Ghosts and goblins and pumpkins, oh my!
As Halloween draws closer, eye-catching decorations for the season become more prominent here in Ireland where the annual spook show was first inspired.
The town of Cong has a fine array of classy but scary decorations.
Bill and I visited this adorable town at the border of County Mayo and County Galway yesterday.
The real draw is that the area served as the setting for a 1951 movie called "The Quiet Man," starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.
As an aside I must tell the story of our beloved St. Joseph's parish priest Fr. M. John O'Donovan.
Later in life, he made connections with Maureen O'Hara who spent her final days in Boise, Idaho.
The two exchanged birthday and Christmas cards for a number of years.
So, of course, I thought about Fr. Tim (he had a variety of names) when we spent several hours in Cong.
Another draw: the Ashford Castle which serves as an upscale hotel, obviously attracting prominent and wealthy guests. The cars in the parking lot serve as a validation.
No Subaru's or Equinoxes, but lots of BMW's and Porsche.
The staff at the hotel was very nice to us, even though they could not allow us inside.
Frank, the doorman, happily posed for a photo, and Aedin at the gate initiated a conversation with us which lasted several minutes.
Before his present job, Aedin served as the best pest control expert in Ireland.
He was delightful, and we agreed we could visit all day.
After a leisurely and pleasant stroll enjoying the town highlights, Bill and I had a late lunch/early dinner at Pat Cohan's. Good food and great service from locals who've gone away but come back to their quiet little pocket of paradise.
Today we're moving on to Kenmare where Willie and Debbie arrived a day ahead of us.
As I type, he is probably getting started with the Halloween basketball clinic where he is the featured coach. It was neat to see on the graphic:
Will Love, USA
Tomorrow, we'll watch some of the clinic and begin what we hope to be an enjoyable and relaxing four nights in one of our favorite Irish towns.
And, Marcia, we'll probably see the Finnegans and drop off the goodies.
Happy Tuesday. Enjoy the photos.
And, many thanks to John and Sue who have taken good care of us, as always.
Good bye to Clifden; hello to Kenmare.
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