Ireland on Tour 2002

Manchester

Starting off, Easter in Manchester

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Coroporation Street pedway Photo - Manchester, England

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The flight across the ocean was fine but the connection to Manchester from Heathrow sucked. The arm rests in the seats didn't fold up flush with the seat so it was digging in my back the whole way. Mercifully, the plane was only 25% full and the flight was only a half hour. The luggage Gods smiled once again and everything arrived with me. Most of this weekend was spent with many friends in the Manchester area, some of whom came from outside the area for a meal on Saturday night. We visited, we shopped, we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. We ate twice in a Weatherspoon's pub, the Sedge Linn in Chorlton, we pub crawled our way around Chorlton and hit a few in the Manchester city cen...Read More

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Royal Exchange

Attraction | "A Wonderful Theatre Experience in Manchester"

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The Royal ExchangeTh used to be just that, a stock exchange and financial institution in the centre of Manchester. It's in a magnificent building with gorgeous stonework and high plastered ceilings inside. It's now a theatre but one with a difference. When you enter the building, inside in the middle of the building there is a structure that looks a bit like a space pod. This is the theatre. It is in fact a theatre in the round. Inside, the stage is on the floor, surrounded by "banquettes", and the seats can be on the ground level or rise around it up into the seven sides of the steel and glass "pod". It can seat up to 700! They sometimes ...Read More

The Royal ExchangeTh used to be just that, a stock exchange and financial institution in the centre of Manchester. It's in a magnificent building with gorgeous stonework and high plastered ceilings inside. It's now a theatre but one with a difference. When you enter the building, inside in the middle of the building there is a structure that looks a bit like a space pod. This is the theatre. It is in fact a theatre in the round. Inside, the stage is on the floor, surrounded by "banquettes", and the seats can be on the ground level or rise around it up into the seven sides of the steel and glass "pod". It can seat up to 700! They sometimes sell the banquette seats on the day of a performance for a reduced rate, if there are any available. There is also a smaller studio type theatre for more intimate productions which seats 120.

I've seen several performances in the theatre, all top notch. They do a wide variety of theatre from classic (Ibsen, Chekov) th Shakespeare to modern drama. You will likely see top names on the marquee and excellent performances. As it's right in the centre of the city, there are plenty of restaurants for pre or post dinner nosh.

You can buy tickets online or at the box office and prices are fairly reasonable. You won't likely be paying London theatre prices here. The most you will *usually* pay is £25 but there are discounts available for various groups including people with disabilities, pensioners, preview showings etc. There's a bar and cafe in the theatre as well.

There is an elevator for access off St. Anne's Square and wheelchair spaces are available. For this type of seating, you must contact the box office direction rather than use the website. People with disabilities get their tickets half price as well as the same for a companion. They are on the corner of St. Anne's Square across from the Arndale shopping center and one street over from Deansgate. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 20, 2009

Royal Exchange
St Ann's Square
Manchester, England M2 7DH
+44 161 833 9833

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Woo Sang

Restaurant | "Terrible Service at Woo Sang"

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This restaurant is up a flight of stairs so not easy to get to for anyone with mobility issues. I've been here with a very large group before (2000) and both the service and the food were excellent. This time around we were 10 at the table but the table seemed too small for us. The drinks orders were slow in coming and sometimes the wait staff forgot to ask everyone for reorders. The rest of the evening was one service disaster after another. They didn't provide us with a circular movable platform for the center of the table to make passing around the dishes easier and when someone finally complained loudly, we did get one. Which was broken and we had to gingerly turn the glass ourselves a...Read More

This restaurant is up a flight of stairs so not easy to get to for anyone with mobility issues.

I've been here with a very large group before (2000) and both the service and the food were excellent. This time around we were 10 at the table but the table seemed too small for us. The drinks orders were slow in coming and sometimes the wait staff forgot to ask everyone for reorders. The rest of the evening was one service disaster after another. They didn't provide us with a circular movable platform for the center of the table to make passing around the dishes easier and when someone finally complained loudly, we did get one. Which was broken and we had to gingerly turn the glass ourselves and hope it moved.

