Touring Ireland BackwardsSo apparently, most tours of Ireland, bus tours, self drive tours and even day tours start in either Dublin or Galway (mostly Dublin) and go over to the west coast, north then back to the east coast, occasionally darting down south to stop in and harass people in Cork. Us being us, we have done Ireland in a comparatively backwards loop and as a result, most of our pre-booked, spontaneous paid and free tours have ultimately been 'private' ie just us and a guide. I would highly recommend this way of doing things because smaller groups mean happier, more chilled out guides and less fellow tourists. ***Few pictures are letting me upload them at the moment because Weebly (the blog host I use) seems to hate me. As soon as I can, I will upload some pictures into the gallery on the other page but until then, please check out my Instagram & Facebook. If you were interested in any of the places we have been, I have reviewed most of the activities from the first half of our trip on TripAdvisor with more to come over the next week. Find the link on my home page! Monday 21st March, 2016We picked up our rental car today, a cute, zippy little silver thing and headed out of Dublin. The roads here are surprisingly similar to the signs and speeds back home so easy to map and read (yes, I am in charge of the map!). Our first stop was at Malahide Castle, in Malahide where the Talbot family had owned and lived on the estate for more than 800 years. The last 'lord' of the estate was fascinated by southern botany and so managed to get himself an ace job that let him travel to places like Asia and AUSTRALIA and bring back plant species uncommon to Europe. This was during a politically unstable time in Asia so it was a big thing that he was able to go there at all. Milo Talbot created, with his sister Rose, these gorgeous gardens either aide of the castle on their massive estate. After Milo died, the estate went to Rose briefly but then had to be sold to pay for his funeral. Rose moved to Victoria, Australia and died in 2006 at 93. I always thought these castles and the like were lived in in the distant past but not this one! It was very cool to see Rose in photographs as she got older. Our next stop was a series though a loop of sites. We went to see where the Battle of Boyle was fought (Boyle Valley), stopped by Newgrange but the tours were all booked out so we only saw it from a distance and saw the exhibition AND we went to the Hills of Tara probably my favourite stop. Our home for the night was just outside of Belfast, in a cute little pub Mel found called The Parador Inn. Best beds to sleep in since arriving in Ireland! Apparently, there are so many people trying to get in to see Newgrange on the solstice that they are having a raffle and only a dozen or so will get to be in Newgrange when the solstice sun rises and sets on the 20th/21st/22nd of March. It is one of the few times a year that the aisle inside the ancient monument is completely lit up on either side. Very cool! Tuesday 22nd March, 2016From The Parador (and their very helpful staff!) we bussed it into Belfast for the morning and visited the Titanic Museum and Exhibition. That place is huge! There are something like four floors and eight or nine galleries. We got audio-guides, luckily, to send us around a little faster but we were still an hour and a half going through it and could have stayed longer. There is even a ride inside to help tell the story of how the ship was built- in Belfast, just FYI! From there, we bussed back to the pub, picked up the car and headed out to the Giant's Causeway, our longest drive yet at two hours. Another audio-guide sent us around part of the causeway and told us all about the misadventures of the creative giant Finn McCool. I also heard about Finn in Scotland but they tend to look down on the giant there, apparently, their giant, Benandonner is much larger and scarier. Finn's wife, Oonagh seems to be the smarter of the pair in the stories and he sounds like a lucky man to have been allowed to stay in Ireland for so long as he has. I love Irish and Scottish mythology! The stones at the causeway are hexagonal in shape and the surrounding hills, mountains and bluffs each have mythological stories and 'real' stories behind their shapes and figures. It is most definitely somewhere I would recommend seeing in Ireland- especially when the weather is as good as it has been for us. On the way to our accommodation in Derry, we happened upon a castle on the coastal road. Dunluce Castle was a gorgeous find that sits on the edge of the land, overlooking bays. The exhibition inside the walls (mostly hollowed out) shows images of how the castle used to look and even the expansive town that used to branch out in multiple directions from the castle. Apparently, it was a home of a Scottish lord coming over with English blessings and so his neighbours weren't always pleased with