Miss Scott, a former second grade teacher here at Whitestone Elementary, and I left on Saturday, November 22nd, for a week's stay in Ireland. On our last night in Ireland, Miss Scott and I stayed in Ashford Castle, a five star luxury hotel in County Mayo in western Ireland. Ashford Castle is very beautiful and there are loads of things to do. It is the home of the only School of Falconry in Ireland.

This beautiful house was once a private home, but today, it serves as an international boarding school for girls. It is run by Benedictine nuns.

Many of Ireland's castles exsist today as ruins. We visited quite a few, including Blarney Castle, Cahir Castle, and the Rock of Cashel.

Overall, Miss Scott and I travelled about 1,040 miles in our rental car around the island. Towns that we visited included Shannon, Kilkenny, Limerick, Cork, Blarney, Dublin, Malahide, Trim, Athlone, and Galway.