#lough gill

[appointmentwithmryeats]

[the4chambersofmystery]

[thesudrianchronicles]

NWC: NWR Loco fleet

Welcome to the AU. There is no order, just pure chaos & crack ideas. More info to follow. - The Author

NWR STEAM ENGINES

Thomas (NWR 1)

Alice/Edward “Alice Edwards” (NWR 2)

Henry (NWR 3) 

Gordon “Shooting Star” (NWR 4)

James (NWR 5)

Percy/Paisley (NWR 6)

Toby (NWR 7)

Duck “Montague” (NWR 8/GWR 5741)

Donald (NWR 9)

Douglas (NWR 10)

Oliver (NWR 11/GWR 1436/1451)

Emily (NWR 12)

Eagle (NWR 13)

Tilly “Tilbury” (NWR 14)

Gwen (NWR 15)

Alberta (NWR 16)

Jessica (NWR 17)

Callum (NWR 18)

Sam “St Johnstoun” (NWR 19)

Noah (NWR 20)

Archie (NWR 21)

Alexandra “Princess Alexandra” (NWR 22/GWR 4053)

Aaron (NWR 23)

Rosie (NWR 24)

Louise “Princess Louise” (NWR 25)

Garry “Glen Garry” (NWR 26)

Molly (NWR 27)

Josh (NWR 28)

Skye (NWR 29)

Trigger (NWR 30)

Rachael (NWR 31/GWR 4112)

Charlie “Charlotte” (NWR 32)

Joey/Josephine (NWR 33)

Jinty (NWR 34)

Catlin “City of Coventry” (NWR 35)

Neville (NWR 36)

Arthur (NWR 37)

Murdoch (NWR 38)

Belle “Annabelle” (NWR 39)

Angus (NWR 40)

Rebecca “Saunton” (NWR 41)

Tadano (NWR 42)

Sophie “Sophia” (NWR 43)

Ren (NWR 44)

Nakanaka (NWR 45)

Komi (NWR 46)

Hiro (NWR 47/JNR D51-1158)

Marklin (NWR 48/DRG 80 0007)

Barry (NWR 49/GWR 5609)

Shuuko (NWR 50/JGR 58629)

Ella (NWR 51/NSR 245)

Tess "Tulip" (NWR 52/NS 3820)

Nia (NWR 53/KUR 1118)

Tid “Tidmouth hall”* (NWR 54/GWR 7930)

Ryan (NWR 55)

Winnie (NWR 56)

Gill “Lough Gill” (NWR 57/GNRI 196)

Ashima (NWR 58/NMR 37395)

Andrew “Andrew Bain” (NWR 59)

Kenzie* (NWR 60)

Hank (NWR 61)

Philip (NWR 62)

Mark (NWR 63)

Wells/Wellan “Wellsworth Cathedral”* (NWR 64/GWR 8020)

NWR DIESEL ENGINES

Daisy (D1)

BoCo (D2)

Bear (D3)

Glenn “Works diesel” (D4)

Derek (D5)

Dennis (D6)

Paxton (D7)

Splatter & Dodge (D8 & D9)

Diesel 10 “Cockade” (D10)

Edwin (D11)

Sarah (D12)

Martin* (D13)

Alastor (D14)

Paul (D15)

Patryk (D16)

Robin (D17)

Iris (D18)

Peak (D19)

Sidney (D20)

Grant & Polly (D21)

Den “Denise” (D22)

Dart (D23)

Yin Lee (D24)

Pip & Emma (D25 & D26)

Darren (D27)

Mavis (D28)

NWR ELECTRIC ENGINES 

Thor “Thorkell” (E1)

Loey “Loey Machan” (E2)

Lindsay (E3)

Sandra (E4)

Crovan (E5)

Kirk (E6)

Stafford (E7)

Arnold (E8)

Madison & Mel (E9 & E10)

Ark & Parker (E11 & E12)

Logan & Beth (E13 & 14) 

NWR DEPARTMENTAL ENGINES 

Ernie (SRR 1)

Bertha (SRR 2)

Jones (SRR 3)

