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Post Info TOPIC: Jones Girls Invade Ireland


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Jones Girls Invade Ireland


Enough football--yay Sooners!

Tuesday, September 25

Drove to Strokestown and spent a good while at the house, famine museum and walled gardens. This was very sad and informative. As Bit said, I'm sure the gardens would be even more impressive in the spring. We had a light lunch in the tearoom.

Our next B&B, Lough View House, was hard to find but really nice once we got there. Peggy very kindly called to see about the Viking Cruise and wouldn't accept a cent for the call. We went back into Roscommon Town to mail back the key from Abocurragh Farm (Eason's has just the right size padded envelopes, should you ever need to know this.), do some window shopping and pop into an internet cafe to check on things back home. On the recommendation of Peggy, our hostess, we ate at La Trattoria, an Italian restaurant so authentic that our waitress had an Italian accent! Really good food. We had checked out the menu board at Gleeson's but it seemed a little pricey for our flattened wallets this close to the end of the trip.

On our way back to Lough View we drove down to the loch so that we could say we had had a view of it! Perhaps the upstairs rooms do overlook the water but our downstairs rooms did not. This was the B&B with the extreme water pressure. Also the only one that didn't have a hair dryer. Tip: if the hair dryer isn't sitting out somewhere obvious, check the dresser drawers. Fortunately, Babs had brought hers along so we didn't get pneumonia.

Standard full Irish breakfasts, with very generous portions of brown bread and toast. This was the B&B that had asked for a deposit so it wasn't too expensive on checkout. We would stay there again.

Cool, sunny day.

Wednesday, September 26

Much to our dismay, Michael was not sailing the Viking Ship to Clonmacnoise today, only tomorrow, so we had to make do with our little Fiat. As I said, we had very limited success with boats.

Clonmacnoise is very beautiful and spiritual, even with busloads of foreigners milling around! We entertained ourselves by sitting in the chair used by Pope John Paul II when he visited in 1979. We also shopped in the gift shop (of course).

We had lunch in Ballinasloe at The Bakery--good pita sandwiches. We changed our pound sterling notes at a bank for euros, but not the coins.

What can we say about Bunratty Lodge that hasn't already been said? Mary is just too nice. When we tried to tell her not to make the beds or change the towels she said she would not have it; we were on holiday and should be pampered! We had the very handy triple room with two bathrooms, ideal for three women who need to spread out and repack everything. And on the ground floor, no less. Mary agreed that The Red Door was the place to go for dinner and called in a reservation for the early bird seating for us. We had a choice of two or three courses, entree, and starter or dessert or starter and dessert. We recommend the stuffed pork steak. They brought far more side dishes of vegetables than we could possibly eat, although the foursome at the next table polished everything off. Maybe they hadn't had lunch at The Bakery, or purchased too many Cadbury's.

Cool day, started out cloudy but the sun came out.

Thursday, September 27

Mary doesn't take breakfast orders the night before as so many do, as she says she doesn't know the night before what she will want for breakfast so why should we? Hers is the only B&B I've ever stayed that doesn't have cereal, juice and yogurt set out. But the food was delicious.

We went out to Craggaunowen and really enjoyed the history and the pleasant woodland walk. I visited with the young lady who was spinning wool and she told us about the molting sheep. The crannóg has been rebuilt.

Back in Bunratty we parked in the Folk Park parking lot (considering ourselves visitors since we had tickets for the Irish Night) and shopped at the Folk Park shop, Bunratty Woolen Mills and Avoca. Light lunch at the Woolen Mills restaurant upstairs. We also visited the ATM a couple of times, just in case.

On the way back to the B&B we stopped at Bunratty Winery, expecting a tour but we just looked around a bit and then were offered a taste of mead and poitín. I passed on the moonshine since I don't drink much and was driving, although I'm sure people observing some of my maneuvers must have thought I had had a drop or two.

