There's a lot to see in Ireland. The country is only about the size of West Virginia, but its stunning land and seascapes and its rich human history are a powerful draw to visitors. The best way to see Ireland is by car. Granted that Ireland's…Read More

There's a lot to see in Ireland. The country is only about the size of West
Virginia, but its stunning land and seascapes and its rich human history are a
powerful draw to visitors.

The best way to see Ireland is by car. Granted that Ireland's rail transport
is completely adequate by any standard and superior to what passes for rail
transport in the U.S., the places you want to see, with the exception of
Dublin, are out and away from the main thoroughfares.

Be forewarned that driving in Ireland comes with a caution. Ireland surpasses
only Greece in road safety among European venues. Car rental using a
qualifying Visa card will get you collision coverage in many countries, but not
in Israel and not in Ireland. The country roads are well-maintained, but they
are seriously narrow. Shoulders are little known here, and land owners often
assert their priority right up to the pavement's edge with hedges and even
stone walls. Also, large lorries are not inclined to flinch when meeting you
in a tight section. Rental companies are alert to watch for brush marks from
roadside shrubbery when you return a car.

Archaeological sites and natural scenery are an easy choice for a road trip.
And castles, of course. For our six-day drive we picked from a short list,
leaving the remainder for some other time or for somebody else. We elected
visits to Jerpoint Abbey and the Kells Priory in Kilkenny County for starters.
For authentic castles we were able to include the Rock of Cashel and Cahir
Castle in Tipperary County. Our goal was also to visit the Cliffs of Moher and
the Burrens region on the Atlantic coast, which we did. Time and other
opportunities shunted plans for visits to the coastal islands and Northern
Ireland.

Stumbling across the "Quiet Man" bridge in Mayo County led to a sentimental
photo session there and a quick trip to the village of Cong, where the famous
John Wayne movie was filmed. If you are keen on the movie you will not find
much to recognize in Cong. The residents were happy to see director John
Ford's crew come and go, but the sentimentality was not enough for them to
freeze their lives as the rest of Ireland grew into a modern state.

Except for Dublin, our accommodations consisted entirely of bed and breakfast
facilities. Scoping out possibilities in advance on the Internet proved to be
unnecessary. Dropping into Kilkenny on our first day out from Dublin we
spotted numerous B&B signs sprouting along the main streets. This continued to
be the case throughout the remainder of our trip. While many of these private
establishments take credit cards, you should have cash ready for those that do
not. Some give a price discount for cash, a practice little known in the U.S.

Of course, the breakfast is a traditional Irish breakfast—heavy on the eggs,
biscuits, and sausage. This represents a considerable change for a traditional
raisin bran and orange juice person.

Food in Ireland was a surprise of sorts. We had been advised up front that the
restaurant trade in Ireland is chilled by the lack of a strong tradition for
dining out. Fish and chips we expected to find, and our expectations were well
rewarded. However, the abundance of Indian dishes came as a small shock.
Apparently the effects of the British association with India reach beyond the
shore and into Ireland. Chicken curry seems to be a staple, even at small,
roadside eateries.

An overnight stop at Celbridge on the way back to Dublin proved to be a
delight, as well. Our B&B was a charming residence from two centuries back.
Rooms were in a converted stable annex at the rear of the main building,
overlooking a courtyard. From there it was convenient to stroll along a
tree-lined lane to the majestic Casteltown House, billed as the "largest and
most significant Palladian style country house in Ireland."

Back in Dublin we skipped out on the traditional Bloom's Day walk that
commemorates Leopold Bloom's fictional adventures of 16 June 1904. We also
took a pass on a visit to the home of Guinness stout in favor of going on the
Frommer travel guide's Georgian Dublin walking tour. Coming from Dallas, where
100 years is considered old, we relished the contrast provided by the historic
town houses, with their famously-painted doors. Finishing up at St. Stephen's
Green brought the day to a relaxing conclusion.

For a place to stay in Dublin, price conscious travelers need to look into the
accommodations at Trinity College during the summer months, including
September. With school out the dorm rooms rent quite reasonably, depending on
whether you want a private bath. The college is right in the heart of what's
going on, and the staff there are very helpful.

Ignored in all of this has been how to get to Ireland in the first place. For
an additional travel adventure I recommend taking the ferry. Holyhead on the
Welsh coast is at the terminus of the rail line from London, and your round
trip rail ticket from London to Dublin will get you seating room on one of the
modern and comfortable ships that make the voyage several times daily.

