Homeward Bound

On Wednesday morning everyone but Jack, Marion, Dom and I packed up and headed home. Their flight left Shannon Airport at the very civilized hour of 1 pm. So, the morning was not terribly rushed. Finally the big van was gone leaving the smaller SUV for the rest of us to take to the airport the next day.

After they departed we took for a drive in the countryside and lunch in Kilkee, a seaside village about 15-20 minutes away. We had a nice meal and a drive further south along cliffs similar to but much lower than the Cliffs of Moher.

We ate leftovers for dinner in an effort to use up some of the food remaining at the rental house.  It was a nice quiet day with plenty of time for getting things packed up ready to leave early the next morning.

The drive from Doonbeg to Shannon Airport was fairly easy now that we had figured out the right way to get there. On Tuesday, on our way to Bunratty which is not far from Shannon Airport, we took a much more scenic route. :-) 

We turned in the car and checked in at the airport. At check-in we learned that Shannon Airport is one of the few places outside the U.S. where there is U.S. Immigration and Customs preclearance, meaning we took care of all that before ever getting on the airplane. That made life a great deal simpler when we arrived in Newark on the way home.  However, it also meant Dom and I needed to really hurry. We said a hurried good bye to Mom and Dad (who were off to London later in the morning) and dashed for security.  It all worked out just fine and we were soon onboard.

We had one last look at the Irish countryside before heading east over the Atlantic.

The Sullivan Clan had done Ireland and we all had a lot of fun. It was certainly the trip of a lifetime. It was great to spend time with my parents and my siblings (Michael, we wish you had been there) and the kids. The kids had a chance to bond as young adults and learn more about their Irish heritage. We packed a lot into twelve days but there were no disasters and few real problems. Some of us had some recovering to do when we got home as we all ate and drank too much and quite a few of the wrong things.

Many, many thanks to my parents who made the trip possible. I am so appreciative that we got to do it.

I don't know about everyone else but I would do it again in a heartbeat (after a sufficient recovery period--those five extra pounds are sticking like glue). Next time though I would like it to be some place warmer. Italy anyone?