Sixteen (SRR 4)

Niffty (SRR 5)

Husker (SRR 6)

Winston (HATT 2)

Diana “Denmark” (NWDS 1)

Harvey (NWDS 2)

Baxter (NWDS 3)

Victor (NWDS 4)

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

New in September - Hallmark Movies Now

The 27-Hour Day (2021)  Starring Autumn reeder and Andrew Walker.  Hallmark Channel/Summer Nights 

Matchmaker Mysteries: The Art of the Kill (2021)  Starring Danica McKellar, Victor Webster, and Bruce Boxleitner.  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #3 of 3 

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: The Disappearing Game (2018)  Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Lexa Doig, Marilu Henner, Niall Matter, Peter Benson, Brad Harder, Catherine Lough-Haggquist, Teryl Rothery, Dylan Sloane, Ken Tremblett, and Ellie Harvie  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #9 of 18 

Ships in the Night: A Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries (2020)  Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Sarah lind, Eric Keenleyside, Chelsea Hobbs, Sunita Prasad, and Nelson Wong  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #3 of 4 

Mystery 101: Words Can Kill (2019)  Starring Jill Wagner, Kristoffer Polaha, Robin Thomas, Preston Vanderslice, and Eric Keenleyside  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #3 of 7 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made (2021)  Starring Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe, Geoff Gustafson, Gregory Harrison, Sherry Miller, Jill Morrison, and Rhiannon Fish  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #11 of 11 (so far) 

Garage Sale Mystery: The Novel Murders (2016)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strange, Steve Basic, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope, Kevin O’Grady, Ken Tremblett, Fiona Vroom, and Jason Cermak  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #6 of 16  

Garage Sale Mystery: The Art of Murder (2017)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strange, Steve Basic, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope. Kevin O’Grady, Martin Cummins, Susan Hogan, Leanne Lapp, Matty Finochio, and Karen Holness  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #7 of 16  

Garage Sale Mystery: The Beach Murder (2017)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strange, Steve Basic, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope, Kevin O’Grady, and Catherine Lough-Haggquist  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #8 of 16  

A Taste of Summer (2019)  Starring Roselyn Sanchez, Eric Winter, Alison Araya, and Antonio Cayonne  Hallmark Channel/Summer Nights 

Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead (2019)  Starring Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott, Barbara Niven, John Kapelos, Perveen Dosanjh, Cardi Wong, Jon Cor, and Lucia Walters  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #5 of 5 

Sweet Pecan Summer (2021)  Starring Christine Ko, Wes Brown, Lauren Tom, and Chase Ramsey  Hallmark Channel/Summer Nights 

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Game of Cat and Mouse (2019)  Starring Candace Cameron Bure, Niall Matter, Marilu Henner, Lexa Doig, Peter Benson, Miranda Frigon, Dylan Sloane, Ellie Harvie, Catherine Lough-Haggquist, and Tammy Gillis  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #10 of 18 

Chesapeake Shores Season 6 (2022)  New Episodes Every Thursdays  Starring Meghan Ory, Barbara Niven, Treat Williams, Laci J Mailey, Emilie Ullerup, Brendan Penny, Andrew Francis, Robert Buckley, Stephen Huszar, Jessica Sipos,Carlo Marks, Greyston Holt, and Mariesa Crouse  Hallmark Channel 

September 1 

Unthinkably Good Things (2022)  Starring Karen Pittman, Eria Ash, Joyful Drake, Lance Gross, Jermaine Love, and Luca Seta  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Mahogany Films 

South Beach Love (2021)  Starring Taylor Cole and William Levy  Hallmark Channel/Fall Harvest 

Garage Sale Mystery: Murder by Text (2017)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strange, Steve Bacic, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope, Kevin O’Grady, Gabrielle Miller, Tegan Moss, Jesse Moss, and Emily Tennant  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #9 of 16 

September 8 

Poisoned in Paradise: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery (2020)  Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Sarah lind, Eric Keenleyside, Chelsea Hobbs, Sunita Prasad, Tammy Gills, Lucia Walters, and Nelson Wong  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #4 of 4 

