Our Ireland Travel Journal for 2007
and many, many more cows.
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If we've given a link to a B&B, we recommend it. It should be easy to spot the ones we don't recommend.
Pricing given in either US dollars or Euros depending on our whim.
Exchange rate in 2007 was about 1 to 1.48.
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2007-2008
View Map of Route. Clicking on a number on the map will take you to that location in the journal.
We started this trip with B&B reservations in Dublin for the first few days, then headed down thru Avoca to Inchigeelagh. From there we dropped down to the Sheep's Head for a night and then to Castletownbere to stay with our friends the Harringtons. We spent Christmas and Wren's Day in Ballyferriter and then spent a lovely night in Camp. Then off to Co. Clare and Kilfenora. We planned to stay a week and then wander North, but weather and Clare inspired us stay two weeks and then flew out of Shannon.
Itinerary:
Wednesday 12/12 - Portland, OR to Dublin
Thursday 12/13 - 'Round Dublin
Friday 12/14 - More 'Round Dublin
Saturday 12/15 - 'Round and 'Round Dublin
Sunday 12/16 - Dublin to Avoca, Co. Wicklow
Monday 12/17 - Avoca, Co. Wicklow to Inchigeelagh, Co. Cork
Tuesday 12/18 - Inchigeelagh, Co. Cork
Wednesday 12/19 - Inchigeelagh, Co. Cork
Thursday 12/20 - Inchigeelagh, Co. Cork to
Kilchrohane, Co. Cork
Friday 12/21 - Kilchrohane, Co. Cork to Castletownbere Co. Cork
Saturday 12/22 - Castletownbere Co. Cork
Sunday 12/23 - Castletownbere Co. Cork to Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry
Monday 12/24 - Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry
Tuesday 12/25 - Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry
Wednesday 12/26 - Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry
Thursday 12/27 - Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry
Friday 12/28 - Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry
Saturday 12/29 - Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry to Camp, Co. Kerry
Sunday 12/30 - Camp, Co. Kerry to Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Monday 12/31 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Tuesday 1/1 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Wednesday 1/2 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Thursday 1/3 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Friday 1/4 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Saturday 1/5 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Sunday 1/6 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Monday 1/7 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Tuesday 1/8 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Wednesday 1/9 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Thursday 1/10 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
Friday 1/11 - Kilfenora, Co. Clare
to Shannon, Co. Clare
Saturday 1/12 - Shannon, Co. Clare
Sunday 1/13 - Dallas, TX
Monday 1/14 - Portland, OR
Wednesday 12/12
We wandered into Dublin airport at
an early hour while it was still dark. The flight was pretty uneventful
and seemed to pass quickly. We were prepared for a late sunrise
and early sunset (approximately 8am and 4pm), as opposed to the 6am and
10pm we experienced in June of 2005.
We secured our rental car at Irish Car
Rentals, a wee, but functional
Kia Sorento. We'd reserved online well in advance, the most cost effective
way to go! The clutch and brake felt a bit out of sync in the general
positioning we were used to and never seemed to get any better throughout
the trip. We launched ourselves into the traffic flow (and dark) and
promptly ended up in the wrong lane and in a parking lot. After careful extrication
we were back on the road and headed for Mellifont Abbey.
Lack of sleep,
jet lag and stress at driving on the wrong side of the road resulted in
some tense marital moments, but we survived to arrive safely. This being the off
season, we didn't expect much to be open, and we were not disappointed. The site was closed for the season and we were to
early in the day at any rate. We're not adverse to hopping a fence or slipping under a turnstile if
there isn't anyone about. 
Why avoid an experience just because it doesn't
appear to be open. Chances are if you wait, no one will show up anyway.
Don't be shy, apologize later. If the booth is open, offer to pay, chances
are they'll wave you away. There was no gate or turnstile (and no open
restroom) so we went down the stairs to the site. Parts of the site were
undergoing restoration and the scaffolding didn't do anything to improve
the view. Restoration work is pretty common, but rarely is the entire site
obscured.