They brought two courses out at once instead of one at a time, further confusing and crowding the table as everyone tried to reach and pass. The one waitress kept elbowing one couple, leaning around them and at one point one man received a beer right down his back! Alan spilled another one trying to move something else out of the way. The music on the sound system was horrible, pan pipes playing every kind of music except Chinese. The piece de resistance was a lovely dish of prawns which suddenly acquired an extra bit.... a big blue bottle fly that was hovering landed in it, got stuck in the sauce and wiggled it's little legs helplessly while the 10 of us collectively moaned loudly... ewwwwwwwww! The waitress seemed to find this amusing but took the dish back to replace it. Hopefully with something new but it took us 15 minutes of warily contemplating the fresh replacement before anyone had the nerve to try some!

To top it all off, yes it's possible to further wreck this, they buggered up the bill! The manager was sought out, he who had conveniently NOT managed his restaurant very well tonight, having found plenty to keep him busy behind the bar instead of being aware of the problems going on under his nose. The events of the night were explained, which they *think* were confirmed by the staff but not speaking any Chinese, they had to take that on faith. The manager offered them 30 pounds off the bar bill (which was about 50 pounds between the 10 of us). He wouldn't extend that to the entire 50 so we took it and then counted out the money to pay the 235 pound total bill to the penny! No tip. So that's quite a lot of money they ended up losing over all. We took the thirty pounds and, discovering that our favourite Copperface Jack's was closed, spent it on a round or two of drinks at Lass O'Gowrie on Charles Street.
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Member Rating 1 out of 5 on January 20, 2009

Woo Sang
19-21 George Street

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Stockport Hat Works Museum

Attraction | "Take your Hat off to this Musuem"

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Hatworks MuseumThe day we visited was an appropriate day seeing as the signs there proclaimed this as National Hat Week! (Easter week, 2002) There is a conducted tour that starts with a film, some of which is rare footage from the 1930's of Battersby's Hat works. We were told how they were made, first by hand and later by machine. Hats made out of felt had shellac added for stiffness and were shaped over wooden forms to give the hat it's shape. There were only the 2 of us plus a woman and her granddaughter on the tour. Also there is a museum with all sorts of exhibits of hats of every kind, ceremonial, sporting, military, religious, dress, etc. There was...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 20, 2009

Stockport Hat Works Museum
Wellington Mill
Stockport, England SK3 0EU
+44 161 355 7770

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Shopping in Manchester

Attraction

Food court area of the Trafford Centre Photo - Manchester, England

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Manchester is not always thought of as a major shopping destination but it has quite a lot to offer, if not quite as much as a city like London. Most shoppers will be more than satisfied with the selection available from markets to upscale stores like Selfridges and designer shops. Marks and Spencer has rebuilt it's city centre store after an IRA bomb leveled it in the 1990s. It's now one of the largest in the country and is considered it's flagship store. Other major stores in the same area include Selfridges, Debenhams and Kendalls. These stores are steps away from the renovated Arndale Shopping mall and a host of other good shops in the Royal Exchange/St. Anne's Square/King Street West ar...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on April 22, 2008

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Cobh

Visting Cobh

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View from the Bella Vista hotel upper room Photo - Cobh, Ireland

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Cobh is a small town on an island in Cork City's harbour, It used to be called Queenstown after Queen Victoria and was the embarkation point for thousands of Irish who emigrated during the Great Famine of the 1840's. There's also a Titanic connection as it was the last port of call before the liner headed off across the North Atlantic, ultimately meeting its icy cold fate. There's a Heritage Center called the Queenstown Story, a nearby wildlife preserve on Fota Island, and a lovely cathedral (all three have separate reviews in this journal) and lots of lovely shops, pubs and monuments scattered around the picturesque and sometimes *very* steep streets that are lined with brightly paint...Read More

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Cobh Heritage Centre

Attraction | "Cobh Heritage Center"

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The town of Cobh (pronounced "Cove") is an old fishing village that used to be called Queenstown for awhile. It was rename from Cove for Queen Victoria but took back it's Irish name and Irish spelling in the 20th century. Cobh was a major departure point for Irish immigrants leaving the country in the 19th century. There's actually statue of the woman who was the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island in New York. The exhibits are set up in three eras. The first focuses on the convict transports and the second, the era of and explores the conditions on board. In the middle of the 19th c. the potato famine drove emigration into the millions. Between emigration and death, Ireland's pop...Read More

The town of Cobh (pronounced "Cove") is an old fishing village that used to be called Queenstown for awhile. It was rename from Cove for Queen Victoria but took back it's Irish name and Irish spelling in the 20th century. Cobh was a major departure point for Irish immigrants leaving the country in the 19th century. There's actually statue of the woman who was the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island in New York.

