It took us a while to get our hire car but eventually they gave us an Audi. We got an Internet package that gave us unlimited service and so used the GPS on our ipad, got to our B&B and met Sheila. As it was about 8.30 by then it was a quick cup of tea and off to the local for dinner. Disappointed it wasn't a traditional Irish Pub but at that time of night beggars can't be choosers.....
After a traditional Irish breakfast we set off for Newgrange.
Newgrange is the site for the best known Irish passage buriel tomb. Huge carved rocks guard the entrance to the 5000 year old passage and chamber.
we then went into Dublin to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. The book of Kells contains lavishly decorated writings in Latin of the four gospels . It was written by monks in about the year 800 on calfskin.
We had a job finding where the entry to Trinity College was and so parked in a parking lot tucked in between a few buildings and caught a cab there and back. It had started to rain mistily so the cab was our best option.
Next morning we left for County Cork and the town of Blarney where, of course the Blarney Castle is.
We were very lucky as the line up is usually very long but on the day we went we walked straight in. We found out later that next day there would be about 21 thousand people coming through.
The main dining hall minus the floor.
The narrow staircase on the way down standing on step 2.
The Castle was interesting but the climb up to the Blarney Stone was a nightmare. There were 126 steps up a small circular tower with the steps coming off a central ledge, very narrow and very steep with each step up getting narrower than the last and only up as there was another set of spiral steps down. Once I started up I couldn't pull out as there were people coming behind me, It was well worth the trip though and coming down was not quite as hard.
The kitchen area - up near the top. Not sure how the little lady got the groceries from the supermarket all the way up to that level.
A narrow slit where the wife could spy on The Lord of the manor while he was wrestling with the kitchen wench in the stables.......or where the soldiers could fire their arrows down onto the enemy.
The grate where arrows, stones etc could be poured down onto the floor below if the enemy scaled the walls. its called the Murder Hole.
Stuart puckering up!
At the top, we could see the battlements, where the soldiers tipped rocks and fire on the enemy who broached the sides and then when we got to the Blarney Stone, I realised that I wouldn't ever get my back into the right shape if I tried to kiss it so Stuart had to kiss it for me and for Kylie as she asked me to.
The enemy in front of the castle
The Shannon River in Limerick - it was quite windy that day, and cold.
all the paddocks in the area were marked out with fences of stone. Tons and tons of it.
Next day we went through to Galway, but on the way detoured over to the west coast to the Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately, it was overcast all day and not good for photos, but was still good.
The sun (what little we could see of it) going down on Galway Bay
We got to our B&B, unloaded our stuff and went out again to see if we could see the sunset, but although it had cleared a bit there wasn't much sun. We also couldn't find Claddah (which apparently is an area in Tipperary town) either so I was a bit disappointed. For those not in the know. A favourite song of my Grandmothers was,
"If you ever go across the sea to Ireland,
Then maybe at the closing of your day,You will sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh,
And see the sun go down on Galway Bay"
made famous by Bing Crosby in the 60's
UI was so looking forward to the typical old country Irish pub with music and noise and country food, but due to the depression Ireland has been experiencing most of the country pubs have closed down and very few have music through the week and very little patronage early in the week.
Found a nice restaurant sign which was lovely as that is Brett's nickname for me.....
King Johns Castle
After a good nights sleep we headed for Tipperary and some serious family research.
I would love to say it was successful but I don't think it was at this end. My great grandmothers information was a bit sketchy and we have a possible match but I have to try for birth certificate later.
To while away the afternoon, we went to look at the rock of Cachel, which was another A.B.C (another bloody castle). However we went to look at a historic village where the guy who runs and owns it spent so much time telling us about the history of his town and the Irish rebellion we had very little time to tour the village before heading back to Tipperary and our bed for the night .
Next day we headed north to a town called Nenagh where my great Grandfather came from. I thought we may have more luck there but after paying another search fee, the historian said that a possibility could be an unusual Christian name (David) and she would do a thorough search and email me any results. Apparently all records were kept by the parish and two different lots of records were kept but both were kept in the same building so when the churches were burnt down both lots of records were destroyed. The British also deliberately destroyed records where possible as well.
We left Tipperary Town and I was very disappointed but with a tinge of hopefulness.
We headed to Sligo via the middle of Ireland still with overcast sky's.
For the first half of the time in Ireland, it lived up to expectations with the weather either overcast or raining. We couldn't complain as out of the 3 months we have been traveling half the world, we have had 2 days of rain neither of wich were bad enough to curtail our activities.
One day bleak and the next day beautiful.
No wonder it is called THE EMERALD ISLE....
We arrived at our B&B a little out of the town of Sligo but quite close to the west coast of Northern Ireland. It rains there over 200 days a year.
Looking west from just south of Sligo. The scenery was some of the best we have seen in the 3 months since we left home.
I got the news when we arrived at our B&B that the lovely lady at the Geneology Society in Nenagh had found quite a bit on my great grandparents including marriage certificates of my great great grand parents so I was elated and couldn't wait to get back to Australia to see what she had unearthed.
From Sligo we went north east to Bushmills
And to tag on to a tour of the Whiskey Distillery. It was very interesting and gave me some ideas on how to improve the taste of my "Hawkes Hideaway" Whiskey. ...and it wasn't going to improve any more if I made it in huge vats either.
On the way there we went to see the Giants Causeway. How nature could make these marvels is beyond belief. They were so huge and so precise.
The dark ones are because they are wet.
My intrepid adventurer
One of our B&B's
We knew once we crossed the border from the Republic of Ireland into the North, there were Union Jack flags flying on nearly every pole interspersed with the Northern Ireland Flag.
Kilometres became miles and the Euro changed to Sterling again.
When we hired the car it was recommended that we use an Internet dongle and use our iPad for GPS. Once we entered the north, we couldn't get Internet connection, and so no GPS. This was not a problem on the road but in the city when we were trying to find a particular place or out in the country trying to find the exact location of our B&B proved to be a problem.
With our holiday quickly coming to a close we had our final night at a place in Dublin and took in the Guinness Brewery and then to the Airport and on to London for a short stopover and then to Dubai.
Stuart learning the tricks of the trade. Kylie see if Doug has a job for him when we get home!!!!
Look at me.... Aren't I clever?.....
