Dingle Part II

The buildings in Dingle are colorful and quaint. This group of buildings is called An Caladh, or the Colony. There are several shops including the Dingle Music Shop.

I sketched one evening at the An Droicead Beag, a triaditional Irish pub that has traditional music. We got there too late to get a table in the front room where the musicians were. I liked the look of the arched entrance and all the people watching the musicians play.

At the edge of the town on the way to Slea Loop Drive that went around the tip of the peninsula was an interesting stone bridge. Everything on the hillsides was wonderful greens. I passed this area every morning when I went walking.

Down the street from the house we were renting there was a fenced area with sheep. They were so cute and interesting to watch.

Dingle Part I

Dingle is located in County Kerry, north of the Ring of Kerry. It is a small town but you can drive along the coast for miles along what is known as the Dingle Peninsula. There are a lot of historic attractions along the route. I was more interested in the colorful town, the sheep, and the pubs. lol

This is Dingle Harbor. There are a lot of fishing boats and the backdrop is the wonderful green countryside broken by rock walls and shrubs and the colorful houses.

This is one of the colorful cafes in the town itself. Don't you just love the pink?

One day we went for a ride along the Dingle Peninsula. I read that the road around is one-way and I can well understand the need for that since in spots two cars can't pass side by side, never mind a car and a tour bus. There are windy, hairpin turns, enough to make you think "this wasn't such a good idea" about driving there. However, the one-way rule was not in force during the off season. My husband, Jerry, said he was going to have an ulcer after being in the car there. There were a number of scenic pull-offs where we were able to park and I could sit outside of the car. This is a view of some of the islands off the coastline.

This was also painted along the coastal road. I don't understand why the sheep just don't roll down the hillside. There were sheep everywhere and I just loved them. Luckily these sheep were fenced in and not roaming around on the road.

Galway Part IV

We had a bit of a view of the water from our room at Ardawn House in Galway.
This was the view.

This is a sketch of Murty Rabbitt's, one of the pubs where we ate and listened to music.

Don't you just love all those bottles?

Galway Part III

Galway was a fun and colorful town.

Here is one of the old wooden fishing boats called hookers.
I did this one later in the afternoon after the hailstorm.

When I needed a little warmth I came back to the B&B we were staying in called the Ardawn House and sketched in the sitting room while I sipped some wine.

We had some very tasty lunches in Galway. 

Mussels with spicy chili sauce at McDonagh's Seafood were delicious!

Galway Part II

It has been a long 4 weeks, but we are finally home from Ireland. It was frustrating to not be able to upload from there. Either the public computers didn't have a place to connect my memory card or wouldn't read the memory card. lol 

Here are a few more paintings from Galway.

Above is part of the historic area of Galway with the Cathedral in the background.

As you know, every picture has a story. The weather in Ireland changes often and very quickly, and while we were there it was fairly cold (at least to me).You may think it is going to be a sunny day but minutes later it is raining. That must be why it is so green. I went down by the harbor, set up my stool, took out my paints, and started the painting above. My husband went off to look at something and told me he'd be back in about an hour and we could go to lunch. I was nearly finished when he came back. By that time I was wearing a sweater, a coat with a zip out lining, my scarf, my fingerless gloves, my earmuffs,  and I had my hood up because it was super windy and it was the only way to keep my hair from flying in my face.  It started to drizzle and I started packing up while my husband held an umbrella over us...and then it started to hail...big hail. lol We were really pelted with it while we ran to the restaurant which was quite a way from where we were. It was an extreme plein air experience!

Of course a day in Galway meant a pub at night. Below is a sketch I did of the traditional musicians playing at An Pucan Pub.

Here is a page of a few of .my beginning sketches that I did at Kennedy Airport waiting for our flight. I forgot to post them first.

Galway

This was sketched in Galway along the street in the old town. For some reason there were a lot of barber shops along this one street...very colorful.

This is Quay Street in Galway.

Uploading these 2 paintings has taken me nearly a half hour so I'll have to stop for now.

Hope to get back to do a few more in a few days.

Out Painting

Sorry I haven't been able to post anything new, but I didn't bring my laptop and uploading from the public computer in Ireland has so far not been possible. I have been painting a lot, so when I can finally upload you will get to see some of my work. We are presently in Dingle, Ireland which is on the southwestern coast. It is lovely and a lot of fun...especially the pubs. Tomorrow we head to the County of Wexford to a tiny village called Kilmore Quay. I'm not too optomistic about being able to post from their either. I miss having the time to visit your blogs but I will catch up.