Pictures #2 from Ireland 2014

Here are a few random pictures from our last day in Ireland on our bus tour out to the Connemara Peninsula, and also a view from Kilmore Quay out to the Saltee Islands and the iconic picture of Kylemore Abbey.  

 Kilmore Quay just south of Wexford.

 Looking out to the Saltees.  If you have ever read any of Eoin Colfer's books, especially Airman, the Saltees play an important part in the story.

 I think I've mentioned before how beautiful the front gardens to some of our B&Bs were.  This is one.  So much thought into the combination of plants and shrubs.  It was a joy to walk around.

 This is probably the iconic picture of Kylemore Abbey as it faces the front of a lough.  The architecture is beautiful.  

Here you can see the mussel farming beds on Killary Fjord.  They also have salmon pens here.  

Pictures #1 from Ireland 2014

I wanted to just add a few pictures today to catch up with some of the places we visited.  This post has 6 pictures from an upscale grocery store in Dublin proper just around the corner from where we stayed.  Their displays were beautiful, and everything was very fresh.  The store is called Fallon and Byrne,

I am obsessed with cheese, and Irish cheese is at the top of the list.  We did get a chance to sample a few farmhouse cheeses here.  A real butcher, cheese monger, fish monger, and fresh baked goods.  What more could you ask for.  :)

 Diacons, small cauliflower, spring onions.  I wish I had taken a picture of the various cherry tomatoes.

 Just part of the bread display.  So many choices.

 This is one of the two cheese cases.  This has the hard cheeses and the other has the softer cheeses.  Imagine twice the amount of cheese on display.  I wished I could have tasted it all!

 This is the charcuterie case with pate and salami, and such.  Yum!

 This case is mostly sausages and bacon, and maybe some duck at the far side.  Beyond is the fresh cut meats.

 Cant forget the fresh fish display.  And those scallops in the upper left were huge!

Heading Home June 9 and 10

Heading Home June 9 and 10

So here I sit 36000 feet in the air on my way home. I do have one last travel post to update first from yesterday, and then maybe a few comments about various things during the trip.

Since Rita and I have spent time in Dublin before we decided to do a day trip out of Dublin. This time is was across country to the Connemara Coast and Killary Harbour for a boat ride. It does sound strange to say a drive across country but in Ireland that is about 3 hours. It was a long day, but enjoyable nonetheless. Our first stop was Kylemore Abbey. It's run by Benedictine Nuns now, but was first built as a manor house by an Earl for his wife since she so loved Connemara. She died shortly after they moved in and the Earl could not stand to stay there. It was given to the nuns and run as a girls boarding school until about 2010. Now the grounds and gardens are taken care of by the nuns.

Next was Killary Harbour. Killary is a natural fjord created by the ice age and the only one of its kind in Ireland. It is 14 miles long and used mostly for raising salmon and mussels. You could see the floats for the beds all along the harbour as we cruised. It's also a beautiful cruise to take and enjoy more of Ireland's incredible scenery. I dozed off and on during the trip back. Must have been all the fresh air. :)

We arrived back at 8:00 (I forgot to mention that we were up at 6:00am for a 6:50 departure for this trip) and had reservations at my favorite Dublin place, Gallagher's Boxty House in Temple Bar. The food is delicious there.

It was after 10:00 when we arrived back at the hotel and still had to get packed for today.

This morning our cabbie from the other day picked us up and we did the check in and Customs and last minute duty free shopping at the airport. Considering we left the hotel at 8:30 for an 11:30 flight we arrived at the gate just as they were starting the boarding process.

We now have about 4.5 hours until we arrive in Chicago. I just caught up on two episodes of Game of Thrones, and have Mr. Peabody and and Sherman playing as I write.

So there is this holiday.... done for now. :)

I do have a few things to add, general comments and reflections about the trip but they may have to wait a day or two until I take care of things at home after being gone.  :)

And I will add some more pictures from the trip also.

I also would like to add a big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to follow along with Rita and I, and been so supportive in your comments.  I do hope you enjoyed reading my comments. 

