Day 16 - Trip Home

We took an uneventful early flight (9:20 am) out of Dublin on United. Our plane was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner back and arrived in Newark around 11 am, ahead of schedule. That is a fantastic plane. It has windows where the shades are electronic darkened. The whole flight was in daylight but at one point they dimmed the lights and darkened the shades to simulate night time and most people slept.

Day 15 - Belfast and the Titanic

Closed Peace Wall

It was Sunday morning in Belfast and we started with a driving tour of the neighborhood that saw all the sectarian violence in the 70s, 80s and 90s that they call “the troubles” here. Since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, violence has stopped and Belfast has rebuilt itself into a vibrant, beautiful city and a tourist destination again. From what I understand, the younger generation has pretty much moved on from the root causes of the problems but you have to wonder about the older generation and what they still hold in their hearts. Unfortunately the issue of an impending Brexit is bringing some of this to the surface again. Right now there is an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, but some of that has to change when the UK (including Northern Ireland) leaves the EU.

Bobby Sands Mural

There are still visible signs of the past problems. The peace wall, which was built as part of the accords, is still there separating the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. You can normally drive it but for some reason the gates were closed. Maybe this was because of Orange Day which was only two days ago. In the Catholic neighborhoods, there are memorials to the IRA and leaders of “the troubles” – a huge mural of Bobby Sands, an IRA museum and a Garden of Remembrance for the fallen. The Protestants have their own mural to William of Orange and a few signs along the lines of “we will never surrender” but no direct reference to the times of troubles. Of course they are still the majority and still in power.

Titanic Museum

There is one piece of Belfast history that is still very much celebrated and that is the fact that the Titanic was built at the H&M Shipyards in Belfast. At the time it was built Titanic was the largest ship in the world and took an army of men and a lot of manual labor to complete it. The Titanic Museum is a fantastic museum and it takes you from planning to construction to sinking as you pass through the museum.  They have reconstructions of the state rooms and you can almost feel that you are on the ship. It isn’t just a museum where you look at artifacts, but one where you almost experience the Titanic in many different ways. There is a ride through the construction of the ship ala Disney, a very good wraparound video that takes you through the decks of the Titanic and finally and underwater segment when you can look at the wreck on the bottom of the sea. Well worth the time to visit.

Downpatrick and County Down Railroad

We headed out of Belfast toward Dublin with one more stop in Downpatrick. The have an old steam train still running on Sundays and we took a ride. It is very short, about 10 minutes to cover maybe one mile, but it takes you back in time. The railroad is run completely by volunteers and the old guys are more than willing to tell you about it. They obvious have a great passion for the old days of railroading. I thought it was fun and we both thought that our two year old grandson, Finn, would have really like a ride. There was another two year old on the ride and he was dressed in his Thomas the Tank shirt to take the ride.

"Grave" of Saint Patrick

The last stop of the entire tour was at Down Cathedral to visit the grave of Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Christian missionary and is the primary patron saint of Ireland. He is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland and of course for driving all the snakes out. Of course as one tour guide pointed out, Ireland is a cold country and no snakes could live here anyway. He said that the snakes were a metaphor for the druids, whom Patrick is said to have driven out of Ireland when he established Christianity there.

Of course no one really knows where he is buried but this is the site according to legend and there is an old rock with his name engraved on it so it must be right? Or maybe not. Doesn’t matter. I’m fine with legends.

Day 14 - Antrim Coast

Bushmills Whiskey Distillery

There’s always a day during a long trip when things go a bit sideways and that was today. Jeanne had been fighting a cold for a couple of days but today it got worse and we stopped to get some cold medicine. On the way back to the car she missed a curb and fell. She scraped her hand, forearm and knee. Later in the day the GPS sent us down a very narrow one-lane road and at the end there was a hard left with no room on the right and a concrete wall on the left. No way to back up and I thought I could fit but the van was very long. Wrong. Side of the car was scraped car. Oh well, thank goodness for insurance.