Garage Sale Mystery: Murder Most Medieval (2017)  Starring Lori Loughlin, Sarah Strange, Steve Bacic, Eva Bourne, Connor Stanhope, Kevin O’Grady, Sebastian Spence, Casey Manderson, Aren Buchholz, April Telek, and Nathan Witte  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries/Movie #10 of 16 

Sealed with a Kiss: Wedding March 6 (2021)  Starring Jack Wagner, Josie Bissett, Caitlin Stryker, and Nathan Witte  Hallmark Channel/Summer Nights/Movie #6 of 6 

September 29 

Redemption in Cherry Springs (2021)  Starring Rochelle Aytes, Keith D. Robinson, Frankie Faison, and Scott Bryce  Hallmark Movies & Mysteries 

Plus many more films. 

[niftybucklesblog]

The Children of Lir

Today’s topic at #FairytaleTuesday on X is on Siblings and what better siblings than the children of Lir an Irish folktale.

Art by Sheila MacGill-Callahan

THE CHILDREN OF LIR: AN IRISH LEGEND

There was a time in ancient Ireland when the people believed in magic and in druids and spells. These were the days of the Tuatha De Danann tribe, the Goddess Danu and of Lir, the lord of the sea.

Lir’s wife, Eva, had given him four beautiful children. The two eldest, Fionnuala and Aodh, went swimming in a small lake. But these were no ordinary swimmers! They possessed gills for breathing and webbed feet as they were, after all, the offspring of ‘the ruler of the land beneath the waves’.

They met a messenger who told them that they were wanted by their father. They went home immediately only to find their father disturbed.

‘What is wrong father?’ they enquired ‘Your mother has given birth to twins’ he replied ‘….and has gone off to rest’ ‘What do you mean father?’ they asked

Lir explained that this was what humans called ‘death’ but that since they were immortal that their mother had gone to recover, possibly for a thousand years or more. The children were to look after the new brothers, Fiachra and Conn.

The children kissed their mother for the last time and then left.

As the children grew Lir’s spirits declined until one day he met Aoife, the sister of his wife. Aoife was possessed of magical powers and soon enough it was known that she and Lir would marry. The new family thrived under the influence of their new mother but not for long as guilt and jealousy about the children’s real mother took its toll on Aoifes health. She fell into sickness for a year but recovered only to start to become old before here time.

Aoife was a changed woman now and one day suggested that she and the children should visit their grandfather. On the journey they stopped by a lake and she encouraged the children to go for a swim. The four children played happily in the water, not noticing that their stepmother was now standing at the waters edge wearing her fathers magic cloak.

‘For too long you children have stood between your father and I, but not for much longer!’ she cried

‘We cannot be killed by you…’ Aodh replied, ‘…we are the Children of Lir and if you harm us our ghosts will haunt you!’

‘I’m not going to kill you…..’ she shouted ‘……but I am going to change you!’

At this she bowed her head and started an incantation. The children looked at each other in fear as they saw a red and gold circle envelope them on the water. They saw Aoife open up her cloak from which the great light of a fireball emerged and hurtled towards them, burning all in its wake.

The fireball hit the water and caused masses of steam to rise about the children and they soon lost all feeling in their legs, arms, shoulders and head. They soon regained their sight only to see Aoife laughing at them. Aodh tried to attack her and flailed his arms about furiously but nothing happened except the splashing of water. He turned to look at his brothers and sister only to see that they had all been turned into the most beautiful swans ever seen.

Aoife scowled at them again and told them that they were to spend nine hundred years as swans, three hundred on Lough Derravaragh, three hundred on the Straits of Moyle and three hundred on the Isle of Inish Glora. To end the spell they would have to hear the bell of the new God.

‘I leave you with your voice however, and the most beautiful singing ever heard’ she said.

Lir searched for his children that day, but Aoife told him that they had been attacked and killed by wild boars. Fionnuala, now in swan form, approached her father and told him what Aoife had done. Lir was furious and banished Aoife into exile as an evil demon of the air.

