Boat-shaped church

As we packed up to leave the campsite, we had forgotten our plan to toddle a short distance to the Gallarus Oratory, a 1200 year old stone church, cleverly built to resemble an upturned boat. When we did remember, we in our seatbelts, were ready to leave. So we sighed, drove around the corner and there it was. (Perhaps our shortest journey so far.)

It is a remarkable building. There's a door and a single small window, angled to let in light and keep out rain. It's dark and quiet inside, and you think of the monks who prayed here in the Dark Ages. Seamus Heaney wrote about it, as 'a core of old dark'. He imagined the monks leaving the confined oratory to the wild brightness of nature outside, their faith renewed: 'the sea a censer, the grass a flame'.

Nic then drove us northward up the very steep Connor Pass. He likes twisty roads. At the top is a spectacular viewing area full of cars and campervans, with a great swathe of curving white beaches, green mountains and blue Atlantic ocean on each side. All this with blue sky and fluffy clouds - so this is what Ireland looks like! We have lived in mist and low cloud too long.

We wound our way down to sea level and Castlegregory, looking for one of the pristine beaches for a last swim of the trip.

We ended up at the Maharees, and a lovely stretch of sand with no surf (for a change) populated by windsurfers and families.

The water was clean, clear and silky, with a lifeguard too. We swam, in not-yet dry costumes, and when we had changed, had lunch sitting in the tailgate's shade. It was gorgeous. Oddly there were coachloads of Spanish teenagers, being boisterous as teenagers will.

A short drive later we were in Tralee, a modest town where we strolled in a huge park, admired the dedication to Neil Armstrong who came here once, found tea and cake and bought more delicious brown soda bread. 

And now we are in tonight's campsite, Woodlands just 4 mins from Tralee town centre, fairly quiet but for the local crows and a few kids in the playground. We look forward to a bowl of pasta and a sleep.