The nice weather soon turned rainy and cold…but there were breaks in the weather and some breathtaking views along the coast.
	The small coastal towns were pretty much all whitewashed houses…quite the change from the “every color of the rainbow” villages that we’ve grown used to seeing. Many more small farms (almost backyard farms)…each with their own share of sheep and a herding dog to go along with them.

Stopped at Kildownet Cemetery (c. 1700) which, while beautiful, seems to be full of bad luck stories of fires, drownings, disease, and famine.

We took a wrong turn and ended up at the top of Slievemore Mountain (672 meters).  Desolate home to a couple of radio towers…but fantastic views to both sides of the penninsula.
	At the top near the radio towers.

	We made our way out to Achill Island (the largest island of Ireland).
			You can drive onto the island via a small bridge (first built in 1887).
We passed through the towns of Keel and Dooagh before making our way out to the farthest driveable point at Keem beach/bay.

Upon the advice of a nice lady running a local gas station, we took a rest stop at The Beehive in Achill for warm drinks and a piece of cake.

Northern Mayo and Sligo counties are definitely more rural, more open, and again the roads are better (except for the coast roads).

Drive through Sligo and out to Drumcliffe where we arrived at Yeats Lodge B&B around 4:00.
The view out our bedroom window.	Very nice  place built in 2002 with Benbulben (rock formation) as the backdrop and Drumcliffe Church out our front window.

Had a nap (John) and read a book (Erin) then headed into Drumcliffe to check out the bar scene (two bars…filled with families) which seemed non-existent.  Decided to head into Sligo. 

Stopped at St. Columba’s Church and Drumcliffe Cemetary on the way and got some more pictures of headstones and a photo of WB Yeats grave.
Yeat's grave.

The area around Sligo has been inhabited since the Early Neolithic period (c. 8000 BC) but the town didn’t officially appear until 1245 AD.

In Sligo, we drove around town, stopped to take a picture of the Lady of Erin statue and then found one street with bars/shops.

Popped into The Irish House for a pint and to watch some horse races (with jumps)...		...and then headed to McDonalds for a snack…they use 100% Irish beef, and are apparently the largest purchaser of Irish bulk in the EU!  Burgers were good, fries had no salt, John still doesn’t like the diet coke!
	In the search for music, we found McGarrigles.
We had some time before the music was to start, so we worked on daily trip notes and enjoyed people watching (yea, and some pints).		A little later four musicians gathered and jammed.  It was pretty laid back and we started getting tired…so we decided to head for bed.
On the way back to the B&B, we made a stop at Collins Pub for a nightcap.  Very local older crowd and not a very friendly place so we bailed after one pint.

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