Greetings from Ireland!
Here are the facts.
I arrived at Westcove House in Castlecove, near Caherdaniel, on the Ring of Kerry, County Kerry, in the southwest corner of Ireland, overlooking the Atlantic ocean on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
I am visiting Alexandria residents Hugh and Barbara Barton for the third time. My nephew, Mark Stafne, is visiting with me. We are masked and fully vaccinated, had negative COVID tests the day before we left, and will have to get tested again this weekend before we fly back to the states on Monday, October 11.
I can report that the plane from New York to Dublin was full. The Irish people we have spoken to report that much tourism here has been in-country and EU. We are among the first Americans to return.
We have had the typical bouts of rain sweeping in and out from the Atlantic for two days. They call this part of Ireland “Wild Atlantic Way.”
But today dawned sunny and bright and we were greeted with bleats and blahs from the 50 plus sheep and goats that live just below the fence here at Westcove. They clearly have the best view in the house.
We are about to leave for our first hike of the day. We will visit Derrynane. It’s the Irish equivalent of Mount Vernon, and the home of Daniel O’Connell.
Appropriately, I am wearing a Margaret Winters sweater and playpants by Kiki V., Go Lightly. The scarf is Andrea Geer. My audience loves it. Ten bleats.