Giant's Causeway

First stop is Bushmills Whiskey distillery. This is the oldest licensed distillery in the world, dating back to 1608 when King James I gave them the license. The tour was interesting and they were continually comparing themselves with the way Scotch is made, trying to make the case that they were better. Triple distilled versus twice distilled for scotch, etc. There was a tasting at the end and the 12-year old whiskey wasn’t bad but I really just don’t like any hard liquors much. Jeanne passed on the tour and the tasting. The Irish pronunciation during the tour was entertaining. Spirit is pronounced spurt. Tour is tur. Barry is Bar-e, not Bare-e.

Giant's Causeway (Side View)

Next stop is the Giant’s Causeway. I think this is supposed to be the top spot to visit in Northern Ireland and the name comes from an old legend about Finn McCool, an Irish giant, who built a land bridge (causeway) from this point in Ireland all the way to Scotland. When he went to Scotland by the bridge he met an even bigger giant who chased Finn back to Ireland. The Scottish giant was so big that Finn knew that he couldn’t defeat him but Finn’s wife had an idea. She dressed Finn up as a baby and when the Scottish giant saw him, he was afraid. After all, if a baby is that big, how big must the father be! So the Scottish giant ran back to Scotland and Finn destroyed the causeway and what we see today are the remains. Interesting to see but very crowded today.

Antrim Coast (Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge)

We drove a bit of the Antrim Coast drive, which is very scenic, passed on the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge because of long lines, had a nice lunch and decided to head to Belfast as it was getting late. It was at this point that I scraped the side of the car after winding through the countryside. We arrived in Belfast and Jeanne’s cold peaked so we stayed in for dinner for the first time on the trip. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Day 13 – Driving to Northern Ireland

Donegal Castle

Most of the day, about 5.5 hours, was spent driving up to Northern Ireland from Galway. We made one stop in Donegal for lunch and to see the castle. We took a tour of the castle and learned quite a bit about the end of Gaelic rule in Ireland, which I’ll try to summarize. The English conquered Ireland and began a long process of trying to colonize Ireland and eliminate Gaelic influence. Three Gaelic kings, including Hugh O'Donnell of Donegal Castle, finally revolted against the English Tudor rule in 1593 and began the Irish 9-years war. Early on, the Irish won most of the battles but eventually the power of the English army defeated the three kings and ultimately the families of the Gaelic leaders left Ireland and never returned.

Castle Interior

From Donegal (Ireland) we headed toward Bushmills (Northern Ireland) in an attempt to arrive there before the last tour at 4 pm. We did get there with about 15 minutes to spare, but then we got another lesson in Irish history. Today, July 12, is a holiday in Northern Ireland and they had closed early. In case you didn’t know, and we didn’t, the 12th is Orangemen's Day which is an Ulster Protestant celebration of the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. That victory maintained Protestant rule in the Ulster area of Ireland and it remains the same today. They celebrate now with bonfires on the evening of the 11th and parades on the 12th, often through Catholic areas just to rub it in. In any case, missing the tour is not big deal. We’ll just go tomorrow.

View From Our Restaurant (Portrush)

We headed to our room and passed right by the Royal Portrush golf course, which is the sight of the British Open next week. All the stands are in place and they look like they are ready for the tournament. The tournament was last held here in 1951 and it was the only time it was held outside of England and Scotland.

We had a nice dinner in Portrush which is a seaside resort full of people on holiday. We have a hard time understanding how they are able to do it, but there were several people swimming while we are going around in jackets. The town has a Ferris Wheel and a number of Arcades to entertain visitors.

Trad Music

After dinner we went back to the hotel just in time to listen to some “Trad Music.”  This is traditional Irish music where people just show up and start playing and singing old Irish tunes. There were I think eight players tonight but anyone is welcome to bring an instrument and join in. They use the traditional instruments - fiddle, guitars, accordion, pipes. Alan and I went and we were the only tourists there but they made us feel welcome and we chatted politics and music with a couple of guys. It never fails to amaze me how much foreigners know about American culture and politics and how little we know about theirs.