The exhibits are set up in three eras. The first focuses on the convict transports and the second, the era of and explores the conditions on board. In the middle of the 19th c. the potato famine drove emigration into the millions. Between emigration and death, Ireland's population halved during the course of just a few decades.

The beginning of the 20th c. led into the steam liner era for both emigration and transatlantic transport for business, holiday etc. Many liners called at Queenstown as their last port before the crossing including the Titanic and Lusitania. The Lusitania was torpedoed by German U-boats in 1915 just 30 miles off the coast. There are artifacts, passenger and supply lists, posters, photographs and video exhibits. (There are many graves from victims of the Lusitania buried in Cobh, as well) There were reconstructions of state rooms and lots of information printed on display boards.

The building itself used to be a railway station. There's now some lovely gift shops and a little cafe in the building. It's completely wheelchair accessible.

There's a statue outside the Queenstown museum of a woman named Anne Moore with her two brothers. In 1892, on January 1, she was the first immigrant processed through the brand new facility on Ellis Island, New York.

Open 7 days a week, all year except for 2 weeks at Christmas. Current admission rates are 7.10 euro per adult with discounts for children and seniors. You can visit the building for free if you just want to shop or have a cup of tea.

To find it, follow the street along the waterfront, to the right as you face the harbour. You won't miss it. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 4, 2008

Cobh Heritage Centre

Cobh County, Cork

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FOTA Wildlife Park

Attraction

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On a smaller island in Cork harbour, connected by causeway/bridge to the Great Island where Cobh is and the mainland where Cork is, you will find Fota Island. Fota Island has several attractions and a hotel. You can play a round of golf here, visit the Regency Fota House and the wildlife park as well. The house itself is elegant and has amazing plaster work and ceilings. The Victorian kitchen is very well appointed and there's a nice little tea room. It was originally owned by the Smith-Barry family built by architect Richard Morrison. The wildlife park has over 90 species of animals and birds over x acres. It's a registered charity and has been open since 1983. There's a tour trai...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 4, 2008

FOTA Wildlife Park

Cobh, Ireland

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St. Colman's Cathedral

Attraction

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The Catholic cathedral is dedicated to St. Colman and was built between 1868 and 1925. The floor is parquet but up the aisles is a tile mosaic made to look like a Celtic knot runner carpet. Really nice! A couple of places, entranceways through to side chapels, have swastikas worked into and around the knotwork but back when the cathedral was built the swastika was considered a good luck symbol! The view from the Cathedral yard over the town and harbour was fabulous!

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 4, 2008

St. Colman's Cathedral
perched on the hillside
Cobh, Ireland

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Dublin

Introduction to Dublin

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Christchurth Cathedral, Dublin Photo - Dublin, Ireland

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(Apr. 5-7 2002) Rose, Mal and I got to Dublin about 2:30 and took a cab to the Harcourt Hotel where I was meeting up with my friend Carole who's been in Dublin a couple of days on her own.The weather is warm, overcast. We are meeting up with some other friends who are arriving at various times, some here already. We set up a time to meet in the hotel pub for 7 tonight for drinks. Eoin, Carole and I headed out and down Harcourt Street to Grafton Street. We ended up in a cafe for lunch in the top floor of the St. Stephen's Green shopping center, a lovely glass roofed structure with lots of light streaming in. Grafton is a pedestrian shopping area with some lovely stores, and lo...Read More

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Touring Dublin, Trinity College

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Trinity College campus, Dublin Photo - Dublin, Ireland

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April 7/2002: Most of us made it up for breakfast and then a few of us made our way around the corner to the antiques fair which was in the old gym of Newman House. We had seen a sign at the intersection all weekend advertising the sale for Sunday morning and we were not disappointed! Oooh it was lovely! Lots of linen, jewelry, china and other odds and sods of memorabilia packed into the two aisles and what looked like the stage area. I bought some old linen and a really interesting ring and Carole bought some jewelry as well.We all converged back at the bar in the hotel for 1 p.m. for a goodbye drink and a Show And Tell for our morning's purchases and activities. We had lots of laughs hu...Read More

April 7/2002: Most of us made it up for breakfast and then a few of us made our way around the corner to the antiques fair which was in the old gym of Newman House. We had seen a sign at the intersection all weekend advertising the sale for Sunday morning and we were not disappointed! Oooh it was lovely! Lots of linen, jewelry, china and other odds and sods of memorabilia packed into the two aisles and what looked like the stage area. I bought some old linen and a really interesting ring and Carole bought some jewelry as well.

