Belle's Ireland

Hi I'm Belle , 
    Welcome to my page , hope you enjoy it,as
     much as I did putting it together , 
     this is my first attempt at putting 
     a homepage together on my own.

A bit about myself,

I'm married with 
 2 grown children and living
 in a small village in Ireland.
 I am a Retired Postmistress,
 my hobbies are Travel and 
 Computers and Photography.
 I have often been asked 
 by people i chat to on the internet
 " whats Ireland like" 
 well it's hard to explain in 
 a few sentences , so I thought this 
 would give them a better idea.

 I hope to show you a little
 tour of Ireland through some
 of my photographs and maybe 
 some day you will see it
 in reality yourself.I will
 add more pictures as time
 goes on.






For those of you who haven't
 been to Ireland ,
 take a trip with me around a few 
 of my favorite places.

 Cork Airport


Our first stop is Cork Airport ,
  6 miles south of Cork City ,and 12 miles
  north of the beautiful town of Kinsale.
  A small airport with a big Heart. 

 Cork City


Cork City is a small city, 
  many of the buildings are very old 
  and the narrow streets
  with colourful shops and
  restaurants give it's character , 
  it also has a river flowing 
  through it called the lee, 
  hence comes the famous Cork song
  "My Own Lovely Lee" 
  which at some part of the time
  you spend in Cork 
  you are sure to hear .


Cork City at night



There are several
  historic sites to visit,
  one of these is the 
  Old Cork Jail.



There you will see how life was 
  in the 1900's,
  as the jail has been reconstructured 
  with visual and hearing aids ,
  you might even see the ghost 
  of a small girl who
  was imprisoned there.

  The Shandon Steeple 
  is another landmark of Cork City
  that over looks the city, 
  at certain times of the day
  you can hear the bells 
  ringing from the steeple.







Blarney



Blarney is a small village 
  with a homely feeling to it,
  about 20 miles from Cork City

  Blarney Castle and its grounds 
  are in the center of the village 
  and a must for everyone to see.

  Blarney Castle is famous for its 
  "Kissing the Blarney Stone" ,
  they say if you kiss the stone , 
  you will have the gift of the gab.
  You climb to the top of the castle ,
  there you will find the famous stone
  embedded in the castle walls.




To kiss the stone
  you must lie flat on your back 
  and reach across to the stone ,
  there is a guide there to help and
  hold you .






Kinsale




Kinsale 
  is 12 miles south of Cork Airport.
  It is a small fishing town 
  known all over europe 
  for its fine food and pubs.

It was an old english garrison town
  and it has been preserved 
  with its narrow streets and roads, 
  furnished with beautiful colourful
  window boxes and hanging baskets.
  It has 29 pubs so it's a paradise 
  for those who love a pint.



There are lots of bed @ breakfast homes
  and a few hotels ,if you happen 
  to be there on a sunday
  between noon and 3pm be sure to call to
  Acton's hotel.
  Every sunday there is a 
  resident jazz band 
  and the atmosphere is great ,
  children are welcome.


Actons Resident Jazz Band





Charlesfort
Nearby take a stoll around Charlesfort,
  a beautiful fort that is being preserved 
  since the battle of Kinsale in 1601 ,
  a must for those interested in 
  historic buildings and there 
  you will also find some of the most
  beautiful views of Kinsale and its bay.

Charlesfort







Bantry





Head around the coast 
  and you will find Bantry,
  here you can visit Bantry house 
  and its splendid gardens 
  over looking a beautiful view 
  of Bantry Bay.




Bantry is noted for its mussel fair
  in May.
  It's a weekend festival 
  with street performers and 
  free open air concert's
  of top performers like
  Mary Black , The Corr's
  and in the picture below
  Stockton's Wing and many others.





Stocktons Wing


You can relax in one of 
  Bantry's many pubs 
  and enjoy a pint of the black stuff 
  and eat as many mussels as you can 
  as the mussels are complementry ,
  and most important is to enjoy 
  the craic.

  Another view outside Bantry.









Glengarriffe



Travel out of Bantry for 8 miles 
  and you come to Glengarriffe.
  Its a one street village with a 
  beautiful mountain backdrop and 
  picnic areas by the lakes ,
  take a 10 min. boat ride over to 
  Garnish Island and visit the 
  Italian gardens.



It's a beautiful island full of
  exotic plants and flowers and
  breath taking views,well worth a visit .





Killarney

Leaving glengarriffe 
  take the mountain road to Killarney,some 
  of the most breathtaking views
  are on this road,
  as you climb the mountain
  you will travel unspoiled narrow 
  winding roads leading you too places like
  Molls Gap and Lady's View 
  over looking Killarney.


Breathtaking Mountain View





Muckross House and Gardens



Next stop is 
  Muckross House and Gardens
  over looking the lakes of Killarney,
  here you can walk , cycle ,
  or the fun way to get
  around is on the Jaunting Car 
  (pony and trap).



There are many woodland walks 
  around the lakes and where you will see
  wild deer roam, best time is early 
  in the morning.

Boy and Young Deer




A nice place to visit is
  The meeting of the Water's,
  after the walk to the site 
  you can relax with a cup of tea from
  the Tea House close by.


Meeting of the Waters




And after you have had a long day 
  and just want to sit back and relax,
  no better place to be than
  MOLLY DARCY'S Bar and Restaurant,



MOLLY DARCY'S Bar and Restaurant,




it's roomy and friendly 
  and great service ,
  it's just a short distance 
  walk or drive from
  Muckross House and Gardens .


  Well I hope you enjoyed the trip. 

Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire.
Please come back and visit again,and if
you have the time please sign my guest book.




          








      



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