We wandered around Mellifont with no one in sight. The best part wasn't the
abbey, but the bit above the parking lot. The abbey itself isn't overly
picturesque except for the octagonal lavabo where the monks used to wash
up. No restroom open here either. There are what looks like cloister
arches remaining that are very light in construction. Most of the site is
graveled and a little pristine. There is a small chapel with a view
down to the gateway and a small graveyard above the car park. This area
was much more interesting and less polished. The light was perfect, early
morning and golden. Another good thing about this time of the year, the
light is low on the horizon all day. This provides good light for
photography pretty much all day. We were fortunate with the weather, very
little rain and many dramatic clouds. The weather was on the chilly side,
but we dressed in layers and had gloves.
The next stop was Monasterboice. Just a short drive
away from Mellifont Abbey. We found it with
little problem and less marital issues. The parking lot was well posted with
warnings about leaving valuables in the car unattended. A suspicious
looking caravan was parked nearby, but no signs of life. We had all our
luggage with us, but as there wasn't anyone around and unlikely to be, and
the site to the car was a very short distance, we didn't worry much.
Monasterboice was little changed from our 2002 visit. A nicely laid out
site, with high crosses, older gravestones and a round tower. We still had
great light and took many pictures around the site. The main difference we
noticed was the lack of foliage. Scott found a new lock to add to the
image collection.
Jet lag caught up with us and we made a stop in the parking lot of
Donaghmore Church and Round Tower in Co. Meath for a brief nap. We were
not expecting the site, it just snuck up on us. The car park was
large and out of site of the main road. Perfect for a quick recharge. Scott
hopped out for a brief run around the site after the nap. Not a lot to see, there was a
very nice metal gate at the back of the graveyard. There graveyard is
clean and neat. The stone tower is in good shape, but not much else
remains. It was pretty chilly out, so it was nice to get back into a warm
car.
We had never been to the Hill of Tara so off we went. We made a
brief detour to a St. Patrick's Holy Well nearby. Not much to see, but here it is.
The sign nearby had some history of the site. You should be able to read
it if you click on the image to the left. The site is just a bit further
down the road to the left of Tara.
The
Hill of Tara itself is singularly unexciting. A hill it truly is, you walk past a
statue of St. Patrick, past a church and through a graveyard, and then across a field and up a
hill. Fair warning, the hill is slippery,
especially in bad weather and strewn with
sheep and their droppings. It is hard to tell the mud from the extrusions.
Probably not so good in nice weather either. There was a gentleman in a
suit, tie and dress shoes, it was just a matter of time before he went
down. Walking
up isn't so bad, the descent is treacherous. Scott took a tumble and wore
the muck for the duration of the day. The sheep stuff wiped of the
camera, but maintained a stubborn hold on the camera strap throughout the
trip. The view from the Hill of Tara is picturesque (depending on the
weather and visibility). Other than that, it isn't remarkable. Probably in
tourist season the guides season the walk with liberal applications of
history, craic and blarney which improves any excursion. I had to settle
for the liberal application of sheep poo. We
stopped in the nearby cafe for hot tea and scones, they were wonderful in
fortifying us for the rest of the day. The clotted cream and jam were
lovely.
Our next stop was outside of Trim at the St.
Peter and Paul Cathedral and Newtowntrim Cathedral in
Co. Meath. We'd visited this site in 2005 and were looking forward to a
recap. The site was little changed except being either better trimmed or
just winter die back on the weeds, and we didn't find anything new
and interesting, but took a lot of pictures anyway. There are some nice
stone details at Newtowntrim higher up on the wall like the angel shown on
the right. Well worth a visit. It is easy to find along the main road to
Trim. Just cross the stone bridge and park along the road. There are ruins
on both sides of the bridge.
The next stop was Bective Abbey, Co. Meath. This was a favorite of our son
Josh in 2005, so we had go make a stop. We found parking and avoided the
traffic across the street. Scott was distressed as someone has replaced
the antique lock with a more modern and less attractive model. We climbed
through the small gate and crossed the field to the abbey. We climbed the
entry stairs and immediately made a phone call to Josh to tell him we'd
arrived and where we were. We had to leave a message. We wandered through
the site with much reminiscing about how much fun it had been with Josh.
