Bally K

A great day, and very different. It began without any clear idea of what would happen, apart from 'going for a drive'. It was Carl's idea to have lunch in Roundwood in County Wicklow and continue on to Avoca to see the locations where Ballykissangel, the TV series, was shot. I was more than happy to go along with the idea, so off we went.

The Roundwood restaurant turned out to be not there, but outside it, and we would have missed it if Carl hadn't spotted the sign. It was a nice place, only opened last September. Beef and Guinness pie for me, Fish pie for Carl. We got a bit off course between there and Avoca, but finally sorted ourselves out. After a tourist stop at The Meeting of the Waters (a favourite spot for car trips from Carlow while I was growing up), we continued on to Avoca, crossing the bridge that features so often in Bally K. There, right in front of us was Fitzgeralds pub, the focus of so much of the Bally K action, right across from it is Kathleen's shop, and just up the road is the church. We took great pleasure out of being there, and spent a pleasant time nursing a Guinness inside Fitzgeralds (which gives no indication outside that it actually is a functioning pub).

It was getting dark as we moved on, but I insisted that Carl take the camera and record the moment as I sat on the bench outside Fitz's. We tried for a meal in Hunter's Hotel in Ashford on the way home but it was closed, so we ate (very nice) Chinese in a place right beside Ashford House instead.

Like I said, it was a great day.