Travelling Trio

Ireland – Blarney Castle the Corrs and more…

• By Denise
• March 2, 2016
• No Comments

It’s now the end of January and wow, what a surprise arriving at Dublin Airport. We were welcomed into Ireland with a friendly smile and no questions asked – seemed too easy. As it is winter in Ireland we were well prepared for the rain, wind and potential snow however after asking the locals it appears they hardly ever get snow which disappointed Carter somewhat. We collected our rental car – a perfect size Ford Focus and headed off in search of our first night’s accommodation. Charleville Lodge just outside of the busy Dublin streets was perfect as we were able to park our car in their parking lot and felt very comfortable in the room with luxurious beds and a standard bathroom.

After finding we were still over our suggested budget it was our plan to try to keep our costs down by self-catering however this was all but impossible here in Ireland as we just couldn’t find accommodation which could both provide parking for our rental car and self cater at the same time. So, we compromised with cheaper hotels and making our breakfast (cereals) and buying our lunch/dinners which avoids us having to pay the exorbitant parking fee costs.

Ok, so our first day in Dublin was awesome – we wandered around the Grafton Street shopping area, met some friendly locals at the Pieman shop and found a pub that had live Irish music. Finding a shop that sells standard meat pies is difficult so to find this Pieman Shop in the middle of Dublin was music to Dave’s ears!! Then it was off to Kilmainham Gaol which is now a museum. This prison was first built in 1796 and originally public hangings would take place outside the Gaol until the 1820’s. There was no segregation between men, women and children – can you imagine that? Children were sometimes arrested for simple things such as petty theft and the youngest was said to be only 7 years old. This Gaol has been recognised by the Irish as being one of the most important sites in relation to the struggle for Irish Independence as it was home to the majority of the Irish leaders in the various rebellions over the early years. What a great first day in Dublin!

Next day off to Belfast and visiting the Titanic Experience. For anyone thinking of visiting Ireland this is a must see. The area that has been set aside and restored to reflect the comings and goings of the Titanic is superb. The company Harland and Wolfe which built the Titanic is still very much alive and well and continues to build ships today with each of their ships being allocated a number – Titanic’s was 401. The stories and murals depicting the history of the mighty ship are thought provoking and moving and it is something Carter really enjoyed. He was fully involved in the building of the ship and working out how many rivets were needed to build it and seeing just how high the ship was. Really impressive. A smaller tender ship called the “Nomadic” is moored and you are able to walk on board and get a feel for what the passengers were doing way back in 1912. The Nomadic ferried the passengers from Cobh to the Titanic just two days before it sank and is still in the same condition as it was in 1912. Replicas of the life jackets worn were there and you could try on a captain’s hat and uniform too. All of this meant I felt the experience was a 10/10 and as I said earlier – a must see.

 

Back to Dublin and to the Corrs concert that night. Oh what a wonderful experience – Dave was in seventh heaven as he has been a fan of the Corrs for years and to see them in their home country was a dream come true. We had great seats and thoroughly enjoyed the concert. I forgot to mention that on our way back from Belfast we took a drive by the home of Corrs in the city of Dundalk. No – we were not stalkers – just curious fans driving by!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So next we are off down south stopping by in Waterford to see where the Vikings lived and to watch Waterford crystal being made. Geez those furnaces are hot! The men twist and turn and blow the glass to produce some amazing pieces. We have been tempted so many times to purchase at these exhibits but realise that we must carry them around with us so unfortunately the extent of my purchases are simply tea-towels from each country.

 

After Waterford it was onto Cobh. Unfortunately it was a wet and cold day in Cobh so we didn’t get to experience as much as we would have liked to at this place however we did visit Kelly’s Bar for a cider and beer so we did get a taste of the hospitality Cobh had to offer.

Our accommodation was a hotel just outside of Cork and this meant we were able to enjoy a Hotel bar and music without having to drive anywhere!

Next day we drove around the Ring of Kerry. First stop Killarney and then off following the anti-clockwise direction. This is standard route and we were warned to keep this direction as you don’t want to meet a tour bus coming the other way on some of those narrow roads. The day itself was fairly windy and wild which meant we got some good views of the sea roaring against the cliffs near Portmagee. This area has some stunning scenery and we were only able to capture a touch of what it has to offer. We got a great photo beside one of the waterfalls and Molls Gap gave us some good views from up high. Here’s the map we followed although we did venture off track to see Portmagee and go through the windy roads over to Ballinskelligs and onto Waterville.

Last day down south and it was a trip to Blarney Castle. We had set aside an hour for this but Blarney Castle and its surrounds were so interesting we ended up spending three hours there. Of course we are all eloquent now as we all climbed to the top of the castle and ‘kissed the blarney stone’ – so for all of the people who have not done this – you are not ‘eloquent’!!

Blarney Castle was originally built in 1210 but was reconstructed in 1446 and you can see photos of how the Castle was furnished in its time. I can imagine the hilarity and frivolity at the parties they would hold. Carter found it interesting that they had trap doors and areas to pour hot oil down on unsuspecting unwanted guests. Eeeek, glad that doesn’t happen in this day and age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surrounding the Castle are extensive gardens which have paths leading to the Wishing Steps (you walk backwards with your eyes closed concentrating on just one wish and if you succeed in this your wish will come true) and Witch’s cave and Druids Circle. In summer it would be a wonderful day trip to bring a picnic and enjoy the peacefulness of the area (subject to many tourists of course) and take in the Poisonous garden too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Dublin and for our final day we ventured back to the Pieman and visited the oldest pub in Dublin for more live music in the Temple Bar area and taking in a Viking Tour on an aqua truck or some such thing. Quite the experience and our guide was hilarious. This type of tour gives you a quick rundown as to what’s on offer in Dublin and a bit of a history too. While on the river in the Aquatruck we passed U2’s recording studios and I guess I was a little surprised at how ‘normal’ they looked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were all a bit sad to be leaving Ireland as we have found the Irish to be friendly and fun! However we are not sure we could continue with the winter here as it was a lot colder than we had been used to. Off to the United States and it is mid twenties there so we are back into the sun!