Travel to Ireland Part 3

Shetland pony

On May 1 we said goodbye to the animals of Ballyseede Castle and made our way to Limerick. We were hoping to see White House Bar, established in 1812. It is not only the oldest bar in town but also one with a storied literary heritage. Unfortunately it did not open until later in the day, so we just drove by for a quick photo of the outside.

We stopped by St. Mary's Cathedral, founded in 1168. It is the oldest continuously operated building in Limerick. It is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland, and is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

St. Mary's Cathedral

We also visited nearby King John's Castle. The castle construction on the River Shannon was overseen by King John, brother of Richard the Lionhearted, between 1200 and 1210. He wanted to secure British power in Ireland. It's a little hard to get a sense of the castle as they have turned the main outdoor area into a performance center, but the views from the top were definitely worth seeing.

King John's Castle

Our last stop of the day was a visit to the Cliffs of Moher. This is always on the bucket list for anyone traveling to Ireland. When I first went with my husband nearly 30 years ago, we renamed it the Cliffs of Less as it was so foggy you couldn't even see the cliffs. My sister and I visited 20 years ago and had a wonderful, if very windy, weather day. On this trip it was overcast, but still very pretty.  My observation is that Ireland has taken what was once a scenic, natural experience and turned it into a tourist trap. The huge, paid parking lot is quite a hike to get to the now-paved trails you must take to get to the viewing areas. That was somewhat disappointing to me.

Cliffs of Moher

After our visit we checked into our airport hotel and returned the rental car as we had an extremely early flight out of the Shannon Airport to Edinburgh the next morning.

 

Travel to Ireland Part 2

On April 29th, after another lovely Irish breakfast, we hailed an Uber for a ride to the location where we would pick up our rental car. Heading west, we made a stop in Athlone to see Sean's Bar. It is officially recognized by Guinness Book of Records as the oldest pub in Ireland, and widely recognized as the oldest continually operating bar in the world. Sean's was founded in 900 AD, and remains a tourist attraction to this day.

Sean's Bar

Our next stop along the road was the Rock of Cashel. This is a group of medieval buildings on a limestone outcropping in County Tipperary. There is a round tower, a 13th century Gothic cathedral, and a Romanesque Cormac's Chapel. 

Rock of Cashel

The day ended with our arrival at the Killarney Lodge, which would be our base for a night as we explored the Ring of Kerry. It was a lovely place to stay, with an included breakfast. A true bonus after driving all day was the location - walking distance to the town. We had a lovely dinner at a restaurant in town following our arrival to the area.

The next morning we loaded up the car to begin our drive of the Ring of Kerry, a beautiful 111-mile route around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. The roads are narrow and crowded, so it is not a quick drive. We did not cover the entire area, instead choosing to enjoy Killarney National Park. Within the park we visited historic Muckross House and Gardens as well.

Killarney National Park

Muckross House and Gardens

A highlight of the trip was our lodging on April 30th. We were able to stay at Ballyseede Castle, a four-star luxury hotel set on 30 acres in Tralee, County Kerry. The roots of the castle date back to the 16th century, followed by a 400 year residency of the Blennerhassett family. It was converted to a hotel in 1966. It was an incredible place to spend the night, and we enjoyed touring the grounds of the castle as well as the meals we had there.

Ballyseede Castle

Travel to Ireland Part 1

In April we traveled to Ireland to meet up with some friends from college. We had been planning this trip for over a year, with the intent to spend a week in Ireland and a week in Scotland. It was a trip with many moving parts, and challenging because we made all the arrangements ourselves.

Both couples left the U.S. on April 26th and arrived in Dublin on the 27th. We flew on American, and had one of the crappiest planes we have been on in a long time. It had the 3/5/3 seat configuration, but the overhead storage bins were so small that our small carryons had to be put in sideways. That meant only one suitcase could fit in each bin. The entertainment units were built into the headrests, with the remotes attached to a cable. The units used only plug-in headphones that were provided by the airline. Even though we were in supposedly larger seats with more legroom, the seats were incredibly uncomfortable for a 7 1/2 hour flight.

We stayed at the Kilronan House Bed & Breakfast. where Jim and I had stayed our first time in Dublin in 1997, and I again stayed with my sister when we went in 2005. Their location is easy walking distance to the attractions we wanted to see, so we didn't need to pick up our rental car for a couple of days.

We were able to drop our luggage off at the B & B, and then began to tour Dublin. We walked to St. Stephen's Green which has 3-acre lake with numerous waterfowl, flower gardens and sculptures. We found a pub for lunch, and just enjoyed trying to walk off our jet lag.

Dublin Day 1

When we got back to the B & B it was to find that our room was located on the top floor. LOTS of stairs and no elevator. That was not fun at all, but it did help get our legs in shape for the rest of the trip - ha!

Irish breakfast

The next day we had a lovely, full Irish breakfast before heading out again. We began at St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was founded in 1191. It is said to be located on the site where the patron saint baptized converts in the 5th century. The current Gothic structure was constructed between 1120 and 1260. It serves as the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland. It has switched back and forth from Catholicism to Anglican faith.

Our next stop was a tour of Dublin Castle. Originally built in 1204 as a medieval fortress for King John of England, it served as the seat of British rule until 1922. Today it is a major Irish government complex.

We then visited the Irish Whisky Museum. We had a wonderful docent, and enjoyed tasting three whiskeys. From there we headed to historic Temple Bar for lunch. It was named for Sir William Temple, who built a house there in the 1600s. The bar was established in 1840 and is known for having the largest collection of whiskeys in Ireland and the largest selection of pub sandwiches in the world. We enjoyed both the sandwiches and traditional Irish music being played while we were there.

We finished the afternoon with a walk around Trinity College. We especially enjoyed seeing the library, which is the largest in Ireland. It opened in 1592 and is quite beautiful. The Book of Kells exhibit is very informative, and of course seeing the book itself is amazing.

After a little rest later in the afternoon, we went to an Italian restaurant recommended by our B & B host. It was delicious, and a fitting final supper for our time in Dublin.

sites around Dublin