29/04/08

Today was the first time we forgot to take a photo of Pat's sleeping
spot...and such fine one it was. We had wanted to stay beside Lough
Key near Boyle, alas very adament signs declared "No overnight
parking" the €4 parking fee put us off too. So we ended up parking on
a side road in the middle of a forest. This side road was on a marked
walking route too so this morning we got up and went for walk through
the forest, coming across a the lake and a castle on the way.
After our walk we headed for the Arigna Mining Experience. With the
help of our guide Maurice who was working in the mine when it closed
in 1990, we went through a disused coal mine. This was a fantastic
experience that gave us an perspective on how coal was mined over the
last century.
Next stop was Donegal (which we reached by going through Northern
Ireland - what surprised us was the non-existance of border controls
or even a sign. The only clue we got that we had entered another
country was that the prices were in Pounds, not Euros. Considering
the conflict in Northern Ireland 15 years ago - times have certainly
changed!!).
Our night in Donegal was very enjoyable, we found a pub with
traditional irish music session going on. What was amazing was that
some people playing in the session didn't know each other, but they
all took turns at starting a song off. They would ask the others if
they knew such and such a tune, which half of the time the answer was
no. They played the tune anyway, and by the time they were halfway
through, the other players had worked out the tune by just watching
what notes were played. By the end you would have thought they knew
the tune all their life!!