Visiting Mom & Dad in Dundrum

My parents stayed a week in Dundrum, about an hour south of Belfast. Their holiday let was a condo in a building right on the bay (The Quay), with gorgeous views of the water, its wildlife, and the Mourne Mountains in the background. Very pretty. They saw seals and lots of birds, and my Mom said that this holiday let was one of the best they stayed in on their trip (a total of 11 places over the course of 8 weeks). We would definitely stay there if given the opportunity - we haven't explored the Mourne Mtns, Tullymore Forest Park, or Murlogh Bay yet! Here's a map of the area: http://goo.gl/maps/pVWf1.

The Quay in Dundrum - http://www.homeaway.co.uk/p86767

Low tide in Dundrum Bay.

The clouds are hiding the mountain tops!

We went down to visit them twice while they were there, once on the weekend and once during the week. On Sunday, there was an injured seal in the Bay - it appeared to have an injured fin. We saw the seal move and swim, but it definitely wasn't quite right.  The seal very much upset Mom and she asked us about calling Exploris. But as it turns out, there were at least 3 upset women in the building, all calling the police, coast guard, and area nature centers for help, so we didn't need to intervene. Eventually the seal disappeared on its own.

Taking a walk along the Sea

Later in the week, we went back to Dundrum to see my cousin Leah. She married a man (Tom) from Bunclody, Republic of Ireland, and they were visiting his family on holiday. Unfortunately, Tom was delayed due to work in Uruguay, and didn't get into the Dublin airport until the afternoon we were supposed to meet them in Dundrum. But, we got to meet Tom's parents, 2 brothers, and sister, and see Leah for a while. Then, we all drove to Castlewellan for dinner at Maginns Bar (http://www.maginnsbar.com/). Good place, great company, and we even got to see Tom before we had to leave to get the boys home for bed.