Heading south from Dublin, the road to Athy passes near to Mondello Park, a motor racing track that hosts some major Irish motorcycle events. But alas, on the day I was passing, a track-day for cars was in progress. Almost a waste of good tarmac.
So some photos for my son Richard who's strictly a 4-wheel man, not two.

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More 4-wheel stuff for a moment or two....
Our B&B in Athy was very close to the course of the original Gordon Bennett motor races.
Not too close though, there was never any disturbance during the night.
There's a memorial at the Moat of Ardscull, on the local stretch of the Dublin-Athy road that was part of the circuit. The cars also hurtled through Athy - I bet O'Brien's was packed with handlebar moustaches and leather goggles. Made a change from sledges and huskies I suppose.

I can just imagine a driver outside of O'Brien's not being sure which way the course went. He'd definitely get directions to the South Pole.

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Onwards from Athy to Annascaul the route took Mike and me through the town of Adare. So we stopped to make a toast in tea to our own first landfall on Antarctica nearly thirteen years ago, which was at Cape Adare.
There, we had our first lesson in strictly NOT approaching the penguins but sitting still on a rock and letting them waddle up and peck your clothes to bits. We were also able to visit Borchgrevink's hut from his 1899 Southern Cross expedition, the first structure to be built on Antarctica.

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Back home after the conclusion of this Irish expedition, there was a sunny day shortly after returning, so I took a stroll to Fickleshole. For lunch.
The seasons change, and with them the scenery, so I took a few different photos along the same route.

With leaves starting to drop, a 'menorah' tree appears - it looked like the candlestick.

Sorry, last bit of TV stuff here.
When that Channel 4 network was being built, it used up the last of the capacity on the route to Brighton. A new microwave link was installed, in good time for the next new TV channel, imaginatively called Channel Five. A mast was needed on the North Downs, and Fickleshole was chosen. (There were already a couple of air-traffic radio masts up there).
And would you believe it? I think that mast has crept into this photo.
Spoils the countryside, does all that TV.

A sunset followed on the evening of the next day. Not for the first time there were good views from my front room.

The fire spread into the trees. or so it seemed. It was 5th November, so that was an OK bonfire.

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Hot news from the High Street is that MBT shoes have been saved. Someone bought the company so shopping for shoes comes to a screeching halt. Just in time. It's been taking so long to decide which pair to wear I haven't had time to post this entry.

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Lastly, no reflection on Ireland would be complete without something like this:
A Dingle-based traditional Trio/Quartet, Back West.
It may take a while to load - but worth it I think.