Dublin and the South Coast

Finally, I got some sleep on a plane!  Our Aer Lingus overnighter from Miami left about 1.5 hours late at 10:30 pm, but I was able to close my eyes after the dinner service ended around midnight, and we both got 4 hours sleep (a miracle) which makes a huge difference on the first full day of international travel.  Customs on arrival was quick and easy BUT beware...for departures to the USA, you go through US customs in Ireland before you depart, so give yourself plenty of time on the way home for this surprising step!  We were lucky to quickly buy automated tickets ($7.50 pp) for the Airbus into Dublin which is a lot less costly than a taxi, and caught a bus 5 minutes later into the heart of downtown near our hotel.  We stayed 3 nights at the recently renovated Renaissance Shelbourne Hotel, located at St. Stephens Green (ie: Central Park), which turned out to be a terrific location...within walking distance to all Dublin’s shopping and sights, but away from the noise and bedlam which IS the touristy Temple Bar area.  While we waited for our room to be ready, we had a quick bite (should have taken it to go) and then walked around the well-manicured public park filled with Saturday picnickers, lakes with swans and ducks, and (surprise)Japanese Cherry Blossom trees and tulips of all colors in full spring bloom.  Our rate included a delicious breakfast buffet, plus made to order entrees and coffee drinks, and our room was luxurious and massive and had a big marble bath with a shower and soaking tub.

In no particular order, here are the things we did in our 3 days in Dublin...

*met our “British daughter’s” sweet mother from Bristol, England, who flew in and traveled with us for 2 days and it was a joy to finally meet her and explore Dublin with her!

*took a “free” walking tour on the morning of the first day for 3 hours where we saw all Dublin’s key sights and heard historical stories about the city, it’s buildings and monuments like Dublin Castle and St. Patrick’s Church, and the clash between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  Our guide Peter owns the company and he was funny and engaging (working for tips only) and we enjoyed him so much we decided to join him for the evening at...

*a Pub Crawl for $20 pp where we went to 4 “locals” pubs to taste and learn about local craft beers (IPA’s, less hoppy Pale Ales and Stout), Guinness, Gin and Irish Whiskey and Irish music.  We had dinner at one of the pubs which was optional.

*shopped on pedestrian friendly Grafton Street (loved Avoca) and all along the quaint streets and alleys of Dublin.

*ate at Klaw, a one room eatery where I had a fresh lobster roll, historic Leo Burdock’s Fish and Chips where you are given delicious, thick, hot, lightly-breaded cod and French fries in a takeaway box to eat outside and The Old Storehouse in the Temple Bar District where we had Guinness Stew, fresh crabs, Guinness and alcoholic Apple Cider and listened to an Irish soloist at a high top near the bar.

*spent a fun few hours wandering through rowdy bars in the Temple Bar district watching intense male bonding and drinking, and listening to fun lyrics sung by “Irish country singers”.

*walked along the Liffey River and crossed the famous cast iron Ha’penny Bridge at different times of day and night...plus saw the statues of Molly Maguire and patriot Daniel O’Connell and listened to street performers all over the city.

* visited Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells and the Old Library (reserve in advance online).

*tried to go to the National Museum of Ireland, but it was closed on Monday (big miscalculation).

*walked around Merrion Square and saw the pretty doors and statue of Oscar Wilde.

*missed the deKilmainham Gaol (jail) which was too far to walk to, but we heard was great (reservation also needed).

*avoided the touristy Guinness Storehouse (because there are lots of distillery tours elsewhere in Ireland).

And on the morning of the 4th day, we took a cab to the Hertz dealer, renting the second smallest car possible for under $500 for our nearly 2 week road trip.  (FYI, we drove 1600 miles and spent $188 on gas.)  With great trepidation getting out of Dublin in morning rush hour, driving on the left side with a left handed gear shift, we headed south towards the Wicklow Mountains to Powerscourt Estate and Gardens, a sculptured English Garden with massive trees including Redwoods, a Japanese Garden, beautiful lakes and fountains, and blossoming spring flowers ($10 pp).  If you are going to Ashford Castle or Kylemore Abbey in the Connemara region, you don’t also have to also go to the gardens of Powerscourt because they are all similar in some ways, but it was beautiful and we enjoyed it.  We then drove over scenic Sally Gap, a military trail through misty mountains and along bogs and peat fields which looked like we were on another planet, and then to a wonderful deserted old monestary called Glendalough.  It was raining and dreary when we arrived, but we loved wandering through all the old stone ruins and exploring the massive graveyard filled with toppling Celtic crosses covered in moss and shrouded in mist at times.  A photographer’s dream, especially with all the rain and mist. There are 2 lakes to visit here and hiking trails if weather permits and no admission charge to see this historic site.

In the early evening we arrived at our first colorful Irish town, Kilkenny, where we stayed downtown at the Zuni Hotel and ate dinner at the restaurant.  We visited a fun bar, Hole in the Wall, which it was...tiny and owned by a cardiologist by day/aspiring musician by night. The hotel was perfectly located in the heart of the city, but in need of room renovation, and was our least satisfying Irish lodging, but it was clean, with free parking and a friendly staff, and the dinner and made to order breakfast were very good.  In the morning, we wandered around the colorful town and to the river and walked around the massive Kilkenny Castle (1195), but decided to head on our way before it opened.  It is a castle which is really beautifully restored and may be worth the stop if time permits.

On the road again on Day 5, we headed to the Rock of Cashel and neighboring Hore Abbey which is definitely worth a stop and one of our favorite destinations.  The Rock of Cashel (1101) is a spectacular castle ruin on a hill with sweeping views of the region and we were lucky to arrive on the first Wednesday so admission was free and we arrived just in time for the interesting and funny tour.  We hiked 20 minutes down to Hore Abbey at the bottom of the hill, currently inhabited by cows, and explored these interesting ruins with great views looking back towards the Rock of Cashel (and then hiked back up to the parking lot).  We decided against a stop in Cork, or a visit to Blarney Castle and the Blarney Stone and headed to the seaside towns of Cobh and Kinsale.  Both are very colorful and picturesque, have historical maritime significance and are worth a visit just for the cuteness of the cities.  There is a car ferry that connects the towns which straddle the inlet, but we drove around, so take that into consideration in your planning. Cobh was the final departure port for the Titanic and most Irish immigrants heading to America, and the old buildings remain and metal plaques for the White Star Lines and Cunard Lines are still posted. The Lithuania sunk just off the coast of Kinsale and survivors were brought to Cobh and there is a memorial to lives lost there.  We stayed at the Old Presbytery B&B in Kinsale with a distant view of the port in the heart of the cute city and had a tasty fresh fish dinner near the port at Fishy Fishy. Nice innkeepers, wine and cakes in the afternoon and a good breakfast in the morning, so a good lodging choice.  Since we arrived late in the day, we couldn’t visit the shops, so also take that into consideration when arriving in these small towns.

Have I mentioned all the beer and cider we have consumed so far?  And smoked salmon, fresh fish, brown bread with Irish butter, scones, and the beer and cider...the food has not been disappointing!

Now off to the southwest coast...Kerry and Dingle...