The ferry doesn't make it all the way up the channel to the center of town, but
the ferry terminal is serviced by regular bus runs. Just don't arrive in the
middle of the night, or you will find yourself having to shell out for one of
the not reasonably-priced Dublin cab rides. For some reason pounds sterling
aren't accepted in Dublin, so you will need some Euros for the bus. There's an
cash machine just outside the door at the ferry terminal, so bring your ATM
card.

Seven of us Aussies traveled overnight from London to enjoy the festivities of St Patrick’s Day 2002. This event is considered one of the "Grand Slam" events to backpackers coming from the southern hemisphere – together with Hogmany in Scotland, Oktoberfest in Munich and the…Read More

Seven of us Aussies traveled overnight from London to enjoy the festivities of St Patrick’s Day 2002. This event is considered one of the "Grand Slam" events to backpackers coming from the southern hemisphere – together with Hogmany in Scotland, Oktoberfest in Munich and the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.

We boarded our train at London Euston bound for Holyhead on the northern tip of Wales. Here we waited for a ferry at 3am to take us on the three hour journey across the Irish Sea to Dublin Port. With a couple of bad hours sleep we excitedly made our way into town. It was the 16th March – the day before St Paddies. Perfect weather without a cloud in the sky. We enjoyed the Guinness Storehouse Museum and then checked out the Temple Bar district that night. The area was a buzz already with many tourists already in town for the same event.

The morning of St Patrick’s Day was disappointingly wet and cold. We walked down to O’Connell Street to set up camp in a bar and claim a good spot for the passing parade. We were a little early and by the time the parade started we were bordering on hyperthermic, ears frozen numb and the Guinness wasn’t even keeping our insides warm. We persisted with the parade however and all of its 2 hour duration. We figured we had come such a long way to see the St Patrick’s Day parade and festivities that we would see it out. Dublin wasn’t even the first city to host St Patrick Day parades. It was Boston in the US in 1737. We met so many yanks there in Dublin that weekend whose ancestors, like ours, were Irish.

This is what I found out about Pat the Saint (summarised). He was born Maewyn Succat in Wales around 415AD, got kidnapped and taken to Ireland, was enslaved as a shepherd, escaped, made it back to Ireland where he spread the word of Christianity and used a shamrock to explain to the druids the trinity of gods personas. He is said to have driven snakes out of Ireland although Ireland never had any, it was just a symbol of paganism. His death (March 17th) continued to be celebrated for centuries afterwards.

Anyway, the parade was good. There were motorcyclists, bagpipers, street performers, huge animated masks, people dressed like stormtroopers, and cars. Lots of colour with the streets lined 8 deep with people cheering and clapping and dressed in anything Irish – hats, face paint, wigs, flags, jerseys etc. Unfortunately the parade dragged out a bit with too much distance between performers. One of our mates found us a great spot to continue at Oliver St John Gogarty’s pub just down in the Temple Bar area and we continued our celebrations down there from about 2pm till midnight. Fantastic pub with traditional Irish Music for 10 hours. We met lots of great people and put away many a good pint of Guinness.

In a nutshell, it was a fantastic day made even more so by the awesome craic at Oliver St John Gogarty’s pub, the local band and the people inside it all celebrating St Patrick.

It’s one of those trendy parts of town that’s supposed to be the mother brain of the city’s party zone. Temple Bar... Temple Bar... its very name suggests something worthy of worship, a place where all of life’s answers are poured into a murky pint…Read More

It’s one of those trendy parts of town that’s supposed to be the mother brain of the city’s party zone. Temple Bar... Temple Bar... its very name suggests something worthy of worship, a place where all of life’s answers are poured into a murky pint of black Guinness draught. The only problem is that, just like at a Catholic church service, I left feeling strangely hollow when I was supposed to feel fulfilled.

At times, as I tested my famously weak ankles on the cobbled stones lining Temple Bar, I felt that romanticized energy of the Irish people, the one I’d always imagined existed in Dublin. Street poets belting in Gaelic, the sound of violins somehow overcoming the roar of a packed pub and escaping into the street... these are a few things I enjoyed about the area.

