Day 7 May 26

Did someone say that driving on the left side was going to be easy? And, did someone say that a GPS would be perfect to help us find our way? And, did someone say that our phones would work? ARGUH! Can you tell my day has been a tiny bit frustrating? BUT--we did see some spectacular sites and I still love the Emerald Isle! and, Yes Dorothy...I am coming home! sooner or later!

Now you can see why they call it the Emerald Isle! Beautiful greens, huh! I do love this tiny Emerald Isle! Note the rows that look like fences. Actually they are hedge rows. Also the hedge grows closely to the road so the landowners can claim more land. That helps make it more difficult to drive. These hedges were grown in the 17th century to prevent Cattle Raiding (us Texans call it cattle rustling) The Irish actually have a hedge row law that they must grow these hedges. They also passed a law stating that the hedge cannot be trimmed until late summer so all the birds and small animals can have their young!
 The Death Trap!

I know I look like I am smiling..but, not really deep inside!It took us circling the block twice to get away from the hotel! I just know our porters were standing and watching us and laughing! Actually the GPS was pretty good with directions, except it did not know where Kilkenny Castle was! Now if I can get Phil to slow down and do what it says, we just might survive! We did finally manage to locate Kilkenny Castle. It was a self guided tour, but an awesome site. Kilkenny is known as Ireland's Medieval Capital. I am sorry we did not get to spend any time there. I also hear that there is a great pub in Kilkenny, something to do with an ancient witch,  but didn't get to see it. Maybe another time! Kilkenny Castle was nice, well preserved or restored. It stands on 50 acres of a beautifully landscaped park. Told you, the Irish love their parks! The castle was built in 1172. and was the home to one of Ireland's most powerful clans, the Butlers. I looked at every single \portrait, and there were many, many hanging,  but could not find Rhett anywhere! Sorry Mom!

Next on our agenda was to visit the Rock of Cashel.  This stop was not planned on my itinerary, but one of our Irish guides urged us to go there. She did not stear us wrong either. It was an awesome imposing site...a huge castle seeming to rise out of the rocks! This castle was the seat to the Kings of Munster and St. Patrick was reported to converted one of these kings. This is also the spot that he plucked a Shamrock  to use in explaining the Holy Trinity.

The blog should read much, much better tomorrow night. That will be after I kiss the Blarney stone tomorrow morning (hopefully, if we can find it)!
Then on to Kilarney, the Ring of Kerry, the Lakes of Kilarney, and everything else Kilarnized! We'll stay there 2 nights.

Last view of the Emerald Isle from the Rock of Cashel doorway.
Until tomorrow then.....d

Day 6 May 25 continued....

be sure and scroll down to read the beginning of Day 6 if you haven't already! 
I am determined to finish this day's entry before starting Day 7, so I am up extra early. Lots to do this morning before we hit the road. Is this "thing" getting too long to read? I could go on and on about everything we are seeing here on the Emerald Isle! I always write a journal when we travel, (remember boys when you teased me so about writing the one when we went to California?)  and usually do not fill up a book. This time I may have to buy a second book, and I am not even writing in complete sentences!!
to finish from yesterday....
After St. Patrick's we ate the best lunch I've had at the Bulls and Castle pub. I had the MOST delicious BLT. Phil got "wanting Irish stew" out of his system--if you know what I mean! The pub was recommended by our bus driver. Directions were too confusing, so he detoured the entire bus to drop us off because, "We've got 2 people here that are starving, and I must feed them!" See how hospitable these Irish are? I don't think a bus driver in the US would dare leave his route for 2 hungry tourists!
On now to Kilmainham Goal, or the Jail, first opened in 1796 as a county jail. I had been told by others here that this was a "must see". Not so sure, or maybe I was just pooped by now! Did get an excellent history lesson here about the Famine and also about the Easter Rebellion of 1916 which was the foundation of the Irish fight for Independence in 1922. About 200,000 people, EVEN children went through this jail with about 15% being political prisoners. During the famine you could see entry after entry of women and children who spent a week or more in jail for stealing bread.

