November 11th, 2007
Went down and had breakfast.  I just can't get enough of the traditional Irish breakfasts.  Black and white pudding.  Fried egg.  Ham and toast.  Packed up the car and headed towards the village.  As we were leaving, Caroline proceeds to stand in the entryway just chatting our ears off.  What a very nice lady.  Went shopping at Blarney Woollen Mills.  Didn't buy nearly enough souvenirs.  I should have bought more things.  But, there's always next time.  After we were done shopping, we sat down and had a coffee and a smoke.  Then, we headed across the street to go kiss that stone.

Paid our fee.
Walked up to the castle.  As we were peering into the little dungeon area, Chrissy slips and falls on her butt.  Kind of funny - but kind of not since now she had mud all over her rear.  We eventually make it up the long and narrow winding stairs to the top - the stone is within sight.  We kiss it - get our picture taken only to have to shell out 10 more Euro to purchase said picture.  As we're walking back, it starts to rain.  First rain of the trip, if I remember correctly.

Off to Doolin near the Cliffs of Moher.

On our way, we decided to pop in to Limerick for a laugh.  If anyone has ever read the book, Angela's Ashes, you'd know what kind of city Limerick is.  It's the hood of Ireland (maybe the ONLY one, who knows).  And, I'm not just saying that because I've read the book.  I experienced Limerick BEFORE having read the book.  I just found it to be dirty and run down.  But, Chrissy has never seen it - so we drove there.  After driving around in the headache of traffic, we finally parked in the Dunnes Stores parking garage and set on our way to find food and the tourist office.  As we walk out, we see the River Shannon.  And .... it's dirty.  Seagulls and dirty swans are nesting in it.  We walk around and around.  A lot of things are closed as it is Sunday afternoon.  We grab some cash and try to find something to eat.

We pop into a small little pub and grab a Smithwick's and a hot ham/cheese sandwich, which is slowly becoming our favorite mid-afternoon snack.  We watch a little footie on the tele.  Converse with some old, cute irishmen.  Finish our pint and head out.  Get back in the car and drive to King John's Castle.  It's closed.  Or appears closed.  We decide that it's not really worth much of a visit - and head out of Limerick.  I start remembering some of the streets there and brings back memories of driving my mother to the hospital for her dialysis treatment back in 2004. 

As we're driving, it starts getting dark.  REAL dark.  And it's only about 4pm.  Driving closer to the coast and it's getting colder.  The roads are getting smaller.  Road signs are no longer easy to read.  Little did we know JUST how small of a village Doolin truly is.  We reach Doolin and I'm not quite sure how to find our B&B ... as I usually like to get lost.  But, not now.  It's WAY too dark and it's nearing 6pm - which is usually when most B&B's would like you to check in, at the latest.  We come up to a split in the road.  We see a slew of signs for b&bs ... none of which are ours.  I turn left.  And keep going ... up this STEEP hill.  Barely big enough for 1.5 cars.  Realizing this is not the way.  I attempt a 3 point turn.  I'm sure Chrissy thought we were going to fall off this hill.  Luckily we didn't.  When I made the left, I should have made an immediate right to the main part of the village.  I would have seen a sign, had I not been so frustrated.

We turn where we should have.  Pass O'Connor's and see a sign for our b&b, Daly's House.  Turn right.  Is this really a road??  Gravel.  Pot holes.  It dead ends, but  we see that it kind of continues on the right.  We turn - and it dead ends into Daly's House.  YAY.  We made it.  It's 5:45pm.  We walk in - the sign on the door told us to.  We see Susan and she welcomes us with open arms.  Asks us if we are married - we say no.  She asks us if we would like to meet some lovely Irish men - we say yes.  She cheers.  HAHA.  Says that if it's needed, she could hold a wedding on her property.  Indeed.  Shows us to our room and asks if we would like some tea.  Of course we would.  We get our stuff situated and our tea is served.  George, the dog, wants the bisquits.  And Chrissy teases him.

Get ready to go out on the "town".  We walk out of the house and decide that O'Connor's is too close to drive.  Plus, I didn't want to drive back up that road after a few pints.  We stand there for a minute trying to get our eyes adjusted since it's just entirely TOO dark to see even our hands in front of our faces.  We're walking down that road trying not to trip on the pot holes.  Make it to the pub.  I order the stew and I think Chrissy got some fish.  After dinner, we go outside for a smoke and start talking to some locals.  This one guy, Pat Joe, strikes up a conversation and invites us to sit with him.  Him and his chums buy us drinks.  He has a VERY thick accent that I've come to love.  Due to my grandfather having almost the same accent (when drinking), I understand him, for the most part.  Chrissy doesn't.  And he doesn't really understand her.  And the conversation just ends up being the word "what?" almost the entire time.  I cannot for the life of me remember exactly what set her off - but she showed him that he was number one with some expletive words that followed.  I felt bad.  He invited us back to the town that he lives in for more drinks, we declined.  After all, he was nice - but still a stranger.

