be using the next day to go to the Skellig Islands. There was this odd kind of abandoned building in the field next to the beach. Maybe it was an old cannery or maybe it was old housing. The beach by the pier was rocky and we did not spend a lot of time there. Of course the weather might have had something to do with that too.
Even though the sun was trying to come out, it was windy, grey and cool. Or it might have been the fact that there was no washroom. We went in search of the grocery store. We found it.
It was the grocery/hardware/gas station for the area.
It was being manned by three young girls who were I believe keeping one of them company while they worked.
We picked up some cheese, pasta, bread, eggs, juice and postcards.
The hills which rise from the shore in Ballinskellig are gorgeous. Ballingskellig is not so much a town as an area. Now there is a town very small.
There were lots of houses up on the hills but we found out that they were mostly used in the summer by holidayers.
The sun did manage to come out and it changed the countryside enormously. We found a church with a bar right next door.
We decided to go to the church first. It was a very simple church but it had two beautiful stained glass windows. One was the most gorgeous stained glass window of St Michael and the Skellig Islands and the other was of St Teresa. the Irish really like St Teresa.
After we visited the church and the church yard we went into the bar. There were only a few people there. The Barmaid was very helpful and told us that her Murphy's was not bitter as she cleaned out her pipes on a regular basis. And you know what, her Murphy's was not bitter. There were three gentlemen sitting at the bar and one tried to strike up a conversation with us.
I couldn't understand very much of what he said because of his accent, but his companions translated. He wanted to know if I was married or divorced.
I told him I was single and not interested. I asked him what did people do around there for work. were they fishermen or farmers? He said they worked on computers. or they didn't work as they were retired. that's when the barmaid, Rosie, found out that I was an O'Brien and she told me her cousin was an O'Brian and that we were probably related.
She took my email address and said that when she talked to her cousin she would get him to contact me. Turned out that he was related to the Kennedy's and I know that we are not so I figure that we are not related.
We went back to the hostel and I had a shower. It was a bad shower. the water went all over the floor! in the whole bathroom! We made ourselves a dinner of mac and cheese and played a little rummy with a nice cup of tea and went to sleep.
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