We all converged back at the bar in the hotel for 1 p.m. for a goodbye drink and a Show And Tell for our morning's purchases and activities. We had lots of laughs hugs, tears (that would be me!) and a group photo taken. We scattered in taxis, some to the airport, train stations and Carole and I to the Jurys Montrose which is out in the suburb of Donnybrook. We are taking a bus tour around Ireland and there is an orientation tour of the city at 3. We just made it with about 20 minutes to spare once we got checked in.

Our Globus tour guide is called Bill Dalton and Alex is our driver. Bill, as I later found out, is from Dublin county but speaks with and educated British accent due to, as he says, the school he went to thrashing it out of him. He was very knowledgeable and very witty and he made the week very enjoyable. Our group is about 40 in numbers, about 9 Canadians, a couple from New Zealand and the rest from the U.S.A.

Our tour took us around the main sights of Dublin and included a stop at Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells in the old Library. It is a decorated manuscript of the four gospels copied by monks circa 800 A.D. The experts believe the main illustrations, or illuminations as they are more commonly called, are the work of 3 or 4 men. The exhibit had lots of illustrations and posters about the making of the book along with some other old manuscripts, totaling 4 other lesser known illuminated books, the books of Durrow, Mulling, Armagh and Dimma. The Books of Kells and Durrow are displayed open to elaborate pages under glass in a darkened room. The detail of the larger pages and the intricacy of the artwork around the writing is unbelievable. It's difficult to really take it all in but I bought a book that has lots of the detail work enlarged.

We later viewed the Old Library at the college which was founded by Elizabeth I in the later years of her reign. The library used to be a single floor but was filled so they removed the roof and raised it about 150 years ago. It's full again now. It's a long room, with natural light streaming in between the shelves lined with over 200,000 valuable old books. The ceiling is high, soaring arched and the aisle is lined with sculpted busts of philosophers and famous men associated with the college over the years. You can't take photos and I *really* wanted to. The lines and light were truly a sight to drop your jaw and lighten your heart.

We walked around the college green afterwards, taking photos of the buildings from the various eras under clear blue skies. We found an ATM tucked away around the corner before meeting back at the bus for the rest of the drive around O'Connell Street and Parnell Square north of the Liffey and the Grand Canal which along with the Royal Canal, were built to connect the Liffey, Lee and Shannon rivers. The canals weren't used for transport anymore once the train system was built.

We got back to the hotel in time to sort out a quick change of clothes before a meet and greet in the bar before dinner. We used a smaller elevator that is usually used for luggage and the damn thing got stuck and wouldn't open on our floor with just 6 of us crowded in to it. We buzzed and hollered and were heard by some guests who alerted the front desk who released us after about 15 minutes. Whew!

We met a few people in the bar, most of whom had just flown in so were struggling to keep awake after overnight flights. Dinner was all right but nothing spectacular although the soup was pretty tasty. Early night tonight as we have an early start tomorrow.
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Last Glimpse of Dublin and Howth

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Dublin is famous for the fancy doors Photo - Dublin, Ireland

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April 13, 2002: We've done the tour and now, after a week of getting up early, we slept in just because we could! We lingered over breakfast, enjoying our pot of tea. It’s a sunny day and we decided to have a walk then take the DART out to Howth at the north end of the line. We walked to the little bridge across the Grand Canal and turned into Fitzwilliam Square where the house with the most elaborate door "lives". We admired it and walked on, looking for Merrion Square a few streets away. The attraction here is mainly the Oscar Wilde connection. We saw a few lovely old buildings turned into hotels and the American College on the corner. That’s the house where Wilde lived before moving t...Read More

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Harcourt Hotel

Hotel | "Cozy Dublin hotel"

