Wednesday 21 April.
We set off as planned in the afternoon for New Ross but by 7 pm we were still some 10 miles short of the marina and the tide was against us. So we decided to spend the night at anchor near a place called Ballyhack. Thursday morning at 07.30 we set off for New Ross arriving at 10.30 where we were met by John Diamond the marina manager who was ready to take our lines. New Ross? Never heard of it. You probably have it is the birthplace of J.F. Kennedy's great grandfather.
It's not a bad town, has most things, more than it's fair share of pubs. There's a Lidl and a Supersaver plus a small high street. Something we're amazed at is the courtesy of the motorists. They not only stop to let one another out if they are trying to cross lanes, but they also stopped for us to cross the road. A couple of times we have been standing at the kerb waiting for a gap then all of a sudden someone will stop and beckon us to cross. We have also noticed a distinct lack of litter. We had a look around the town today, found the laundrette and the library where you can just walk in, put your name on the list, and use the internet for free without any kind of registration.
Friday we set off for Waterford on the bus. 2 adults and 1 child return to Waterford please. 25.60 Euros. We could have hired a car ! Not surprisingly there were many passengers on it. The journey only took 20 minutes and the terminus is right on the water front. It was a nice coach as opposed to a corporation bus and it had a webcam showing the road ahead on the screens so you could see where you were going. We had a nice day looking around the shops and a very reasonable meal in the pub at lunchtime. We visited Reginalds Tower which originally dates from the 10th century and originally formed part of the town wall. We also had a look around the Waterford Treasures Museum.
Interestingly in the old times the town was mainly constructed of wood and on a number of recorded occasions was destroyed by fire. Each night the inhabitants put a dish called a curfew on the fire to control it and kep it alight for the next day. The punishment for letting your house catch on fire and set fire to your neighbours was to be cast in to the fire.
I wouldn't say that Ireland is expensive but they don't have a pound shop, it's 2 Euros.
I. 