The thing is, some of the bars made me feel like a frat boy might pick me up for a keg stand. It takes a discernible eye to earmark the bars you really, really should avoid—posers, in other words—and the ones that genuinely offer at least a glimpse of that famous Irish cheer. Bars/clubs like Buskers and Fitzsimmons, for example—you won’t find much inside except the kind of overdone slickness found in any other bar/club in any other major city around the world. If that’s what you’re looking for, great, just don’t expect anything even close to a real Irish pub atmosphere.

Not to be confused with Temple Bar "the area," Temple Bar "the bar" was absolutely mad when I visited... and on a Sunday night nonetheless! Guinness in hand, I squeezed in amidst a pulsing mob of Cork fans fresh from their home team’s victory at the All-Ireland Hurling Championship match against Galway. I didn’t hear any during my stay, but this 160-year-old institution features live music daily. That, along with the area’s only licensed outdoor beer garden, makes Temple Bar one of your best bets for a brilliant start (or finish) to your night. And, since you’ll be feeling absolutely mental over the thrilling time you have here, there’s a Temple Bar GIFT SHOP right next door! Thank heavens for that one... now what would my entire family do without matching Temple Bar polos this holiday season?

For better or worse, no visit to Dublin is complete without at least one night out in Temple Bar (the area.) There’s perhaps nowhere else in the city where locals and tourists alike mingle in such close quarters—you’re bound to meet some interesting characters. And yes, there are street musicians, but most of the music I heard was a poor representation of the rich musical heritage that Dublin, and Ireland, is known for. Sorry, Oasis cover songs performed in the the city's most well-known tourist hub don’t do much for me.

There’s also quite a few restaurants and cafes serving gourmet cuisine, snacks, gelato, and of course late-night junk food. Vegetarians, just remember to ask if the curry sauce has meat in it; biting down on a chunk of Grade D beef in an order of curry French fries was, well, it was just a great surprise!

Another Pint of Stout, Please Misterby Dave Underwood "Can you tell us how to get to Windmill Lane," I said. "Well, that will depend on where you’ve come from," replied the bartender. "You see, life is a journey, and it’s the journey that’s important, not the destination." Scary.…Read More

Another Pint of Stout, Please Mister
by Dave Underwood

"Can you tell us how to get to Windmill Lane," I said.
"Well, that will depend on where you’ve come from," replied the bartender. "You see, life is a journey, and it’s the journey that’s important, not the destination."

Scary. And the more I thought, the more it made sense. Karen and I had just arrived in Dublin and our first task was to sample the brew and meet the locals. So we headed to the pub. But with over 700 of them, where do you start?

Dublin is an exciting city – young and vibrant with plenty to see and do. But the pub remains an institution, the community’s social and cultural hub. Visit them whenever you can for that uniquely Irish experience.

FINDING A BASE
Dublin is a walker’s city. The major sights lie within a 2-kilometre radius of O’Connell Street Bridge and are concentrated on the south side of the River Liffey. The north side is Dublin’s working class district.

The Temple Bar and St Stephen’s Green areas are ideal, and there are several clean, well-equipped hostels offering good value. No longer the domain of shoestring backpackers, they are overtaking B&Bs and hotels as the accommodation of choice for budget travellers.

FINDING A "LOCAL"
Avalon House is a gorgeous 1870s Victorian sandstone building combining exceptional standards with a perfect location, 300 metres from St Stephen’s Green. All our sightseeing could be done on foot. Now we needed a "local"; a watering hole to call home during our stay.

Leaving the small Huguenot Cemetery on Merrion Row we were almost struck by a tall, lanky man in a hurry. He stopped, threw his hat on the ground, and proceeded to recite from an imaginary book to an imaginary crowd. He looked like Lance, our next door neighbour. We listened for a while but it was all going over our heads. Lance needed a taller audience.

Across the road is O’Donoghue’s, a small pub with a big history. Noted for its traditional music sessions, O’Donoghue’s gave The Dubliners a head start in the 1960s. We stayed for a hearty lunch of soup, soda bread and a pint in front of a peat fire, watching local musicians practice their craft. This place felt good and was adopted as our "local".

That night the pub was packed, fiddles, pipes and pints flying. One bartender walked along the top of the bar on drinks duty, the other pulled pints and stuffed the till.

We met two pilgrims from Galway, Sean and Peter. Sean was attending his niece’s confirmation and Peter was here for something to do. Sean’s new girlfriend was French and each reference to her was embellished with loud air-kisses and a terrible pretend accent. As the night wore on, Sean’s pucker got wetter and he would spit whenever a word had an "s" or "p" in it. We had a lot of fun.

