In the 1960's an Irish gentleman by the name of Jack Mulcahy was walking past New York's Hammer Galleries in the rain and noticed a seascape in the window. He went inside and bought the painting, his first of many to follow. When he found out that Peter had never been to Ireland, he insisted come to visit him.

Peter and his wife, Bobbie, were guests at his home in Waterville on the southwest coast of Ireland, on the Ring of Kerry, one of the most picturesque areas of the Emerald Isle. The Ellenshaws fell in love with Ireland and eventually built a home there.