Limerick

Limerick branch had an outing to Dublin on October 25. Our first stop was at Farmleigh where we were welcomed by Junior Minister Patrick O’Donovan. (Patrick is a former pupil of our treasurer Joan)
We continued to Áras where we were delighted to be greeted by President Higgins.  

PHOTOS

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We started these walking holidays abroad in 2015 and this was the eighth trip. 

Our holiday was organised by a company called “France Outdoors” which arranged the airport transfers, hotel, walking guides and daily coach transport. The flight was from Dublin to Chania (capital city until 1971) in the north of the island and we stayed there for a week in Hotel Arkadi. This is a very well-situated venue near the old Venetian town and scenic harbour with its stunning minaret-style lighthouse. The local people were friendly and the city felt safe. Crete has a very interesting history from the Minoan dynasty, then the Romans, to the Venetian period, the Ottomans and on to a very difficult time of Nazi occupation in WW2.

 

Each day, we had a bus journey to different parts of the island and then there was a choice of three walks of varying degrees of difficulty. Our guides were professional and friendly and had lots of interesting information to relate about the history of Crete, the different locations we visited and the native flora and fauna. Crete has many mountain ranges and several natural gorges – the most famous is the Samaria Gorge (at 14km – it is the longest in Europe). This hike is strenuous but exhilarating and was successfully completed by seven members of our group.

 

There were new delights every day – we visited small villages and abbeys, olive mills, Venetian water cisterns, beautiful turquoise coves and stunning beaches. We stumbled on archaeological treasures on the summit of a hill. We saw wild goats, carob trees, beautiful Autumn crocuses and vultures circling lazily high up in the sky.

As a group we hiked together, encouraging one another if the going was challenging and we laughed a lot. We walked along old mule trails and goat paths and saw many olive groves, wild herbs, lemon trees and pine trees.

 

When we reached the finish line, we were rewarded with an option to swim or just relax and enjoy coffee, wine, beer or ice-cream. The weather was warm and sunny throughout our stay and it was wonderful to see the bright sunshine, blue skies and even bluer seas. On a few occasions, we had boat trips which we thoroughly enjoyed. One of these was to the famous Balos Lagoon and nearby Gramvousa Island – a day to remember ! 

 

In the evenings, we were spoiled with the choice of restaurants – Greek food is delicious and very reasonably priced and our meals ended with a complementary dessert and a glass of Raki (the local libation !)

 

Many thanks to Joan Callaghan for making all the arrangements. I am already looking forward to our next adventure ! 

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The Limerick branch participated in the nationwide “Climbing for Charlie” initiative on Sunday 3rd April, 2022. We did our climb at Knockpatrick, Foynes. Below are some photos:

Below are some photos of our recent visit to Hungary.

Some of our members on a recent visit to Leinster House:

 

 

 

 

A photography workshop consisting of five sessions was held for branch members in the Woodlands Hotel recently. It is hoped that it may lead to further photographic activities by members in the future. Kathleen, Nora and Mary, pictured below, were among the participants.