CatMoore
Registered User
Posts: 13
(6/17/03 8:15 am)

Part 3a: Roscrea, May 28 - 31, 2003

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...We hop on the bus to Roscrea. This bus is definitely a lot better than the one we took to Belfast! It is rather crowded, however, and we have to stuff our luggage in the compartment under the bus.

We got stuck in traffic trying to get out of Dublin (surprise), but it really only sets us back about 15 minutes. We get to Roscrea around 3pm, and we make our way to the Tower Guesthouse. The Tower is right next to the round tower in Roscrea, and it is such a LOVELY place! Michele, this is another place you should check out. Even though it's not a "B&B", it is still pretty small (10 guest rooms). The room we had was EXCELLENT! Very large, great bathroom, and beautiful view of the old church across the street.

We got settled in the room, and then we set up to pick up our rental car (yes, we decided to rent one for our last week here). We walked to Donal Ryan car sales to pick up our car. One note here, if anyone is staying in this area (he is also located in Thurles and Nenagh), RENT A CAR FROM HIM! (website: www.practical.co.uk/locat...icing.htm) This place was excellent for renting a car. They were very laid back, very helpful if you needed anything, and the price wasn't all that bad. We rented the smallest automatic car we could (Nissan Micra), and for a week with and extra driver and all the insurance we could find, it only ended up being $400 USD. I guess I didn't think it was all that bad, and it WAS nice to have the freedom that the car gives you. We were happy we did it, and it was nice renting from a smaller town, since it was easier to drive around!

The rest of the night we walk around Roscrea, visit the castle (VERY COOL CASTLE!), and had a pint in the pub that was in our Guesthouse.

The next day is the day I want to make the treck to Leap Castle (one of the main reasons we are staying in this area). After a minor wrong turn, we find our way to the castle. It was so neat! The area it is in is just eerie, and beautiful at the same time. We had seen in one of our books that it is open to tours, when available. So, we drove up to the castle and knocked on the door. A gentleman opened the door, and we chatted with him. We found out that he LIVES there, and is currently renovating the main tower house portion! His name is Sean Ryan, and he was such a wonderful man! He invited us in, gave us a tour of his castle, and showed us the renovations he has been working on. He is a musician, and hosts banquets by demand, and he said that he had one just the night before, and the party goers had just left at 5am! Very funny. So we sat and chatted with him about the history of the area, and about his music. I would definitely recommend a visit to Leap Castle. If you stop by, tell Sean we say "HI"!

We bid our goodbyes to Sean, and decide to drive up to Kinnitty Castle. It was very cool, and we just took pictures of it and decided to drive to Birr to see the Castle and the Demense. We stopped at a little pub to eat some lunch, and the young man who worked there was very chatty and we talked for a while.

We made our way to Birr, and this was just wonderful! The castle is occupied, so you can't tour it, but we walked the gardens surrounding. They were setting up for a festival, so we had to weave our way around tents. We did see the huge telescope (very interesting), and my hubby, being the mechanical engineer he is, was fascinated with it! The gardens were beautiful! By the way, for this whole trip thus far we have had EXCELLENT weather! It had to be around 65 degrees this day!

After we walk around the gardens, we decide to call it a day and make it back to Roscrea.

Since this is getting rather long, I'll post the 2nd day in Roscrea in a separate post....

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1577
(6/20/03 1:40 am)

Enjoying the Trip

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Hi Cat,

I thought I posted a reply a couple of days ago but it did not show up. I wanted to thank you for the recommendation of the Tower Guesthouse. I will definitely check it out when I am next in the area. Did you see anything spooky at Leap Castle? Looking forward to the rest of your trip.

Michele

CatMoore
Registered User
Posts: 15
(6/23/03 2:06 pm)

Leap Castle

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Nope - didn't see anything spooky, but Sean said there are spirits there, and they all live in harmony! He was a fun person to chat with!