We first toured the old, original part of the jail. Horrifying it was. 23 hours of isolation in a tiny cell. No glass on the windows or heating of any kind in the place, so in the cold and rain it must have been miserable! Then 1hour out to walk in a circle, head down, hands either in your pockets or clasped in front of you. During the famine they would house up to 3,500 prisoners at a time, often as many as 7 in a tiny cell. Often they must remain in that cell for more than 3 days, with only a bucket or 2 for toilet facilities. Can you imagine the filth? But, some would commit offenses to get into the jail to at least have some meager rations, better than nothing! Just walking through the halls gave me the chills! We stood where the 16 leaders of the Easter Rebellion were executed by firing squad.
Upon leaving the jail we rode our beloved Emerald Isle bus down to O'Connell Street for photos of the Millennium Spire, offically named the Monument of Light---unofficially named by the Irish, "The Shaft for the Daft", the "Stiletto for the Ghetto", or the "Rod to God" and a few more I can't mention. The shiny piece of metal rises 390 feet straight up! Looks a tiny bit out of place to me among all the old beautiful architecture. What do you think?

 After getting my photo of the Spire, we walked down some side streets, doing some shopping, and just enjoying a beautiful day among the Irish!







Now I am caught up for Day 6 and time to get ready for Day 7! Our rent car arrives at 10:00 so I must repack, and prepare to be navigator to a crazy man! We are driving south to Kilkenney to see Kilkenney Castle and then on to Cashel to see the Rock of Cashel and then on to Cork where we will spend the night. Supposed to have internet service there, so keep the fingers crossed that I can post tonight.
More and more in love with the Emerald Isle every day!...d

Day 6 Tuesday, May 25

 A few tidbits before I get on with our exploration of the beautiful Emerald Isle! We discovered yesterday that Bram Stoker was briefly a tax man working at the Dublin Castle.  Isn't it appropriate for a man who wrote a very well known book about blood suckers to be a tax man?
Must also revisit the lovely Molly Mallone...remember:
♪ In Dublins fair city,
where the girls are so pretty,
I once met a girl called sweet Molly Malone,
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow,
through the streets broad and narrow,  
 Cryng cockles and mussels` Alive alive o ♫ (love the song, btw!)
Molly is reputed to also have sold something else in the evening...if you get what I mean! Heard a new description today of Molly, the "slapper with the snappers", ...she was really celibate-- she would "sell a bit" on the right---then "sell a bit" on the left. Those Irish!
Today, we were off on our own again, riding our favorite green (for the Emerald Isle), Hop On-Hop Off buses! Got a photo this time. Note blow up of the bus driver on the right! These guys just crack me up!! 

 







Today we saw 2 beautiful cathedrals and to round out the day, a jail! What a combination! 
First stop was Christ Church Cathedral, a Church of Ireland, Protestant, denomination, formed in 1030 by King Sitric Silkenbeard King of Viking Dublin and Dunan, the first Bishop of Dublin. Did you know that Dublin was first settled by the Vikings? I did not know that! This cathedral has been a place of worship now for almost 1000 years! Amazing! 

This church holds a replacement effigy of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Leinster, who was also known as Strongbow. He was notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland. His original tomb was crushed, but what is believed to remain of the original lays to the side of his effigy. 

The church was beautiful inside, just as I had imagined a cathedral would be, especially after reading "The Pillars of the Earth". Soon after we arrived, they began their morning prayer service and asked everyone to stop taking pictures, and perhaps sit quietly. I did enjoy that. I must take some photography lessons when I get home. I wanted to photograph the beautiful stained glass windows, but I am a dunce as far as camera settings go! Anyone willing to tutor me?

We spent a great deal of time here, reading all the plaques that  honored loved or revered ones and then made our way down into the crypt! The crypt (spooky!) now houses the gift shop and a bit of a museum. One display had a list of the ancient relics that were once located in the church, "a drop of Mother Mary's milk, 1 thorn from the crown of Jesus, some bones of St. Peter and Andrew the apostles" and more. Again--amazed at the treasures of the Emerald Isle. 

