Dublin to Chicago - Day 11

Friday, 28 September 2012

Today it is time to pack our bags and go home. Yeah, my luggage is still under the weight limit! We had our last Irish breakfast and then our last coach ride to the airport. Our group of 23 will be leaving together from Dublin; 4 travelers left early this morning and 1 traveler will be spending more time in Ireland.


farewell Ireland

We said good bye to Mike and Ireland. At the airport, we went through US pre-clearance before departure (this was a first time for me). It was very simple, immigrations (stamped my passport), customs (showed a video image of my bag—very cool). We “arrived” in the USA before leaving Ireland! Our flight on Aer Linguis left around 1:30 PM. 

After a little seat arranging, we settled in—had some dinner and then it was rest time for our 8 hour flight. The clocks moved back 6 hours; it is still Friday! It was time to “wake-up” (if you were sleeping). We had something to eat and arrived in Chicago at 3:30 PM CST. Then we went right to baggage claim—no waiting in immigration or customs (very nice). We said our final good-byes and then it was time to find our way home by car, bus or plane.

It was a great trip “around” Ireland; now it’s nice to be home!

Kilkenny to Dublin - Day 10

Thursday, 27 September 2012



Wicklow Mountains National Park

Today is our last day “on the road”. 

Leaving Kilkenny, we travel northeast to Glendalogh in Wicklow Mountains National Park.  The “Valley of Two Lakes” was carved out by glaciers during the Ice Age and home to a monastic settlement.  It was a gathering place to commune with God, before there were cities in Ireland.




Glendalough monastic site

musician at Glendalough

In Glendalough; the monastery was founded by St Kevin in the sixth century.  The settlement continued to expand for 600 years, was destroyed in 1398 and abandoned in 1539.  Pilgrims kept coming; especially on St Kevin’s Day, June 3 (maybe because a pope said seven visits to Glendalough had the same value as one visit to Rome for forgiveness of sins). 

The monastic remains are from the 8th and 12th century.  The famous Round Tower is 110 feet high and the base measures 52 feet in circumference.  A cathedral, stone churches and decorated crossed also survived.
It was a beautiful day to enjoy a walk on one of the trails.  This was another place for great pictures.



Glendalough round tower

Glendalough church

The next stop was a short drive east to the Ballyknocken Cookery School near Glenealy in County Wicklow.  Located on the 350 acre Ballyknocken farm, the school is run by Chef Catherin Fulvio.  She offers a variety of cookery classes to private groups.  Catherine learned her cooking skills from her mother and then trained professionally.  She is known for her hands-on, no-fuss style of cooking and using the freshest ingredients possible.  Her enthusiasm for food was contagious.  She is well known locally and abroad with three TV series, two cook books and many media appearances such as Discovery, NBC Today Show, and The Food Network.

Catherine made scones with assistants Edna and Janet.  She explained each step of the process—it looks so easy!  The scones were served with fresh jam and tea.  My memories of “dry” biscuits did not match these—the scones were awesome!  Catherine gave us the recipe to make them at home.  We walked around the vegetable and flower gardens and peeked in the barns to see some of the “painted” farm tractors.

Catherine assisted by Janet and Edna

Chef Catherine assistant Edna

On the way back to Dublin, it was time to reveal the winning Limericks:

The winner: Marianne
There was a coach driver named Mike,
Who all of us really do like,
He is witty and funny,
With a smile that is sunny,
He’s half Leprechaun going on strike!

Second: Nan
I once had a driver in Eire,
Who let us stop to admire,
Old castles of yore,
And gardens galore,
This red-headed driver in Eire

Third: Marge
There once was a dutiful daughter,
Who went to fetch her mum water,
She tripped on some stones,
Broke both her wrist bones,
And that was the end of mum’s water.

There was one more “game” before we got off the coach … guess how many kilometers we have traveled.  When we got to the hotel, there was a little time for some last minute shopping or walking or packing!

Mike our driver/guide and me

Tonight is our farewell dinner.  It was our last night together.  We traveled “around” Ireland.  Actually, Mike “drove” us around – 2,647 kilometers to be exact!  The winners of the kilometer “guesses” were … Julian 2,500, Lisa 2,400 and Denice 2,745.  Congratulations to all! 