We finished our packing (no fighting over the jams; we all got our share) and then went to the ceili in the Corn Barn. It was lots of fun. As a party of three we were lucky to have a table for six all to ourselves. The folks at the next table were very loud and obnoxious but we ignored them as best we could. I felt sorry for the young lady who played and sang while the food was being served as almost no one paid her any attention and we could barely hear her. I have had the same experience and vowed never again. But the whole evening was just like Irish karaoke for many people there as we knew all the songs and sang along as best we could. I wish someone would tell the waitresses/entertainers that a smile goes a long way. While most seemed to enjoy the singing and dancing, while they were serving they all looked totally bored. Well, there was the Obnoxious Table who passed their dinner plates to the wrong end of the table, and the waitress told them "no apple tart" with a smile.

Back at the B&B, Mary brought us a tray with tomorrow's breakfast and we settled up the bill with her, and left the 2 for 1 coupons and other things that she could pass on to someone else. If you have an early flight and Mary is bringing you a breakfast tray, and she asks if you like blueberry muffins, say yes. Of course, we would stay there again.

Cool sunny day.

Friday, September 28

The thermometer in the car read 3ºC when we left at 6:15. I'm not sure exactly how that translates to fahrenheit but our teeth were chattering. No problems turning in the car, finally changing those pound sterling coins, doing final shopping at duty-free. I didn't find Crested Ten or Green Spot for my husband. Without thinking it through, we decided to take our VAT forms with us and mail them in. Little did we know that we should have had them stamped at Customs. Expensive mistake. But just a couple of days ago a credit for $2.85 from EuropCar showed up on my credit card statement. A little bonus, I guess.

We all arrived home, with luggage intact (except for the BearJaw tool), exhausted but happy.

Small Rants
Will someone please tell the B&B hostesses that we need an electric socket near a mirror for the hair dryers? The men have their special little shaver plugs but we had to (gasp) dry our hair sight unseen.
Some people in Ireland as just as rude about using cell phones loudly in small public spaces as people in the US, and other people in Ireland are just as annoyed by other rude talkers as we are here, also.
A pox on the real estate company in Co. Donegal that decided it would be cute to make "House for Sale" signs that look just like direction signs. As a protest, let's not buy any real estate from the company whose logo is an F in a circle. Franklin Brothers, perhaps?

All in all, a wonderful trip, thanks in great part to the help we received from our friends on this forum. Thank you, thank you!

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Slán go fóill, Judy


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Hi Dude..

re the hair dryer socket... It is not allowed for safety reasons in the UK and Ireland to have an ordinary electric socket in the bathroom, or an ordinary light switch. Light switches have to be either outside the room, or a pull cord.  Buidling regs ...

Hence the special shaver socket, which no ordinary plug fits..
Which you don't have to switch on with wet hands ....
 
We always used hairdriers in the other rooms thus...  

I have to admit I have not noticed the estate agents signs you mention.. there are only a very few in Donegal so we will find them!

Yep; Franklins it is.. lol!

By the way, you have become the reference point re taking jam overseas... One of your countrymen was havering yesterday re taking a jar on the plane, so I told him re the lady from Texas who took TWENTY jars home with her on the plane... His face was a picture, then he said something re that being typical of Texans..

New flavours are crab apple; rose hip with crab apple.. tomato and chili relish.... and a few others.......
There are a lot of Americans in the Town now; probably cheaper off season?  I have been directing them to B and Bs... what is the voucher system please? One couple today were aiming for Ardara until I told them how far out it is.. then he asked where one in Donegal Town was... It was out Lough Eske way; he said the Town ones will not take the vouchers so I directed him to the approximate location .. I guess it is pre-paid listed B and Bs? 

Blessings this night....

-- Edited by Anchoress at 12:25, 2007-10-07

-- Edited by Anchoress at 15:17, 2007-10-07

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AnchoressNun


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We were happy at one B&B, Bunratty Lodge, which had sockets next to a wall mirror in the bedroom proper. Otherwise, we just forged ahead and hoped for the best. Usually the weather was windy enough that the point became moot once we stepped out of doors!