We wandered along toward Dublin to the goal of getting to our accommodations
at Avoca House B&B.
We'd been there two times already and didn't anticipate any problems
finding it. We were so wrong. New technology didn't help. The Blackberry
with GPS didn't work. It couldn't find where we were, so that didn't help.
Somewhere North of Drumcondra we admitted defeat and phoned Jack at Avoca House B&B.
He gave complete and rapid fire instructions, perceiving where we were
from landmarks and gave details of how to get to where we needed to be. Karen
understood enough to get us back on track. Well after dark, we arrived
safe and sound. We enjoyed the usual friendly welcome and settled into our
ground floor room. We took the obligatory excursion to Fagin's Pub for
dinner and were pleased as usual with the quality of the Guinness. The food is good
but basic.
We had a good nights sleep, dead to the world in a comfortable bed.
We started up in a leisurely fashion. We arrived
for breakfast a bit late, anticipating a bit of abuse from Audrey, our
hostess. We were not disappointed. She served the usual full Irish on
request, replete with stories and the full craic. Hopefully she enjoyed
our conversation as much as we enjoyed hers. We caught her up with our
family information and inquired as to hers. sounds like life has been good
to her and the family. Full to the gills with eggs, rashers, sausage and
accessories, we sallied forth towards Dublin. The card in the hall
refreshed our memory as to the bus routes to city centre.
Karen had plans to spend the day in the National Archive doing family
research. We'd verified that they were actually open this time. We took
the bus downtown, stopped at the tourist centre on O'Connell Street to pick up Scott's
prepurchased City Bus Tour pass (the best value), and walked to the National
Archive. It was open, Oh Joy. Karen proceeded inward, while Scott headed
towards St. Stephan's Green and the nearest City Bus Tour stop.
Boarding the bus, it proceeded onward to Christ's Church Cathedral, Scott's first stop o' the day. This was a first visit and worth every Euro of the modest entry fee. There was some class of Christmas preparation in progress the caused some disruption of the main area. The rest of the cathedral was unaffected. The rear area and the lower level were the most interesting. It is a bit eerie to walk around under the cathedral with all that stone above. There was an interesting historical exhibit below that didn't allow photography, so no pictures of it. There was a lot of gold and silver plates and other pieces of memorabilia from the cathedral's past. The rest of the underbeneath was open to photo opportunities. When exiting the main entrance, go towards the East, the large door is attractive and there is a historical site of the original site of the cathedral. Further East, look up to to see the gargoyles on the upper wall.
St. Patrick's Cathedral is a short walk South from Christ's Church Cathedral.
The modest price to enter is again, worth every Euro. The
cathedral is photo friendly with tripods allowed. The real trick is how
long to stay as there are photo opportunities at every glance. Fortunately
I have a VR lens that provided image stabilization and removed the necessity
for a tripod in most cases. I was able to get some good interior shots
with very little light. I didn't use the flash as that would disrupt the
other activity and people in the cathedral. One of these days I am going
to have to be more disciplined about using a tripod. It is just a hassle
to carry around and setup. After about an hour of happy wandering it was
off for the next point of interest and my real goal for the day!
Back on the City Tour bus and along for a few stops. Past Kilmainham Gaol, no stops here this time, I had bigger fish in mind. Kilmainham Gaol is well worth a visit, especially if it is your first time 'round. The next stop was Heuston Station. Not so interesting. The building architecture is nice, but there were a fair amount of layabouts at the side entrance. The front had a lot more legitimate looking traffic, but overall it wasn't that interesting. I crossed the Island bridge and off towards the National Museum at Collin's Barracks.