Day 12 – Galway and the Aran Islands

Galway to Kilronan

Today was a really good touring day and one of my favorites on the trip so far. Most of the day was spent on visiting the Aran Island by ferry. This is a very popular thing to do when in Ireland and ferries run all morning long out to the island and in the afternoon, run the reverse way.

Aran Island Ferry

I included a map to illustrate the trip, but we started the trip by driving from our AirB&B in the heart of Galway out to Rossaveel to catch a ferry to Inis Mór. The drive to the ferry terminal takes about 45 minutes and we were on the 10:30 ferry. This is kind of an approximate time as they leave when they have a full boat but that was the approximate time we left. It is about 40 minutes to cross over to the port in Kilronan, which is the main village of the island.

Dún Aonghasa

On the island we were met by Gerald who drove us and about 10 more people around the island in his van. I had made the reservations with him in advance and it was a good thing as more people wanted to get on but we were okay with our reserved seats. I thought I was doing well driving but Gerald put me to shame. Not only did he drive with one hand on the wheel and another on his microphone, but he went flying by horse carriages, bikes and other busses, he never slowed down. Yikes!!!

View of the Sea (Dún Aonghasa)

We stopped for two hours to see Dún Aonghasa which is an ancient ring fort on top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic. It isn’t a complete ring because one side is built on sheer cliffs hundreds of feet up in the air. No need to defend that. It was a pretty decent hike to the top but after we came back down we had time in the village to shop and get a bite to eat.

Streets of Galway

After the Dún Aonghasa stop, Gerald droves us around the island pointing out thatch roofed cottages (for real use and not just for show), a seal beach and various types of cattle they raised on the island. We also saw a couple of leprechaun houses. The tiny houses with their own windows and doors, I think – and I’m not sure – are an inside joke. I say I think because there is still a small chance that the people still believe in leprechauns out on this isolated island.

We reversed our route back and got into Galway around 6 pm. We had dinner in town and came across a band playing in the street on our way back to where we were staying. They were the Galway Street Club and tonight they had 9 members and they were very good and very entertaining. According to what we read about them, they were individual buskers (street performers who play for coins) but a couple of years ago they decided to form a group. Probably never going to make it big but they were having a good time and the crowd enjoyed them a lot. Notice the ironic "Galway Girl" playing a fiddle in an Irish band (from the Ed Sheeran song).

Day 11 – Cliffs of Moher and the Burren

Adare Trinitarian Abbey

There are quite a few stops on today’s agenda, so we got an earlier start – 8am instead of the usual 9am. Really didn't help that much in the end as the day was too packed with things to do. We drove about two hours to the small village Adare. It has colorful homes, shops and the Adare Trinitarian Abbey. The abbey was once Ireland’s only Trinitarian abbey and it was founded in 1230. The Trinitarians are a catholic religious order dating back to the time of crusades. After its suppression during the Reformation, the abbey fell into ruin and in 1811 is was converted into the present-day Catholic parish church.

Thatched Roof Shop in Adare

The church is right across the street from some thatched roof houses.

Cliffs of Moher

Another hour and a half drive in the rain and we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs are one of Ireland’s most amazing natural wonders and I’ll just have to let the picture describe the beauty. Fortunately for us the rains stopped just in time for us to take the walk out to see them and didn’t start again until we were headed to the car from the visitor center. So far this has been the only day with any significant rain and it really hasn’t impacted our touring in any way.

Instead of eating lunch in the crowded visitor center, we drove about 20 minutes to the tiny town of Kilfenora and ate at Vaughn’s Pub. The pub food in Ireland can be a bit basic but it is always very tasty and substantial. Guinness Stew, sandwiches, etc. I had the bacon and cabbage, which I think we would call ham and cabbage. In a pub everything is served with potatoes.