I am glad our story is making jam sales for you! We Texans do things in a big way! I would guess that now that October is here the prices have gone down, and so attracting tourists. If you need a reference, have them give me a ring!

Yes, the vouchers usually come from a tour company when one books a fly/drive tour package. It does seriously limit the B&Bs available, and I have stayed with one hostess who charged a surcharge above the vouchers. Usually the tour company provides a book with the names and addresses and bare-bones facts about the accommodations. We don't recommend them, but I'm sure that, like travelers' checks, they will never completely die.



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Slán go fóill, Judy


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Judy,
Loved your report. Sometimes I had to move furniture or TV to get to a plug for the hair dryer!

Merle

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Merlene M Black


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Yes, he had a handbook, and yes, it seemed very limiting. Only one in Donegal Town and that was a few miles out.
I wished I had had the time to convoy them out there.

He had no idea where Ardara was or how far away it was.

The day before, another American couple had asked re B and Bs so I directed them to the three or four in big houses along the road.  Quiet there with gardens that go down to the water's edge, yet only a few minutes walk from the Town.

We tend not to have many power points here; just is how we are.. lol.... So used to it, but I know how different it is for  you.

All part of the rustic charm...
Blessings this day.. 

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AnchoressNun


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Judy,

I am glad that you found the Italian restaurant in Roscommon. It was there I actually had an argument over serving potatoes with pasta. They seemed quite offended when I said "no potato at all, please". Our waiteress actually said "But you must have potatoes! Everyone eats them." When I asked for a salad instead of potatoes, she looked even more offended. That aside, the lasagne I had was absolutely fabulous! As for Gleeson's, the menu they posy outside is for the dining room. If you had wanted a light lunch, you could  have grabbed a less expensive bite in their small cafe. There is no menu posted outside for the cafe, as the menu changes daily. It is something to keep in mind for later.

As for the jams, you were only stocking up on what you needed to get you through until your next visit! That is what I tell people when I step off the plane carrying two boxes of curly wurly's, 6 boxes of the Jacob's biscuits I love so and several boxes of Barry's Gold.

Anchoress,

The vouchers are as obsolete as traveler's cheques but they are packaged so inviting ly that people continue to purchase them for convenience sake. They only realize how inconvenient they are after they have bought them and have tried using them.

Slan Beo,

Bit

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Dude, 

Thanks for the great trip report! We were so glad to have helped a tiny bit. How did you package the jam jars so they wouldn't break? Did you pack them in your checked luggage?

Mary runs a tight ship at Bunratty Lodge. No way would she let someone's room go unattended for even one day. I can smell & taste her brown bread now. I need a fix! Bluberry muffins...aww

I agree that electric sockets are hard to come by in some B&Bs. I hate it when they are behind the wardrobe. Usually if you follow the cord from the tea maker you will find one. Anchoress is right about the sockets not allowed in the bathrooms (except for razors). The only hair dryers I have seen that were actually in bathrooms were ones that were hard wired and attached to the wall (at guesthouses and more upscale places). Usually if there is no hair dryer in a room (check the wardrobe and drawers!) you can have one loaned to you by your host.

When is your next trip? wink 

Michele


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Dude,

No problem getting the VAT back from the US. See page 63 of my 2007 book. Get a notorized letter saying you have completed your trip and returned to the US. Mail it and your VAT forms to Ireland. You can use the post paid envelope you got in Ireland. You have 90 days from your return date to do it.

Make copies of everything before sending.

Michele

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Michele; I hope it is alright to put these things on?

Reading Dude had been to the Marble Arch caves reminded me of one of my favourite old haunts in that area...

Killykeegan Nature reserve.. I stumbled across it by happy happenstance one day and it became a place of great interest and peace.

See..

http://www.bencottages.com/walks.htm

There is much more to this place than is said here. It is an ancient Irish place documented since pre-Christian times, with stone relics on show that few know the true meaning of. 

And relics also of ancient Irish settlements and cashels.

The McGrath cottage is well-renovated.. the caretaker lights a fire there each day..