As we're outside having another smoke - these older guys (and by older, I mean possibly old enough to be my grandfather) start chatting us up.  There was even a Billy Idol lookalike.  HAHA.  English guy with bleached blonde hair and a black leather jacket ... probably around 50 or so, starts telling me his life story.  Supposedly he's an ex-footballer (soccer) but I didn't really believe him, so I didn't pay attention to that part of his story.  He was supposedly there because his wife left him for an Irishman who lived in this village and he was there scoping the place out cause she took their daughter with her.  Drama that I don't really want a part of.  These other 3 guys were DRUNK.  And probably in their late 60's.  All I will say is that they were nice, but very pushy and were adamantly trying to get us to go home with them.  It's hard to be nice sometimes.  But, I am - especially in a foreign country.

Closing time - some locals invited us to their house for an after-hours party, we declined and headed back up the dark gravel road to go to bed.

November 12, 2007
Wake up rather late, due to not getting back until well after 2am.  Breakfast was due to be over at 10am, and it was about 9:45 when we sat down.  After sitting for a while, Susan comes in and takes our breakfast order.  Another great meal!

We head out to see the Cliffs.  Wow.  It's changed since I've last been there.  The whole walk up to the cliffs is different.  They've added the experience place and the huge gift shop - and also made the walk up not as steep.

This place is so breath taking.  If it wasn't so darn cold and windy, I could have looked out into the ocean for hours.  Alas, it was windy and cold.  But, we took some pictures and even sent an email home from O'Brien's tower complete with pictures of us with the cliffs behind us.

We leave and drive through the Burren on our way to Galway.  Such beautiful scenery.  We even come across some small and obscure castle/cathedral down this VERY small road.  Get out and take some more pictures.  I fall on the stairs and bruise up my knee.  It wouldn't be a good trip if I didn't injure myself in someway.

Make our way into Galway.  It's all starting to come back to me.  This beautiful seaside town was my mom's favorite place in the world.  We didn't get to experience much of it when we were there in 04 ... just the bay and the pedestrian areas.  But, she still loved it.  We drive around and find our hotel, The Park House Hotel.  Park in the garage and walk over to check in.

WOW.  I did not realize just how fancy schmancy this place was going to be.  I just got a great deal on Expedia - and booked it.  It's in a very central location to Eyre Square with the bay only a 5 minute walk away.  We check in and it's amazing.  We decide that we need to get some food - so, we walk out and find this restaurant just off the square.  I finally got some Shepherd's pie.  After we ate we walked around trying to find Irish Ink - the place that I would be getting my tattoo the next day.  After walking around to where I thought I remembered it being, Chrissy asked someone and they pointed us in the right direction.  It's in a tiny "seedy" part of the city.  Where there are exotic clubs and the like.  Perfect.  We find it, and it's closed on Mondays but we see that they open around 11am on Tuesday.  We walk back to the hotel to move the car and grab our luggage.

I get the very LAST spot in their parking area ... a very tight spot.  That's where the car will be parked for the next day and a half and won't be moving.  So, it's ok.  As we go back inside, we grab an ethernet cable for Chrissy's laptop so we can get a fix before we go out to drink.  Also, we discover that our room is non-smoking and we asked the guy behind the counter if all the smoking rooms were taken and he said yes.  Bummer.  Get back up to the room and the internet is not working.  We call the front desk and they send someone up to help.  The girl they send up is super sweet, but confesses that she knows nothing about computers.  We figure that it's something wrong with the outlet and she radios back to the front desk to see if we could get moved.  We can.  They move us to another room on a different floor ... the SMOKING FLOOR.  Hrm.  They did have a smoking room afterall.  Well, internet is not working still.  Maybe it's the cable.  Poor girl is running back and forth between us and the front desk.  New cable doesn't work - so they send up the concierge.  He can't get it to work.  We tell them it's no biggie and thank them for all their efforts.  Chrissy screws around with it a bit more - and voila - it works.  It's something with her ethernet card.

