Innocent tourists that we are, we didn’t look at the weather report this morning, but outside our hotel the wind was blowing and the rain coming in  sideways.  Unbeknownst to us, Storm Ali was bashing Ireland.  And it was a whopper forcing the cancellation of the second day of the National Ploughing Championships (I know, how will you go on?).  The front desk warned during check out, handing us a map to get out of the city and telling us power lines were down on the M1 so alternate routes had to be taken.

FREQUENT alternate routes.  Seems every road we drove down ended up blocked.

Even the occasional power line down.

With the help of google maps we criss-crossed our way from Belfast to Kingscourt.

Debris everywhere.

Even the trucks were going down single lane country roads in search of a thru passage.

A vacated church in the middle of nowhere.

We finally made it to our lodging for the night.

And now we’re all tucked in our little cottage nursing colds.

Shout out to google maps.  Although I would suggest an alternative to “continue straight”, which we heard over and over and over.  Might I suggest “continue gayly forward”?