We land at Dublin airport on the next leg of this very varied journey. The car rental desks are crowded with mostly elderly American tourists who it seems need to be repeatedly reminded to “drive on the left” and are even given brightly coloured (left) wrist bands to wear in case they forget! But rental car employees are all super friendly and nobody gets their paperwork completed without explaining where in the US they’re from and which parts of Ireland they’re planning to visit.

We choose to take the “northerly” route from Dublin across Ireland to Donegal, crossing the border and going through Ulster. Despite all the recent Brexit related fuss about “hard” or “soft” borders, there is of course no actual noticeable border. We do see a sign welcoming us to “Mid-Ulster” and a reminder that speed limits and distances are now posted in mph and miles. But the most obvious sign that we’re now back in United Kingdom is the dire state of the roads. Rough road surfaces and pot holes in contrast to the European Union funded well maintained roads on the Irish side of the “border”

Some five hours, many winding, narrow country lanes and a really good fish and chips lunch later we arrive in Killybegs, Donegal. Not quite the sleepy backwater that we are expecting but Ireland’s largest fishing port and an increasingly popular tourist destination along the “Wild Atlantic Way”, Donegal’s spectacular Atlantic coastline

Tourism aside, this area of Donegal must rank up there among the remotest parts of the Emerald Isle. Everyone seems to know everyone else, or somebody who knows somebody or at least somebody who knows somebody’s business!! And it doesn’t rain all the time, there are sunny spells between the showers. But otherwise of course, it wouldn’t be green…..