"Another pint there mister?" said the barman.
"Thanks. And one for my friends."
I recalled our first conversation in Dublin; that the quality of the experience is measured by the journey, not the destination.

Walking is the best way to see Dublin and the walking tours in this journal leave ample opportunity to extend the journey with a visit to your favourite "local". You’ll be guaranteed a real Irish holiday.

First place I went to was a place called Wagamama. It is a chain noodle place. Now before you roll your eyes about chain restaurants, hear me out. I am usually the first one to run away from any chain restaurants.…Read More

First place I went to was a place called Wagamama. It is a chain noodle place. Now before you roll your eyes about chain restaurants, hear me out. I am usually the first one to run away from any chain restaurants. In fact I abhor the Americanization of the world. No matter where you go you can find a McDonalds and a Starbucks. Every place is losing their own unique identity. If you want the same thing why travel?

So now you know where I stand on chains, which is why Wagamama was such a pleasant surprise for me. I was ready to use it as a attack piece on chain restaurants. But, here was my experience.

First they have a pretty nice mission which is simply put: positive eating and postive living. They even have a trademark on the phrase. They have a website at www.wagamama.com

The atmosphere is an interesting one. There are long tables at which about 6-8 people sit along side each other facing another row. So you are put at the same table with other people. If you are traveling alone, it is a great way to have an eating companion. Of course some choose to be aloof and not talk to the person sitting right in front of you. But then why travel? I digress.

Being Korean American, I am very opionated about how ramen noodles should taste. At one point in college I was eating ramen every night of the week for about 2 years as a fourth meal around midnight between practicing my oboe and studying for my poli/sci midterm. Soon after I also went through a period I could not eat ramen. I also grew up in Korea where there are literally 100s of kinds of ramen.

The ramens at Wagamama are great! They are high quality. They even have a wooden ladel which makes slurping the hot spicy broth much easier than drinking out of the whole bowl.

They also have a nice selection of wine and beer. But if you are having ramen, go for the Japanese Asahi Beer. I have a friend who was born and raised in Sasketchwann, Candana who is completely hooked on Asahi Beer. But be warned, Asahi beer tends to be more expensive than your regular Bud.

Ramens range from 5.95 pounds to 8.45 pounds [or Irish Punt]. I highly recommend the Chilli Beef Ramen. It is as my grandma used to say, "If your nose ain't running and you ain't sweatin' the food ain't no good!". Of course that is a loose translation from Korean. You can also try some of the side dishes like gyoza [3.95]. But I highly recommend Edamame [3.25] which are "freshly steamed green soya beans lightly salted. The perfect complement to drinks. Hold up to your mouth and squeeze succulent beans from the pod". That along with some Asahi beer. MAN!

After sweating and blowing my nose, I cleaned up with a provided wet nap, although most use it before eating, I like to clean up after my workout, I had a nice coffee. It was very good coffee.

Damage with tip was about 15 pounds.

CK 6.27 Wednesday 2001

Some six hundred years before Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara in Egypt (2611 BC), in fact before even the Egyptian state was founded, and a thousand years before Stonehenge, the New Stone Age people who lived in what is now County Meath in Ireland…Read More

Some six hundred years before Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara in Egypt (2611 BC), in fact before even the Egyptian state was founded, and a thousand years before Stonehenge, the New Stone Age people who lived in what is now County Meath in Ireland built a massive megalithic passage tomb at the place we now call Newgrange. The area has long been called Brú na Bóinne - translated from the Irish as Mansion (or sometimes "Womb") of the Boyne.

Near the village of Donore, perhaps an hour or so north of Dublin, Brú na Bóinne's entrance is modestly marked - today, "Brú na Bóinne" encompasses not only the Newgrange structure but also its sister mounds of Knowth and Dowth. At nearly 200,000 visitors a year, it is Ireland's most popular archelogical attraction. The area is rich with history - the Battle of the Boyne took place just downstream in Oldbridge in 1690; but Irish legend also maintains that the foundations of Christianity were laid here. The amount of visitors who can actually enter the passage tomb is tightly controlled, and afternoon spots on busy days may be gone by noon. We were fortunate; we visited first thing in the morning and were able to get tickets for an hour later.