In the last 11 days we have seen so much and done so much.  We learned a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot!  Thanks to Mike for his jokes, funny stories and Irish history.  And thanks for safely driving us “from and to" Dublin.  It’s been my privilege to share this journey with each of you.  We talked about the logistics for tomorrow.  Then it was time to say good-bye.

Our last night, we stay in Dublin at Hotel Gresham

Killarney to Kilkenny - Day 9

Wednesday, 26 September 2012

Today we leave Killarney and travel in the south of Ireland.  It’s “castle day”.

We stop for a short break in Macroom, to stretch our legs and have some tea with milk (for me).  There was time for a few photos.

Our first stop is the Blarney Castle, near Cork in County Cork.  This is the third castle built here, originally built of wood in the 10th century, then stone in 1210 and rebuilt in 1446 by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster.  The castle is famous for the “blarney stone”, a block of bluestone set in a wall below the battlements.  According to Irish folklore, anyone who kisses the Blarney stone receives “Gift of Gab”, the ability to speak with eloquence; you’ll never be lost for words.

Some kissed the blarney stone and others watched or waited below.  It was no easy task to climb to the top of the castle (120 + steps), wait in line, lie on your back, lean backwards grabbing the iron railings and “kiss”.  Around the castle were beautiful gardens.  We had time for lunch and shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills.

 Blarney Castle and tower

Blarney Castle

Rock of Cashel

On our way to Kilkenny, we stopped for some pictures at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary.  Also, known as St Patrick’s Rock, originally the residence of the kings of Munster and where St Patrick baptized King Aengus about 445 AD.  Many of the old church buildings from 12th century remain on top of the limestone “rock.  There is renovation being done, so we missed the big picture and taking a tour … next time!

On the road again, Mike gave “last call” for our limericks.  Some were done, others finished on the coach.

Kilkenny Castle

We ended our “castle day” in Kilkenny; famous for its mediaeval buildings.  The Kilkenny Castle was built in 1195, by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke to control a strategic point of the River Nore.  The castle had four sides with corner towers and massive ditch.  One side was badly damaged in war—leaving the castle in a “U” shape.  The castle became the principle Irish residence of the Butler family for almost 600 years.  There have been many additions and alterations to the building, making it a complex structure of various architecturally styles.


Our hotel was a short walk down the hill from Kilkenny Castle.

View of Kilkenny from castle

Kilkenny

 

street light flowers shops in Kilkenny

After dinner, Mike took willing followers to a famous Irish Pub “Kyteler’s Inn”.  The oldest house in Kilkenny, it was the home of Dame Alice Kyteler, a lady of great wealth who married four times, in 1324 she was accused of witchcraft and of poisoning each of her four husbands.  Today, Kytlers is a popular place with the locals and curious visitors.

Tonight we stay in Kilkenny at Ormonde

Ring of Kerry (Killarney) - Day 8

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Today we are doing a “day trip”, traveling in County Kerry along the Ring of Kerry.

Killarney Lakes

First stop is Kenmare, a beautiful small town at the head of Kenmare Bay. Ireland’s first ‘planned’ town back in 1670; has vibrant colored buildings and was the winner of ‘Tidy Town’ in 2008. 

Leaving Kenmare, we traveled the N71 road to Moll’s Gap, a mountain pass overlooking the Killarney Lakes and Macgillycuddy’s Reeks. Moll’s Gap is named after Moll Kissane. She ran a small pub here during the construction of the road from Killarney to Kenmare in the 1820s and sold her illegal home-made whiskey.



Kissane Sheep Farm

We continued on the windy road to Kissane Sheep Farm, a traditional working sheep farm with about 1,000 mountain sheep and hundreds of lambs. The fifth generation family farm is run by John and Anne Kissane. John showed us how he rounds up the sheep in the mountainous terrain with the help of his working sheepdogs (border collies); using a few commands the sheepdogs knew exactly what to do. In the barn, we watched a sheep shearing demonstration, visited the orphan lambs and heard about life on the farm and challenges of sheep farming today in Ireland.


Continuing on the windy road, we stopped at the “Ladies View” of the Killarney Valley and Lakes of Killarney. The view is named after Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting, they stopped to look at the scenery from this spot during the Queen’s visit to Killarney in 1861.

On our way back to Killarney, we stopped at the Muckross House and Gardens, a Victorian mansion was built in 1843. Here we enjoyed the gardens, nature trails and cafeteria.

