to 15 feet and sunk the par putt to even things up.

(photo credit: Clem Gover)

The match see sawed for the next 4 holes when Ryan (on #6) again made a long par putt to square the match. When asked if he would ever do something for his team, Nick replied “I’m doing a great job of reading Ryan’s putts!” Bob pared the long (but not for him) ninth hole while Ryan played army golf going left-right-left-right as he approached the green giving the Uncles a one up win on the front.

Ryan’s reaction to Bob’s par…”You’ve gotta be shittin me!” The Uncles started fast on the back with Mike’s par winning the 10th hole to go one up on the back and more importantly two up on the match bringing the Hazleton rule into play. Ryan and Nick would play the next hole getting a stroke. Nick didn’t need it as he hit to 35 feet in two and putted to three inches in three. Mike missed his 5 ft putt (he did a lot of that) and we never saw the Hazleton rule again.

On 12 tee, we took a time out to enjoy the view and take selfies. That’s when Bob observed that Nick’s shirt looked like something Julie had bought for him 15 years ago at Kauffman’s.

Nick proudly said he’s had the shirt since 8th grade and that he’s got another just like it still in the package at home.

Ryan birdied #12 to go one up on the back and even the match!

Bob won #13 with a par.

Ryan then birdied #14 with a sweet approach to 10 feet and a nifty putt. (Yes, Nick read that putt too)

After Ryan’s 2nd birdie, Bob said he’d had enough and turned into the “get off my lawn” guy.

He promptly hit it to 6 ft on 15 to put the Uncles even on the back and one up for the match. But he wasn’t done yet. On 17 he hit the green and two putted for par and it was all over but the shouting! On 18, Nick hit the longest drive of the day to the 150 yard marker (the Biz-Hub shot tracker had him at 286 yards off the tee) then knocked it on the green. He two putted for a nifty par that won the hole but the Uncles were in the money. Uncles won the front and the match (back was tied) and walked away with $10 each. Very satisfying! See you next year!

[spudkid]

June 28 - Dublin to Wilkes Barre

Did a morning walk along the River Liffey then had breakfast at Cafe La Bella.

On the way back, we saw Swifties (young and older) already decked out for Taylor’s sold out show tonight in Dublin.

Also got thee more post cards as I had three stamps left. About the stamps… 

When we were in Belfast, I stopped at the post office and bought 25 stamps for postcards along the way. (these beauties of King Charles are from the UK as is Belfast) In Kinsale, I handed some post cards to the clerk and she said ”you’ll need to buy some stamps for these. The stamps you have on them only work in the UK!” Duh! Fast-forward to today… I plan to find a mailbox at Heathrow on our way home.

Several people told us that Dublin could be dangerous and to be aware of pickpockets. We had no trouble and I believe I know the reason why! 

Left for the airport at 12n for our journey home.

3:20pm flight to Heathrow was delayed (storm delays in Europe and eventually took off at 4pm. To begin with, we had a 50 minute window to transfer so naturally the delay caused us to miss our connection. Were rebooked on Virgin Atlantic and arrived JFK at 11:40pm (2 hours later than the original scheduled.)

On a positive note, the two hour delay gave me a chance to find a place for my postcards!



We were through customs and had our luggage by midnight and John, our driver, had us home at 3 AM

Ireland…we miss you already!!!



[spudkid]

June 27 - Dublin and home

This morning in Kinsale at 5:15am.

Left Kinsale bound for a final night in Dublin. Dropped the rental car at the airport and caught a cab to Motel One just near the River Liffey…about a 10 minute walk from Trinity College.

Our cab driver, Bernadette Nugent, talked non stop for 35 minutes offering everything from cures for aching joints (you can get it online)

to what’s wrong with kids today (cell phones) and the latest info on Taylor Swift’s two concerts starting tonight in Dublin (be glad you are staying were you are…it’s going to be a madhouse over by the stadium). Mercifully we arrived at the hotel as she began suggesting a sure remedy for leg cramps (just a wee bit of table salt under the tongue). WOW!

Checked in and had lunch at La Roche, a Brazilian restaurant nearby. Then a 15 minute walk along the river to the Brazen Head, Dublins oldest pub established in 1198.

Thought I should recount two things that Tish said to me this trip. First, in Kinsale at Kitty O’se’s. There was a young bar maid there who was sparring with a co-worker and the bead she tossed at him missed its mark and hit Tish on the shoulder. It was very funny. To tease her, I took our coasters and put them over our beers. Tish looked at me in disgusts and said, “for cripes sake Michael, you are 72 years old…stay out of it!”

