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Ireland Trip Report

Freckles

Veteran

Two weeks is not long enough in Ireland, I think you need at least two
lifetimes to just get a taste. The deluxe coach tour was perfect for us.
Yes it was a tour so not long enough anywhere but we definitely chose
the right one. All but one of the scheduled stops were right up our alley and we were lucky enough that our tour director included tons of others, including walks to let us get in touch with the land. The famine walk in the Kerry Mountains was spectacular.

We were incredibly lucky in that we just fell into some things.

A bar owner in Dublin, near Trinity college, offered us a free whiskey
if we came in to lunch there. We decided we needed to explore a bit as I was looking for a particular souvenir for our son. After looking and not finding
anything we went back to the pub. Well we had made a new best friend and we had the whiskey. All of the regular patrons came over to talk to us and the Guinness Beef stew we ordered for lunch was fantastic. One of the patrons called the owner over for the recipe! You can bet I`ve been making<br><br><br /> it since we came home. The owner also sent us on an adventure in a cab to find the souvenir I was looking for. The cab driver was spectacular and helped us find it which wasn`t an easy task. Along the way he acted as a tour guide pointing out things our tour had not. Now I know where U2`s recording studio is! Of course we talked about life in general and he worked in the same line as hubby but with the economy being what it is he no longer does so. What a grand time.</p><p></p><br><br /> <p></p><p>I left my heart in Killarney... <br><br /> What a spectacular place. The National Park is breathtakingly beautiful, the shopping divine, many pubs to visit each with its own atmosphere, glorious churches, etc. By accident we discovered a new talent when three members on the tour (a dad and his two twenty something year olds) joined us bar hopping. Hearing <i>Cathal Flaherty</i> in an outdoor concert couldn’t have been a more perfect introduction to the Irish music of today. Hubby and I never moved from our seats to explore other pubs. Cathal`s new cd is being released in December and I am in anxious anticipation. He happened to sit at the next table, inches from ours, when he took a break and I spoke with him (never would have done this here at home). Apparently a bunch of local talents were just jamming at this stage, a totally unscheduled event. Divine intervention for sure.

Here is a link to one of his songs on youtube. Imagine this with a fiddle being played and them just jamming and having fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7To1mfqn1Xs

Spectacular time had in the most beautiful, warm, inviting place on earth.

Thanks so much Ornella, Sheila and all the other fabbers who either helped me time our trip or have written insightful what to pack for travel posts.

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18 replies

Latest reply was from Freckles

Sheila

Veteran

Oh, Freckles, I am overjoyed to know that you fell in love with Ireland! It is a magical place and no one can quite understand it until they experience it for themself. We are ready to go back!!!

Right now I am in a public place so cannot play your link but as soon as I can, I will definitely check it out. Thanks so mich for sharing your lovely experiences in Ireland.

biscuitsmom

Veteran

Yay! I am overjoyed you had such a great time I know how it is to fall in love with a place.... I still love NYC more than anywhere else....I just cried when I had to leave last time I was there... was in a little 'nothing' café in Brooklyn, but have never before or since, felt SO much at home :(, tear up still, even though its been far too many years since I've been there. Thanks for sharing!

Glory

Veteran

Freckles what a wonderful report and it sounds like you had a fantastic time. Will you be able to share some photos?

Eliza

Veteran

Sounds like a great trip. Like you, I always seem to enjoy the serendipity of meeting new people the most. I found Ireland to be particularly dedicated to warm hospitality. Glad you had so much fun.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Every time I read about trip reports from Ireland my heart skips a beat. You are right, two lifetimes are not enough. If it's any consolation, in 2.5 years of living there and travelling around the country almost every weekend, we still felt we had only scratched the surface. It is an amazing country with even more amazing people. I am so happy you have returned with beautiful memories. Yes, Killarney is something, we have spent our 10th wedding anniversary there and it will always hold special place in my heart for that and so many other reasons. Thank you for sharing your joy and I'm keeping an eye on the young talent too

Any photos?

Freckles

Veteran

Sheila I have you to thank for prodding me to make this happen sooner rather than later as your trip experiences were making me itch to go. I would have done laundry and gone back had it been possible and I had not been so exhausted.

BMom I so agree, while we have enjoyed every trip some just tear at your heartstrings.

Glory yes pics coming...

Eliza I don't think warm hospitality even covers it.

Ornella just thinking of Ireland brings such joy to the heart that kind of overwhlems you doesn't it. Thank you for being so helpful to all of us who had planned trips to Ireland.

