August 10, Day 58. Didn’t sleep great, I woke up a lot with the same stuffy and itchy nose I’ve been having. I can’t tell if I’m sick or it’s more allergies. Packed up my things and got on the ferry back to Doolin. It took me quite a long time to get myself and my stuff sorted back in the boat because I just wasn’t feeling good. Finally after maybe 3 hours of packing and trying to eat, I got the energy to get back in the boat and paddle to Inis Oírr (Inis meaning island and oírr meaning small in Irish) I was going to go farther, back to Inis Mor (mor meaning big) but I got a text from Matt that he was on Inis Oírr and Conner was too with his daughters.
Matt usually comes with his daughters but they were all busy with work and other things this year. So it was nice to pull into the beach after paddling into a force 4 on my nose, with it all blocked up as well, to have them greet me on the beach. What a lovely little island, I definitely want to spend more time here, it’s quaint and small and the village is very charming. The camp ground has a fun atmosphere with lots of young people camping with their friends and kids running around with face paint from the days festival too. I had just missed the currach racing when I got there which was disappointing. Got my stuff set up and Matt and I went for dinner at a pub where we met some of his friends. The bacon and cabbage was unreal. Watched the Irish team get fourth in the 4x4 relay and their interview as they sobbed at the close loss of a medal. Pints followed at the three different pubs in the village. I had hot whiskeys, they always make me feel better if I feel unwell. I always have one the night before going on a winter course in Minnesota for good luck and good health.