Lir faithfully visited his children and the power of his love ensured that their time on the lake was one of bliss. He knew though that the 300 years of the first phase had passed and that the next phase of the spell was about to begin. The swans left for the Straits of Moyle, never to see their father again.

Their time on the Northern Straits of Moyle were not so joyous, with frequent storms separating them, only for they to join up again. Another 300 years passed but they had survived together.

They departed the cold straits and made their way towards Lough Derravaragh. They flew over the land, hoping to find their father’s fort, but it was now nothing more than ruins. They wept because they knew the time of the Tuatha De Danann was gone.

They travelled West to the waters of Inish Glora and found refuge on a small saltwater lake where time passed slowly. One day an old man named Mochua visited the lake and the children enquired of him if he was a follower of the new God. The startled man asked if they were the children of Lir and they told him that they were.

‘Are you a holy man?’ asked Fiacra. ‘I am…’ came the reply.

The children knew that to break the spell that they would have to hear the bell of a new God toll in their own land.

Mochua told them all about his new God and all about Saint Patrick who had brought his faith to their country.

The children became excited as they knew that this was the new God their stepmother had told them of. They stayed with Mochua for many years who gave them sanctuary in a small chapel which he had built. He intended to make a bell and collected old swords, shields and other metal to make it. The bell was now completed and was about to be rung when another disaster occurred.

A Warrior dressed in armour entered the chapel. He had come for the children who were famed for their wonderful singing.

‘I am Liargren, King of Connaught’ he shouted, ‘My wife desires those swans and I will have them. Give them here or I will tear this building down.’

Fionnuala looked at Mochua and then said that they would agree to go away with this King. Liargen was amazed to hear her speak but soon composed himself and ordered his men to take the children away. They were being loaded onto a carriage when suddenly, the church bell tolled loudly.

Time seemed to stand still, but in another instant a great white mist had been blown off the nearby lake and enveloped the children as it had done 900 years before. The mist changed into all of the colours of the rainbow before a great wind gusted it away.

The children had at last been transformed back into human form.

Liagren fled immediately, never to return. Mochua baptized the beautiful children who had begun to age rapidly and so it was that the children of Lir, the last of the Tuatha De Danann died soon afterwards, their legend to live on forever.

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[rwnash]

Andersons - Lough Gill - 4.0% ABV. B+ and a bit, Irish Red Ale brewed for Spoons for St Patrick’s Day. Malty and satisfying #ale #beer #bier

3.3/5. If you like malty red ales, this is certainly the one for you and at £1.99 a pint and 4.0% it’s fill your boots time.

[garudabluffs]

Stolen Child, harp cover by Belgradeharpist

This poem by WB Yeats tells of faeries charming children away from the human world, an old Irish legend for why children sometimes disappeared seemingly into thin air. It was said the children ran away to Faeryland. Loreena McKennitt (composer/arranger) has given the piece the more modern meaning of childhood being stolen by media and technology. I dedicate this song to all those whose childhood was stolen from them.

https://youtu.be/cHReT5cggDw

Vocal/ Ének: Tímea Tóth-Jakab                                                            Instrumental karaoke recorded and produced by Helena Korsak:

Analysis of 'The Stolen Child' by W. B. Yeats

Click here for a reading of the poem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEGXO2...

95 Comments  “He's talking about the inevitable heartbreaking loss that all children experience within themselves when they move into adulthood. He's talking about how they want to remain children, how they're not ready, and how the perceived violence of the adult world makes them want to walk away into the water and the wild, and, actually, its safety. How does she not know of Yeats's involvement with magic?”

+ “I couldn't agree more. While I think that her analysis is quite good, I think that the underlying meaning here is that transformation from childhood to adulthood.

