Day 6 – Kilkenny Castle, Famine Ships and Waterford Crystal

Kilkenny Castle

As promised, we toured Kilkenny Castle today and it was fantastic. Definitely one of the best castles we have visited. The castle dates back to 1195 during the Norman times and remained in private hands until after many years, it was  in a state of disrepair, it was sold to the town of Kilkenny in 1967 for 50 pounds. The castle is now managed by the Irish OPW (Office of Public Works) and has undergone quite a bit of restoration since the OPW took over. There is a magnificent dining room and an even more magnificent gallery.

Kilkenny Castle Gallery

One note of good news here is that the car rental company sent us to a local repair shop which replaced the blown fuse in the cigarette lighter outlet and the GPS is working now, which was a great relief. The rest of the trip would have been terrible if we had to drop back to maps and a spotty Google Maps service.

Dunbrody Famine Ship

From Kilkenny, we drove down to New Ross which is further down the Nore River from Kilkenny and not far from the coast. It is the location of one of the few remaining famine ships left from the time of the Irish Potato Famine which is also called the Great Hunger. The potato famine was from 1845 until 1852 when blight hit the potato crop and caused the crop to fail for several consecutive years. The Irish poor depended heavily on the potato for subsistence and hence were driven to starvation. The population of Ireland at the time was 8 million and during the famine 1 million people died and another million migrated to other countries, but mostly to the US. The migration continued for the next 40 years until the population declined to about 4 million and just recently reached 6 million again.

Passenger on the Dunbrody

The ships which carried the Irish to the US were called famine ships but they also were called "coffin ships" because as many 40% of the passengers died on some of the shops. The ship we were on carried as many as 330 people in unbelievably crowded quarters with as many as 8 people sharing a tiny bunk. The voyage took 50 days. In the photo to the left is a reenactor portraying a passenger from one of the voyages. She would have shared the top bunk with her husband and five children. No toilets, only buckets

Worker Hand Engraving a Vase

Our next stop was in Waterford to take a tour of the Waterford Crystal factory. The crystal products are still being made by hand with expert craftsmen and we got to see each of the steps in the process. Given all the detailed steps each product requires, it is easy to see why the finished product is so expensive.

Gift to Barack Obama from the Country of Ireland

Waterford still makes "one of a kind pieces" for special occasions. Some examples we saw were pieces from the Millennial Ball that was created to use in the ball drop on New Year's Eve in Times Square, the NCAA Basketball winner trophy, a gift from Ireland to Barack Obama, a gift from the queen and numerous trophies. By the way, the reason that we could see them is that they always make two extras in case the orginal gets broken by accident. I wish I could show more as there were some amazing pieces.

Day 5 - Kilkenny

The Irish House Party Band

I’m going to start with a photo from last night in Dublin. We went to something called the “Irish House Party” which, I suppose, was supposed to be like going to someone’s house for dinner followed by the group getting together and playing music and dancing.  Of course these were professional musicians and the young lady demonstrated some traditional dancing (think Riverdance) and also a dance with a push broom that they called a “brush dance.” I’ll point out some of the unique instruments they used. The guy on the left is demonstrating the Bodhrán (an Irish frame drum) and the guy to his left is playing the Uilleann pipes (pronounced “illin”). That is an instrument similar to bagpipes but you don’t blow into them and they have a much more pleasant sound, kind of like pipes or maybe a flute. They did many of the traditional songs tourist would think of such as “Danny Boy” and “Molly Malone,” plus some jigs and some drinking songs. The whole evening was very entertaining.

Smithwick's Red Ale

Now back to day 4. All in all a good day but we did hit some bumps here and there. The weather was fantastic again today and above 70F which is pretty unusual for here. It was our first day on the road and that’s where the problems started. We had to wait one hour to get the shuttle bus to get the car and then after we left the lot we realized that the cigarette lighter socket didn’t work and hence my GPS died when its charge ran out. We ended up driving blind through Dublin which was an experience. Not very happy with Sixt rental car right now.

The River Nore in Kilkenny Passing by the Castle

We did ultimately arrive in Kilkenny a couple of hours behind schedule. Kilkenny is a lovely small town with a medieval feel that is only about 2 hours from Dublin. With reduced time to tour due to the delays, we only had time to walk through a little of the medieval part of town, tour Smithwick's brewery and finally take a tourist tram around town. The ale tasting was great and the Smithwick's Red Ale is my favorite beer in Ireland so far. They also have a fine castle which we will tour tomorrow.

