Way too much but here we go...

I couldn't get to this site from the Newport computer last night... so much to report. Yesterday we rode bikes along the Great Western Greenway, 38 km from Achille Island to Westport. Amazingly beautiful ride with views of the Atlantic and offshore islands. We looked across a bay to Crough Patrick, a mountain where St. Patrick once fasted for 30 days. There were also grassy fields full of foxgloves, buttercups, rhodadendrums, daisies and many more wildflowers. Sheep were everywhere, baa-ing at us as we rode. We crossed many streams, and saw higher mountains to the east... watch for pix, we'll let you know.

We were lucky enough to be in Westport for the Folk and Bluegrass Festival. We heard two very fine bluegrass bands, one in a hotel and the other in a pub. Irish people love bluegrass... I have heard there are strong connections between traditional Irish music and bluegrass. You can hear it in the melodies, riffs, bittersweet feeling, place based lyrics. I want to do more research on this. And yes, Guinness is better in Ireland!!

Today we are in Sligo, a beautiful small city. This place apparently goes back to the 5th century. It has an amazing history. It was raided and razed in the 1600s by the British; I am guessing this was during Oliver Cromwell's rule, he was cruel to Ireland. It is a very beautiful and artistic town now, surrounded by mountains and lakes, which we will visit. This is William Butler Yeats' territory. We walked by the Yeats center tonight and were invited to an art opening. The featured woman did beautiful paintings of cityscapes with rain. We'll be here a few days, maybe long enough to find "...the silver apples of the moon
and the golden apples of the sun."
Those lines are from "The Song of Wandering Aengus", by Yeats.