This week we visited two Irish coastal villages on the Dublin Bay. First we traveled south of Dublin on the DART train to the village of Dun Laoghaire--that's pronounced Dunleery in English. Dun Laoghaire is known for its twin piers that jut out about a mile into the bay creating two arms that encircle the bay. These piers provide a safe haven for the town and the many boats anchored between the piers. Walking the east pier is a popular pastime. The reward is Teddy's ice cream at the end of the mile long pier and an amazing view of the Irish sea and the town. There's also a lighthouse at the end of the pier. We walked the pier and finished our walk in the rain, of course. Every day about 3 pm, the skies cloud up and the rain begins, watering all the plants and trees that are characteristically Irish. Enjoy the pictures of our pier walk and visit to Dun Laoghaire.

Today we traveled north of Dublin on the DART to the fishing village of Howth . Howth is a very quaint and beautiful fishing village on a peninsula in the Irish Sea. We walked the cliff walk around the outskirts of the peninsula and this was the most amazing natural scenery we've seen in Ireland. It was what I'd always imagined as the views on coast of Ireland. We walked along cliffs covered in bracken, purple heather and yellow and orange wildflowers that overlooked a beautiful ocean. The walk was about 2 miles slowly winding up the cliffs to the top point overlooking the town and the ocean. Fantastic!! The natural beauty of the Irish coast was on full display today. The weather held and we actually shed layers of clothing as we climbed the cliffs. We plucked ripe blackberries from bushes along the path and stopped to take photos of the majestic cliffs and beautiful scenery. About 2 miles into the cliff path, we veered to the right and climbed to the main road where we took a bus back to the main street in Howth and made our way to the Abbey Pub. Just as we sat down in the pub, the rain began right on time, 3 pm. We enjoyed Guinness and seafood chowder in front of a peat fire and congratulated ourselves on a really awesome day. We're going back to the Abbey Pub tomorrow night for dinner, drinks, and Irish music and dancing. Looking forward to it, too!