&”Thank you very much Ms Dempster.  You have covered alot of albeit a very academic overview of the poem. My degree alas is not in English, however being Irish qualifies me to see possibly were others cannot. Please dont take this as being smug.  We have a saying in Ireland 'away with the fairies' were applications can be used for daydreaming in thought but moreover the term is used to describe madness, further achieved in the poem by the repetitive use of the word 'weeping'. The water in Irish folk lore is a place called Tir Na Nog, the land of eternal youth directley pointed to: 'Far off by furthest Rosses we foot it all the night' with a capital R being the Rosses in Sligo, by the sea aka Tir Na Nog.  The leafy Island is Inisfree, again in Sligo can be seen at the bottom of Glen Carr (lough Gill) looking out towards Rosses point. I think the reference of 'Human child' is of the human race and not a boy as suggested, rather if one lives in grief he grows old and looses his youth (innocence) with the realities and pains of weepng and grief, were if he turns his back on the realities of weeping he tricks himself into madness, in step the faery folk. So, to keep his innocence some trickery of the other world brings him into moonlit madness. The slumbering trout while asleep is aware he may caught, the fairies I suppose whisper to his ear the threat of capture.  For here he comes, yes the achievement of capture by willingness is quite a frightening prospect, in weeping do we stay in reality or escape into denial and into the world of the fairy with the promise of eternal youth?  In short, I think its the transition of youth into manhood with either madness from weeping as a reality or leaving this realm into Tir Na Nog as an alternative reality are but our only choices.  As the legend goes, if you enter Tir Na Nog, you never come back. / I also think that James Clarence Mangan (an other great Irish poet) was a source of much inspiration to Yeates and his very public demise into madness may have been a strong influence in this poems flavour.  Please respond     

+& “ One interpretation I read was that the child has already been stolen; the 'world' has stolen the child's innocence and imagination, and the faeries simply wish to retrieve it.”        

[reasonandmeaning]

Summary of "The Lake Isle of Innisfree"

Summary of “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”

Innisfree sits in the middle of Lough Gill, a lake in County Sligo in northwest Ireland. (more…)

[quaintobsessions]

through the years and miles between us

[mostly-history]

Lough Gill (County Sligo, Ireland, c. 1890 – 1900).  This is the setting for Yeats' poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree:

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart's core.

[infrakrasnyy]

Parke’s Castle - 550nm

[harrykane1456]

Best Cycle Routes in Ireland – Cycle Centre

Cycle Routes That Embrace Ireland's Beauty with nearly 99,000km of roads, the Emerald Isle has got so much to offer so mount up and get out there.

Check out Cycle routes in Ireland – https://bit.ly/3A6Veq7

[thesudrianchronicles]

NWC BIOS: Lough Gill

Name: Gill (Lough Gill)

Class: GNRI U Class 4-4-0, Regauged

Built: 1915, Beyer Peacock & Co.

Arrived on Sodor: 1996

Number: NWR 57, TOPS 95057, Wears GNRI 196 (NIR 496)

Livery: GNRI Blue

Homeshed: Tidmouth Harbour

Gender: Male, Cisgender, He/Him

Lough Gill, or Gill for short. Is one of the NWR's many international locomotives, He is unique among NWR engines, for, he prefers the company of Non-NWR engines. Like the Tidmouth Dock Authority engines.

HISTORY

Lough Gill (Pronounced Loch Gill), was the first of, at the time at least, 5 U class 4-4-0 tender engines built for the Great Northern Railway Ireland (GNRI), by Beyer Peacock of Gorton Manchester. Upon arrival in Northern Ireland (Which was still part of Ireland at the time) he & his siblings were put to work on hauling secondary services on the GNRI's mainlines. Such as Belfast - Derry/Londonderry expresses, Belfast-Bundoran & Enniskillen expresses and so forth. From new, Gill & his siblings were never named. However, they quickly gave themselves names based on the local Lochs.¹ From built to at least 1950, Gill led a pretty uneventful life. But, in 1953, Gill was officially given the name "Lough Gill''. (His 4 other siblings were also named after Loughs, while his 5 newer siblings were named after countys).²

In 1953 as well, the GNRI was incorporated into Northern Ireland Railways.³ Because of this, Gill was renumbered from 196, to 496 and repainted into the railways lovely apple green with black lining. Allocated to the GNRI shed at Adelaide, in Belfast. Gill would, more or less, get caught up in the adventures of "The Adelaide Gang"⁴, in which he never really wanted to, but secretly enjoyed it. With the arrival of MED’s & DMU’s in the 1950s & 60s, Gill found himself on less & less passenger work. Spending much of his later NIR years shunting around Great Victoria Street Station in Belfast. Finally, Lough Gill was withdrawn from NIR Stock in September 1964, after 39 years of service.