And there is an ancient and well maintained hazel coppice area.

Fascinating cross-section  of Irish culture and history and deeply peaceful.

A stone's throw from Marble Arch.
 
Blessings this night.   

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AnchoressNun


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Michele, the jam made it home with just one tiny little spill, and the bubble wrap contained it so I wasn't upset. I had taken sheets of bubble wrap in the flat zippered pockets of my suitcase and we just rolled the jam jars up individually. I had thrown in the very end of a roll of duct tape and we used small strips of that to secure the wrap. We put them in checked luggage. I wouldn't put them in soft-sided luggage, land of course they would never have made it past the screeners in carry-ons. We are now enjoying blackcurrant/orange.

Next trip, I'm thinking, is right after school lets out in June of '09. That one will be my son and the two grandsons. I have it blocked out and am tweaking it now that I have actually been to NI.

Another lesson to be learned--read Michele's book and memorize the important parts--and it's all important. My husband the house-cleaner is too efficient and I fear my VAT stuff is at the landfill. The way I read the forms, they had to have been stamped by customs. Live and learn. I have e-mailed the sisters in case they aren't so tidy! Actually I didn't buy that much, dollar-wise, that I didn't have shipped. Again, it's the principal of the thing, and the money.

Bit! What's a curly wurly? Did I miss something delicious? Do I need to go back? We didn't get potatoes with our Italian food so apparently you had a impact on them! I promise to try Gleeson's cafe next time.

On one of our trips my daughter and I were trying to get a picture of something, I forget what now, without the power lines in the shot and we agreed that we want to see and photograph rustic Ireland but want all the mod cons when we stop for the night! Spoiled Americans!

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Slán go fóill, Judy


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Judy,

I have lamented the demise of the Marathon bar, a carmel braid dipped in milk chocolate, which was a favorite of mine as a child. Imagine my surprise when I found that Cadbury had been oh so thoughtful enough to replicate said Marathon Bar despite their naming it Curly Wurly. biggrin So, yes, you must go back and try a Curly Wurly. It is, to quote a favorite movie, "Truly Scrumptious", LOL!

No potatoes with your meal! I thought that was considered sacriligeous to the potato brigade? I have been offered potatoes with chinese food, as well as my lasagne.

I like the idea of packing bubble wrap. I will keep that in mind.

Slan Beo,

Bit

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If I needed an excuse to return, now I have it. Curly Wurlys, here I come!

I had started saving bubble wrap whenever it appeared and now I know what I was saving it for. If you flatten it out into sheets it fits very nicely in those exterior pockets on your rolling suitcase; also in the mesh pocket in the lid. And it certainly doesn't affect the weight.

That meal with no potatoes made me think perhaps we had slipped into another dimension. I do love potatoes and believe that there aren't many things you can do to them to make them inedible. Well, maybe serving them with liver would do that for me.


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Slán go fóill, Judy


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Anchoress,

We love hearing about off-the-beaten-path type places. I will have to check that out next time I am in the Enniskillen area. Sounds lovely. It is fun speculating on what the ancient stones, carvings, etc. were actually used for. There are many different theories.

Have you been to Caldragh cemetery on Boa Island? The Janus carvings there are very interesting. The history in Ireland is fascinating. And the layering of age upon age is unique for Americans in their big modern cities. I was watching a program some time ago about the American southwest where there are spiral carvings just like Newgrange that are pierced by the sun on certain dates. Maybe ancient people got around more than we ever knew! It is hard to believe it is a coincidence.

Michele



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Bit,

I have never tried a Curly Wurly. Must do on my next trip. I did buy out the Tesco in Ballymoney of their Thornton's mini carmel shortcakes. They never even made it back to the States. I saved a wrapper and take it out to sniff once in a while!

Michele

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Bit; they renamed Marathon Snickers and it is still very much here.... Also a few new ones, eg, Double Decker, that from the sounds of it you would enjoy. Next time you are here, try LIDL; they have a wide range of continental chocolate goodies that are even better than the old brands...Let me give you a tour.... biggrin

We don't eat much chocolate, but on a long day at market it is a good thing to have around..

