Hi Everyone,

I am not going to write a "trip report" per say. Instead I will give you some random thoughts on my 27 days in Ireland. I may be adding more things later. Feel free to ask what questions you will.

Weather: The first part of the trip was beautiful. We encountered "Ireland's summer" after a long, rainy, flooded summer. The Irish were ecstatic about the change for the better and my husband and I were too. When the weather changed it seemed like we went from summer to winter overnight. Very chilly and windy with gales on the coasts. Then the weather moderated to typical Irish weather. Not too cold with showery days and a few nice days thrown in between.

Self-catering: We did self-catering at two different places. Four nights at Tankardstown near Slane in Co. Meath. Wow! What a wonderful place. A hundred acre estate with horses in the pastures, a walled garden, a mansion and stable courtyard cottage apartments. The mansion is rented for events such as weddings, corporate events, family reunions, etc. Extremely beautiful and elegant. We stayed in a one-bedroom stable cottage. It was wonderful. The kitchens were small and because of that did not have a dishwasher or microwave. Somehow I was able to manage with no problem.  

The other self-catering cottage was a bit rustic and out in the sticks for my taste. My husband chose it (gotta give him some input)  but I think that in Oct in No. Ireland we really needed to be closer to civilization.

Best Beds: Tankardstown without a doubt. The king bed was firm while at the same time being cushy. Wonderful linens, down comforter and pillows. It was heavenly and like sleeping on a cloud. Downside: I couldn't get my husband out of bed unless bribed with a full Irish breakfast. He returned to the bed frequently for naps. At least I always knew where to find him!

Worst Beds: I wanted to love the Courtyard in Bunratty. On the surface everything was perfect. Good location, nice size, clean rooms; nicely decorated public areas, nice tea in the lounge. But when I went to bed that night I lay there for a long time feeling very uncomfortable. I was tired but could not sleep. Usually a bed warms up with body heat. This one did not. It was sucking the warmth right out of me and felt clammy. And it was a mild night. I finally figured it out. 

I got up at 1:30 am and looked under the sheets. Sure enough -- rubberized mattress cover. I hate them!!  Call me "The Princess and the Pea" or whatever you want but there has to be a better option. I stripped the bed, removed the cover, remade the bed and got back in. By then I was wide awake and read for a while. The bed was still uncomfortable. The springs rippled across the surface like an old washboard. I finally fell asleep and managed to get a few hours of sleep. The bed didn't bother my husband who can sleep anytime and anywhere (we had twins BTW). But if you are a sensitive sleeper, you have been informed by Goldilocks. I did send the Courtyard an email asking about the quality of the beds in other rooms but they have not answered me.

Best Restaurant: The Red Door in Bunratty. Even though it is under new management it is still excellent with superior service. 

Worst Restaurant Service: I will admit up front that I did not eat Gallagher's in Bunratty even though I tried to. I have eaten there in the past and enjoyed the food and ambiance. This time was not to be. 

It was a Monday night around 5:45 pm and we arrived for the early bird, which lasts till 6:30. The young man who greeted us (if you can call it being greeted) gave us the once over and demanded "Name!" No "Hello, welcome to Gallagher's" or any other greeting. I told him we did not have reservations. That seemed to distress him. He left the bar area and disappeared out back. 

I looked around the restaurant. There were two other people there waiting in the bar area. When the greeter returned he said to have a seat and a drink in the bar and he would see what he could do. I guess my mistake was saying that we were not drinking. He looked rather peeved and proceeded to ignore us. 

We sat down in the bar area and my husband grabbed a couple of menus to look at while we waited. The other couple said "Good idea" and got some menus for themselves. We waited for 15 minutes. Two women came in and ordered drinks. They were shortly shown to a table in the empty restaurant. A woman came out from the depths of the restaurant. She had a 20 minute chat with the other couple who were waiting in the bar. She did not even look at my husband and me. The greeter was in and out, totally ignoring everyone. May I use an Irish term here? I felt that the people working there were toffee-nosed. 

I looked at my watch and it was approaching the 6:30 early bird deadline. Hmmm...very interesting. I told my husband that if someone did not speak to us or tell us what was going on within five minutes were not going to waste any more of our time playing Gallagher's games. My conclusion is if you want to eat at Gallagher's make a reservation, have a drink in the bar and do not count on being seated in time to get the early bird menu.

Best Breakfast: Parkswood in Passage East. As members of the Slow Food movement in Ireland they have everything about the most important meal of the day right. 

Airport Hotel: I spent my last night in Ireland at Premier Inn near Dublin Airport. The rooms were clean, beds excellent, it had a/c and I was happy with most everything. Food in the restaurant was okay but not great. For 89 euro per room it was a bargain but did not include breakfast. My only recommendation to them is to give free Internet access to their guests. They charged 5 euro for an hour for Internet.

M50: It was no problem on arrival. Clear sailing and not that much traffic. I paid the toll by phone the next morning. 27 days later it was a different story. Frankly, the construction, traffic, width of the lanes, and lane markers were frightening. It is hard to believe that a road can be so messed up. I now plan on avoiding it whenever possible till all construction is done...and maybe forever.

Dublin Airport: Once inside it is fine. But just try and find the car rental returns, circling round and round through a maze of barricades, signs that point to the wrong way, and road works. If you can avoid Dublin Airport, do it. Highly unrecommended.

Michele