Hello from Ireland

Well I've finally found time to write a bit from Ireland. We've been travelling around the country for the last 2 weeks and we've seen some beautiful sites. We started the trip at Roscrea, where we visited a castle, an 8th century abbey, Clonmacnoise, a the largest 19th centurey telescope in Birr castle (6 ft mirror). The next step was the Connemara, a beautifully wild section of western Irreland. Beautiful mountains, great cliffs and mountain ringed bays. Spectuacular.
Then we went on to Galway, then the Aran islands with the cliffs and Dùn Aonhasa and the Black Dun (a prehistoric ring fort on the edge of the cliffs) as well as many other sights.
Going around Galway bay we were in the Burrens. The Burrens is a really special limestone landscape. During the last iceage, the glaciers scaped off the soil leaving only the limestone bedrock. This bedrock has eroded giving a landscape with grykes, hole and pavements. It makes walking rather interesting since you must always watch where you are putting your feet. In the Burrens we also visited Poulnabrone Dolmen, one of the most famous prehistoric burial site in the world. We also walked across the top of the Cliffs of Moher, the highest cliffs in Europe. Definately not for the faint of heart. (This isn't my picture, but it'll give you and idea of the size of the Cliffs of Moher)
Finally we have been visiting the south-east of Ireland. Waterford, a medieval viking town, Wexford and Rosslare. In Waterford we visited a great museum and in Wexford a Hertitage site that explained human habitation in Ireland from the prehistoric to the Anglo-Normand invasion.
Today we moved up the coast and visited Jerpoint abbey with beautiful sculptures and Dunmore cave, one of the biggest caves in Ireland and the site of the massacre of 1000 Irish by a Viking army in the 10th century.
As for the weather, well let's say that we now know why Ireland is so green. The first week it rained, and rained, and rained with no let up. In the 2,5 weeks, we have only had 2 full days of nice weather. The rest of the time it was cloudy, cold, humid and rainy. We were planning on camping for the three weeks bu we finally gave up because we were tired of being always rained on... Everyone here says that it has been an really extraordinarily bad summer and when we where here 4 years ago the weather was way better.
Anyhow I'll try to find the time to write, if not I'll write next week and then I'll post the best of my pictures (500 and counting, Vive the digital camera)...