title Pints of Guinness and Streedagh Beach, Grange and Sligo, Ireland - 9th August 2021 intro The overnight ferry from Liverpool docks in Dublin Port, and after a few hours' kip at Da Gorls in Monkstown Farm, we're off on the 250 mile trip across Ireland to Sligo in the north west. On the way, we stop off in The Mullies near Manorhamilton to see Philly and Davida, and finally end up in a bar in Sligo for a much-needed pint of Guinness, thanks largely to the hapless waiter of Rugantino restaurant who wouldn't let us in because Nosher's UK NHS covid pass wouldn't scan with the Irish health system's app, for some reason he couldn't figure out. After that, we head over for the first of many trips to Streedagh Beach, or Trá na Strithidí, near Grange - a few miles up the coast from Sligo - and then for the first of many walks from our base in student accommodation in the grounds of the Clayton Hotel down via the campus of IT Sligo into the town itself. imgp8252 The Winkies and Poolbeg at 5.30am imgp8255 The lighthouse of Dublin Port imgp8256 The Odlums silos imgp8257 Looking up the Liffey imgp8261 Fred peers out over the docks imgp8265 Fred points to oily water on the ferry's deck imgp8266 The deck of the freight ferry imgp8268 We wait in the bar area before disembarking imgp8270 The few cars are squeezed in between trailers imgp8271 The exit onto the M4 to Sligo imgp8272 Isobel heads into Applegreen services on the M4 imgp8274 A derelict shop at Rathowen imgp8275 A derelict house, which has lost its roof imgp8276 The remains of a derelict bar imgp8278 Another closed-down bar in Rathowen imgp8280 The car outside the derelict shop imgp8281 A cool old-school roadside petrol station imgp8282 We stop off at SuperValu in Manorhamilton imgp8283 Isobel gets some Ferrero Rocher imgp8284 Isobel heads of with a basket of goodies imgp8285 The SuperValu car park imgp8286 Louise has a beer and a ciggie imgp8290 Fred returns from a trip to the trampoline imgp8291 Evelyn and Davida chat imgp8295 Rachel, Fern and Fred return from the trampoline imgp8298 There's a bicycle hanging up in Philly's shed imgp8299 Harry swings around in the trees imgp8303 Harry has a swing imgp8304 Kitchen life imgp8306 We find a cool beetle crawling around imgp8308 Isobel takes a photo of the insect imgp8311 A pair of boots hang up on an outside light imgp8315 Philly's new fence imgp8316 A few spiders join in with the beetle action imgp8319 Isobel pours a glass of wine imgp8323 Up at Philly's house imgp8325 Fred waits in reception at Benbulben Court imgp8326 A derelict building near Benbulben Court imgp8327 Walking down The Mall/An Meal imgp8332 The Garavogue river is running full and fast imgp8333 The boys wait for pizza outside Rugantino imgp8335 Harry and Isobel in Fiddlers Creek imgp8336 Fiddler's Creek bar in Sligo imgp8339 The first pint of Guinness imgp8341 A closed-down newsagent on Grattan Street imgp8343 We eat pizza in the apartment imgp8344 Noddy comes over as Isobel plays fiddle imgp8347 The Clayton Hotel in Sligo imgp8348 The boys on Streedagh Beach imgp8350 The empty lifeguard hut on Streedagh beach imgp8351 Harry digs in the sand imgp8354 The boys haul a massive lump of seaweed around imgp8359 Fred on a rock imgp8362 The boys perch on rocks imgp8366 Harry runs off imgp8373 Fred's found more seaweed imgp8374 A surf school sets up for the afternoon imgp8376 The boys roam around on the beach imgp8380 Fred digs up more seaweed imgp8381 A stripey sea snail clings to a rock imgp8384 A bit of seaweed looks like a fan imgp8393 Harry runs around with a string of seaweed imgp8395 Green-covered rocks imgp8397 More seaweed imgp8398 Fred in amongst the rockpools imgp8401 There's some perfect shale geology going on imgp8404 A dead crab in bits on the rocks imgp8406 Some seaweed looks like some of of sea animal imgp8412 The surf school heads out to sea imgp8416 The car park of Streedagh Beach imgp8417 Our beach encampment imgp8419 Evelyn reads, whilst Do Wheeze has a fag on imgp8420 Harry in the sand imgp8424 Nicolas and Annalua have joined in imgp8428 The Streedagh/Trá na Strithidí beach sign imgp8430 The beach has filled up a bit imgp8433 It's picnic time imgp8439 Jilly and Noddy appear imgp8451 Fred gets a massage imgp8455 Wide open spaces imgp8456 In the car park of Grange SuperValu imgp8458 Isobel roams the aisles of SuperValu imgp8459 A derelict building over the road from SuperValu imgp8463 Isobel, Fern and Harry on the stairs imgp8465 We head off into Sligo on Bóthar an Ghalltrumpa imgp8466 Wandering through the campus of IT Sligo imgp8467 Fred walks past a WB Yeats quote on The Mall imgp8468 The gang on The Mall imgp8472 Walking past derelict shops imgp8473 Shuttered shops on Bridge Street imgp8475 Isobel and Harry in Garavogue/Camile Thai imgp8478 Across the river Garavogue imgp8479 Bargain Shoes, across the river imgp8480 Apint of Guinness has a smily face imgp8481 Noddy has a beer moustache imgp8482 Harry slurps on a fruit punch mocktail imgp8488 The boys look out over the almost-overflowing river imgp8494 Some insaniac is actually kayaking the river imgp8498 Derelict-looking grey buildings imgp8499 A Bram Stoker mural imgp8501 A Yeats mural on The Snug pub imgp8502 Wandering back up Stephen Street imgp8504 A green-painted Edward VII post box imgp8505 Harry runs across The Mall imgp8507 The closed-down Sullivan's bar imgp8510 Another closed-down bar: The Leitrim imgp8511 A green wall post-box imgp8512 The house where some dude plays loud music to plants imgp8514 A former Mason's lodge in the arts-and-crafts style imgp8515 The great 1960s-ness of Sligo Hospital imgp8516 Fred swings a leg over a cone imgp8517 The closed gates of IT Sligo