his fortune and the growth of his town. Dunluce, itself, if now little more than grassy fields and a carpark because the city/town itself has disappeared. Fire burnt through it then, after a brief reoccupation, the site was abandoned, the buildings fell down and covered over time with dirt and grass until only the skeleton of the castle stood, as it does today. It is pretty cool to see and imagine it as it might have been. Wednesday 23rd March, 2016This morning we rushed into Derry to find the 4pound walking tour. Our cute guide John (who had an impressive salt'n'pepper beard going on!) took us around The Walled City, explaining its Catholic V Protestant history and the crazy progress they have made together towards peace over the past three hundred years. He admits that things aren't perfect now but after some horrible times (Bloody Sunday) Derry is improving and it is now safe to walk around streets that, in the '60's and '70's experienced rioting every other day and violence that is beyond my comprehension. There is still evidence of these times in the city. Within the walls there is a 'peace fence' to separate the two faith and keep them from throwing refuse and more dangerous items at the houses of their neighbours. However, I am pleased to say that this fence is more of a memento now rather than necessary and although some people still possess prejudices, who can say that isn't true to some extent everywhere. I got the impression that most Derry occupants were just grateful that the hate fighting and anger are (mostly) a thing of the past. After Derry, we ventured to another town on the map, Donegal, in search of their famous castle. Unfortunately, when we got there, the sign let us know that the castle was closed to visitors on Tuesday & Wednesday each week. Poor Mel! She at least got to see the outside and do some shopping in the meanwhile. We took a long, scenic route to a stop we had planned for Thursday and I have to say that the driving and the caves were my favourite part of the day. Marble Arch Cave Global Geopark is like a ginormous national park all about rocks- geologist heaven, basically! We didn't get to explore all of the park, it is way too huge, but we did get to see the exhibition and take the guided underground tour. Ian, our tour guide formed a quick bond with us over our love of hot chips, and his lack of lunch and apparently he has extended family on the Gold Coast. If you know a 'Sturdy' whose family comes from Ireland, we might be mutual friends ;) I would highly recommend stopping off at the caves for this tour. I know nothing about rocks or formations, but even I understood the basics and it was just plain amazing to see! We had a small group but members from age six to fifty. There are steep, wet steps but we were underground so no-brainer, really. It was remarkable and indescribable. Pictures don't even do it justice! Thursday 24th March, 2016Today was a day of driving and sight seeing aka a day to crush in as much as we possibly could in one day. We left Enniskillen and went to the nearby American Folk Park- it tells the history of a wealthy family from Ireland (the local area) who went to America and ultimately helped create Ulster Bank. Think of Old Sydney Town with the buildings (mostly original) and the costumed characters, all of whom were very nice and most of whom had relatives of some kind in Australia. From there we went to an out of the way area called Boa Island (which is kind of land locked but we won't split hairs!) to see two ancient megalithic statues of female pagan spirits. One was in its original position while the other had been relocated to the creepy gravesite beside fields and cows. It was interesting to read the old tombstones. In the 'city' of Enniskillen, we visited their castle which is, unfortunately largely under construction. We went through their museum and exhibitions but they largely talked about the different battalions and soldiers that stayed in the castle through various conflicts rather than about the castle itself. There was a lot of war memorabilia which is good if you are into that sort of thing but the entry was not very well sign posted and the exhibition outside of the wartime info was not very good. Our final tourist-y stop was a mining experience that, after a backwoods drive, took us to the top of a mountain- it was freezing! We were shown into the old coal mine by an ex-miner who had worked in Argina and another mine 18 years ago, since he was sixteen or so. He was very knowledgeable and it was fascinating to see how they used to move all that coal without todays technology, no way could I have even tried. They worked insane hours doing a mental job for menial pay then they had to walk home, wet from work at night in the bitter wind. I'm surprised that more men didn't die from it. On the way to our accommodation, we spotted a gorgeous abbey but couldn't go in as it was private