 Muckross House

Muckross Gardens

Then we had some afternoon “free time”. Mike emptied the coach …dropping some of us at the hotel, others in town and the rest of us in Tralee, where the locals shop.

Galway to Killarney - Day 7

Monday, 24 September 2012

Connemara Celtic Crystal

Today we leave Galway and travel in the southwest of Ireland.

Our first stop was Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory in Moycullen, a family run business for 40 years.  We had a tour of the showroom and heard about the unique crystal designs.  A master craftsman did a glass cutting demonstration.  Then it was time for some “look don’t touch” shopping for me.

Next, we traveled south through the Burren region in northwest County Clare.  Different than any other part of Ireland, the Burren is limestone and shale (100 square miles).  It is more grey than green; there are no trees and grass grows in small patches between the rocks; the only water is underground rivers.

The land is so barren that a surveyor of the 1650s described it as “savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury him”. 

More than 700 different flowering plants and ferns have adapted to the landscape of the Burren since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago.  Alpine, Artic and Mediterranean plants grow side by side. The first human inhabitants in the Burren came about 6,000 years ago.  The area has more than 2,000 historic locations, including about 60 burial monuments from the Stone Age (3000-2000 BC) and about 400 ring forts from the Iron Age (500 BC – 500 AD).

Our next stop is the Corcomroe Abbey in the north of Burren region in County Clare.  A well-preserved abbey built in the late 12th century; known as “St Mary of the Fertile Rock”, refers to the fertile green valley surrounded by grey hills of the Burren.  We had time to walk around and get some pictures. 

Corcomroe Abbey

 Corcomroe Abbey church yard

leaving Corcomroe Abbey

Back on the coach, it was time to fasten our seat belt as we traveled the famous winding road between Ballyvaughan and Lisdoonvarana, “Corkscrew hill”.  The road was designed as a Famine Relief Scheme (1846-1847) to provide employment to starving men for doing unprofitable public work; building roads where nobody traveled or bridges where there was no river.

Our next stop, the Cliffs of Moher, is Ireland’s most visited natural attraction.  For five miles, the cliffs rise up to 700 ft above the Atlantic Ocean on the west side of County Clare.  The O’Brien’s Tower (1825) stands near the highest point of the cliffs with views on a clear day of the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, Maumturks, Twelve Pins and Loop Head.  It was a cloudy, rainy day – but grateful for what we could see.

  O'Briens's tower Cliffs of Moher



ferry from Kilimer to Tarbet

Traveling south through County Clare, we took a short cut, crossing the River Shannon on a ferry from Killimer to Tarbert.   Then we were on our way to Killarney.


Tonight was a special evening at Kate Kearney’s Cottage.  Legend is Kate distilled the famous poitin (Irish whiskey--alcohol by volume 60-90%) and invited travelers to enjoy her hospitality and illegal “Mountain Dew”.  We enjoyed dinner with traditional Irish music and costume dancers. It was a long day, arriving at our hotel about 9:00 PM.

 playing Irish music

 Irish dancer

We stay for two nights in Killarney at the Dromhall Hotel

Sligo to Galway - Day 6

Sunday, 23 September 2012

Today we leave Sligo and travel to the west of Ireland in Connemara.

It is Mike’s “driver day off”.  European Union law regulates driving time to 56 hours in a week for professional drivers; Mike reached his limit with us!  Our “new” Mike is a driver only.  So “our” Mike followed us in a van and “guided” us at the stops, so much for taking a break from us!

Our first stop is Westport in County Mayo for a short break.  A popular destination in the West of Ireland, it won the Tidy Town competition three times and the Best Place to Live in Ireland 2012.  Westport is one of few “planned” towns in Ireland, with narrow fronted commercial buildings, typical of Irish Towns.  The design included a river with two blocks of low stone walls, lined with trees and big flower baskets.  Beautiful!  There were a few shops open on Sunday morning, for some express shopping.

 Westport

 Westport town center

Back on the coach, our next stop is a “Fairy Tree” along the way.  A part of Irish mythology, ancient fairies gathered around the Hawthorn (fairy tree) and held their rituals.  These trees are across the Irish countryside, often standing alone in the center of a field.  While most people do not believe in fairies, neither will they risk the bad luck believed to happen from cutting one down.  Ribbons and keepsakes tied to the tree are offerings to the fairies to bring you good fortune.  Janet bought red ribbon for each of us (thank you “teacher” for our supplies)!  The fairy tree was off limits, so “our” Mike jumped the fence, tied on our ribbons and we made our wishes!

