Stranger in a familiar land

mccarthys-barI’m talking my way round the British Isles for a living – and for a holiday. This is the famous McCarthy’s Bar in Castletownbere. I happen to think that ‘Round Ireland with a fridge’ was far more entertaining and original – but there you are. Anyway it’s fascinating to visit your own place as a tourist. The guide on the bus this morning said that they had no problems in West Cork and that it was great that ‘they now had peace for all time’ – which seemed to me to be a rather more expansive claim even than Chamberlain’s.

This cruising thing of course is very strange to us. The last time we were in Kenmare was 1975 in the Renault 4. It was a bit of a struggle and our tent blew away at the wrong moment. On a cruise of course you just sit there and they wind the scenery past you. I don’t find it altogether easy.