Celtic Cross (Kilfenora)

After lunch we went to the Burren Centre (Burren is pronounced like “burn”) to learn about the history of the area. The Burren region is extremely rocky because a glacier in the last ice age gathered up the rocks and deposited them here. There is no other place in Ireland quite like it. There are literally limestone rocks everywhere, so much so that the land is only good for grazing cattle who can eat the grass that grows between the rocks.

Kilfenora also has an ancient ruined cathedral and couple of very old Celtic crosses.

Poulnabrone Dolmen

We had also planned a visit to see a sheepdog demo that they put on a few more miles into the Burren from Kilfenora but we were a bit late and the rain made it impossible, so we skipped it. Instead we stopped to see the Poulnabrone Dolmen which was very close by. The Poulnabrone Dolmen is a portal tomb - one of approximately 172 located all across Ireland – and this one is in the Burren. It dates back to the Neolithic period, probably between 4200 BC and 2900 BC. It was also raining there so just a quick stop for some photos before heading to Galway for the night.

Colors of Ireland

Green fields around Blarney Castle

Here is a sample of the colors we have seen on this trip. The most overwhelming color is obviously the green of the fields. They are so lush that it is easy to see why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle. Green is everywhere and in every shade, but if you look closely you can see other colors as well.

Orange Welsh Poppies

Blue of Dingle Harbor

Red Fuschia Lines the Roads Everywhere

White of the Sheep

Black of the Guinness

Colorful Houses in Dingle

Day 10 - Dingle

Dingle Coast

Today we drove the Dingle Loop, which is actually called Slea Head Drive, and we drove it clockwise as per Rick Steves.  It doesn’t appear that this is mandatory but it is the route that the tour busses follow so there are less issues of meeting a tour bus on a narrow land. The drive is much shorter than the Ring of Kerry and dotted with a number of interesting stops and fantastic views of the North Atlantic Ocean. They say it is the westernmost point of continental Europe, but you have to exclude Iceland and I’m not sure if that is correct or not. Nevertheless the coastline is breathtaking.

One of the Famine Cottages

The area is dotted with the remains of earlier civilizations, both prehistoric and more recent. The first set of ruins you come upon are the Famine cottages. The Dingle peninsula was a potato growing part of Ireland and when the famine hit in the 1840s, it was very hard hit. The population of Dingle was reduced by 75 percent in a brief period, both from disease and migration. It left the remains of stone farmhouses which dot the landscape.

Close by the Famine Cottages are the Beehive Huts. These huts are the remainders of an earlier monastic life which disappeared. The huts are best described as stone igloos and no mortar or timbers were used to construct them. They just used the technique of piling stones in a progressively smaller circle until they were able to close the top.

Blasket Islands (off Dingle Peninsula)

From there the drive wraps around the end of the peninsula and provides a view of the Blasket Islands in the distance. They aren’t too far off the coast and they were home to a hardy bunch of settlers until 1953 when the last were evacuated from the island and it was closed to permanent settlement. The Blasket Centre where we stopped did a good job of explaining the history of these people and they had a very informative film.

I should also say at this point that this area of Ireland was the most isolated from the English dominance and hence Irish (Gaelic) is the predominant language. This is no coincidence as the land is very hilly and not very suitable for farming, so many of the Celt descendants where pushed into this area and all along the upper west coast of Ireland.

Gallarus Oratory

We then saw two very old religious structures. First was the Gallarus Oratory. It is a marvel of dry stone construction similar to the beehive huts but also more advanced in technique as it is larger, with four distinct corners and a round window. The stones are all overlapped and tilted outward so that when it rains no water enters the building.  The Oratory was built over 1300 years ago. It was designed, built and used by Christians for centuries but no one really knows the exact history or purpose other than some educated guesswork.

Ancient Sundial

The last site we visited was Kilmalkedar Church. This was an early Christian and later medieval site and is associated with St. Brendan although it is thought to have been founded by St Maolcethair, a local saint. Still on-site is an Alphabet Stone which contains some of the earliest writings of the ancient Irish which mostly appear to be lines carved in the stone. There is also a stone sundial and a stone cross. The sundial is a bit puzzling as it is very cloudy in Ireland. Today, for us, however it was bright and sunny which made the drive very pleasant.

