Day Zero: Buzz arrived in Dublin without his luggage. He waited for two hours before he was able to get his luggage and head to the hostel (Jacobs Inn). While waiting, he had his first IRISH Guinness! Once at the hostel, Buzz feared for his property, so he slept as much as he could stand before…
Day One: Buzz woke up, showered with no towel (apparently, you bring your own towel to a hostel), and headed to the airport bus. On bad advice from the concierge, he waited from 3 AM to 5:15 AM for the airport bus to show, all the while standing in a cold and drizzly Dublin night, with wet hair, as there was no hair dryer at the hostel. Once at the airport, he waited for Stephanie…and waited, because –
Stephanie’s flight out of DFW to Chicago was delayed by the weather – a Chicago snowstorm was shutting down alternate runways. She finally landed, and SPRINTED through O’Hare to get to her Aer Lingus flight to Ireland. Picture the weary traveler at an all-out sprint, like in the movies. Even a flight stewardess was running with Stephanie in order to get her through security and to the gate on time. She was the LAST to get to the plane; her luggage, alas, did not make it.
Now, Buzz and Stephanie were together. We picked up the rental, and proceeded to get lost in downtown Dublin. Once parked, we went to Collins Barracks, O’Shea Merchant for lunch, and the Guinness Storehouse before heading to the B&B. After getting lost and confused a few times, we finally found Hillview House. Dinner for Stephanie of potato and leek soup was in the town of Skerries at a place called Harvey’s. Then, back to the B&B for a good night’s rest after an exciting, fun-filled day. By 9 PM, we were in bed and slept through the night until 6:30 AM the next morning.
Day Two: Started with a REAL Irish breakfast at the B&B (sausage, fried egg, ham, bread puddings), then went to the airport to park the car – Buzz was tired of the Dublin traffic, so we took a bus to the Trinity College area. We saw the college, the Book of Kells, and went to have a drink at Buswell’s Hotel and Bar before seeing the Avoca tea room (Buzz’s grandmother claims to have eaten there once) and lunching at O’Donoghues Pub. A few visits around downtown Dublin, then back to the airport to pick up the car and check on Stephanie’s luggage. GOOD NEWS! Stephanie’s bag would be waiting for us at the Daru B&B. We headed out, enjoying the country scenery, and after getting lost ONLY ONCE, found the B&B. After a late dinner in a pub called The Bank in the town of Gorey, we came back to the B&B for a good night’s rest.
Day Three: Another Irish breakfast for Buzz, scrambled eggs and toast for Stephanie. We got on the road to Wexford, where we stopped to see the Commodore John Barry statue (founder of the U.S. Navy) and the Twin Churches. We pressed on to the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, where we wandered around for over an hour in a surprisingly green (for January) arboretum. Pressed for time, we skipped the hilltop observation point to head to New Ross and the SS Dunbrody Emigrant ship. The original ship was run aground in Canada, and a full scale replica was built in the 1990’s, taking 6 years to complete. The original was used during the Famine to take passengers to the new world, and return with whatever goods and merchandise was available. Finally, we went to the next B&B (Newlands Country House, a very posh place to stay) and headed out to a local pub for dinner. Again, the shortcomings of Irish maps and directions forced us to find a place in Kilkenney for dinner – a pizza parlor. However, on our way, we took a wrong turn and came upon a castle – that never happens in the States! After dinner, we stopped at a bar for Guinness, and found three Irish women drinking AMERICAN beer! By this time, we were getting worn out, and headed back to the B&B for a fresh start tomorrow.
Day Four: The day began with the boiler failing at the B&B, so it was a brisk morning at the inn. Breakfast was again large and wonderful. Buzz stuck with the full Irish breakfast – he thought it was “grand.” Stephanie had two eggs over medium with hash browns and tomato. There was also a pot of tea and a pot of coffee for each of us. On the advice of our hostess, we headed to Kells Priory, where the Book of Kells was found, prior to heading to Kilkenney. The Kells Priory is largely ruins. We wandered through the area for about an hour before heading to Kilkenney on a rural road, instead of using the highway. After finding a car park, we walked to Kilkenney Castle and toured the castle foundations and ground. We then took a walk through town, seeing churches, cemeteries, pubs, shops, and ruins. We stopped at Langston’s Hotel and Pub for lunch – soup and brown bread (which we’ve come to eat at least once a day), then drove to Blarney and our next B&B. There was some minor confusion regarding the roads as we went through Cork, but overall the trip was uneventful. In Blarney, we walked the village green before eating at the Muskerry Arms Hotel – Buzz had roast pork, Stephanie had Shepherd’s Pie. We stayed in the pub area for drinks, meeting Owen and his wife, and listening to a solo singer performing Irish folk songs and a few American love songs. On the way back to the B&B, we stopped at the other major pub in the village to see traditional Irish folk dance and music. Overall, a very busy day.