Next we walked just down the street to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral, another beautiful church! The only problem was that they were in the process of tuning the magnificent organ, which was very distracting and a bit annoying, but we managed. The cathedral is built on the site believed to be where St. Patrick began converting the citizens to Christianity. They have the very stone that is believed to be the cap stone of the well St. Patrick used. At St. Patrick's, instead of being buried in the crypt, the important were buried in the walls, except in the case of Jonathan Swift, who is buried in the floor beside his beloved, Stella. Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels" was once a Dean at St. Patrick's. If you do not know more of him than that he wrote the book, you absolutely must google him! I never knew he was such a political satirist and champion for the "mad" and insane, establishing a mental hospital upon his death. And, Gail Sink, if you are reading this, he also suffered with bouts of vertigo or giddiness now known as Meniere's Disease!! Must have something to do with genius, right Gail!

Displayed in the alter area are the banners and helmets of all the knights of St. Patrick's, an interesting site for a church. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III and lasted until 1921 when Ireland became a free and independent country.


Sorry, but I must stop for tonight. I am so tired and have a great deal to do in the morning. We are renting a car (pray for me!) and heading to the Southern part of the Emerald Isle to kiss the Blarney Stone, see the beautiful Irish cliffs, Circle the Ring of Kerry and see the beautiful greens that Ireland is so famous for.  Maybe I can touch on the Kilmainham Goal (ancient jail) tomorrow...if not, you'll have to come see the scrapbook when I am finished. Going to be a huge on Mary Alice--hope you have 2 green 12x12's for me! For our last night in Dublin I'll say, "Slan agus beannacht leat libh go leir" 'Goodbye and Best Wishes" from the Emerald Isle! ...d

The view of the park beside St. Patrick's....the Irish do love their parks! 

I saw him move, he was neither drunk nor dead! just enjoying the beautiful sunny day!

Day 5 Monday, May 24

Saraigheann eagnacht gach saibhreas

"Wisdom excels all riches"

Did you Know: J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y, and Z are not used in the Irish alphabet, which only has 18 letters!

Did you Know: Ireland has the hightest per-capita rate of tea consumption in the world; drinking tea is such a part of daily life that every pub is required, by law, to provide it. YET, we have not been able to get a glass of iced tea anywhere!!!! 

Just in case I have not mentioned it, I am deeply in LOVE with this beautiful Emerald Isle! 

We got a bit of a late start today. One of us (not me) needed to catch up on some sleep! We bought an all day ticket to the Hop On Hop Off GREEN bus. If you are ever here, be sure you get on the green bus line. As we got on the driver was telling me that the Red line was Crop, Crop, Crop Crop! I thought that perhaps he was a scrapbooker until I realized he was saying Crap, crap, crap! Anyway--we were on the good bus, with massive doses of Irish humor all day long. We had a list of stops we wanted to make, but only ended up with time enough to see Trinity College (the book of Kells) and Dublin Castle. Not enough time here in Dublin, I am afraid. We'll hit it earlier tomorrow! 

 Our first stop this morning was Trintiy College, for a tour and a stop to view the Book of Kells. A young lady named Aoife (pronounced Effa) was our guide. As all Irish she was very humorous, but also very intelligent, being a student at Trinity herself. Only the brightest can qualify to get into Trinity. 