1 Part of orignal castle at Dunboyne Castle hotel
2 View from top of Trim Castle, a must see
3 Kilronan Castle hotel
4Tobernault Holy Well
5-6 Donegal Bay
7 Clew Bay
8 Famine walk
9 Entrance to Trim Castle
10 Graveyard in Kells
11-12 Rathbaun Farm
13-14 Galway Bay
15-16 Crossing the Shannon River by ferry
17 Malton hotel
18 Working church in Killarney
19-20 Killarney National Park
21-23 Ring of Kerry
24 Marine Bar
25 Celtic Steps
26 Rose of Tralee garden
27-28 Dunbrody famine ship
29-31 Avoca weaving mill and hint
32 Glasnevin cemmetery, Dublin, a must see

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Sheila

Veteran

Oh. My. Goodness. My heart rate just amped up looking at your gorgeous photography. You know what? I don't think we went to a single place that you went to, but our experience was EXACTLY the same, even to the generous offer of food/drink. What an amazing country. I am so happy that my trip helped propel yours to the forefront. Now we must both get back there again...

Oh the Marine Bar. Was this the one owned by the chap who went to the South Pole? If so, then we were there also.

Sheila

Veteran

Freckles, it was the South Pole Inn in Annascaul that we went to...Tom Crean was the Antarctic explorer...so we did not go to the Marine Bar which I just checked out and it looks wonderful.

Freckles

Veteran

Oh Sheila that sounds fabulous!

We also visited a lot of the tourist attractions that are
widely available on these tours. I never
realized how hard it was to post travel pics.
Once you cut the people out of them that you cannot post on the internet
there isn’t anything left to post...

I took special note of how you had wished you had gotten a
haircut before you left and went out a couple of weeks beforehand and did
so. On the trip I was one hot mess. My hair was not long enough to pull back
properly. When I first made that
realization on the trip it made me laugh.
No matter what you do or not do to your hair is it safe to say in
Ireland we will feel like it’s a hot mess?

That is hubby serenading me in the hotel lobby in Dublin and I in wonder that he did so...

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

Such beautiful photographs, Freckles, and you look as if you are having such a wonderful time. You are lovely in red and blue! Such happy memories for you. Thank you for sharing.

Sheila

Veteran

Love the new pictures of your husband playing the piano and you enjoying it...is he a professional musician? I ask this because it generally takes a certain amount of courage to play in a public space.

You made me laugh about the hair thing. It was pretty windy everywhere we went in Ireland. I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to be self-conscious about my mussed-up hair!

Krista

Veteran

Looks like you had a wonderful time, Freckles! Your pictures are gorgeous. So glad you shared!

rachylou

Veteran

I'm developing an appreciation for Ireland through all y'alls travels.

It's funny, I used to live in the Irish part of San Francisco. So you know, all the time I thought "Irish," it wasn't Irish.

Freckles

Veteran

Thank you Suz. I appreciate your comment on clothing colours as I was convinced the red and blue were all wrong for me. A fresh eye is always so important. Fabulous trip...sigh.

No Sheila dh is not a professional musician, he has just played and sang his whole life. I was surprised he did this too. What you do on holidays in a strange to you land...

Thanks Krista.

Rachylou you made me laugh with the San Fran story. I loved Ireland and encourage you to visit.

rachylou

Veteran

Freckles, I wouldn't mind at all going to visit the Ballymaloe cookery school or the Inchiquin House cookery school.

Freckles

Veteran

They sound lovely! We were looking for a tour with a variety of different things but for things like horses or cookery it was all that or basically nothing... I did see some lovely cookery ones while I was searching for what tour to go on...

Dawn

(website)

Freckles, your photos are beautiful. Sometimes I forget what a gorgeous country I live in.

You really managed to see most of the country, and were even in my home county as well (same as the Dunbrody ship). Did you make it to Cork county or city?

Freckles

Veteran

Dawn yes we visited Cork city but not nearly long enough. One of the main reasons we chose this tour was the visit to the English Market in Cork. I thought I was in heaven while we were there, what a fabulous place! Unfortunately it was but a tiny stop.
My husband also kissed the Blarney stone but alas my knees were sore for three days after the steps at Trim Castle so I did not do the climb.
My people come from Cork, well actually Knocktemple, so we were very disappointed that we did not have more time here. We knew this before we left, one of the faults of a tour.
That day we left our hotel in Killarney and that night we were staying in Waterford, so no overnight in Cork. Next time we will stay in the area much longer. I'd love to explore it more.