Ballynahinch

Heading North, Dr. C. and I were going to stay at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel.  My great-grandfather Patrick Geary was in charge of the fisheries here in the late 1800's through the beginning of the 1900's.  The Castle was owned by the Berridge Family at that time, and legend has it that they treated their staff well.
We were fortunate enough to take a tour of the property with Noel, one of the groundskeepers.  It was about a 3 mile walk, and around every corner was a new and more beautiful view.

The Owenmore River is a favorite spot for fly fishermen, and when you come to Ballynahinch you can indulge your passion.  Unfortunately, I didn't inherit great granddad's gift of fishing.

This is a Connemara pony; bred to be a working animal, they are now used for riding and equestrian pursuits.  You can take a pony trek on the Twelve Bens mountains.

This beautiful bird would stand in the middle of the river waiting for its dinner to swim by.  This was the view from our room.

And, then there was a rainbow.  We were hoping to find some leprechauns, but no luck.  Ballynahinch was magical.  The food in the Owenmore restaurant was exceptional, actually the best we've had in Ireland, and the food in the pub was excellent as well.  The staff from the front desk to the wait staff in the restaurants were so accommodating, and well trained.

We left after 3 days, which weren't nearly enough but there is more of Ireland to see, and we needed to get south to see the Dingle Peninsula.