 Trinity is a huge campus, housing several squares. This beautiful building on the left is on the main square. Trinity was established in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The location was on a former monastery, which Queen Elizabeth abolished. The monks, not liking this at all,  cursed the area under the bell tower arch. Girls will not walk under it for fear they will not graduate. Our guide said she, being highly intelligent did not believe in such superstition, but, she did choose to walk around the tower as we walked under it! She said her roommate from her first year walked under the tower, and is no longer a student there either!
 You would not believe the library at Trinity, something the Emerald Isle is very proud of. Thousands of ancient books. Each and every page must be dusted once a year! Students complete this task. The library houses the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the 4 gospels. Absolutely stunning. No pictures allowed, but I did buy postcards for my scrapbook!  The book has a great story of its own, but there is still so much to tell about today! One tragedy did happen at the college that I must share. There was a strict, difficult professor named Edward Ford. The students decided to pester him by throwing stones at his windows on his campus room.  He retaliated with a gun. Students then got their own guns. Edward was shot and died 2 hours later. The college expelled the students--duh! it was Murder! But the courts acquitted them because it was a harmless student prank gone bad. It is said that Edward now haunts the dorms, locking the students in at night! The college finally allowed girls to attend the school. Smart move...the last 2 presidents of Ireland have been women, and when the second one's term is over, women will have been in leadership for 21 years! My kind of country! Love that Emerald Isle!

I did get my first taste of traditional Irish Fish n' Chips from a lovely walk-in, highly recommended place named, "Burdocks"! Phil and I could have split one order and had leftovers! Although the grease soaked through the newsprint and brown bag it was served in, it was absolutely delicious! We took it back to eat in Dublin castle courtyard while waiting for our tour.  The castle was built by King John in 1204--the King John of Robinhood story fame!  It was all but destroyed by fire in 1684 but parts are being excavated and one original tower remains.  A Georgian palace was built on top of the castle and is beautiful. Slowly it is being restored as well.  For 700 years the palace was the center of British Rule in Ireland but that ended in 1922 with Irish Independence.  During WWI the palace served as a Red Cross Hospital.  
Now, the beautiful blue and gold ballroom receives dignitaries, is the location for the presidential inauguration, as well as other government ceremonies. The throne room has not been used since King George the 5th in 1911.
Legend has it that King George IV cared little for his wife. He was a great enemy of Napoleon.  When visiting the castle he was told that his great enemy was now dead. His reply, "When did SHE die?" I told you, the Irish have a story or joke for EVERYTHING. Our bus driver on the way home changed his name every time we stopped and new people got on! He also told us the story of the Arthur Guiness, of Guiness brewery fame,  who fathered 21 children.  He said at night, when climbing into bed he would gently nudge his slightly deaf wife and ask her if she were asleep, or what? Being deaf, she would say, "What?" Thus...21 children! No headaches for her! 

Ballroom of the Dublin Castle.
Tonight's dinner was unbelievable.  We were bussed to Dublin College, where on our path to O'Reilly Hall we were greeted by numerous bagpipers. Then, after walking the red carpet, we were greeted by young men in traditional Irish garb, holding their Irish wolfhounds. After cocktails, trumpets called us into dinner.  The evening finished with Irish entertainment of dancers and singing.  Hope to post pictures now, if not, tomorrow! It has been a long day, and we still have much to see tomorrow, our last day in Dublin. St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Kilmainham Goal (old jail) and much more if we can find the time.

Me and the Piper!

Handsome young man!

So, Goodnight from the beautiful Emerald Isle. Too tired to write any more! ....d

Day 4 May 23 Sunday

"Go n'eiri an bother leat" 

"May the road rise before you"

Why yes, I speak Gaelic, doesn't everyone?! 

Today, in the beautiful Emerald Isle, the road did indeed rise before us as we traveled South out of Dublin into Wicklow County among the Wicklow Mountains. Peter was our driver and Breda (short for Bridget) was our guide. Another happy set of Irishmen, full of good humor. Breda showed us one of the many houses that James Joyce lived in as a child. She said he lived in a great many houses about town as his father thought it easier to move than pay rent! They do look at life in such a sweet, happy way!

Our first stop along the way was at Glendalouch, the site of an early medieval monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Kevin, a member of the ruling family in Leinster, left his home of education and wealth to found a monastery. He was a famous holy man, actually somewhat of a hermit, once living in a hollowed out tree! Even so, he attracted a great many followers. The monastery lasted into the 11th and 12th centuries. It was a lovely place over looking a beautiful valley of 2 lakes, which is what Glendalough means. Many people are buried there, sometimes as many as 7 or more to 1 grave. It is considered a very sacred place and people are dying to get in (I know, bad joke!) This is a picture of the bell tower, about 30 m tall that was used to call the monks to service and as a storage facility as well.

