Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 6

PART SIX: Who's Your Paddy?

2016-03-15 to 2016-03-18

Overlooking Pollacapall Lough at Kylemore Abbey.

I hope you're ready, liver. This is what we've been training for: St. Patrick's Day in Galway! No, let's be serious - I'm too old to be drinking like we all did in our early 20s. A couple of snifters and generally enjoying the festivities is much more up my alley these days!

Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 5

PART FIVE: Into The Heart Of The Isle

2016-03-12 to 2016-03-14

Slow shutter effects are one of my secret loves.

After a very chilled few days in the mid-west, it was time to move along into the heart of Ireland. We had realised that our trip would include being here for St. Patrick's Day, and so we had to make sure we were somewhere lively during that time. We decided our best bet, being in the west of the country, would be to spend it in Galway. As we were still a bit early, we arranged a detour inland to the city of Athlone to see what the middle of Ireland has to offer.

Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 4

PART FOUR: Rocking Out In The West

2016-03-08 to 2016-03-11

A little star gazing in Killarney before moving along to the next location.

And as expected, the changeable weather for our time in County Kerry changed once more on the day we were due to leave. Tuesday 8th of March saw the clouds and mist roll in; not so much rain, but enough to give the day a bit of a gloomy feel. A perfect day to spend in the car, moving along to our next stop: Ennis in County Clare.

Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 3

PART THREE: Running Rings Around Kerry
2016-03-05 to 2016-03-07

On Saturday morning, March 5th, it was once again time to make tracks and head off onto the next base camp of our trip, namely, Killarney in county Kerry. From there, we planned to get back in touch with nature. Infamous for its coastal scenery, especially around the Ring of Kerry, this corner of the country promised us some fantastic photographic opportunities.

Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 2

PART TWO: Heading South-East
2016-03-01 to 2016-03-05

And so, our time in our first county came to an end. On the morning of March 1st, we loaded everything into our little Škoda and set sail, so to speak, for the south-east of the country. Our next stop was Cashel, in county Tipperary, with planned day trips to Kilkenny, Waterford and the Wicklow mountains. A bit of driving awaits us over these few days, but that's just a great way to see the countryside!

Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 1

PART ONE: County Meath

2016-02-25 to 2016-02-29

It really is about time I went on a trip that didn’t involve me packing a tool kit. Well, that time has come! After more than 1.5 years of planning, this week, I set off with my mum to explore Ireland and Scotland. I have visited Dublin before, but only for a few days, and never any other locations in the Emerald Isle; as for Scotland, I have never been. This post will be the first of a series, detailing our adventures over a period of 6 weeks touring ourselves around these two beautiful countries.

Relaxing in Taichung: Millennium Vee Hotel

After finishing up a section of my work trip in Thailand in the last week of January, 2016, I had a few days either side of a weekend to spare before the next job (which was also in Thailand). I had previously booked flights to Taiwan as part of the work trip, but the job to be done there had to be delayed. But, if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know my fiancée lives in Taiwan. So I kept the flights (reimbursing my company for them, of course!) and headed over to spend some time with her, staying for five nights in Millennium Vee Hotel,Taichung.