Second, today on the M7, as I passed a slower car on the left Tish indignantly stated “you know, it’s illegal to pass on the left on a motorway here!” So I decided to look it up.

So now we know!

Finally, and this is bad, I’m an old guy (see above reference to 72) and when I need to pee it is urgent. Not seeing any logical relief opportunities, I pulled off the motorway onto a local road, stopped and did my business. Ahh…now I can make it to the airport 110k away. No such luck… with 5k to go urgency strikes. Eureka…there is a bike lane on my left so I pull over. Tish groans “oh no…I’m so embarrassed!” I said “don’t worry about it! No one knows you here!” The rest of the drive was silent!

Had dinner at a neighborhood pub (imagine that) at T.P. Smith’s.

How about the gorgeous Irish woman in the doorway!

I’m happy to report that I enjoyed 5 gallons of Guiness plus one pint of Murphy’s Stout!

[spudkid]

June 26 - Ring of Kerry cont.

At Portmagee you can see the Skelligs!

Rising 7 miles offshore, the Skelligs (Irish for splinter) are two gigantic slate and sandstone rocks crouched aggressively on the ocean horizon. About 500 AD, some monks decided the larger Skellig would be a great place to build a monastery dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. It’s now called Skellig Michael.

I can’t imagine how they accomplished it but the lived there for about 500 years before moving to the mainland. They lived on birds, seals and fish and gathered rain water in cisterns. The pictures above are from the internet. We learned all this on the mainland at the Skellig experience.

We were back in Kinsale by 4pm which of course is Guinness time!

Dinner at Fishy Fishy at 7pm! Great meal!

[spudkid]

June 26 - Ring of Kerry Drive

Before we start today’s journey, I need to give the answer to yesterday’s question: Where is the French island Reunion? It is located east of Madagascar!!! Who knew?

The Ring of Kerry (the Iveragh Peninsula) has been the perennial breadwinner of Irish tourism for decades. Lassoed by a winding coastal road (the Ring), this mountainous, lake-splattered region comes with breathtaking scenery and the highest peak in Ireland. The entire Ring of Kerry loop is 135 miles. Here’s the map…

The best plan would have been to stay one night in Kenmare and drive clockwise but we started the day in Kinsale (about 1.5 hours away) so we left for Kenmare at 6am so we could avoid the tour buses which also travel clockwise. Here are some highlights. Glacier Lake carved by a glacier 10,000 years ago…

The Parknasilla Hotel - a posh 19th century hotel. Our 2019 Rick Steves guide suggested to stop for tea and scones. When we did, we learned that now days only paying guests (no riff-raff ) can have tea and scones!

Next the Coomakesta pass lookout point (700 ft altitude) for an incredible view…

Next Portmagee, quaint town at the tip of the peninsula…

[spudkid]

June 25 - Kinsale

Did a historic stroll led by Barry Moloney, another Rick Steves recommendation! He was wonderful! His style is to get a brief background from each participant (in our group we had Australians, Irish and Americans) then he’ll tailor his remarks to include tidbits for everyone. Very interesting! When he asked Tish if she had Irish heritage, she answered yes…McCarthy and Purcell. He then launched into a story: Queen Elizabeth, asked Cormac McCarthy, Lord of Blarney, to title his land over to England. With charm and wit, he responded to her many requests, keeping her happy without giving in. Exasperated, she finally tossed down a letter from him saying “this is Blarney!”

At the tail end he offered this tidbit. “I want everyone to notice that right here we have a bar, a Methodist church and a temperance hall all together. In this little corner, you can examine many of life’s questions!”

Before dinner! I warmed up with a couple of pints at Oscar Madison’s then we walked next door to Finn’s Farmcut.

From their website: Featuring a small seasonal menu, our meats are the finest grass-fed beef & lamb – nothing but mouth-watering goodness. Pasture reared, free-range & locally sourced from Finn’s family farm Mitchelstown County Cork & other like-minded farmers. Our meats are carefully butchered & aged to perfection with a fish special added daily from the waters of West Cork.

At Finns’ Farmcut, its love at first bite between you and ‘Bertha’. ‘Bertha’ is our charcoal oven – a first of its kind for Kinsale. Cooking at 350 - 400 degrees, using organic American Oak charcoal to enhance flavours.