Day 9 – Killarney National Park

Jaunting Car with John and Billy the Horse

Today was intentionally planned as a light travel day with minimal sightseeing and a chance to do laundry and rest later in the day when we got to Dingle. We are at about the middle of the trip and I think everyone was looking forward to a break from a reasonably hectic travel schedule. Distance-wise, we might be maybe one third of the way around Ireland but we have packed a lot of sightseeing in.

Ross Castle

We started the day with a “Jaunting Car” ride from the center of Killarney out through Killarney National Park. The traditional Jaunting Car is a horse drawn cart and our driver was John and the horse “Billy.” John pointed out the various flora and fauna along the route along with interesting sights. He had a lovely Irish accent, a bit mischievous sounding, and could easily pass for a leprechaun. The trip was about 30 minutes out to Ross Castle on Lough (Lake) Leane.

Water Bus Ride

As we arrived, a “water bus” was just leaving so we quickly boarded and took a ride around the lake.  It was a one-hour ride where they pointed out features of the lake and gave us an overview of the history of the area. One of the interesting things they said was that the rhododendron in the park are becoming a problem because they are growing like weeds and blocking out the light, preventing the local underbrush to grow. Rhododendron isn’t native to Ireland and the park service is starting a program to clear the park of it but it really is everywhere so it is going to be a big effort.

Dingle Town

We left Killarney and drove to Dingle which is only about an hour away.  Dingle is the smallest city we have stayed in so far but it is by far the cutest. It may also be the town with the most tourists. Our AirB&B is about 10 minutes outside of Dingle but located in a great spot. We can see the Atlantic from our window and a couple of hills that the locals call the “three sisters and the sleeping giant.” You can kind of see that if you use your imagination. We also have a hundred or more sheep right outside our bedroom window that “baa” all evening long. They don’t settle down until dark, which, being at the western end of the time zone, is sometime after 10:30. Actually it is kind of comforting.

We had a seafood dinner in town followed by some Murphy’s ice cream. Murphy’s is a local company and make their own unique flavors (Dingle Gin, Sea Salt, Irish Whisky, Elderflower) but now they also sell outside of Dingle.

Tigh Pháidí

In this region, Irish (i.e., Gaelic) is the most common language and the street signs are in Irish first with English below. The Irish are trying very hard to hold on to their historic language but I believe they may be losing the battle. I’ll give two examples of Gaelic. We are staying at Tigh Pháidí. Tigh (pronounced Tig) means house and the second word means Patrick, who is the owner of the house so it is Patrick’s House. I’m not sure but I think the second word may translate better into Paddy. Another very common word is Fàilte which means “welcome” and is pronounced for-te but the “te” at the end is very clipped. There is no way an English speaker can understand Gaelic.

Day 8 - The Ring of Kerry

Muckross House

I want to start today's blog with a discussion of Irish food. Stereotypically it is bad but that really isn't true today. In fact everything we have had has been really good and very high quality. Interestingly enough the restaurant menu is very similar to what is offered in the US but sprinkled here and there with an Irish classic now and then. The Irish dishes tend to be heavy in potatoes. The lamb stew comes with mashed potatoes in it. Boxty is a potato pancake usually served with something like beef stroganoff or a stew, Colcannon is mashed potatoes with cooked cabbage and chopped greens. We have especially liked the butter with fresh baked scones or brown bread, lamb stew, fish and chips, seafood chowder and Irish beef. All were first class. By the way, their potatoes for some reason are superior to ours. Maybe it is the climate or maybe the variety they use (a little yellow) but very good.