Day Five: We began the day with another large, traditional Irish breakfast – a norm for our trip. After breakfast, we headed to Blarney Castle, only five minutes from our B&B. Almost 30 years ago, Buzz’s grandmother walked the grounds of the castle. We got some beautiful pictures. When we got to the top of the castle, you could kiss the Blarney Stone for the gift of eloquence. However, we decided to blow it a kiss – just like Grandma! – and Stephanie hugged a friendly local before descending down the spiral stone staircase to the courtyard. Next, we headed down the coastline to Drombeg Stone Circle. Stephanie got an eerie calm feeling; Buzz got muddy. From the Stone Circle, you could see the Atlantic Ocean. We continued down the coastline to Mizen Head, the southernmost point of Ireland. Though the visitor’s center was closed, we walked around the area and enjoyed the magnificent view of the Atlantic’s waves breaking on the Ireland shoreline. We headed for our next B&B, the Elyod (Doyle spelled backwards) via the coastline roads. We drove through the Caha and Mangerton Mountains, part of the Ring of Kerry, and through Killarney National Park before arriving at Elyod’s. While the views were beautiful (as were the herds of sheep in the middle of the country/mountain roads), we rethought our plans for the next day. To save our sanity, we decided to forgo driving the entire Ring of Kerry, and focus instead on things to see in Killarney. That night, we finally experienced traditional Irish weather – a steady, soaking rain. We wandered through the town before grabbing a pizza at a local “fast food” joint. Lesson learned from traveling in the off-season: not all the pubs serve food, and not all the restaurants are open. We finally settled in at the Killarney Grand, where we dried in front of a fire, and listened to some traditional Irish music.
Day Six: After a moderate breakfast and spirited conversation with out hostess – she is an avid follower of the Presidential primaries – we began to explore Killarney. We started at the Ross Castle, just down the road from the B&B, and finished with the Muckross House and Gardens. Stephanie did some shopping at their craft center and bought a piece of crystal, to which Buzz responded, “I don’t see what the big deal is – it’s just glass.” After lunch in town, we started the drive to Adare. Along the way, we attempted to see Crag Cave, but it had reduced hours in the off-season, and was unfortunately closed. Arriving early at Berkely Lodge (our Adare B&B), we decided to check in and explore the town. We saw Desmond Castle, the Augustinian Priory, the Trinitarian Priory, and the Town Park – all while avoiding random rain showers. Of course, we learned the rain only starts after Stephanie says, “At least it’s not raining.” After checking out the Adare Heritage Center and Library, we decided to grab an early dinner and turn in early in order to attack tomorrow with fresh legs and a fresh attitude.
Day Seven: The next day, we were up early and enjoyed a hot and filling breakfast, and a quick trip to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Actually, the traffic in Limerick was pretty bad, but we were still among the first there. We wandered around the park and Castle, enjoying the restored buildings. In the castle itself, we met Tour Guide Jack, who told us wonderful stories about the castle, as well as recent Irish history. He was quite a character! After a hearty lunch (and a glass of mead) at Durty Nelly’s, we started the drive to Kilkea Castle, a working castle/hotel and our final overnight stay in Ireland. Did I mention we had to deal with random rain showers all day? It made for quite an “exciting” drive. Kilkea Castle was quite impressive, and we arrived early enough to walk around, exploring an old graveyard nestled between the golf course and the tennis courts. It turned out we were the only guests staying in the castle that night (if you don’t’ count the ghosts, our hostess told us), so we decided to eat at the golf course club instead of the hotel restaurant. Due to our early morning travel plans, we turned in before 9 PM – the castle ghosts were active until nearly midnight…
Day Eight: Our day started at 3:30 AM – we wanted to try and beat the rain (though we wound up driving through A LOT of it!), and give ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport. We left Kilkea Castle by 4:30 AM, and were dropping off the rental car by 5:50 AM. Since our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 10:30 AM, we had PLENTY of time. In reality, our flight to JFK airport was delayed by about 30 minutes, forcing us to walk BRISKLY through JFK airport to catch our connecting flight to DFW. Alas, the day’s travel was not joyous – Stephanie was fighting a cold, causing painful ear pressure during the first flight’s descent, and our luggage did not travel as briskly through JFK – it wasn’t delivered to the house until nearly midnight. But we made it home safe and sound, and had a WONDERFUL Irish adventure, with tons of pictures, stories, and memories to share.
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