Like usual, today we started out saying hello to the livestock at our cottage.  There are two donkeys, Jimmy and Ellie, as well as a sheepdog named Jessie and quite a few sheep and rabbits.  Asta loves feeding the donkeys some grass !

After a coffee run, we visited two old ruins, one of them being a friary which is the best-preserved example in Ireland.  You could walk through the different rooms, all of which are nothing but walls with a faint resemblance of what type of room they may have been hundreds of years ago such as the chapel, the fireplace, and the water well.

We spent the afternoon at Galway Bay, which is a major beach destination for the Irish.  We lucked out and temperatures were in the mid 80's with clear skies and a light sea breeze.  Andy did some beach photography while the rest of the group headed to the aquarium.  We ate a seafood restaurant for lunch where we all agreed it was some of the best food yet.

Asta really enjoyed seeing Ashford Castle, which was previously the home of the Guiness family.  Today it is a very well-maintained luxury hotel where guests enjoy horseback riding, gun sports, boating, and probably a lot of great food and drinks!

Just watching how the elite spend their time at Ashford Castle.

The late afternoon was filled with incredible scenery around Cong and Ballinrobe.  We took a scenic drive around Lough Mask and got some great views from up high.  Tonight we ate at a local restaurant but most were too full from lunch - instead opting for pint of local beer and dessert.

Tomorrow we leave Ballinrobe and head up to Northern Ireland and Giant's Causeway!