Newgrange sits on an elongated ridge along a bend of the Boyne River, and was "rediscovered" in 1699 - the area had carried down in legend as "Brú na Bóinne", but the actual site was not found until the man who owned the land at the time, Charles Campbell, needed stone for a building and had given his workers permission to carry stone away from the cairn on the hill; his workers discovered the entrance to the tomb. It is likely that the rich Celtic history and local legends which surround this area is what kept the site from being disturbed for so long.

At the time when Newgrange was built, metal was not used as an everyday material for tools or weapons. The mound covers over an acre and weighs approximately 200,000 tons. It is estimated that, using the tools of the time, a workforce of 300 would have taken 30 years to complete the structure. The inner passage was created without mortar (sea sand and burned soil were used to fill cracks), and even now - some 5,200 years after its construction - the central chamber remains waterproof, without reconstruction or repair. In addition, most of the stones used in construction were naturally weathered, not quarried, and were lifted uphill to the construction site, so this structure would have taken some serious long-term planning.

The structure seems modest when you stand at the base of the hill and look up towards it. It is only when you stand beside it and realize how large it is that you can appreciate what effort the people who built this giant cairn of a tomb must have gone through. The outside of the tomb is faced in tightly fitted sparkling white quartz, studded with weather-worn grey rocks. (This facade was actually reconstructed in the 1960s based on remnants of the orginal). The structure is ringed with 97 "kerbstones", many of which are inscribed with megalithic art, including the famous "tri-spiral". The stone at the entrance is often regarded as one of the finest examples of European Neolithic art. And while much study has gone into these stones, and the even wider collection at Knowth (Knowth contains 1/4 of the known Megalithic art in Europe), archeologists are still baffled as to the meaning of the designs - or whether it is simply decoration.

Tours leave from the visitor center and you ride a bus up to the main site. There you disembark and are given a brief tour of the area outside the tomb, then groups are allowed one at a time inside the passage. One of the most striking features of the tomb is called the "roofbox", a square opening over the entrance to the passage. At sunrise on the winter solstice, as well as the 2 days before and after, the sun shines through the roofbox and illuminates the innermost chamber of the tomb for just 17 minutes. If you ever wish to witness this, you can sign up for the annual lottery through the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre - out of over 20,000 names submitted, only 10 names are drawn for each of the 5 mornings that the chamber is illuminated, and each winner can bring one guest. However, even if you cannot make it there for this impressive event, your guided tour will included a few moments of darkness within the passage mound when your tourguide shuts off the lights and whispers out the information about this astrological feat. It is rather an awing moment, so I can only imagine the feeling of standing there on a winter solstice and watching the light creep its way up the passage to the chamber.

In 1993, Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its outstanding cultural legacy.

Although the amount of time that you can spend at and within the passage is limited, it is an extremely worthwhile site to visit. It is also affordable - under €10/adult.

-----------------

Directions: take M1 north out of Dublin to the Donore exit; directions to Brú na Bóinne are clearly signposted.

Howth lies to the north of Dublin, on a peninsula. To get there, catch a DART train in Dublin; the journey takes about 40 minutes and will cost about $3 USD roundtrip. Howth and its Cliff Walk had been recommended to me; I…Read More

Howth lies to the north of Dublin, on a peninsula. To get there, catch a DART train in Dublin; the journey takes about 40 minutes and will cost about $3 USD roundtrip.

Howth and its Cliff Walk had been recommended to me; I decided to go on New Year's Day and it turned out a number of families were out walking along the harbor as well. Although it was quite cold and rather windy, many people were out for a stroll: perhaps hoping the cold bracing sea air would clear their New Year's hangover? A few brave souls were even swimming: I can't imagine how cold they must have been even in wetsuits! I ended up walking along the harbor and the pier; I was surprised to find seals in the harbor, and everyone stopped to watch them frolic.

Like Dalkey, you can see a Martello tower on the island off Howth. This island fascinated me, as it seemed to change colors as the light changed. When the sun came out and shone, it seemed to be almost a golden glow, but in shade was dark and foreboding. There are several places to stop for refreshments: I noticed a fish and chips place near the train station that seemed to be doing a brisk business, as well as a small convenience store which was quite busy as well.

Near the train station there's a sign posted which shows all the points of interest and recommended walks along Howth. This is provided by the Howth Peninsula Society. I enjoyed the sea air, and want to come back and enjoy more of the walks through Howth.