PRESERVATION & SODOR

Following withdrawal in 1964, Lough Gill was Preserved by NIR and displayed on a Plinth outside Great Victoria Street station. In which he would remain for the next 30ish years. In the early 90s, NIR made plans to modernise Great Victoria Street station, including the front, of which Gill was sitting at. NIR had made plans to put slightly weathered & bored out of his non-existent skull Gill into their museum in Cultra. But luckily, (For NIR anyway), The North Western Railway was in need of a medium size 4-4-0 to help with Boat train traffic from Tidmouth Harbour to at least Cronk. So, when the NWR heard that there was a slightly too big⁵ but mendable 4-4-0 close to home, who really didn’t want to be put inside a museum……you can see where this is going, right? In the Winter of 1994, Lough Gill was officially sold to the NWR and arrived on the Island in the Spring of 1996, the reason it took so long, was because it was decided to regauge Gill from 5ft 3in to 4ft 8½in in Northern Ireland.

Upon arriving to Sodor. Gill very, and I mean, VERY quickly got sick & fed up with the big engines. So, he decided to spend his first night on Sodor sleeping with the Tidmouth Dock Authority engines at the Harbour shed. He was meant to sleep there for one night, but he has stayed there ever since!

As of today, you can usually find Gill pulling local or boat trains from the harbour. Or chatting, mostly arguing with some of the other engines. But, even though he sometimes misses his home in Northern Ireland. Would he leave Sodor? Well, to quote himself when asked that question, “Don’t be f**king stupid!”

PERSONALTY

While Lough Gill can at first come off as rude, or blunt, and fed up with everyone around him. He is actually kind & cares about those closest to him, that being the Tidmouth Harbour engines & cranes. He enjoys having time to himself, but will always join in to any games, story telling or general shenanigans that happen down by the docks. And as perversely mentioned, as much as he misses Ireland from time to time, he’ll never leave Sodor. For two reasons: One, he enjoys been with the new friends he's made,

And the second?

Being reconverted back to Irish gauge would be a bugger to deal with.

NOTES

1- The first 5 members of the U class were all named after Irish Loughs in the late 40s & early 50s. Until then, they unofficially named themselves after nearby Loughs.

2- 5 more members of the class were built by Beyer Peacock in 1948.

3- In the NWC & 63A universe, The Ulster Transport Authority was never formed, leading to the creation of Northern Ireland Railways & the Ulster Road Authority.

4- The Adelaide Gang refers to a group of (now preserved) GNRI engines, of which Gill was sometimes a part of.

5- Lough Gill was built to Irish Gauge & not standard Gauge.

TRIVIA

My headcanon voice for Lough Gill is the same as the character of Bishop Brennan from Father Ted.

He has blue eyes.

He was the first engine at Adelaide to have an all female crew, gaining them in 1949.

He holds the record for the fastest time for traveling from one end of the Harbour to the other, completing it in 3 minutes & 28 seconds.

[aquayurufuwatraveler]

2007.8.12 アイルランド スライゴ ギル湖

[loustravels]

Winter in Scotland & Ireland

Part 43 - To Sligo We Go January 2017

Today we left Galway and headed north towards Sligo. For some reason we headed somewhere away from the direct route (I think we were in search of something but never found it), ended up turning around and pausing next to a Monastery (Esker Monastery & Retreat House). Eventually we were on our way again (in the right direction), stopping in Ballindine for fuel before continuing on to our B&B in Ballintogher.

The next day, we started off at an unexpected 2-in-1 attraction. We headed out for the day and found Parkes Castle on the banks of Lough Gill. While we were reading the information board at the castle, we realised that we had stumbled in sight of the Isle of Innisfree!

...to be continued...