The next day of our tour was Tom’s birthday.  I didn’t get him anything, but he had a special day anyway.  It started when we got on the bus.  Everyone had signed a card provided by Insight Vacations.  When Nigel gave him the card, the whole bus sang “Happy birthday.”  At the end of it, they added three cheers, “Hip hip hooray, etc.”. Very nice.

Ireland has four provinces:  Ulster, Connaught, Leinster, and Munster.  We had already driven through Ulster and we spent this day in Connaught. Nigel told us the story of Queen Maeve of Connaught.  She was a real historical figure, but all kinds of legends have turned up around her.  She seems to have spent most of her reign at war (literally) with her husband.

Our first stop of the day was Cong, where the John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara movie “The Quiet Man” was filmed.  Maureen O’Hara is very popular in this part of Ireland and owned a house not far from Cong.  Although it was drizzly, Tom and I walked to the statue of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.

We also saw the ruins of the church and the abbey.  When The UK converted to Protestantism in the 1500’s, the churches were all transferred to the government, the state church.  The devoted Roman Catholics of Ireland refused to go to services.  By the time the Catholics were given freedom to worship in 1829, the churches had fallen into disrepair.  Sometimes they were repaired, but usually a new church was built.  Consequently, most of the Catholic churches in Ireland are more modern than those in Great Britain where the people were willing to attend Anglican churches.

Cong was a fun place to walk around.  We found a lovely little pastry shop where I got a piece of lemon poppy cake.  There was also a nice souvenir shop.

The tour on Tom’s birthday continued by traveling on to Galway.  We passed Lough Corrib on the way.  Nigel led us on a short walking/orientation tour in Galway and then left us on our own to explore and get lunch.  Tom and I found a tiny café, Little Lane Coffee, off the Main Street that had sandwiches and cookies.  We got a cheese toastie, which is basically a grilled cheese sandwich and a chocolate chip cookie.  The sandwich was huge and plenty for us to share.  The cookie was delicious.

After lunch we walked along the harbor area.  It was a nice, sunny afternoon and we enjoyed watching the swans, ducks, and seagulls.  We also saw a couple of funny signs.  One of the signs we thought was funny turned out to be serious.  Feeding swans moldy bread can cause pink feather syndrome so the signs urge people not to feed the birds bread.

We climbed back on the bus to continue to Limerick, where we were spending the night.  For supper that night we had a wonderful excursion:  a medieval banquet at Knappogue Castle.  The castle was built in 1467 and we had supper in the great hall.  We were greeted at the doors by lords and ladies who directed the evening’s activities.  Four kings and their ladies, each representing one of the four territories of Ireland, were selected from the various tourist groups at the banquet.

Because it was his birthday, Tom was the king from our group.  He was one of the minor king, representing Leinster.  He got a robe and crown and sat on the dias next to the high king, from Ulster. The high king was the host of the banquet.  I got a cloak and sat next to him.  It was very noisy in the dining hall with everyone packed in.  We were allowed to get up and visit our “peasants, but it was hard to move down the tables.

The food was served quickly.  The kings’ table was served first, of course.  We had tomato soup to begin, a smoked salmon starter, chicken on a bed of mashed potatoes for our main, and Irish apple cake for dessert.  All the food was good and there was certainly plenty of it.  There was also Irish soda bread on the table if we wanted it.

Once dessert was cleared away, the show started.  There were songs, stories, and some dancing.  I’m not sure the entertainment was of the appropriate era, but it was definitely Irish.  Lots of fun.  After the show I had a chance to talk to a few of the entertainers.  They do a show every night of the week for six months out of the year during tourist season.  Each performer, however, gets several nights off a week and they have others who take their place.

It was a long and full day, but it is certainly a birthday that Tom will remember.  He enjoyed being king – for a day.