Stone Mad

An unexpected day off, the sun shining, we headed off to Kinsale. Kinsale is a very chi chi place, right on the water's edge, popular with locals, tourists and yachties alike. It's very hilly, the streets are tiny and it's colourful! In the extreme. Having mooched around, lunched al fresco topped off  with  an extremely good pistachio ice cream, we then headed off to Charles Fort. This mighty star shaped fort was built in the 17C, mainly to keep the Spanish and Irish from joining forces against the English. However, this was not my target. I had heard that a holy well had been recently renovated and wanted to find it.  It took a bit of finding but as I approached the tiny path two blokes were resting on shovels. Did they know of a holy well? Of course they did, I was only talking to the Chairman of the Renovations. All information was forth-coming (from both sides of the fence). I was directed to the well and assured I could bring some water home for  religious puposes but I wasn't to drink it as 'elf and safety hadn't approved it yet. Anyway the water was meant to cure bad feet.  We then established that the local priest originally came from the Sheep's Head so he was able to put me in context and all was good.
We decided to travel home the scenic route ie follow the coast. We watched a man and his dog swim at Garretstown strand and stopped for a remarkably good cuppa at Ballinspittle - site of an appearance by the BVM in the 1980s. The village is graced by a very fine grotto with instructions to go very slowly passed it. Next stop Timoleague where we wandered around the very well preserved ruins of an abbey. I was approached by a man who shook my hand warmly and wanted to know everything. He thought his mother came form a townland near Bantry. His partner from Donegal, was searching for her gread granny rumoured to be buried in the Abbey. People are always giving you their life stories Himself remarked.  It's true.