There are grave stones everywhere, many being ancient and some, relatively current. Here I am standing between 2 that are leaning, making an archway.

The view from the hilltop down into the valley of the lakes is just gorgeous.

Blooming Lilac grows  freely everywhere, making St. Kevin's very peaceful. 

After a nice visit at the monastery, we got on the bus to travel to an Inn for a huge lunch. They do not give us time to even get hungry. This inn had the very best pear tart. I could have done with just that and a good cup of coffee (Irish, that is!)

Traveling in Ireland is sometimes a little hair raising! Here we are, in this huge tour bus, going around hair pin turns on VERY narrow streets. I try to sit where I can only see out the side. It also worries me when the guide thanks the driver for not having his pint today! Today we passed through gates at our next stop, Powerscourt Estates and Gardens that must have only been 6-8 inches from each side of the bus.

The house, originally a 13th century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century by a German architect starting in 1731 and finishined in 1741. A fire in 1974 completely gutted the beautiful house until it was partially restored in 1996.Much of the original property has been sold off for golf courses and a Ritz-Carlton but the 42 acres of beautiful terraced gardens remain. It took over 100 men 12 years to dig out the terraced land. The gardens were laid out in the 1840's and that the original gardener liked his sherry, and would determine the end of the working day when his bottle became empty.

The estate of Powerscourt. Now only 1 wing is occupied by the Slazenger family, former owners of a famous sports company. The rest of the estate is comprised of gift shops and a bit of the estate history. 

But the 42 acres of gardens are another story! They are beautifully maintained (don't think this gardener drinks his Sherry, but I could be wrong!) and display many imported fountains and statues. I was so tempted to break off a cutting of this and that, but signs warned me not to, so I obeyed! Many plants and trees here that I have not seen before.  

You can see how the land is terraced, but I am sure that the picture, as always does not do it justice!

This pool is at the bottom of the steps.  The many garden areas surround the pool. 

This is a view of the Japanese gardens. So pretty. Our guide, Breda told us of a Fairy tree today.  Bad luck to cut down such a tree. If you do, the Fairies might come and take your children away! So, you can see these trees standing in the middle of plowed fields. She told us that once they were building a new road near the airport and there was a Fairy Tree. No one would cut it down, so they slightly diverted the road to miss the tree! Gotta love those Irish! 

Tonight we have dinner at the Guiness Storehouse where Breda tells us we will be partaking of a bit of Mother's Milk.  I might try a sip with Blackberry currant, but, I am not much of a beer drinker as many of you know...now a bit of Baily's or a cup of Irish coffee on the other hand is an entirely different story!

Tomorrow we are on our own for most of the day.  We plan to hop on and off the bus to see: Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, Christ Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Kilmainham Goal (an old jail), and the Old Jameson Distillery. Full day ahead!

A bit of advice for my sister Dorothy....if she is still reading this delightful blog! LOL! If you click on a picture I think it enlarges it! Just so you can see better! 

I will sign off from the beautiful Emerald Isle now, with just one more bit of trivia.  Did you know that Johnny Cash often visited the Emerald Isle and even wrote a song about it, "40 Shades of Green" Breda sang it to us today! I was not familiar with the song, but must now try to download it! Breda said that it was ok that she could not sing, because Johnny Cash couldn't either! Love this sense of humor! 

Think of me tonight in the Guiness Storehouse...hope these battery people don't drink it dry. Otherwise, they may cause the price of Guiness to rise, creating a national emergency!

from the Emerald Isle....d

Day 3 May 22 Saturday

I am absolutely, positively, totally, madly in love with this beautiful Emerald Isle! Such a beautiful thing, with beautiful people, this Ireland is!
We started our day with a bus tour heading north out of Dublin to County Meath.  You know you are in good hands when your bus driver's name is Padder and he first tells you the joke: "There are 3 things us Irish celebrate soundly, Birth, Death, and Marriages...and, with any luck at all, we won't remember any of it!" (said of course with that lovely Irish brogue!) I have never met a more friendly people, with such delightful senses of humor--my kind of people! Our first stop was about a 40 minute drive out of Dublin at the Hill of Tara.  The Hill is the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland, dating back perhaps over 5,000 years! From this ceremonial site it is said you can see 10 counties of Ireland!