Sunday, July 9th: Travel heaven and hellUp before light? Not in Ireland in the summer! 4am and it was already false dawn out. It was light by the time we were in the car and on our way to the airport. We got there at…Read More

Sunday, July 9th: Travel heaven and hell


Up before light? Not in Ireland in the summer! 4am and it was already false dawn out. It was light by the time we were in the car and on our way to the airport. We got there at 5:30am, expecting it to be rather deserted. HA! There were crowds of people everywhere! The kiosk to drop our car keys in the car park was closed as it was too early, and we couldn't find the in-airport desk in time. We waited in the line to check our luggage (Aer Lingus to the UK) and waited for about an hour. We started getting worried about checking in on time, but we were fine. The gentleman working 'triage' at the check in line was fantastic, efficient, and had a great attitude. I wish I could remember his name, but he had a feeling of the military about him, like a drill sargaent. The flight from DUB to LHR left on time with no problems, and arrived on time in London.

Our trip into the Virgin terminal was less hectic than last time, but still hampered by two working elevators (out of 4) and a huge amount of people trying to use them. We got to the VA check in kiosks, checked in, got our luggage tagged and our boarding passes. No gate was assigned yet (it was 10:15 for an 11:30 flight) but the boarding pass said boarding started at 10:15???

We went to the gate section, and finally saw our gate assigned at 10:30, and started booking it down the terminal to gate 88. And booking, and booking, and booking! We made it with plenty of time, and they started boarding. Down the jetway, onto… the tarmac. Onto… a bus??? This is the first time that ever happened to me! We were standing room only on a bus to our plane. Very odd!

A hectic ride under the runway, through tunnels, through airport traffic, dodging larger busses and we made it to our plane. It was rather tough as we were packed together like sardines, and I can't stand for long periods of time. Walking is fine, but standing is agony. I was ready to drop after that ride!

We walked over to our plane and up the stairs, found our seats, and sighed. Then we crossed our fingers! We had three of the four seats in the center section, and were hoping that fourth seat remained empty. We waited while several busloads of folks got on. And waited. And waited. We were due to take off at 11:30, finally leaving at 12:45. They were good about making announcements about our delay, but we soon realized that they were not very helpful in terms of information.

The flight itself was fine, though the little girl behind us kept asking for Stuart? Stuart? Stuart? Stuart? In a loud voice. Halfway through the flight both K and I felt kicking on the back of our seat, and I very politely turned around and asked the mother if she could ask her daughter to stop. She said the daughter did nothing wrong, just put the tray table up, but there was no more kicking after that. I doubt that the tray table going up would be felt in the bottom of my seat. :

The pilot kept making announcements throughout the flight, including the World Cup half time and full time scores, this being the finals. I could have done without them, but understand than many cared. They also listed them on the IFE units.

We arrived at 5:05, about 45 minutes late - and too late, evidently, to catch my connecting flight from MIA to MCO. I tried to push through, leaving K to collect my checked luggage, but was much too late. I ended up waiting in a line to re-assign me for about 45 minutes, my luggage long gone home with K. An Office Palomba? was very helpful and kind. Finally I just asked to use the phone, as I found out all the flights were gone to MCO for the night, and they couldn't help me until tomorrow. I waited 20 minutes just to use the phone! (mine had SIM card problems and wouldn't work). I called my DH, told him to meet me in Palm Beach, and went out to rent a car (at $120 for two hours!!!!) and drove up to meet him.

The ride home was long and I got home at 2am. I had to be up in the morning at 7am to go to work, so I collapsed. I'd been up for 26 hours, and was exhausted!

My luggage was Fedexed to me the next day, and arrived Tuesday, all intact except a missing pair of scissors. Even the chocolate wasn't melted!

All in all, despite the problems in logistics and travel, I had a wonderful time. I will return to the magical isle some day!

My main impression is that Ireland is indeed changing. For the better or the worse, I cannot say -- but it is not the same island I've visited in the past. The people are still wonderfully friendly, and the hills are still lush. The faces are changing and the 'feel' of the land is as well.
Close

From Tralee we went North to Ennis stopping along the way at Bunratty Folk Park and Craggaunowen. Bunratty was slightly disappointing due to the huge crowds! We were constantly stuck behind someone trying to look around their head to see into the houses…Read More

From Tralee we went North to Ennis stopping along the way at Bunratty Folk Park and Craggaunowen. Bunratty was slightly disappointing due to the huge crowds! We were constantly stuck behind someone trying to look around their head to see into the houses and traverse the narrow winding staircases that only accommodate one person going one way. If you could catch it on a day where the crowds are fewer it would be more enjoyable, but try not to spend quite as much time in the "village" part of the park where there are house after house that show basically the same thing, and tourist shops that sell the same thing as every other tourist shop in Ireland.