We get our fix.  Shower and head out.  We ask the guy at the front desk where we could find a good rock n roll pub.  He points us to King's Head.  We go in - and it's NOT a rock n roll pub.  We have one pint and leave.  Ask someone else and they point us to this other pub ... NO ... this is where all the preppy college kids hang out and geek out to lame techno.  We have one pint and chat with these nice but annoying kids who are probably all of 19 years old.  They tell us of some other pubs to try out.  We walk around trying to find them - can't.  So, Chrissy suggests we try the pub that is near the tattoo shop since it's probably more our kind of scene anyway.  Róisín Dubh is where we find ourselves.  It's a multi-level pub with a huge stage downstairs and a beer garden upstairs.  We head upstairs and get our pints and head out to the garden.  It's not too packed, but there's still no place to sit - so we end up standing at one of the stand up tables.  Which is great, cause it turns out to be a conversation table.

As we are standing there - these two guys walk up and ask if it's ok if they join us.  We say it's ok - they realize our accents and the conversation begins.  One guy is Welsh and the other is English.  Chrissy is kind of keen on the Welshman - and he is on her.  The englishman decides that he likes Chrissy's coat and scarf and asks to wear it.  She obliges.  And hilarity insues.  I start talking to some other random person and Chrissy says she's going to go dancing downstairs with these guys.  Fun was had by all.  They return from dancing and the two Brits leave.  She enters my conversation with the one guy and we somehow all agree to meet the next night at the same place around 9pm.  It's closing time.

As we are walking back, I notice a chippy (fish and chips) and I'm starving.  So, I get some curry cheese chips - and I swear they were the best thing on Earth.  Chrissy gets some taco chips (she's always craving Mexican food, even in Ireland).  The streets are starting to fill with drunken college kids.  LOUD drunk college kids.  And, it's amazing to see a taxi rank like this one.  Since most people in America drink and drive, you don't ever see this many taxis in one place - especially in Dallas.  As we're walking along the square back to the hotel - there are these two guys - and they insist on helping us eat our chips.  And for some odd reason - one of the guys insists on trying to get naked in the middle of the square.  We turn around and walk away in a hurry.  We go on our way ... only to find our hotel LOCKED.  What??  Who locks a hotel?  It's not a b&b ... it's a 4 star hotel.  We walk around trying to figure out how we are going to get inside.  Even the car park is gated shut.  What to do?  Oh ... climb the gate, of course.

November 13, 2007
We were supposed to wake up early so that we could be the first people at the tattoo shop cause I was afraid that they might book up.  But, Chrissy didn't want to wake up.  I wanted breakfast .. since I'd already paid for it - but didn't want to eat alone, and there was no rising Chrissy.  I got up and showered and upsettingly waited for her to arise.  She finally did and we got ready to go.  Get to the shop around 1pm (I think).  I tell Jon what I wanted and he drew it up - resizing it a few times.  When he told me the price - I was actually amazed.  I thought it would be a lot more.  Only 80.  Cash only.  So, we walked out to find the ATM machine.  Chrissy freaks out cause she finally finds a Dr. Pepper, which I warned her does NOT taste like our Dr. Pepper.  Not listening - she buys it and is upset when I was right. 

Get back to the shop and he's ready to go.  Trying hard to fight back the tears when he's working on me.  I just keep trying to engage him in conversation so I don't end up looking like a fool.  The tears come out - and, they are not tears cause I'm in physical pain - they are tears of sadness/joy/overwhelming emotions.  He does a great job, in my opinion ... I hand him a 100 bill and say "no change" and tell him that he did a great job.

We head out to find some food .... SuperMac's it is.  I get a baked potato with baked beans and cheese and Chrissy gets a hamburger.  We walk around looking at things and taking pictures of the square.  Head back to the hotel and chill out.  I think Chrissy naps while I watch some tube.

Get ready to go back to Róisín Dubh to meet up with the guy from the night before.  Stop off at the same chippy and get some more curry cheese chips.  Head upstairs at the pub.  That guy is nowhere to be found - and never shows up.  Oh well - no biggie.  We sit there and talk about the past week.  It starts to get crowded and we head downstairs to see what it's like - get a pint and decide that we liked it better upstairs.  Head back up and we can barely move, there are just so many people.  We're about to call it a night when some guy sees my scarf and proceeds to talk to me about Liverpool.  He shows me this video on his phone where he was in the locker room after LFC won their title.  He sends it to me - and now I have it FOREVER.  YAY.  We leave and head back to the hotel ... which was locked again.  But, we discovered earlier in the day that there is a doorbell.... and that if we would have rang it the night before - they would have let us in.  We did so this time.

November 14, 2007
Happy Birthday, Momma. 

We wake up and start packing our suitcases.  We head downstairs for breakfast and to meet Helen and Ed.  We check out and walk down to the Claddagh, the former fishing village in Galway - which is the where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean in the Galway Bay.  We walk along the perimeter of the area and decide the best place to scatter my mom's ashes.  They brought this beautiful basket with her ashes placed inside with very pretty pink and purple flowers covering them. 