 Mike tying our ribbons on fairy tree

 view from fairy tree

It was time to put on our seat belts for the bouncy ride though the “Bogs”.  Bogs are wetlands formed in Ireland over 8,000 years ago; peat bogs contain about 95% water and 5% organic matter.  The acid conditions and lack of oxygen can preserve items buried in the bog for thousands of years.  Peat is/has been used for fuel, heating and garden soils.  Over the years, turf cutting has resulted in a significant loss of the original raised and blanket bogs.  There is an effort underway to reduce the amount of peat being extracted and find alternative solutions for using it.

Kylemore Abbey

Our next stop was the Kylemore Abbey.  It was a beautiful sunny day; we had time for lunch and a nice walk.  The castle was in a great location for pictures, with a lake in front and forest in background. The Kylemore Castle was built as a private home in 1871, it took one hundred men four years to complete.  In 1920 the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased the Abbey castle for Catholic girl’s education and a boarding school. They were forced to close the school in 2010.





on a walk in Galway

We stopped in Galway to walk around the medieval streets of old town.  There were plenty of shops to explore, pubs or street side restaurants to relax with a cup of tea and watch people.  I did some “souvenir” shopping at the local store for tea (best prices).  The top three brands of Irish Tea are (1) Lyons (2) Barry’s (3) Bewleys.
Tonight we stay in Galway at Clayton at Ballybritt Hotel

Mike got tickets to “Trad on the Prom” for the “yes” list of our group.  The show combined Ireland’s world class music, song and dance.  It’s hard to explain the incredible passion, energy and talent of each of the performers.  Many have been leading roles in productions ‘River dance’, ‘The Chieftains’ and ‘Lord of the Dance’.  It was a late night; got back to the hotel at 11:30 PM.  I’ll take a nap on the bus tomorrow!

Belfast to Sligo - Day 5

Saturday, 22 September 2012

Today we leave Belfast and travel to the northwest of Ireland.

Our first stop is Derry (Londonderry) on the River Foyle in Northern Ireland.  It was a beautiful sunny day; we had some time to walk around.  Derry is on the “other side”...  town is on the Republic’s side (west) of the river and is controlled by Northern Ireland (east).  Over the years, Derry has seen plenty of conflicts.


old city walls

The old city walls of Derry (built 1613-1619), are the only remaining in Ireland that are completely intact.  The towns Protestants withstood the Great Siege of Derry (1688-1689) by the Catholic forces.  Rejecting any terms for surrender, Derry remained part of Northern Ireland. 

During the Troubles (late 1960s-1998) civil rights protesting, riots and widespread violence divided the Protestants and Catholics.  Bogside murals reflect the Battle of Bogside (1969), Bloody Sunday (1972) and The Troubles in Northern Ireland.  The Good Friday Agreement (1998) provided progress toward peace. 

 battle of bogside

civil rights mural

 battle of bogside

free derry corner

peace bridge

The British Army withdrew most troops (2007) after 38 years in Northern Ireland.  The pedestrian “Peace Bridge” (built 2011) across the River Foyle and “Hands across the Divide” statue are symbols of two communities coming together.


Along the way, Mike gave us some “homework” – to write our own Limerick.  He said it was simple … it’s a five-line poem that has a patterned rhyme and beat.  The pattern is “aabba”.  Lines 1, 2, 5 rhyme and have 3 beats.  Lines 3, 4 rhyme and have 2 beats.  He told us one of his favorites to “get us thinking” …

There was a young monk from Siberia,
Who’s morale's where slightly inferior.
He did to a nun,
What he should not have done.
And now she's a mother superior.



Mayo football fans

Our next stop is Donegal in County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland.  There was lots of excitement here … Donegal and Mayo are in the “All-Ireland Football Final” tomorrow (Donegal won).  We watched a weaving demonstration, and then had a couple hours to walk around the “diamond” (city center), time to catch a bite to eat and lots of opportunities for shopping.  I “left” a beautiful tailored tweed coat at Magee’s—was not in my souvenir budget!