Our server was Louis, who hails from the French island of Reunion. Bonus points for anyone who knows where it is! (Answer in tomorrow’s post.) We ordered one of my favorite California wines and each ordered medium rare rib-eye steak. Tish’s steak with pepper sauce and mine with blue cheese butter. Absolutely wonderful! We are now back at the hotel having an unnecessary beverage and charting our course for a Ring of Kerry drive tomorrow.

[spudkid]

June 24 - Old Head cont.

Here is #12 today…

versus on a sunny day…

the par three 17th today (look where my ball ended up)

compared to this…

You get the idea!

Finally, the intrepid group that braved the elements walking 7 miles and finishing the round in a handy 5 hours and 10 minutes.

Poor Fergus!

Tish shot 108 and I had an 89 and neither of us remembers one hole from another as they all looked the same.

Finished at 9:10pm, had a quick dinner in the Lusitania Bar!

[spudkid]

June 24 - Old Head Golf Links

Did a morning self guided walk of Kinsale from Rick Steves. Then some shopping and lunch at the Lemon Leaf. I should mention that we woke up to morning fog (I hoped it was the Guinness). It was still present by early afternoon!

At 2:30 we drove to Old Head, 22 minutes south for what would turn out to be a memorable round of golf. We were greeted at security by an enthusiastic fellow who exclaimed “you are in luck! There’s a wee marine layer over us but they are playing again. We were closed this morning.” I noticed that the zipper of his pants was down so I made him aware of it. He shrugged his shoulders and said “oh thanks…at least the monster is asleep!”

Adrian greeted us in the parking lot and gave us directions to the club house and range. Our tee time was 4:30pm but he said we could go early after a warm up as there were only a few groups on the course. Below is how the course looks on a clear day!

We were paired up with Wendy and Jeff Bell from Hilton Head and were assigned a young Scottish PGA Pro in training (he’s a plus golfer) by the name of Fergus Allan. He explained that if he was hard to understand it was because he was Scottish! He carried our bags and advised the entire foursome on every shot. (The Bells had pull carts and we all walked). We were ready to play.

Here’s the wee marine layer on the first hole. At no point during the round could we see more than 100 yards. It was “aim at the left side of that bunker” or “aim over that stake and hit your five iron.” Fergus was a busy man.

There was a wee bit of moisture in the air…

But it was warm…about 15 degrees C (60)

[spudkid]

June 23 - cont.

Arrived Kinsale about 2:30pm.

Kinsale, meaning head of the brine, is a small fishing village in county Cork. It sits at the mouth of the River Brandon and has about 5,900 residents. Explored the town to get our bearings.

Will do a Rick Steves walk tomorrow before golf. It was beautiful today (65 and sunny) so sat outside of our hotel listening to music.

Staying at Acton Hotel.

[spudkid]

June 23 -

Departed Limerick early for a stop in Adare! This is the favorite town of our former neighbors Jen and Sean so we thought we’d take a look. Stopped at The Good Room for breakfast…

Tish had the full Irish breakfast (potatoes, sausage, bacon, white and black pudding, beans and eggs) and I ordered Hash Hash (roasted baby potatoes, pulled ham and soft boiled eggs with a hollandaise sauce. Walked across the street to see Holy Trinity Abbey …

… a stroll through the park

Then checked out many traditional thatched roof homes!

Also in town is Adare Manor and Golf Club which will host the 2027 Ryder Cup!

We attempted to storm the gate to get a look at the place but a gentleman in a top hat blocked our entry saying it was only for guests! A picturesque and charming little town. On to Kinsale!

[spudkid]

June 22 - cont.

 The Cliffs of Moher are sea Cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Claire, Ireland. They run for about 14 km (9 miles) at their southern end they rise 120m (390 ft) above the Atlantic ocean at Hags Head. They reach their maximum height at 214 m (702 feet) just north of O’Brien’s tower.

Could have posted a dozen more pictures but you get the idea. The visitors center is very well done and is a convenient diversion when the weather is bad.

Drove to Limerick for the night. Had dinner at Lock, a 10 minute walk along the River Shannon from our hotel.

[spudkid]

June 22 - Galway, Cliffs of Moher & Limerick

After breakfast we decided to do a 90 minute Hop on Hop off bus tour of Galway. It left from the opposite side of Eyre Square from our hotel!