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I've only stayed at the Harcourt Hotel once, and that was in 2002 so bear that in mind. The location is on Harcourt Street, about a 10 minute walk from St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street. The location might not be dead center but it's very good. The hotel takes up several townhouses that have George Bernard Shaw associations. There is an elevator in the hotel and there is a restaurant, nightclub and a very cozy after hours bar called Barneys where you could find trad Irish musicians dropping in for a jam session after the pubs have closed like we did. The nightclub can be a bit noisy but you can ask for rooms in the second building rather than the main one. They have doubles, singles and twins but...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 6, 2008

Harcourt Hotel
60 HARCOURT STREET
Dublin, Ireland
353 1 4783677

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Tour of Ireland

From Dublin to Ennis via Cashel

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On the road again....And bloody early! 6 a.m. came too soon! The day's activities include a stop in Kildare at the Irish National Stud, then a stop to "view" the Rock of Cashel (that means a photo stop), and a drive west to Ennis, where we stay for two nights. The National Stud is on the site of old Black Abbey, where the monks bred horses for the Crusades, huge, muscled beasts. Horse breeding in this area of the country is an old tradition and Irish thoroughbreds command some of the highest stud fees in the world. The Irish National Stud is run by the government though there are lots of private farms around as well. There are an enormous amount of regulations to the breeding of horses. Ar...Read More

On the road again....And bloody early! 6 a.m. came too soon! The day's activities include a stop in Kildare at the Irish National Stud, then a stop to "view" the Rock of Cashel (that means a photo stop), and a drive west to Ennis, where we stay for two nights.

The National Stud is on the site of old Black Abbey, where the monks bred horses for the Crusades, huge, muscled beasts. Horse breeding in this area of the country is an old tradition and Irish thoroughbreds command some of the highest stud fees in the world. The Irish National Stud is run by the government though there are lots of private farms around as well. There are an enormous amount of regulations to the breeding of horses. Artificial insemination is banned and they even test the foals for DNA to prove their parentage to potential buyers.

We had one of the staff walk us around the barns and grounds to see the horses while he explained the history, traditions, and technical aspects of horse breeding. It really was interesting. We saw a couple of foals just born hours before. One mare allowed the door to be open and us to watch as her baby nursed. Another mare, though the door was closed, stood on guard over the foal with a glint in her eye when we peeked through the caged window. Nobody was getting close to that baby! We saw the stallion stables and paddocks and as large as the mares were, the stallions were massive! The neck on the top priced one, was so large and solid that I doubt very much I could get my arms around it, and I don't have short arms.

There is a Japanese garden and another one dedicated to a monk, St. Fiachra and we had time to have a walk around and a coffee or a browse in the gift shop.

We drove for another hour south into County Tipperary to the center of Ireland, all rolling hills to Cashel. The Rock of Cashel was originally a fortress built in the 4c on a 200 foot limestone mound that juts up out of a low flat valley. It was originally a seat of Irish Kings and continually a military establishment but St. Patrick preached from there and created a bishopric in the 5c. We stopped on the highway overlooking the plain and the rock but unless you crossed the busy road, you ended up with the road in your photos. Not a great choice for a photo stop.

Just the same, we were having our lunch stop in the town of Cashel. We scattered to try out several of the different pubs and restaurants that Bill pointed out. Carole and I ended up at Mikey Ryan's, in a building built about 1750-ish. It had several small rooms, brightly painted in yellow. The room we sat in had a huge black iron stove and a basket of peat and wood beside it. The soup urn was on the stove and a hutch full of old china and the dining room cutlery stood against the yellow wall upon which were hung old framed photos and softly glowing copper items. We had soup and a sandwich that were delicious!

After lunch we found the PO for stamps then walked out and around the road that leads out of town. We got a good view of the ruins of the Rock and a good photo from up the footpath.

Back on the bus we traveled north west through Limerick City. There are a lot of poor "travelers" that live in trailers (caravans) on the outskirts of Limerick, and elsewhere around the country but apparently this is a popular stopping point. The part of the city we drove through didn't seem to have anything particularly nice about it, but it's hard to tell just passing through. We stopped across the Shannon river for a photo of King John's Castle which was built around 1210. We also passed St. Mary's Cathedral from around the same era. Can't really say much more about Limerick as we didn't see any more of it that that.

