Dairy Farms and Car Fires! - 27 Aug 2011


We said our goodbyes to Killarney and boarded the bus this morning for the Molanna Dairy farm, lunch in Adare, and then to the city of Limerick.  It was cloudy this morning, and not terribly suitable for photography, so I concentrated on looking for birds at 100 KPH.  Hooded Crows, Eurasian Collared Doves, and Magpies were nice distractions from the hundreds of Rooks and Jackdaws that flocked the countryside.  The highlight birds for the morning would be a pair of Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus) perched on an overhead wire.  A fly-by Kestrel was also a nice addition.

We arrived at the Molanna Dairy Farm, where we met our gracious hosts Margaret and Patrick.  After an irish tea and and few pics of the home's interior we all headed outside for a tour of the farm.  Colleen, the 19 yr. old Border Collie lounged quietly among the group and garnered alot of personal attention.


The Old House, built in 1684 makes this farm one of the oldest continuing operations in all of Ireland.  While Patrick gave a history of the place, I walked around outside and took a few pics of the building and surrounding environs.

 

We then boarded the bus and headed to the town of Adare, where Robin and I had lunch at the Blue Door Restaurant.  Adare is the home of the historic Desmond Castle. Unfortunately, the castle was just outside of town and in walking distance, but walking required taking the road, which was packed with traffic.  So I got only as far as the Black Abby or Friary.




The real excitement occurred upon our arrival into Adare.  A car in the parking lot where we were dropped off was engulfed in flames!  Most people suspected an electrical shortage, but a few joked that the IRA was greeting us...  Luckily, noone was hurt, but it did take better than 30 minutes for the fire department to arrive.  By then the car was just a hulk of metal.



The funny part was seeing the sign in the parking lot...

Adare--town and park, Limerick, Munster, IE
Aug 27, 2011 11:00 AM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments:     Bus tour
7 species

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)  2
Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)  1
Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)  2
Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)  2
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)  2
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)  2
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42659087

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Our next stop was a two-night stay in the city of Limerick at the Strand Hotel.  We arrived in town just in time for dinner, but drove past King John's Castle (brother of Richard the LionHeart) and nearby St. Mary's Cathedral before calling it a night.