We got front row seats on the second deck and settled in for the show. I’ll just give the highlights…the Spanish Arch that according to our guide is the most underwhelming monument in Ireland! (It was the doorway used by new arrivals as they walked from the docks into the city.)

Couldn’t figure out how they made the list! Then it was off to Salthill, the beach / amusement park section of the city. For those in PA, think Sans Souci or Hansens at Harveys Lake. Prominent here is the Black Rock Diving Tower still in use today.

Also seen were several golf courses, O’Connor’s bar, the University of Galloway and finally the Galloway Cathedral, which was built in 1965.



Oh good…time to head to the Cliffs of Moher.

[spudkid]

June 21 - Westport to Galway

Rain was in the forecast today so we delayed our Westport departure until 11:30. Had breakfast at…

I had an omelette with chorizo and cheese and Tish ordered a crepe with goat cheese and veggies! We did the Connemara Loop Drive from Rick Steves. The first 25 minutes was Westport so Louisburgh along Clews Bay!

This is not our picture. It was pouring rain the first hour of our trip. The wipers were on full blast, water was cascading down the mountain sides and many sheep decided it was easier to use the road!

We stopped at Kylemore Abbey. This Neo Gothic country home was built by the wealthy English businessman Mitchell Henry in the 1860s. After World War I, refugee Benedictine nuns from Pres, Belgium took it over and ran it as an exclusive girls boarding school. Here is how it looked today…

and this is how it looks when it’s not raining. (Note streams of rainwater rushing off the mountain behind the Abbey. We were treated to those scenes throughout our drive)

We had lunch in Clifden and the sun came out for the last hour into Galway!

Arrived Galway about 5…had a 7pm dinner at Universal Bar where we sat next to a couple from San Francisco. They were heading north so we traded some tips on places each were about to visit.

Last stop was Malones’s Tavern (also from Steves book)

for a pint and a wee pint of Guinness!

[spudkid]

June 20 - cont.

As we left the bar, these three musicians were playing outside.

Tish gave them a generous donation resulting in the smiles you see here. Walked through town…

to the Castlecourt Hotel and had dinner at Petie Joe’s Bar.

Saw the second half of England vs Austria Euro Cup match. It ended in a draw!

[spudkid]

June 20 - Westport and the Great Western Greenway

Had breakfast at Chilli Coffee shop and then strolled Westport.

At 12n, we reported in at Westport Bikes. Ailbha greeted us and introduced Dermot who drove our shuttle to Achill Island where we would start our bike ride. The Great Western Greenway is a popular 26 mile ride taking in Ireland’s great and scenic natural beauty. From 1895 to 1937, a narrow gauge railway operated from Westport to Achill Island. In 2010, the rails were replaced by a level paved path…an ideal rural route dedicated to bikers and walkers. This activity is highly recommended by Rick Steves who suggests it is level and that the wind will be with you as you travel back to Westport. Tish and I dispute this as the wind was in our faces for at least half of the ride and it is certainly not level! (We gained almost 1,000 ft during the ride).

The scenery was spectacular! Water views, stone walls and sheep everywhere!

We covered almost 28 miles (wrong turns add distance) in approximately 3 hours.

It was GREAT! We wobbled into town, turned our bikes in and headed for some Guiness!

[spudkid]

June 19 - Belfast to Westport

We had breakfast at the hotel and walked to the Belfast Botanical Garden.

It is in the middle of the city and absolutely lovely. Returned to the hotel and while I retrieved the car, Tish got our luggage organized. We left about 11:45am bound for Westport. We are staying in a garden apartment just a half mile from town.

Nice work Tish! Had dinner at Sage Restaurant, a Rick Steves suggestion.

Tish had the seafood plate and I had the John Dory. Both were excellent! In fact, mine was among the best meals I’ve ever had! Of note, Tish had John Dory the other night at Hugo’s in Dublin and loved it. Maybe we are on to something! After dinner, we went to Matt Molloy’s Pub.

If you are into the Chieftains, you’ll know that he was their flutist. It’s really a great place and features music every night at half nine. That’s how they say it here!

[spudkid]

June 18 - Belfast cont.

Needed a beverage after the tour so popped into our hotel bar. I had a pint if Guinness and Tish had a half pint. Walked past Queens University of Belfast inroute to the Post Office to mail some cards.

Had dinner at Edo, a tapas restaurant I read about in the NYT Travel section. It was great!