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(Edward Fitzpatrick).


The telescope at Birr Castle


newspaper, motor racing being only one of them. Our tour was booked using Scenic and


Continental and started with three cars convening on the evening of 30th May at Boulston Manor near Haverfordwest, a family home doing bed and breakfast. The owner and a taxi took us to a local restaurant where a very good dinner preceded a very good night’s sleep. On Wednesday 31st May we travelled to


Fishguard for the ferry and to meet with a number of other BT Members, arriving at Rosslare at 4.25pm. It was a short drive to the Farmers Kitchen Hotel in Wexford, our base for our second night. We stayed one night on arrival and one night before our return to the UK. We were made very welcome here, the evening menus had been customised for BTMs and a packed breakfast provided at 5.00am on the day of our return to the UK. The following day we motored to the Midlands


Park Hotel in Portlaoise, which was to be our base for the next four nights. This hotel, with its colonial style pillars and garage parking, was comfortable and had a very good restaurant. I have always had superb food in Ireland and this trip was no exception. On Friday evening there was a reception, brief-


ing and collection of road books at the County Hall, a short walk from the hotel, but the fabled Irish rain decided to arrive! Fortunately most of the group had weatherproof clothing! Was this going to stay for the rest of the weekend? Saturday 2nd June saw the start of the ‘Moun-


tains and Bog’ run of around 100 miles. The Irish Midlands are well known for their peat bogs. Meeting at Treacy’s Bar and Restaurant at 9.30am the crews of the 106 cars entered for the event enjoyed a bacon buttie before being flagged off to


18


head towards Mountrath, and on to our lunch stop at Birr Castle, ancestral home to the Parsons family, with its 19th century giant telescope, built in the early 1840s by the Third Earl of Rosse. The early morning route would have been very scenic if thick fog had not obscured the view. It was just possible to see one car in front! Fortunately this fog disappeared late morning and the rest of the weekend was sunny and hot. We then went on to the Slieve Bloom


Mountains and Shannon Harbour, returning via Mountmellick to Treacy’s; a distance of 47.7 miles. During the run there were optional sights to visit. The day ended back at Treacy’s for a three- course gala dinner. Sunday 3rd June saw the start of the Gordon


Bennett Run, some 62 miles, where we went through lovely countryside to the Quaker village of Ballitore. This is the only village in Ireland without a church. We were greeted with bunting, flags, the local DJ playing 1960s records and tea and cakes, which is traditional Irish fare at any time of the day. The locals had done this out of their own pockets and we were touched by their generosity. Full marks to Simon and Sally Ames who felt


that, as the discreet ‘donation tins’ were not noticed by the majority of entrants, it would help to arrange for our members to donate an amount towards the restoration of a tannery so it could become a suitable location to teach local crafts to young people and as a community centre. BTMs raised over €1,000 which was presented to the Gordon Bennett Chairman, David Clegg, to pass to the people of Ballitore. On the way back, we stopped in Kildare for


tea and refreshments before heading to the Gandon Inn for dinner and collection of our


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