They lowered the basket into the water as Helen recited some Irish prayers in Gaelic.  The weather was probably the best it had been.  As my mother's ashes began scattering into the water - I could see 4 swans swimming in it's path.  It was very emotional, as I'm sure you could imagine.  I was talking to my mother in my head.  Telling her how much I love her and telling her I hope she was happy that she was now in her favorite place.  Wishing her a happy eternity and a wonderful birthday - I threw in my rose and kissed my necklace which also holds some of my mother's remains inside. 

After the ceremony, I went and sat on this bench and really took it all in.  Overwhelmed with happiness that I had done the right thing, I smiled.

We walked over to the Dominican Church of St Mary on the Hill - lit a candle for my mother and wrote her name in the prayer book.  I don't know proper church etiquette and felt very out of place and I hope it didn't show.  Afterwards we walked back into town and had a nice cup of tea.  Helen and Ed were by far the nicest and most sincere people that I have truly ever come across.  I am very thankful to them for their help and their sympathy.

We part ways with Helen and Ed and head back to the hotel to get our car and head out of Galway and back to Dublin for our last Irish night.

As we're driving - I realize that I should have used the toilet before we left.  We find a McDonald's and I jet inside.  Chrissy decides that she's hungry - and I am too but did not want to eat there but since she was getting something to eat - I decided to as well, against my better judgement.  The burger was so disgusting, that I only ate about half of it and threw the rest out the window.  The drive to Dublin was uneventful .... but the drive to the car rental place was a NIGHTMARE.

Driving IN Dublin sucks.  Very confusing, to say the least.  After turning around about 50 times and driving past the street it was on about 50 times ... we stumbled upon it.  Check the car in and get a taxi to our hotel, Premier Suites again.  Check in and head upstairs - WOW - this one was even better than the first night.  It was an actual 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment.  I unpack everything that I'll need the next morning - and go out to the living room to discuss when we want to head out for some food and drinks.

Much to my dismay - Chrissy was not having it.  She did not want to go out on our last night.  I was highly upset and disappointed.  Mainly because it was my mother's birthday, the day that I scattered her ashes - and all I wanted to do was have a few beers and try and relieve some feelings and stress about the day.  Celebrate my mother's life.... on my last night in Ireland.  We got into it.  I was very irate and in her face.  Pissed as all hell.  And truly disappointed.  Said quite a few things that I probably shouldn't have.  But, until someone has gone through the day that I had just gone through ... you won't know how I was feeling.

Ended up walking to a corner store - buying a Guinness and a salad - coming back to the hotel and watched TV.  Fell asleep on the couch.  Woke up around 3am and crawled into bed.

November 15, 2007
Boohoo.  Going home SUCKS.
Packed up and waiting for the bus to take us to the airport.
About a 40 minute journey - and there we were.  Got through security with no problems.  Got to our gate - and waited - and waited.  I think I even called Rob, I had to vent about the night before.

I also slept funny on the plane - cause I woke up with SEVERE back problems that lasted a couple of days.  When we got to Chicago - everything was fine.  But, we did keep noticing  that a lot of the flights were being delayed that were heading to Dallas - except ours.  Well - until it was about an hour away.  Then we were delayed for about 35 minutes.  The crew was late.

Got home in one piece.

Once again - I'm in planning mode for next year's trip.

Shawn,

Thank you! We enjoyed all the details and your various recommendations. I'm glad you enjoyed Laragh House in Kilkenny. May your mother rest in peace in Galway Bay. All the more reason to return again and again.

When you are ready for another trip let us know so we can add our two cents to your plans!

Michele

P.S. If it is not indelicate to ask; what was the tattoo of?

Dear Shawn,

I've read your report twice because I've enjoyed it so much. The service for your Mother was very moving, I'm sure she was there with you. You are a wonderful daughter.

My Best, Joan

Shawn,

I'd love to see some pictures and I bet others would also.

Joan

I use Fotki for all my pictures.

The pictures are kind of out of order since I uploaded both mine (red head) and Chrissy's (blonde) pictures onto the server, and the EXIF dates were all wrong - since we forgot to change the times on our cameras until half way through the trip. We had a great time, being 2 young females - as seen in the following pictures.

http://public.fotki.com/txdevil/vacations-/ireland-2007/

We stayed at Killarney House and would DEFINITELY recommend it. Breakfast was wonderful. Rooms are VERY spacious and Caroline is a real treat.  Wonderful views outside our triple room.


Thanks for taking a gander at my pictures, yes, we had (too much of) a great time.  haha.