We arrived at the hotel, the Temple Bar Hotel in Ennis. It's a lovely hotel that used to be a nunnery though has been extensively renovated. The bar and bistro serves very good food. The courtyard of the hotel faces the tourist information center. Ennis doesn't seem to be a really old town but that's only relative. It's probably still three-four hundred years old. There are a lot of newer homes and subdivision developments and it's a popular area to live for commuters to Shannon and Limerick.

We are seeing houses painted more pastel and warm hues of greens, blues, yellows and terra cottas dotted with an occasional bright yellow or deep red. A lot of the shop fronts and bar fronts are still painted lively colours in the traditional Irish pub style. There is very little neon that we have noticed even in the cities, where the shops have floodlights over the storefronts instead of glowing signs blinking at you.

We had a drink in the bar and then changed. Our optional (you pay extra) excursion for the evening is a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. There has been a castle here since the Norman era but as it's in a very strategic spot, it's been destroyed and rebuilt on 8 or 9 occasions after battles. The Folk Park that's been constructed here is a recreation of an Irish village from about 100 years ago, with cottages, shops and farmhouses and is a working museum with staff in period costume and working using the old traditional methods. The castle has antique furniture from the medieval period and is one of those large square towers seen all over the country. They do banquets as a dinner theatre experience as well.
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Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

Attraction | "Tourist Trap in Shannon"

Stained glass, Bunratty Castle Photo - Bunratty, Ireland

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This is a purpose built attraction to draw in the tourists that land or are leaving from the Shannon international airport, not far away. The castle itself is real enough, and the cottages were brought from other parts of the country so they are authentic. Many people might think it pretty much a tourist trap and it's true, it does cater to busloads of tourists, with two sittings of the banquet a night. It's more of a "show" and it feels very much like a Disney version but it is quite popular. There's even an old pub that has traditional entertainers. I can't tell from any website if you can visit the site without a banquet but I think perhaps you can. The food was ok, the entertainment was chorus of ...Read More

This is a purpose built attraction to draw in the tourists that land or are leaving from the Shannon international airport, not far away. The castle itself is real enough, and the cottages were brought from other parts of the country so they are authentic. Many people might think it pretty much a tourist trap and it's true, it does cater to busloads of tourists, with two sittings of the banquet a night. It's more of a "show" and it feels very much like a Disney version but it is quite popular. There's even an old pub that has traditional entertainers. I can't tell from any website if you can visit the site without a banquet but I think perhaps you can. The food was ok, the entertainment was chorus of lovely ladies, mostly local students all of whom were well versed in the castle history and could sing passably well. If you're on a bus tour, which we were, and there isn't much else to do, you might want to pay up and go with the group, which is what we did, otherwise, it's a bit pricey and a bit cheesy.

The banquet "experience" went like this: We were led into the castle and up a steep narrow stone spiral staircase to the Great Hall where two court musicians played for us as we sipped honey mead. The harpist and violinist were seated at the front of the room while women clad in velvet gowns decorated with gold brocade mingled among the tourists and chatted with them. The young woman we spoke to said she does this as her summer job while she's at university to become a teacher!

There was then a few songs by the assembled group of women and we were led into the dining area, which used to be the soldier's barrack area. The tables were long with benches. The only implement you had was a sharp knife to add to the authentic feel. You drank your spiced parsnip soup out of the crockery bowl and ate your spare rib appetizer with your fingers. There were finger bowls and you had a bib tied round your neck to use to wipe your hands on. The meat on the ribs was so tender it fell off the bone. The main course was roasted capon, veg and potatoes and dessert was a sponge cake with berries and cream which at least was served with a spoon.

The costumed women served courses, and in between, entertained along with an entertaining butler, an actor of course, with heavy makeup and an obvious wig. But the crowd loved it and the women were remarkable singers although there was one that seemed to have a sour look on her face the entire time. Perhaps she was nervous but I kept wanting to tell her she was going to spoil appetites if she didn't smile once in awhile.

