Published in the WOW! supplement of the Evening Echo 14/11/2007

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, it was a fine late-autumn day. We hadn’t been on a real family day out for some time, so on the spur of the moment we decided to head over to Killarney for the day. That is to say, as “on the spur of the moment” as you can with three children in tow. It took about two hours before we were all sitting in the car ready for the off.

Getting into the car is never as straightforward as simply getting into the car. We always have to endure the hokey-kokey “in-out-in-out-and shake it all about” version. First one girl needs the toilet, then the other, and then someone’s forgotten her favourite blanket, or a bag of crayons or any of the suite of accessories they insist on bringing on any excursion. Finally we were ready, and hit the road in high spirits.

As we drove I could see the clouds gathering on the horizon, and when we reached about the halfway mark the rain started. This wasn’t drizzle either – it was great globs of water dropping from the sky in torrents. Not the ideal weather for a family day out. But hey, we were having fun….

Whenever I drive into Kerry I’m always struck by the stark difference in the quality of the road surface. Crossing the county bounds is like making the transition from white-water kayaking to gliding across a tropical lagoon by hovercraft. It’s uncanny. I know Kerry must have its fair share of potholes, but the difference on that particular stretch of road always seems to stand out. Good old Cork County Council!

Continue reading »