Michele; my interests are purely monastic... yes, we in the UK grew up with all the ancient monuments and abbeys etc simply as part of the "wallpaper".... Many of my friends are American and I hear this from them all the time... So I take them to the oldest places... Had Dude been here longer, it would have been Abbey Assaroe next.. one that few find. There is a Mass cave there that is so atmospheric....and Kilbarron.. etc etc etc.. If you get an Ordnance Survey map of any area here, you will find sites of holy wells and churches that are defunct..

My early years here were spent exporing these....many are lost now.... I tangled with at  least one local priest re the issue of neglected ancient wells...

Now there is a society that does this exclusively...

Many of the Irish monastic sites, and , indeed, all the Holy Wells, are on ancient sites; Patrick and Columba and his contemporaries blessed them into Christ.. something some of us continue to do at the old pagan places.  It is our heritage to do that here in Ireland. 

The interesting thing about Killykeegan is that when they realised that there  is there in microcosm  agrarian and natural/archeological Ireland across many ages, they kept that land intact. The rock formations and flora and fauna are unique; and the hazel coppicing, which is like a maze and very productive, is probably the best example in the UK.

The stones they uncovered, carved and probably some Ogham among them, they "caged" for safety where they found them, and they have done no more excavating there.

So there has never been a study of the other aspects of Irish life.. yet there is evidence of an early Celtic Christian site there.
Without the kind of research we no longer have time for, no more can be learned.

Yes, many older civilisations knew far more than we realise.... In the days when I still had TV I used to follow all this.. There is evidence over there of ancient and very advanced culture that your govt for some reason suppressed.

Blessings this sweet , misty autumn day, when leaves fall as pale rain..


-- Edited by Anchoress at 05:02, 2007-10-10

-- Edited by Anchoress at 05:10, 2007-10-10

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AnchoressNun


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Anchoress,

History is fascinating and gives us some insights into our own lives. There is more than enough in Ireland to satisfy those interested in all sorts of different things. 

This is a link to the sun dagger story: http://www.solsticeproject.org/ If you click on Sun Dagger Laser Scan it will show you the spiral. NASA also has info: http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2005/locations/chaco.htm This site shows an animation of the summer solstice: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118421/dagger.html

I don't know if you have been to Newgrange but the similarities are interesting. They are calendars of some sort that we still do not understand. 



Chaco Canyon Spiral

(Chaco Canyon above)

Ancient people were obviously very smart even if they were living in the stone or bronze ages.

Michele


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Hi, Michele...

Yes, all kinds of interests..

Yet as a born-again, evangelical Christian Nun, in an Order caring for the homeless and lost, I would not go to Newgrange or Boa etc.

Ireland and its culture today were formed by the Christian faith of Patrick and Columba and their ilk. Human sacrifice, polygamy, paedophilia, cannibalism and other atrocities were an integral part of these earlier cultures that is maybe less well-known than other aspects.

And were abundant here in Ireland....

It was this that the Celtic Christians sought to eradicate....I would hope that we can learn then what is the right and civilised way to live.....

To see this, try C.E.L.T. Annals of the Four Kings etc

http://www.ucc.ie/celt/

History is past; we live here and now, and Ireland is fighting for survival on so many fronts.

But then, I am a One-Man Nun.... My speciality is Monasticism and that here in Ireland will fill what small spare time I have..

I leave the other aspects to wider heads than mine.....
Blessings this day

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AnchoressNun


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Anchoress,

The ancients sure had their vices. I guess we have a few now too! I'm glad I didn't live back then cause I probably wouldn't have survived more than a week. I always thought it would make a fascinating tour to follow St. Patrick's footsteps around the island. History fascinates me.

Michele

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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

Click links for Michele's Book or Custom Ireland Itinerary

Visit Michele's Irish Shop for unique Irish gifts and beautiful photos of Ireland.

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