A Sunny Musical Saturday and Sunday June 7 and 8

A Sunny Musical Saturday and Sunday June 7 and 8

I should really learn not to trust the weather app on my cell phone. Friday evening it not only said rain for Saturday, but actually indicated thunderstorms. Well, there were a few showers in Wexford when we woke up, but by the time we packed up and were on the road the sun began to peek through the grey clouds and when we arrived in Castletown for the Family Fun Day I was sure I had chosen the wrong long sleeved top to wear for the day. It was glorious! The Castletown House is a large manor house with huge green grounds. Great for picnics, and on this day with the mime, the character on stilts, the balloon designer and the “99” cones, it was more than most children could ask for. There's a long story about the name, but just trust me, this is definitely a treat. Because of the cream they use, these are so much better that what we get in the US.

Rita and I arrived right about the start of the event and found that we could get Afternoon Tea for 12 euros for both of us. I should have taken a picture of the amount of finger sandwiches they served along with some sweets, but it was more than either of us could eat with the tea. After we wandered to the inner courtyard for some music. As promised Niall O'Sullivan was there with his jazz quartet. A different selection of songs from what we had heard just a week before. Niall does not disappoint. Again, I can only hope for great things for him in the future. If you haven't listened to any of his music, check it out.

You can listen to some samples here:

http://niallosullivan.ie/music-2/

After getting a bit of a fill of music we headed to Malahide for our next B&B. I'll post later a bit about our B&B adventures, but this one also had some uniqueness. Just to say that we were not in the main house, but put in a separate building that evidently had 4 self-catering rooms. Interesting.....

We did drive out to Howth for some mussels for dinner, and a nice walk around the area.

This morning, before we dropped off our rental car, we headed over to Casino Marino. A unique summer house originally built on a huge estate. Now the only thing left is the few acres around the casino. We didn't have time for the tour, but did get a lot of information from the woman at the reception desk. While it looks very symmetrical in the way it's built, no two sides are the same. The building has 16 rooms, but it looks like it would never have more than 8. The upper two floors don't have any visible windows. Truly a unique building.

With the car dropped off we took a taxi to Dublin and got checked in. We walked over to the Tourist Office to check on our bus tour tomorrow, and then to a place called Meet and Meat for a delicious porquetta sandwich for lunch. One thing both Rita and I have always wanted to do is walk around Fallon and Byrne. It's an upscale grocery in the center of Dublin. It's actually right around the corner from where we are staying, and we had not realized that last time. All I can say is WOW! I'm sure Rita will be tagging me in some pictures of the produce, which was beautiful, and then there was the cheese case, and the cured meats, and the fresh meats, and the fish! I will be posting some pictures too.

So much for our day yesterday and today.

 The mime at the Family Fun Day at Castletown,  Here he has taken over a kiddie stroller!

 The Niall O'Sullivan Jazz Quartet. All accomplished musicians on their own.  Wonderful together.

 Just the courtyard crowd.  

 Bread display at Fallon and Byrne

 Aahh!  All that wonderful cheese.  And we had the opportunity to taste some.  

 Farm raised been and pork.  A bit on the expensive side.

 And some fresh fish in a wonderful display.

   Casino at Marino

A Day of History June 6

A Day of History – June 6

First off, I want to say I had the best shower this morning. Every place we stay is a bit different, and I'll do a post about the B&B adventures when I get back, but I have been just dying for a nice strong hot shower for a couple of days now. This morning was no disappointment. It was everything a shower is supposed to be, and I enjoyed every minute. :)

Wexford is referred to as being in the “sunny southwest” and yesterday was exactly that. Today was a typical Irish day.... a little rain, a little sun, more rain, and more rain. But it didn't stop us from getting out and visiting a couple of places. As I was told, nothing stops the Irish unless it's a hurricane.

While we didn't plan it specifically for today, this was to end up being a history day. Maybe a little deja vu considering today is D Day.

We started out at Johnstown Castle and Gardens. Quite a history to the castle and the grounds. The architect who designed the grounds is the same one who designed Powerscourt Gardens in County Wicklow. The castle is closed, but the grounds are beautiful. We walked for over an hour even though it was sprinkling pretty good off and on. When we started out it was not raining, so we didn't take umbrellas, and thanks to the many trees with full foliage, we were able to shelter under a few as we walked the grounds. On a sunny day we might have spend longer, but today we looked for some other places to visit that might be inside.