This stone is called  the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny) at which the High Kings were crowned. According to legend, the stone would scream if a series of challenges were met by the would-be king, and at his touch the stone would let out a screech that could be heard all over Ireland. The stone said nothing when I touched it!

We were not able to spend much time here (practically ran up and down the hill). Josephine, our tour guide, says at least a taste is better than nothing at all, and I agreed! 



 Sheep droppings were abundant on the climb. Our tour guide, Josephine, lovingly called the droppings, "lovely little raisins".  I'll never be able to eat a raisin again without thinking of our climb and the lovely sheep of Ireland, my beautiful Emerald Isle!



We continued on with our tour to Newgrange, the site of a  Megalithic passage tomb, a fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site. This passage tomb was built by the Neolithic people over 6000 years
ago making this 1 of 4 tombs older than the pyramids! The site probably took several generations to build since it was built before the wheel was invented, and no horses were here yet! It took over 200,000 tons of stone, stacked like a house of cards and moved in from 80 km away to build the burial tomb.  It took 80 men, 3 days to move 1 stone 3 km! The tomb is a fabulous example of being constructed for solar alignment.  On the day of winter soltice, December 21st, the sun at sunrise will shine perfectly through the opening to light the passage into the tomb.  Every year over 27,000 people participate in a lottery of only 100 winners to actually enter the tomb before 9:02 am to watch the sunrise send a ray of sun into the passage way--and only lasts for 13 minutes until 9:15.  We were fortunate to witness this event through the magical, mystical use of lightbulbs! I did get a bit nervous when as we entered the tomb Frank, our guide, said that if anyone was claustrophobic they should enter last so they would not run anyone down when they were trying to get out! Most of you know my history with claustrophobia, but in this case I was fine, the tomb was NOT in any way like a MRI!
Our last stop on today's tour was the Snail Box, our first official Irish Pub, where I had my first official Irish coffee...with just a wee bit of Irish whiskey, enough to "get you going" for the day as Josephine says!

Ok, ok, I'll be honest....the bartender saw that I enjoyed my first so much that he gave me, complimentary of course, a second! I told you I love these Irish people!  Perhaps it was a good thing that our time at the Snail Box was limited!
This is Connie and Kevin from Chicago that we enjoyed visiting with at the pub.
Tonight is our Hooley Pub Night! We have been assigned to eat at the Abbey Pub, which is supposed to be very good. Perhaps it is a good thing that we will arrive and depart by bus at an assigned time! No pub crawling tonight!

Today is a beautiful day in Dublin, which it seems that everyone in Dublin is taking advantage of. We tried to do some walking, especially to the Tourist Center for our Heritage Passes, and then on to St. Stephen's Green, the park across the street from our hotel.  We were astounded by the number of people out at the park, just lounging on the grass watching the world go by.

At St. Stephen's Green

 The small sign right in front of the flower bed says, "keep off the grass". Not sure the Irish read signs well!
Tomorrow we head South out of Dublin, for our Wicklow Way tour. I know we will see more that the beautiful Emerald Isle has to offer. Now I know Mom, why your great grandfather, Parks Scott (I think it was him) used to claim to be from County Cork and danced his lively Irish jigs! The Irish do seem to enjoy life to the fullest!

Till tomorrow then, signing off from the Emerald Isle....d

PS...Had a great time at Pub "Hooley"(party) Night. We traveled to the north side of Dublin to eat and be entertained at the Abbey Pub,which dates back to the 16th century when it was built as a seminary for the local monks. The peat fire places were burning as we entered--GREAT smell! Wonder if I can smuggle some home?  We went to the Abbey to have some creic (pronounced "crack") which means FUN! and we did! 

There is nothing like Irish music, song and dance!