We were invited to take coffee in another room but it was too crowded so we went out to the courtyard where a piper was playing in the twilight. We walked back through the folk village, taking our time though most of the cottages were closed for the day. Tomorrow is a trip up the west coast to the Cliffs of Moher, around Galway Bay and up into Connemara.
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on January 21, 2009

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
N18 Road towards Shannon
Kerry, Ireland

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Loop around the Burren and Galway

Story/Tip

Various types of Connemara marble Photo - Connemara, Ireland

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We had breakfast with a lovely couple from Alabama. The bus left a little late, all day it seemed. There was always someone that kept us waiting and invariably one of the group of women traveling together from NYC. They work together in a hospital and they were astonishing shoppers! That's usually why they were late! We drove west towards the Atlantic coast under sunny skies. Really lucky because the view of the 600' high Cliffs of Moher on Liscannon Bay would have been disappointing under cloudy foggy skies. We were the first bus there, even before the visitor center was open so it wasn't crowded at all. The cliffs are a spectacular sight, with the rock formations carved by millennia of w...Read More

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Ring of Kerry to Blarney

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It was a bit gloomy this morning and all day it was hazy with the sun breaking through now and then which was a pity for the views around the Ring of Kerry but it wasn't too bad. We caught the 9 a.m.ferry across the Shannon estuary. We drove into North Kerry from where the landscape was flat, boggy and uninspiring. Or perhaps it was the weather. The western part of the Kerry Mountains is called the McGillicuddy Reeks and we drove up into the beginning of the range on the way to our first stop, Tralee. We were due to go to the Kerry County museum complete with a medieval sight, sound and smell effects only the staff are on strike! We were taken to a local windmill instead in Blennerville....Read More

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To Waterford

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After our stop at Blarney we headed north. Our included visit this afternoon was to the Waterford Crystal factory where we will get a tour. This was actually a very interesting stop. We were shown a short video. The presentation ended with a replica of the Millenium crystal ball from NYC descending in front of a black screen with a city skyline behind it. Impressive with the lights flashing in patterns and colours and ending in full brilliance. We then headed into the factory proper. Here then is a condensed version of Waterford Crystal: It was founded in 1783 by brothers George and William Penrose. The factory has been at the present location, on the edge of town since 1971 and employs 1...Read More

After our stop at Blarney we headed north. Our included visit this afternoon was to the Waterford Crystal factory where we will get a tour. This was actually a very interesting stop. We were shown a short video. The presentation ended with a replica of the Millenium crystal ball from NYC descending in front of a black screen with a city skyline behind it. Impressive with the lights flashing in patterns and colours and ending in full brilliance.

We then headed into the factory proper. Here then is a condensed version of Waterford Crystal: It was founded in 1783 by brothers George and William Penrose. The factory has been at the present location, on the edge of town since 1971 and employs 1600. The craftsmen have a minimum 5 years apprenticeship and normally 3 more for the masters in the various fields of glass blowing and cutting and engravers do 3 years at a local cottage before training for 10 more. Crystal is made from silica sand, potash and litharge and is heated to a molten state in gas ovens to 1400 degrees. The first room was where the ovens are. Most of the blowers and cutters seem to be men, and the guide said it wasn’t a reflection on women, it’s just that women rarely seem to choose this field.

The molten crystal is pulled out of the oven in a blob, the size depending on what will be the end result. The blowers all know exactly how much to pull out of the fire for what they are making. It's on the end of a 5 foot long metal rod. It’s shaped using wooden tools soaked in cold water to gently give it a starting point. It is then lowered into a wooden mold below the feet of the men. They blow through the long tube and the molten crystal expands to the shape of the mold. When it comes out of the mold it now looks like glass and it’s smoothed and sanded lightly. It's broken off the tube and laid on a conveyer belt. The crystal is cooled for up to two days and then checked for flaws. If there is the slightest mark, it’s smashed and melted down again.

We saw the crystal shells marked with a grid pattern and then watched some of the cutters grind the classic Waterford patterns into bowls and glasses on a diamond tipped wheel using the grids as a guideline. The actual patterns are not marked on the glass unless it’s a special one of a kind or limited edition design. These are all master craftsmen that have had to memorize all the 60 or 70 standard patterns during their training. We saw another room where the carvers work on solid pieces like figurines (and cottages!). They create a clay model for these as a guideline. The wheels used to carve the solid pieces are stone with small diamond tipped ones for the finer detail work.

We saw the engraving room. This kind of engraving comes out looking like frosted inset sections etched into the crystal. Engraving is the most time consuming and difficult of all the jobs. The artisans make their own copper tipped tools, softer than diamond tipped. One tool we saw was made from a copper coin! The room wasn’t brightly lit overhead though each work station had good spot lights. We then had a more personal demonstration from a veteran cutter who talked to us and answered questions about his career and the working conditions and shifts.