We traveled to Enniscorthy to the National 1798 Center for our next stop ( http://www.1798centre.ie/) There was a wonderful interactive exhibit all about the rebellion and events that surrounded all the battles. I'm not really for walk through exhibits, but this was done extremely well. There was so much that I learned that I had not realized. One of the worst battles was at Vinegar Hill, outside of Enniscorthy. 1500 rebels died at that battle, and over the 4 weeks of the rebellion about 20,000 people died in County Wexford. At the time that was 1/6 of the population.

After the exhibit, we thought it only appropriate that we make a visit to Vinegar Hill. The rain had stopped and although the climb was steep, we forged ahead to the very top. There is no memorial at the top, only the left over remnants of a tower, that might have been a windmill, and the rock outcropping that is part of the peak. The views back to Enniscorthy are phenomenal, along with panoramas of other areas. As we walked around we found that they were in the process of creating a much less steep, and gravel paved pathway that we took going back down the hill. Good thing as the rain started again, as we were pretty wet as we reached the car. I think the anniversary of the battle is coming up on June 20 or 21^st.

As we headed down from Vinegar Hill we saw a sign that directed us to the Fr. Murphy Center in Boolavogue. The well known song Boolavogue is about Fr. Murphy. The center is small in comparison to most and doesn't get a lot of traffic on a day like today, but the exhibits are wonderful. Rita spent time walking thought the buildings out the back of the center and thought they were well restored without looking like they were overbuilt. They were not filled with unnecessary items but those things that reflected the time period. This is actually where Fr. Murphy lived and a lot of attention was given to making this realistic to the time period. Here are two places to learn a bit more about Fr. Murphy.

http://www.boolavogue.info/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fr-Murphy-Centre-Boolavogue/315611758499163

I have to say a Thank You to Pamela for keeping me company while Rita went exploring. I was chilled from being a bit damp and didn't feel up to go exploring. She would love it if you gave the center a “like” on Facebook. And if you are in the area, please make sure to stop by and learn about Fr. Murphy and his involvement in the 1798 rebellion.

Seeing as we were really chilled and the rain was back again, we didn't gel like going out for dinner, so we ordered in..... It was a Pizza Hut kind of night!

Tomorrow we head north to Castletown for a family fun day and this time hopefully a chance to see Niall O'Sullivan again,but this time with his jazz quartet.

For now I think a nice hot shower will round out my evening. :)

I've added a few pictures from today.  The first three are from Johnstown Castle and the last is from the top of Vinegar Hill.  

A Thursday in June

A Thursday in June

I didn't want to wait another day to write this while I still had some energy left tonight. It was a busy day.

We woke up early in Kilmore Quay and after breakfast headed down to the harbour to take a few pictures and look over to the Saltee Islands. We will have to wait for another trip with more time to take the boat trip over to see all the animals and natural elements that live and thrive on the islands.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day. The sun was out and the sky was clear. We headed into Wexford to meet up with Majella Londra for lunch at the Stable Diet Cafe on the third floor of the Opera House overlooking Wexford Harbour. It was great to see Majella again, and have some time to visit with her. We met her the first time we were in Wexford 3 years ago.

After lunch and back at the car we changed directions yet again. We were going to visit Johnstown Castle, but the weather was so beautiful we decided to take the drive down to Hook Head Lighthouse today instead of tomorrow. Might as well take advantage of the great weather, and you never know what might happen in 24 hours. Hook Head Lighthouse did not disappoint. I've been there before, but I'm such a sucker for a beautiful view I never mind going back.

I hope my pictures are at least a little indication of how beautiful out it was today. I left my one camera in the car, so pictures from earlier in the day will have to wait until tomorrow. :)

The drive back went smoothly; i.e., we did not get lost or even take a wrong turn. Of course that was different in Wexford Town where so many of the streets are one way and angle into one another. It was not long and we were at our B&B, and off for some dinner and a drink.

