Today, we had a four-hour drive from Cork to Maynooth, to visit Carton House - a five-star hotel and golf club resort. There, we were welcomed by Aine Mangan, who a few years back used to work for the Riffa Golf Club in Bahrain.

Aine gave us a tour of this beautifully restored mansion, which was once the country residence of the FitzGerald family - Earls of Kildare and later Dukes of Leinster. 

Carton House is steeped in history, but with all the comforts of a luxury hotel. Just half an hour from Dublin, the elegant Palladian house is set in over a thousand acres of stunning parkland, and has attracted a long list of glamorous guests from Queen Victoria to Grace Kelly.

It was an event-packed weekend in Ireland, and helped to underscore how much  there is to see and do in this wonderful and welcoming country.

After breakfast yesterday, we visited the Galley Head lighthouse, which in times past helped ships to navigate the waters. We met Gerald Butler, who works for the lighthouse and proceeded to give us a very informative tour during which he not only explained how the lighthouse worked, but also provided us a history lesson about the area.

Later, we went to Red Strand beach for a swim and a picnic, before taking a walk around Clonakilty where we visited an art gallery.

After dinner at home, we made our plans for the next day, which kicked off with a visit to Charles Fort in Kinsale. After the tour, we went to witness  the various activities being held during Art Week in Kinsale which is famous for its music and exhibitions.

Then we went to the harbour and enjoyed a great show with dancers inside giant  balloons on the water providing a fine spectacle.

If you are planning a visit to Ireland, be sure to visit this beautiful town for at least a couple of days.

On Wednesday, we drove to the Scottish coast and took the ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland, en route to Ireland.

While in Belfast, we visited Giant's Causeway, a world heritage site. The skies were pouring rain right through from the time we got off the ferry, but the deluge ended almost on cue as we arrived at our destination.

It was still cloudy, but our tour guide kept the mood light with one funny story after another.