Ireland 2003

(Please click on the thumbnails to see the larger picture)  There are lots of photos, so please be patient. 

On Sunday, August 31,2003 we joined a Brendan Tour for Ireland.  We had flown from London and arrived in the early afternoon.  Unfortunately my hubby wasn’t feeling too well, so we stayed in the hotel that afternoon.  But that evening we joined the group for dinner and a review type show at Jury’s Hotel in Ballsbridge.  The comedian did look a bit familiar and after the show, we asked him if he had ever played in Michigan.  It turns out that he had!!  It was wonderful dancing, music, and comedy!

We spend the next day in Dublin.  There is so much to see and so much shopping that can be done.  We saw the Book of Kells at Trinity College and St Patrick’s Cathedral.  There is the statue of Molly Malone with one man telling fortunes at one end and another eating his lunch!!  The "Doors" of Dublin are old Victorian and Georgian  homes with spectacular doors.  This evening we have dinner at a wonderful restaurant "Rolly's" and then saw a play,  "Auntie & Me" at the Gaiety Theatre.   I doubt its going to make Broadway, but it was entertaining and in a gorgeous old theatre. 

The next day we started off after breakfast for the Southwest coast.  We make a stop at Glendalough to see the monastic ruins.  Its a beautiful place. 

And then on to Waterford   We did make a stop at the Waterford crystal factory!!  It’s a pretty town and what a place to see crystal and how its made.  We had a factory tour and they didn’t mind us taking photos.  The pieces are gone over so many times for imperfections; it’s a wonder that any ever make it thru the process.  Interesting to me was that the workers get paid for each perfect piece that they complete.  It’s not an hourly job.  Most people have worked here for years.    We then spent the night in Cork. 

The heritage center in Cobh is in a wonderful old train station.  It also has lots of memorabilia from the Titanic since that was its last stop before its doomed Atlantic crossing. 

The next stop is Blarney Castle!  Such a pretty place and many climb the 161 stairs to kiss the Blarney Stone.  Across the street is just one of the Blarney Woolenn Mills .  Talk about a shopping experience!  They have just everything you could possibly want.   Our next two nights are spent in Killarney.  What a great place.  It’s a fun town and I wish we could spend more time here.  I even found some lace to make curtains.  There are LOTS of pubs to enjoy as well as more shopping.  We also rode on a “jaunting car” which was a horse drawn cart around Muckross Lake.   

The following day we saw the Ring of Kerry and drove around the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula.  Its said its one of the most magical places in Ireland.  Here there are mountains, valleys, lakes and sea, all blending into breathtaking landscapes.  Later in the day we visited the Fishery pub and heard some local talent.  What fun it was too.  Even the local solicitor took part and did a reading. 

Have you ever read Angela’s Ashes?  We next tour Limerick, which is the setting for the book, and then visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.  Here they have a 15 acre living museum with authentic thatched farmhouses and a Victorian village.  Later that evening we had a medieval dinner at the castle.  Wonderful entertainment while we eat dinner with our fingers.  As we leave we are entertained by a piper.  He claims that he's playing the Irish War Pipes, but they look suspiciously like highland pipes.  We spent the night near Limerick.

The Cliffs of Moher are approximately 700 feet above the Atlantic.  Some gorgeous scenery to be seen and photographed.  A real treat is a stop for lunch at Rathbaun Farm.  After lunch we see a sheep dog doing his work and then see one sheep shorn.  We also visit Galway and the impressive Galway Cathedral.  We are staying near Galway tonight, and see the sun “go down over Galway Bay”. 

More beautiful scenery and rock fences are to be seen in the mountains of Galway and Mayo.  We also visit Kylemore Abbey, which was occupied by the Irish Benedictine community of nuns.  There is a school there for girls at the present time.  They also have a gorgeous Victorian garden, which was so impressive.  We did enjoy wandering around the garden. 

The next day we are on our way to the shrine at Knock.  In 1879 there was a vision, which appeared to 15 people.  Mass was held in the old church there.  There are lots and lots of small souvenir stores, which offer everything from medals to bottles, which can be filled with holy water.  There is a quick stop to see the grave of W. B. Yeats at Drumcliff Churchyard.  We had a lovely lunch aboard a boat and took a ride on the Shannon River.  Next we make a stop at the famous Belleek China Factory.  They aren’t allowing photos, but we were able to take a tour of a very interesting factory.  Again the workmen and ladies are only paid by the piece.  We are spending two nights in Donegal.   

On Tuesday we take a drive along the Atlantic Ocean.  Some spectacular beaches are seen.  This afternoon we take a tour of Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland.  A local guide takes us for a walk on the wall surrounding the city.  The guide is almost as interesting as the history.  He calls himself the only Buddhist in Ireland.  There is peace here now, but its obvious by some of the walls that it has been hard won. 

It’s a fairly long drive back to Dublin, but on the way we stop to see the tombs at Knowth.  They predate the pyramids by 1000 years.  Bru-na-Boinne and the Neolithic tombs are awe-inspiring. 

It’s the end of our tour, and we return to London the next day.  Its been a wonderful trip!

 England 2003

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