Nora Roberts's Travelogue of Ireland:
Kerry to Clare—August 31, 2004
Not a cloud in the sky this morning. Such an unusual sight here. Just a big, bright bowl of blue. I get a quick workout in while BW has his breakfast, then we have a nice swim before we go back to finish packing. Packing isn't such a big when you don't have to figure out what to take.
We're on the road by noon, saying a regretful good-bye to Sheen Falls. It's been a wonderful week.
We take a different route to Clare than we have in the past, going more inland, toward Mallow. Some clouds have rolled in, but they're puffy and white and only add to the glory that is the light. No jackets needed to day, and we roll up to Kenmare--stop for petrol--and over toward Rathmore. The land flattens quite a bit, but the fields are impossibly green, and the gardens I can see just lovely.
Mallow is a good-sized city. Busy and bustling, with many hairdressers--I have no idea why. Also many butchers. These two occupations seem popular in Mallow.
Now we head north, and just outside a place called New Twopothouse Village--one wonders if every house must have two pots, minimum--we come across the ruin of a priory. It's not on our map, which is odd as it's a good-sized site, and well-preserved. The church, refectory, and a dove cote, all spread over a field. I can hear traffic from the town and the busy road, which seem anachronistic as I'm walking through the stone walls on the high green grass.
We'd intended to detour to a castle ruin on our map, but never find the road, and head onto Limerick. It's such a big, busy place, with lots of industry. The roads are highways, and we take many round-abouts to bypass the main part of the city. Another new highway has been built that runs from Limerick into our part of Clare, so we make good time, and I'm happy to see the roll of hills again. Happy that I recognize where we are.
We pass Bunratty, slide through Newmarket-on_Fergus, then we're through the gates of Dromoland. It's such a beautiful place, green, expansive grounds, thick woods, a pretty lake, streams of gardens, all looked over by the stone castle on the rise.
Tom comes out to greet us, to arrange for us luggage and park the car while I go to check in. This was the O'Brian stronghold, the ones who boasted Brian Buru. In short order, we're winding out way through the hallways, into one of the main halls where the fires are smoking, and up the stairs to our room. It's as we remember it from our visit four years ago. How can it have been that long? The pretty parlor with fresh flowers and Brian's portrait hanging over the sofa. A nice little bar set up with drinks--and a bottle of champagne on ice. Ahhhh.
We unpack, open the windows to the pretty day and have a drink to unwind before we go for a long, long walk. There are paths here that take you various ways through the woods, to a pond choked with reeds and cattails, a little stone cave, a pretty stone folly, around to the lake, down by the golf course and club house. They have a gym and pool there--I'll use both.
We walk around to one of my favorite spots here, the walled garden. It's beautifully laid out, formal style, though many of the beds are cottage gardeny with mixes of nasturtium and snap dragons, crane's bill, dahlias and daisies. There are stands of rosebushes in a gorgeous orange tone, borders of hydrangeas, and through an archway, greenhouses and more beds, plots of gorgeous herbs.
Later, we walk down to the clubhouse for a meal, and the clouds have thickened, the air's cooler. They say rain tomorrow, but we can't complain after the past few days.
We'll have a lazy evening, then make our plans when we see how the weather behaves tomorrow.
Nora
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