Master Bedroom View at Muckross House

We started out on our Ring of Kerry drive at about 9 am and got back to Killarney around 5 pm. All in all it was about 5 hours of driving with lunch and a lot of sightseeing stops. I drove and it wasn’t as harrowing as some people say. There was only one close encounter with a tour bus which went flying by so close that I had to blink but we came back with our side mirrors intact. The roads are narrow, some no more than a lane a half. In those you have to stop at a spot where you can pull a little off the road and let the oncoming traffic pass. We did follow Rick Steves’ advice and drove clockwise against the tour busses and that seemed to work well as we didn’t get stuck behind any busses.

Torc Waterfalls (Killarney National Park)

Going clockwise around the loop, you pass through Killarney National Park. We stopped first at Muckross House. The house is famous for hosting Queen Victoria for two nights in 1861. The owner of the house spent so much on the visit to impress the queen that he went bankrupt a few years later and had to sell. And for that, he got nothing - no title, no extra privileges. The house eventually was donated to form the basis of the national park.  

Ring of Kerry Road

The sights were magnificent and so I’ll just let the photos do the talking. First one is a view down one of the mountain valleys.

View out to Sea

View out to sea. Not sure if it is in the picture or not, but one of the Skellig Islands which you see off the coast was used in the filming of the most recent two Star Wars movies. 

Day 7 - Cobh, Cork and the Blarney Stone

Jeanne, John, Linda, Alan and Bob the Dog

I'll start with a couple of observations about the Irish and life in Ireland. The Irish are without exception very open and friendly and go out of their way to make you feel welcome. From Yvonne at Butler Court in Kilkenny who insisted on taking a picture of us with her dog as we were leaving to everyone we met on the street to those who waited on us. No one treats you as a stranger and they all want to joke around with you and just have fun.

Rock of Cashel

My second observation is that early bird menu at most restaurants is until 7pm. Not sure why. I have never seen a restaurant in the US have it last so late, but here it works as a part-time fixed price menu. Two or three courses at a great price and so we have been sampling a lot of desserts. Lastly the Irish drop a lot “h’s” when they speak. 3 is pronounced “tree” and 30 is pronounced “tirty.” They change other thing as well but still it’s still understandable. For example, “I’ll point that thing out” is likely to be said as “I’ll pint dat ting out.”

Queenstown Heritage Museum

Stop one today was at the Rock of Cashel for a photo (no time to tour and too much history to explain here) and then on to the Queenstown Heritage Museum in Cobh, which is pronounced Cove. The town name has an interesting story. Originally it was named Cove but in honor of a visit from Queen Victoria in 1849, the town was renamed Queenstown. When the Irish gained independence from England, it was renamed Cobh using the Irish spelling for Cove to further signify their freedom.

It was from Cobh that 2.5 million Irish migrants left to find a new home, mostly in the US and Canada. Cobh also has the notoriety of being the last port of call for the Titanic in 1912 before it began its fateful transatlantic maiden voyage. And again in 1915 Cobh played a role in another sea tragedy when the Lusitania, on route from New York to Liverpool, was sunk in the waters off Cobh and a flotilla of boats from Cobh rescued over 700 people from the ocean liner.

The museum was very interesting and we all really liked it. It did a good job showing you what sea travel was like in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Really not very pleasant.

Old Fashion Irish Butter Churn

Our next stop was in Cork to visit the Butter Museum. Ireland is famous today for their butter which is exported throughout Europe, the US and the rest of the world. The museum itself is small and really was just okay for a brief stop.

Blarney Castle

The next stop was in Blarney to visit Blarney Castle and to kiss the Blarney Stone. Jeanne, Alan and Linda hung around the small town center while I waited in line for my turn. It took 35 minutes and a difficult climb up 5 or 6 flights of an extremely narrow spiral staircase to get your opportunity. You then lie on your back, grab two bars and lean over backward into an open abyss to kiss the stone. You can't really fall, or at least I don't think you can. It only got a light kiss from me because who knows what germs the thousands of visitors left on the stone before me. Yuck when you think about it but worth it to get the gift of gab! In case you don't know, the gift of gab is "great eloquence or skill at flattery" but I think it also means being able to BS your way through things.

Then on to Killarney for the night.