We had been told by Michael Londra we should definitely stop in at Simon Lamberts for a drink. And so we did. It was still early, 9:00PM, when we left to walk back to the B&B, so the evening crowd had not started to gather.

We can only hope that tomorrow brings as beautiful weather as today and be off to see some more of the area around Wexford Town.

Here are a couple of pictures from around Hook Head Lighthouse.

  

Where to Start.... June 3 and 4

Where to Start... June 3 and 4

When I travel like this I have trouble keeping track of what day it is. I am constantly checking my cell phone for the date. If I don't write blogs like this I really lose track of time and even where I have been. And that can only be within the last 24 hours!

So now I need to catch up with both yesterday and today. Both of these days were long drive days. If we had more time, we would have spent more time in Kinsale yesterday, and Kilmore Quay tonight/tomorrow. But time is of the essence now and we still have “places to go and people to see”! There is never enough time here in Ireland to do all I would like to do.

Yesterday morning we left Ballinskelligs and headed off to Mizen Head. Mizen Head is the most southern point in Ireland. Three years ago Rita and I were at Malin Head, the most northern point, and we had heard so much about Mizen Head, we thought it was a must for this trip. Malin Head is open and rugged, and incredibly beautiful. It's also windy, has narrow roads, and amazing views. On the other hand, Mizen Head is a commercial venture. The drive to the gift shop/cafe is not anywhere as scenic. When you get there, in order to get to the lighthouse on the point it's a walk and a climb of about 90 stairs, which you pay to do. It's also windy and yesterday it had started to rain. Views are quite limited unless you do the walk out to the lighthouse. On a nice sunny day with plenty of time, I would certainly take the time to do this. But in the rain and wind, with limited time (20-30 out to the lighthouse, then the same back) we opted to enjoy the one side view that we had and then head on to Kinsale.

We arrived in Kinsale around 7:00 last night, checked in to our B&B, and headed off for dinner at a place I've been to before, The Spaniard. It's just outside of town on a hill that heads up to Charles Fort. Last time I was there my friend, Tom Rourk, who had been to Ireland a couple of months before me, left an envelope with a receipt for a drink for me when I arrived. This time it was late, and we were tired from the long drive. We stayed only for dinner and then headed back to our B&B. I do have to say, the food was delicious.

Today, we headed off from Kinsale, after a full Irish Breakfast (we don't do this every day, but thought it would be a nice start for today).

Our first stop was Charles Fort. It's a partially restored ruin of a military star fort that was used to protect Kinsale Harbour from the late 1600's. The day was beautiful and sunny.... then it started to rain, and soon the sun was out again and we came out from under the protection of a doorway and continued our tour. The first Wednesday of each month all the sites that are part of the OPW (Office of Public Works) are free entry. That was the treat for today, even though we would have paid for this time to walk around and take pictures. It's spans 21 acres, so it's a huge site. We could have spent a couple of hours exploring, but again, we had places we needed to drive to.

Our next stop was outside of Midletown. We did the distillery last time, but this time headed to Shangarray to Ballymaloe. This is where Darina Allen has her cooking school. There is also a separate cafe which we also visited for lunch. As usual we spend more time than anticipated, so we had to make some adjustments in our plans for the day.

We had hoped to make a trip to Hook Head Lighthouse and Dunbrody Abbey, but postponed them until Friday (at least we hope they will work out as a Friday adventure) and decided to head directly to our “off the beaten path” destination in Kilmore Quay (btw, quay is pronounced “key”), a nice little seafaring town at the far south of County Wexford. I've been wanting to get here for ages. We finally arrived around 6:00PM and got sorted and headed off to Mary Barry's Pub for dinner. Fresh fish, or actually scallops, for me was tonight's treat.

Tomorrow we head into Wexford to stay for 2 nights, and meed up with Michael Londra's sister tomorrow afternoon for a bit. Rita and I met her 3 years ago and this is a little chance to say “hello” again.

But as I look at the clock, I realized it's time to climb into a nice warm bed and get some sleep. That 7:30am wake up alarm comes quicker than I would like. :)