Day 4 - Sunny Dublin

The Spire (background)

After two days of clouds, we have a bright, beautiful sunny day for our touring. Still a bit cool, in the mid-60s, but it is almost a perfect day by Irish standards. Jeanne and I took a Free Walking tour of the south side. Dubliners are divided by birth as either Northsiders (on the north side of the River Liffey) who are the more working class half of Dublin or Southsiders  who are the richer, more posh class of people. The tour started at Millennium Monument which is commonly called “the Spire” but of course in true Irish fashion is commonly given more irreverent nicknames. The Spire is more commonly called “the Stiletto in the Ghetto” or “the Pole in the Hole” and a couple of even more colorful names that I’m not going to repeat but that are really funny.

James Joyce Statue

And while we are talking about irreverent names I’ll just list a few of the more colorful ones they use for statues around Dublin. The James Joyce state shown here is called “the Prick with the Stick.” The Molly Malone statue below is called “the Tart with the Cart.” The Anna Livia monument is a personification of the River Liffey but it is more commonly called “the Floozie in the Jacuzzi” and we saw one on our first night that is called “the Hags with the Bags.” I think you can get the picture. Yes, I like the Irish sense of humor and their stupid nicknames!

Trinity College Campus

After our walking tour we visited Trinity College, the most prestigious college in Ireland, to see the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is an elaborate version of the four books of the gospel drawn by monks around 800 AD.

Long Room at the Old Library (Trinity College)

What makes that interesting is that it was done in the middle of the dark ages when doing works like this had become a lost art. However because Ireland was so isolated from the rest of Europe, including the monks at the Kells Abbey, that skill was not lost.  They show a different page of the book every day and today it was Luke 16, verses 10-22. All done in Latin so it was unreadable to us. The Book of Kells is considered Ireland's greatest treasure.

The Book of Kells is housed in the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College, which you might recognized from the Harry Potter movies.

Molly Malone Statue

"Molly Malone" (second verse)
She was a fishmonger
And sure, t'was no wonder
For so were her mother and father before
And they wheeled their barrow
Through the streets broad and narrow
Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"
Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh
Alive, alive, oh
Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"

Day 3 - Kilmainham Gaol and the Guinness Brewery

Today we did two tours and rode the Hop-on Hop-off Bus on a loop around Dublin. The first stop was the Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham is a section of Dublin that was once in the distant suburbs and Gaol is the Irish spelling of “jail” and in fact that is what it is.

Old Entrance to the Kilmainham Gaol

At this point it is necessary that I talk a little about Irish history to explain the significance of the jail. As I said yesterday, Ireland was under the control of Britain for 700 years and they tried many times over that period to revolt. The most recent revolt was the Easter Rising of 1916 when a segment of the republicans (people favoring an independent republic of Ireland) were able to take over several main public buildings in Dublin, chief of which was the main post office. These rebels declared independence from Britain but they were not large in number and more significantly they were not supported by the general public. As a result they were overwhelmed by the British after 6 days of fighting with quite a bit of downtown Dublin heavily damaged. The rebels ultimately surrendered and were marched off to Kilmainham Gaol where 14 of the leaders, including all 7 of the signees of the Proclamation of Independence, were tried for treason, found guilty and executed by firing squad during a 10-day period in April. One of the men had been seriously wounded in the battle and probably dying, was tied to a chair and nevertheless executed also.

Section Where Rebels Were Held

As a result of the brutal executions, public sentiment turned against the British and they lost their hold on the Irish public, so much so that by 1922 Ireland was able to formally secure their independence from the United Kingdom, except for the 6 counties that form Northern Ireland who decided to stay in the union.  The executed rebels of the Easter Rising are now Irish heroes and known to all the schoolchildren in Ireland, much as our children know our Revolutionary War heroes.

In Front of Main Gate

After the jail tour, we took our bus around Dublin and back to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour and a tasting. Guinness is a dark Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James' Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. Today it is brewed in almost 50 countries and is the best-selling alcoholic drink in Ireland. Its unique flavor comes from precisely roasted barley (much like coffee) and in the use of a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide to form the smooth, creamy head.