I had it on good authority (their website) that the Sea Stallion, a replica Viking ship was on display at the National Museum at Collin's Barracks. In addition the museum was free. All good as far as I can see. I found the museum with little trouble and as soon as I went through the main arch, there was the Viking ship on the opposite side. I took a couple of pictures and headed into the museum. Photography wasn't allowed inside, but it is well worth a visit. I didn't spend long enough there, but longer than I should as we shall soon discover. The museum has clothing, furniture, jewelry and pretty much anything else you could imagine representing Irish history over the years. As you can see from the courtyard picture, there are four floors and it all surrounds the courtyard. Not only is it huge, but easy to get lost in. Floors are signed with some directions, but it is a bit overwhelming. I'd count on spending at least half a day here if this type of thing interests you. I also breezed past the information area, so you might check for a map or additional guidance. After a whirlwind tour of some of the floors, I head back out to the ship for a closer look. There is a platform you can climb to look down inside. Those Vikings were a hearty lot to head out to sea in something like this. Fair made my Scandinavian blood boil!
Now
we get to the sad part of the tale, never fear, it has a happy ending. I
headed for the Smithfield Viewing Chimney. This used to be some class of a
smokestack, but has been fitted with an elevator and viewing platform. I
thought that it might be a good view of the city and not crowed. On the
way over a passed a largish enclosed skating rink with hundreds of heads
whizzing by. Plywood obscured everything but the head. I couldn't tell if
it was ice or roller skating, but the people seemed to be having a good
time. Approaching the chimney I observed that it seemed to be uncrowded.
No lines, in fact to people at all. A sign in front informed me that the
Chimney was closed for renovations. So much for that idea. Nowhere online
had I seen any notice of it being closed. Maybe next time.
The next stop was St. Michan's Church. Renowned for several things, first is the elaborate wood carving over the organ, second for Handel having played the organ, possibly composing parts of The Messiah as it's first performance was in the New Musick Hall in Fishamble Street, Dublin. The third and most famous is the mummies in the vaults under the church. Evidently the conditions are perfect for preserving bodies and several coffins have broken open, exposing the contents. I had high hopes for a visit, but they were cruelly dashed when the iron gate was securely locked, and the hours on the sign read differently from the web site information. Looked like this wasn't going to happen this trip.
Do you see a mounting trend here of disparate information between the web and reality? I trudged back in the direction of the National Archive, with the realization of the time and needing to get back to rescue Karen from the bowels of the library. Along the way I passed a modern building with the reflection of older architecture reflected in its mirror surface. Pretty much an accurate representation of Dublin today.
I arrived intact, after negotiating carolers, traffic, buskers and shoppers, at the National Archive. No sign of Karen so I settled on an outside bench to contemplate the day's events and the construction scaffolding, tarps and renovation equipment strewn all around the front of the building. Across from me was a nice lamp with buildings silhouetted in the deepening evening light. I shot a few frames and then headed inside to see if Karen had escaped from the mountain of books.
Upon Karen's release from the National Archive and the return of all her material possessions, we discussed the next priority. It appeared to be food and Guinness, not necessarily in that order. We also wanted to try to get some images of the Ha'penny Bridge at night so we wandered off in that general direction.
Saturday 12/15
Sunday 12/16
Monday 12/17
Tuesday 12/18
Wednesday 12/19
Thursday 12/20
Friday 12/21
Brookhaven is where we were going to stay, but we had a better offer! We stayed with the Harringtons in the apartment above the restaurant and butcher shop. They had rented out the house to someone associated with the Dunboy Castle restoration.
Saturday 12/22
Sunday 12/23
Monday 12/24
Tuesday 12/25
Wednesday 12/26
Thursday 12/27
Friday 12/28
Saturday 12/29
Sunday 12/30
Monday 12/31
Tuesday 1/1
Wednesday 1/2
Thursday 1/3
Friday 1/4
Saturday 1/5
Sunday 1/6
Monday 1/7
Tuesday 1/8
Wednesday 1/9
Thursday 1/10
Friday 1/11
A wild community night in Linnane's pub in Kilfenora.
Saturday 1/12
Sunday 1/13
This was a painful excursion.
Monday 1/14