There were beautiful gardens and an estate house the we ran by after using too much energy fighting the crowds. From here we went to Craggaunowen, what a find! It is in the middle of nowhere, and a little hard to locate, but well worth it. It shows the way that the Irish have protected themselves and lived through the centuries, from the Castle to the Crannog, the ringfort (complete with souterrain, predecessor of the basement), the Brendan boat (a boat made of leather used to cross the Atlantic, as St. Brendan did in A.D.) There are also people there to explain the way that they cooked, made clothing, every day ways of life that have been lost. I enjoyed this much more than Bunratty. While staying in Ennis we also drove around the Burren.

This was probably my second or third favorite thing in Ireland, as we could go our own pace generally without fear of things being closed. It was cheap, there were only fees at two or three of the places we attempted to stop at and those were closed! We simply drove in a large loop around the burren stopping at church ruins, the portal tomb, and various pull off points to look at the amazing rock formations. The burren is this rocky terrain that you would think nothing could grow on or live in, but there are beautiful wild flowers and cattle that appear to be thriving. While driving around the burren we also saw a Castle next to a new development that from the back it looks whole, but at some point the back half fell off into the sea. Some remains were still on the beach.

There was also a very similar castle in the middle of a field. From the back it looked whole, but coming around it you could see that only one wall was left standing. It had a tree growing in the upper window or doorway. This was a wonderful experience, driving around and stopping wherever we wanted to, spending however much time we wanted. We used the long hours of sunlight to our advantage, staying out as long as we could exploring while stationed in Ennis.Close

We left Claragh House with a heavy heart, I could have adopted Cecilia as my grandmother! She was so sweet, but we had limited time and much to see. After a few hours drive to Tralee we arrived at our next B&B the Willows. Our…Read More

We left Claragh House with a heavy heart, I could have adopted Cecilia as my grandmother! She was so sweet, but we had limited time and much to see. After a few hours drive to Tralee we arrived at our next B&B the Willows. Our room was awesome! It was the attic room, so the walls were slanted on the sides, but they had made great use of that by putting twin beds against each wall, one in a nook out of the way. There was also a queen bed for us to sleep on, apparently we had the family room, but that was okay with us. We parked at St. John's Church before we found our way to the B&B and were surprised and delighted to see Holy Water on tap (we're protestant!)

We saw a flyer at the B&B for the Aqua Dome and decided to check it out. It was a large pool that would have wave time, fountains spraying, a lazy river that wound it's way around it, and several different sized water slides (to accommodate children or the faint of heart). We had a good time here, but our Florida swimming skills stuck out like a sore thumb. There were grown women wearing arm flotation devices (floaties) to presumably keep them afloat in the 4 foot or less deep water. After several hours here we went back to the B&B to clean up for dinner. We were concerned that there might not be any restaurants open with it being Sunday night, but we found Tequila's Tex-Mex. I enjoyed their garlic-cream sauce crab fingers (again).

 The next day we headed out to the Dingle Peninsula at the recommendation of our B&B host. On our trip around we saw a one-lane paved road that went down to the beach, so we turned down it to explore some. The wind was blowing fiercely, the sound of the waves crashing in our ears as we rambled around beside the water. There were beautiful smoothed pebbles on the sandy beach, and ruffly and lacey looking seaweeds that had washed ashore. After our fill of the chilly air off the water we got back on track going around the Dingle. The road very gradually started climbing upward and after 10-20 minutes we found ourselves at a pulloff point (oh my God, I haven't seen one of these since we were in the States!) beside a waterfall. After some pictures of us with the waterfall in the background we continued up the now steeply climbing ***eeekkkkk*** one-lane road. There are no pictures to document this part of the trip because it took both my husband and I looking to see through the fog and the dark to make sure that we weren't going to hit anything oncoming. There was sheer drop off onthe right hand side and mountain wall on the left, with no room to pull off, and it was misting! As we felt the car start to tilt forward instead of backward, indicating that we were now going down-hill the fog started to lift enough that we could see, and it became lighter. For once in Ireland cars other than us were going slowly! The Dingle had cute sheep farms and patchwork landscape was the closest look I think we had at what life was in real-Ireland... not the tourist traps that we were constantly sucked into.