We had our tasting of a free (i.e., included with the price of the tour) pint of the “black stuff” on the seventh floor of the plant which has one of the best views of Dublin. I have to say that it was the best Guinness I have ever tasted and also quite potent, but I am a light-weight drinker. It also is actually a ruby red color when you hold it up to the light and not black.

Day 2 – Dublin Temple Bar

Dublin Castle

We arrived in Dublin around 8 am and took a taxi to our Airbnb which is located in the Temple Bar area of the central part of Dublin. It is very centrally located and basically across from City Hall. The weather, in spite of predictions, was overcast, misting slightly and in the mid-50s.

Jeanne at an old entrance to the castle

Our main tour stop today was Dublin Castle. This castle is very symbolic of Ireland itself and by that I mean specifically the domination of the Irish by the English for more than 700 years. The English Viceroys ruled from this castle on behalf of the king and they often ruled with an iron fist - heads on posts outside the castle, etc. 

The castle is located on the spot of a village founded by the Vikings at a dark pool ("Dubh Linn") which gave Dublin its name. The site was later used by the Normans and then by the English. Construction of the castle was begun by the English King John in 1204 and served as the seat of power of English/British/UK rule until the Irish gained their independence in 1922.  The castle has gone under major renovations since a fire in 1673 and now only one original tower remains. The most recent renovations were done in the Georgian style and the castle is now very stylish inside and the site of many official balls and reception of dignitaries.

Us in front of the Temple Bar

In the evening we took a stroll past the Temple Bar and then along the Liffey (main river in Dublin) and had dinner in a very nice restaurant overlooking the Liffey. Of course I had to try the Cockles and Mussels (explanation below).

In the evening at this time of year the sun doesn't set until 10 pm so we took another walk back through the area and it is absolutely alive with bands playing traditional Irish music. We heard a band playing "Brown Eyed Girl" which isn't exactly traditional but Van Morrison is Irish so I suppose that counts.

Cockles and Mussels

Molly Malone by The Dubliners

In Dublin's fair city

Where the girls are so pretty

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow

Through the streets broad and narrow

Crying "cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh"

Day 1 - Departure Day

This is the morning of our departure and so far everything is going according to plan. We are both packed and both suitcases are under the 50 lb. limit, but not by much. It's very handy to have a hand scale so we know exactly where we stand weight-wise. We are each taking one mid-size suitcase and one carry-on. Jeanne has a small duffle bag and I have my laptop bag so we are trying to travel light. What helps is that we plan to wash clothes in the middle of the trip so that cuts down the weight by quite a bit. We are staying at AirB&Bs most nights and they have washer and dryers.

The weather forecast for Ireland has improved immensely in the past week. Originally rainy every day, right now the rain is forecast to hold off until July 9 which is just past the midpoint of the trip. It should be partly cloudy with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the mid-50s for the first part. After that it looks like the rain sets in for a while, but that is what you expect from Ireland and we are prepared for rain and cold, at least clothes-wise.

Our flight on United is from Newark, NJ, at 7:25 pm with an early morning arrival in Dublin. We fly from Newark quite a bit, maybe 3 or 4 times a year, so we are very familiar with the routine.

Ten Days To Go

We are just 10 days away from starting our trip to Ireland with our friends, Linda and Alan, and I thought I would start by listing our general plans. We leave for Dublin from Newark on June 30. We are staying 3 nights in Dublin and then renting a car for the rest of the trip. We'll spend 2 nights in Kilkenny (near Waterford on the map), 2 nights in Killarney, 2 nights in Dingle, 2 nights in Galway, 1 night in Portrush at the northern tip of Northern Ireland and 1 night in Belfast before heading back to Dublin to catch our flight home. Basically we're making a big clockwise trip around the entire island.

Things that I'm personally looking forward to are:
- Guinness Tour in Dublin
- Touring the Butter Museum in Cork
- Kissing the Blarney Stone
- Driving the Ring of Kerry
- Driving the Dingle Loop
- Day trip by ferry to the Aran Islands
- Visiting the Royal Portrush Golf Course (site of the British Open shortly after we are there)
- The Titanic Museum in Belfast

Last but certainly not least is just experiencing Ireland - the food, the beer, the pubs and the people.