Next we traveled to Belleek in Northern Ireland.  Our next stop, the Belleek Pottery Factory (founded 1857).  We had a guided tour of the production area to see how the handcrafted Belleek Fine Parian China is made.  There was mouldmaking, flower and basket making, casting, painting and firing – sixteen different steps.  Then we had time for shopping.  Last chance to spend our Sterling; the left-overs will be saved for the next trip!

 flower step

 ready for firing step

Belleek factory tour

Now it is time to save good-bye to Northern Ireland, we crossed the “border” into the Republic of Ireland. 

Driving along Donegal Bay in County Sligo, we stopped for photos of the Classiebawn Castle (built 1874).  It was the summer residence of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the castle is now privately owned; by a bachelor?  We had a beautiful view of the castle and shoreline of Donegal Bay.  A mile down the road was Mullaghmore, a quaint village.  We were fascinated watching a local land and take-off in a one-seat helicopter.  Nice way to travel the neighborhood!

Classiebawn Castle on Donegal Bay

Donegal Bay

graves with Celtic crosses

Then Mike had an “extra” stop for us, the Drumcliff Churchyard. 

This was a bonus for the photographers that liked Celtic crosses.  Here was the grave of famous poet W B Yeats (1865-1939), round tower (10th or 11th century) and Irish High Cross (9th century).


Tonight we stay in Sligo at the Sligo Park Hotel

Antrim Coast - Day 4

Friday, 21 September 2012

Some had little sleep last night (this morning). It is “fresher” week at the university, so the students were celebrating outside. It was very noisy for rooms on the street until 3:00-4:00 AM. There was no relief, even when the cops arrived!

Today we are doing a “day trip”, traveling north to the Antrim Coast. 

First, a short stop at Carrickfergus Castle for some photos and a walk around. The castle (built in 1177), had an important military role for 800 years. Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, the castle saw action until 1928.

Just down the road we took a short break at a small convenience store by Carnlough harbor for toilets and a snack.  Here was my first cup of Irish Tea with milk. I drink lots of English tea, but never the “English” way with milk—now I am hooked!  The Irish drink an average of 4 to 6 cups of tea per day.

Carrickfergus Castle

Carnlough harbor

It is a beautiful sunny day; clear enough to see Scotland! 

We stopped by the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge for a group photo. The rope bridge is 90 feet above the rocks, linking the mainland to tiny island of Carrickarede. Yikes, I’ll take a pass on crossing that!

Antrim Coast

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Our next stop is the Giant’s Causeway, along the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. At the foot of basalt cliffs are some 40,000 massive black basalt columns sticking out of the sea at various heights (tallest 39 feet). The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea to create a natural walkway.

According to Irish myth, a path was laid to Scotland by the Irish giant Finn McCool. Geological studies show that this striking landscape was caused by volcanic activity some 50-60 million years ago. We each had audio guides to explain the history and points of interest along the walking trails, including “sites” associated with the legendary giant Finn McCool.

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway basalt columns

We stopped at the Dunlace Castle; a 17th century medieval castle. The ruins are on basalt cliffs 100 feet above the ocean. The location and view of Ireland’s coastline was absolutely beautiful!

Ireland's coastline

Dunlace Castle

Along the way, Mike told one of his many stories...

Patrick walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the corner of the room, drinking a sip out of each pint in turn.

When he had finished all three, he went back to the bar and ordered three more.

The barman says, "You know a pint goes flat soon after I pull it ... your pint would taste better if you bought one at a time."

Patrick replies, "Well now, I have two brodders, one is in America and de odder in Australia and here I am in Dublin.

When we all left home, we promised dat we'd drink dis way to remember de days we all drank togedder."

The barman admits that this is a nice custom and says no more.

Patrick becomes a regular customer and always drinks the same way ... ordering three pints and drinking a sip out of each in turn, until they are finished.

One day, he comes in and orders just two pints. All the other regulars in the bar notice and fall silent.

When he goes back to the bar for the second round, the barman says, "I don't want to intrude on your grief but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss."

Patrick looks confused for a moment, then the penny drops and he starts to laugh, "Oh no," he says, "Bejesus, everyone is fine!

Tis me ... I've quit drinking!"

After dinner, there was a very good Irish band in the hotel lounge. Some of the group enjoyed the music and watching the locals dancing. Two popular songs in Ireland were written by Americans: “Galway Girl” written by Steve Earle from Texas and “Forty Shades of Green” written by Johnny Cash. “Click to Listen”