Union Hall, West Cork 4

For a moment this morning I thought Lady Luck had tampered with the weather, but fortunately she decided to grant us a stay of execution and the sun and warmth returned.

We were driven by our hosts to see the stone circle at Drombeg. It may not be as big as the Ring of Brodgar, but neither did it have a car park full of tour buses and hundreds of tourists jostling to see the stones.

Then it was onwards to Union Hall where we were decanted to do our own thing. This meant an immediate restorative coffee in a little café where we were immediately joined by a craft group of about 15 very chatty ladies. Never has His Lordship wished more to be behind His Door.

We had a lovely peaceful walk through the Myross woods before catching a bus to Skibbereen. It was wonderful to sit outside in the square and eat Betty's apple pie in the sun. Who needs the Continent?

A visit to the Arts centre was a must because there was an open exhibition of art from West Cork artists. With time to spare because of a rescheduling of the bus timetable, we looked into the Heritage Centre to learn about the potato famine of the 1840s. It is such recent past history that it makes everything that much more real.
The stories we heard on the head phones and saw on pictures were heartbreaking.
I am sure we will have nightmares tonight thinking about the suffering.

We are going out tonight on a lovely sunny evening to have a penultimate meal with our hosts. The venue is a surprise.

Because yet again, Wifi has let me down, I am posting images of Union Hall and Skibbereen taken on my phone and using 3G. I may be able to update the images when I get home.