If your name is Tim and this doesn't mean anything to you, then you are probably not the right Tim. Sorry to get your hopes up.
Actually, the absence of 'pumping' is an interesting thing. Our major concern about coming to Europe in summer was the crowds. I personally HATE tourists, as they get in all of my photos. Justine is more ambivalent, but no one wants to be crammed into such a small continent with a bunch of foreigners. However, with the exception of Chateau Chenonceau in France (and the much maligned passport queue in Oslo Airport), we really have been more put out by the lack of people detracting from the feel of the place than by crowds. Odd. Not unpleasantly odd, but it is not at all what we expected.
Yesterday (Saturday) we spent the morning in Cashel, visiting The Rock and Hore Abbey before B and C roading it to Cordal. You can tell it was a long way, because we had to go THROUGH Tipperary to get here. It started raining on the way, and 36 hours later it basically hasn't stopped. The forecast for tomorrow is rain, and the long term forecast is Autumn. If we see blue sky again this week, the impression I get is that it will be a major surprise to the weather bureau guys.
In other places that would be a hassle, and it is not ideal. However, a bit like with inland towns in the south west of WA, there is a kind of charm associated with seeing them wet, and so it is not as depressing as it would have been in, say, the Cook Islands.
We were aiming for this place to be a bit more rural, and in the end we might have got a bit too rural. Probably this week will tell us if this type of location still suits us, or if we are becoming more 'town holiday' people as St Aignan suggested. The house, cottage if you will, looks to be pretty genuinely an old Irish cottage. The doors are low, the Walls are on a lean, it is all rough finished and whitewashed. However, despite some pretty old fixtures the place is basically quaint and cosy, if a little closer to the road than you might prefer. We've had a fire the last two days (it is only the middle of summer after all), including burning some peat today. That was better than I expected - a little smokey and with a bouquet a little like a cigar - but not unpleasantly so.
We're 5km out of Castleisland, but walking distance to a local pub. The pub looks like it was built last year, and doesn't quite have the ambience of an older pub - too light, too clean, and just too new - but pleasant and comfortable and kid friendly.
Today (Sunday) was our 12th wedding anniversary. We've been lucky enough to have quite a few in nice places, and this one counts on that front. We kicked off with a full family outdoor spa (I had to have my coffee in a kind of water bottle as it was raining intermittently), before an afternoon trip to Tralee, the local major city.
Lunch was at the imperial hotel, where I reinforced my recent discovery of Smithwicks Ale (don't pronounce the 'w') as my preferred brew. Roast lamb, bangers and mash, you get the idea.
A quick swing by a ruined abbey, a play in the playground, a tour of the local cave, drinks at the local, dinner of a cheese and nibblies plate with a glass of wine and a fire, and the day is over - just like that.
Location:Cordal, Ireland
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