So…here we are in Killysbeg…west coast of Ireland. Population here is 450…yes, that’s hundred! With the surrounding communities, total headcount is just south of 2,000. We’ve never seen so much green. And I’m talking lime, avocado, jade, olive, emerald…and even sea green. Beautiful & lush! We were among the first off the ship, walked the entire city, met a few of the locals, visited the town church, hospital, & vocational school – back on the ship by 10:30am. With that said, it truly is a very nice community, and also the largest & most important fishing port in all of Ireland. They process multiple varieties of fish in Killysbeg and ship frozen product as far away as Africa. All of the large fishing vessels were in port and the processing plants sitting idle as regulations prohibit commercial fishing until August.
The residents went out of their way to make us feel welcome – some of the nicest we’ve met so far. There are no wonders of the world here or UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but the people and the landscape sure make up for it. Very nice day – the rain held off until we left, but the wind was quite gusty all day.
Another change in itinerary due to foul weather & sea conditions. When we leave Killysbeg, we’ll be heading north then clockwise down the eastern coast of Ireland to avoid another major storm brewing in the Atlantic. We’ll be sailing for two days toward Bantry, Ireland, bypassing Galway, but basically back on schedule with Waterford the day after Bantry.
As I write, and although we’re now in the Irish Sea, waves are running 20 feet and it’s still very cold. We were really looking forward to our escape from the Arizona summer heat, but quite honestly, we’re now wishing we could have just ONE nice, warm, sunny day!
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