property. Still, it was great to walka round and have a look! We ate at a local castle used as a resort for noisy children and their wealthy parents. Staff were nice & food was good- I posted a pic on Instagram of the outside. Friday 25th March, 2016 (Good Friday)All pubs are closed in Ireland, by law on Good Friday. It doesn't seem like a terribly big deal but to a country that makes its money off of alcoholics, a lot of people are unhappy about the situation. Luckily, some pubs remain open for food so the shaking alcoholics can get something to eat at the very least. Now, I'm not saying that you can't drink alcohol on Good Friday, just that nowhere will sell it to you, a few people at the hostel took that loophole to heart and were regretting it in the morning. After an early misadventure (thankyou TripAdvisor for sending us on a wild goose chase) today was a driving day. We found an old friary that was abandoned in 1798. People beyond that date had continued to bury their loved ones on the grounds and, in some cases, within the walls of the abandoned buildings themselves. It was spooky but worth the detour. We dropped our bags off at the nights accommodation in Galway then headed to the Cliffs of Moher in the later afternoon in time to catch the sprinkle of rain that is always there but in time to miss the crowds of tourists and see a little bit of sun. I adore the cliffs, they are just breathtaking and are one of the best spots to visit on the coast. It was a quiet night because it was Good Friday but a nice dinner and an early bed after travelling all that way was welcome. Saturday 26th March, 2016 (Easter Saturday)We checked out early today and took a walking tour around Galway. We got to see the old and the new parts of the college city and partake in a food festival- which is an annual thing if anyone is interested. It is easy to see why people can spend a week or more in this city, it has heaps of cultural, tourist-y and social things to do, definitely a spot to return to! From Galway, we basically drove south toward Cork, but not quite. We stopped in Limerick, another busy little town where we discovered and explored King John's castle- think the bad guy from Robin Hood! Apparently he wasn't very well liked by the people, but the castle was in great shape and the exhibition was fantastic. It was full of information about the castle, its owners and Irish history throughout time. I enjoyed it, even the parts meant for little kids :D From there we ended up in Mallow, a small town outside of Cork and drove into Cork for dinner. Sunday 27th March, 2016 (Easter Sunday)Another busy day today! We drove from Mallow down south to Blarney Castle, a gorgeous old property that has been restored and is visited by thousands of tourists each year- this is my second time and I love it just as much as the first! We climbed the many, many stairs of the old castle to meet 'George' (no idea if that is his name, or if he even has one but now he is forever more George). George's job is to hold people backwards over the wet, cold parapet day after day so that they can lean back into space and kiss the Blarney stone which is supposed to give them the gift of the gab. As well as the stone, there are the famous Poisoned Gardens and gorgeous waterfalls and rockeries constructed on the property by various past owners.
From Blarney, we travelled into Cork to check out their City Gaol, a great old place where people were tucked away for stealing things like hats and, in later years, a place for more political prisoners. As such, the place has been kept in fairly good condition and most of the cells were relatively clean during their use. There are two cells in particular where graffiti has been preserved from Irish men held for practicing their Irish faith and ways during The Happenings and were later hung for doing so as traitors to the crown. Very morbid, but an interesting read! (I bought my first two books here; one on ancient myths and another on witches- I think I lasted a fairly long time!) Cork to Kilkenny was one of the longest drives yet, just over two hours with a lunch break in a tiny town with great roast lamb! Our Kilkenny B&B host is a lovely, energetic man who enjoys bold floral wallpapers. We went into town for a Ghost & Vampire Tour- walking tour of the town. The guide was lovely but not particularly spooky but it was a nice walk around town. Tomorrow we head back to Dublin and pick p our lovely new friend, Ewa to have one last lunch in the town of Knowth (apparently where all the day tripping Dublinians like to go!), just a little north of Dublin, before we fly back to London and I have to start pretending to be an adult. Wish me luck!
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AuthorMy home is Australia, with my family and their many, many animals. I have travelled all around the world with my family and by myself where I have made too many friends to count. |