Diddly diddly dee

The magical thing about being in London is the fact that so many destinations are a short and relatively inexpensive flight away. There is so much to see and do at your fingertips, a long weekend is an opportunity for infinite variety.

So, with this motto in mind, I went back to Ireland last weekend to enjoy St Patricks day and finish it off. Needless to say, it was a brilliant weekend.

We stayed in a fishing town called Kinsale, which is generally regarded as the gourmet capital of Ireland. Every meal over the course of 4 nights was absolutely sensational. The town itself was very picturesque and the Irish people themselves were, as usual, brilliant hosts. St Patricks night was a highlight. We spent the evening in a little pub called the Spaniard singing along to diddly diddly music which was playing in the corner. It was one of the best nights I've ever had.

In between, on what turned out to be a very busy weekend, we kissed the Blarney Stone and visited the remote Beara peninsula, which is famed for rugged countryside. You know, the sort of place that Ireland is famous for. The highlight of the Peninsula was right at the end, where a rickety old cable car (The cable car of death as Gerald described it) will take you across an extremely windy stretch of water to Dursey Island, population several hundred sheep.

As for the Blarney Stone, well, its supposed to give you the gift of the gab, but all I've got is a slight tingling sensation on my lips...

Ireland is a truly magical place, and I would repeat my earlier comments to all of you, if you are visiting, don't miss it. I think that its time to explore other parts of Europe now, perhaps Rome for Easter, that sort of thing. We'll see.

Ciao for now.