We had a half hour or so in the showroom and gallery which was interesting. They had replicas of some of the most spectacular pieces like a lot of the trophies for world famous tournaments such as the World Cup, the Super bowl and the PGA golf. We saw a large chess piece that stood about 4 foot high and outside the gallery was a full size crystal mailbox and a full size crystal grandfather clock! Wow! It was quite a fascinating visit.

While we were in there, Alec and Bill took the luggage to the hotel in Waterford, the Quality Marina which is, as the name implies on the waterfront by the marina. It looked like a city with some interesting spots to explore, just judging from the drive through. We had a nice view from our hotel room over an inlet on the city side of the hotel. We had signed up for a visit to an old country pub before dinner tonight so there was only time to change and freshen up with a cup of tea before we left.

We drove to Kilmeaden where the Cozy Thatch pub was. It has been voted tops in an annual Irish Heritage Pub of the Year contest several times going by the plaques displayed This is a low white thatched roof building, some of which dates to 1475. It was purchased by a family called Horton in 1780 and turned into a public house and it’s never been sold since, having passed down through the generations. It has two fireplaces burning peat, and is in an L shape. The shorter section of the room is painted deep pink, the rest in white with dark wood and beams., there’s an open bit at one end above, a loft of sorts. The pub also doubled as the local funeral parlour for the village soon after it was established until 1969 when the government passed a law forbidding wakes in pubs. In the room at the back where the deceased would be laid out is a large bed that dates before the Horton family bought the building (because it was built inside the room and too big to get out of the house with the previous owners) and family and friends would gather here to wake the dead. Having the wake in a pub just solved both of the pressing needs. The Irish have always celebrated the life of the deceased with memories, music and drink. Only seems convenient to have the two under one roof!

The family that owns the pub (the publican’s mother was a Horton) also brews their own lager on the premises and lives there as well. We sat down in groups and ordered the first of our two drinks that came along with the price of this "optional" excursion. I opted for the local lager and it was very nice! We were then entertained by a singer called Tommy Commerford who does this for all the tours I believe. He was witty, a good singer and did all the traditional tunes so that everyone could sing along which we did. He would pause briefly if someone was about to take his picture and smile for the camera. A real showman! He did an excellent a capella version of Danny Boy that I thought was wonderful in spite of the fact that I'm not that fond of the song. We enjoyed the music, the atmosphere and the drinks. I really like the smell of the peat fire though I’m not sure I could describe it. It’s a pungent aroma but not quite like a fragrant hard wood or pipe tobacco. It burns hot and for a long time too apparently.

We arrived back at the hotel for about 8 for dinner. There was another tour group from Trafalgar there just on the beginning of their tour. Dinner was fine, we were seated at long tables which to me makes it feel more like a convention or something. I prefer the smaller tables of 4 or 6 or even 8 where it feels a bit more private. Read Less

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Avoca and Spiritual Glendalough

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Bridge leading into Avoca, Ireland Photo - Ireland, Europe

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Our last day on the bus. Breakfast wasn’t great. No choice. They slapped down a plate of egg, bacon, etc., were late with the toast and it felt very like a conveyer belt to us. Let’s get going. We drove through the old part of Waterford past Reginald’s Tower, which was built originally by the Vikings. The city center of Waterford looks very much like most Irish cities architecturally. We headed out into the country county roads of County Wexford, past lots of yellow gorse brush streaking the green hills. We heard about rebellion in 1798 led by Father Murphy, an insurrection by the Catholics trying to gain rights inspired by the French Revolution 20 years before that. Didn’t work. The rebellion was bru...Read More

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Ireland Journals

Ireland on Tour 2002

Manchester

Starting off, Easter in Manchester

Royal Exchange

Woo Sang

Stockport Hat Works Museum

Shopping in Manchester

Cobh

Visting Cobh

Cobh Heritage Centre

FOTA Wildlife Park

St. Colman's Cathedral

Dublin

Introduction to Dublin

Touring Dublin, Trinity College

Last Glimpse of Dublin and Howth

Harcourt Hotel

Tour of Ireland

From Dublin to Ennis via Cashel

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

Loop around the Burren and Galway

Ring of Kerry to Blarney

To Waterford

Avoca and Spiritual Glendalough

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