Wren
Unregistered User
(7/24/03 1:06 am)

Trip Report Part One: Dublin, County Waterford, Cashel

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In return for all the favors and info I found here before my trip, here's the scoop on our two weeks in Ireland.

We started with three nights in Dublin. Our connections via British Air were changed, so we got into Dublin later in the day then we'd planned. Decided to take a taxi in, rather than try to figure out the other options with jet lag. Turned out to be fun: the driver was talkative and we discussed the Special Olympics that were just finishing up and then moved on to politics. He had two questions for us: what were Bush's chances in 2004 and when was Hilary going to run. Interesting conversation to start things off!

We stayed at Trinity Lodge, which was a wonderful location. We had one of the slightly less expensive rooms in the townhouse just across the street from the main building. The room was very nice, though a bit warm (third floor). An open window cooled things off, however a nearby club made things a bit noisy around closing time (2am). Any city is going to be noisy though - we coped. The breakfasts were great and the staff very nice. The little Italian place just down the street offered a great light meal and a glass of wine that hit the spot after a day of airplane food.

On our first full day we enjoyed seeing the Book of Kells, and were delighted by the Long Room library, which is above where the book actually is. A bibliophile's picture of heaven, with what seems to be two or three stories of old, leather bound books. From there we went to the National Museum, which really helped put our later explorations around the country in historical context. The gold room (?) with the wonderful celtic brooches, collars and other jewelry was breathtaking.

After being on our feet for quite awhile, we decided to take the hop on/off bus tour in the late afternoon, staying on for one full circuit. Since the tickets were good for 24 hours, we could scope out places we might want to return to. Ate dinner at Gallahger's Boxty House - interesting for it's offerings of Irish dishes, which were more like comfort food then restaurant cuisine.

The next day started off pretty rainy, so we hopped back on the bus and went to the Guinness Brewery, which was fun. Hit the skyline bar as the weather cleared, for a great view of Dublin and our free pint. From there we got back on the bus and hopped off again at the Jameson Distillery, which was also interesting. In both places you don't actually get to see the brewing/distilling in action. The Guinness tour is a multi-level multi-media self-paced experience, while the Jameson tour is led by a personable guide who tells you about the process as he/she walks you through rooms and displays. Had pub grub in the Temple Bar area - nothing too terribly exciting but the Guinness is good! Finished up the day with the musical pub crawl starting at Oliver St. John Gogarty's, which was fun.

The next day we picked up our car at the Hertz place in town, which was right on the road we needed to take to head south. Since it was basically a straight shot out of town, it wasn't too intimidating. Went to Glendalough, which was great - wonderful ruins and trails beside streams and the lake. Bought our Duchas passes there - we stopped at enough sites on the trip to just about break even, but I liked supporting the concept and having the opportunity to stop at some things we might otherwise have passed up.

From Glendalough we headed to the town of Avoca, to see the handweaver place, which was interesting. Had lunch in their cafe and then started for Clonmel and our next B&B. We couldn't take the road we planned on because of construction. We stopped to ask directions from one of the road workers and were so bemused by his phrasing and accent (right out of a scene from the Quiet Man) that we lost some of the details. The one that stuck in our mind was "Turn left at the white house with all the flowers." Do you know how many white houses with flowers there are in that part of Ireland!!! Anyway, as the fellow at the rental car place said, "you can't get lost unless you try" and we eventually found our way to Clonmel and Ballymacarbary, where we stayed at Glasha Farmhouse B&B. Olive has one several awards as a B&B hostess, and she deserves each and every one of them. It was a fantastic place to stay, a beautiful traditional farmhouse (white, and yes, with flowers). She's an excellent cook and makes the best homemade muesli. She also gave us wonderful suggestions for seeing the area. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1643
(7/24/03 4:49 pm)

Great Start

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Hi Wren,

What a great start to your trip report. I can't wait for the next installment. I loved the part about getting driving directions. In the old days it was "turn left at the white cow".

Keep it coming!

Michele

P.S. Everyone here was delighted to help with suggestions for your trip.

Wren
Unregistered User
(7/24/03 5:01 pm)

Trip Report Continued: Waterford and Cashel

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We spent two nights at Glasha Farmhouse. After Olive's first phenomenal breakfast, she chatted with us about what we might like to do in the area and then came back with a handwritten description of a possible itinerary. It made for a great day's loop drive. We took some country lanes to connect with the road through the Vee Gap, which was a gorgeous drive. We then went to Lismore Castle and strolled through the gardens there. From there we went to Waterford itself, but just to the edge of town to the crystal factory. Yes, it's pretty commercial and does cater to large busloads, but we found the tour very interesting as we were able to see the craftsmen actually blowing, checking, cutting and finishing different items. At the end of the tour the group was able to talk with one of the master craftsmen as he demonstrated some of the more creative work that the masters get to do and answered everyone's questions about various aspects of the trade.

Olive had recommended that we take the coastal road from Waterford through Tramore and Dungarven and then back up to Ballymacarbary. Near Tramore we tried to follow a "Dolmen Trail" that takes you along narrow roads through some nearby countryside where you can see some dolmen's and other ancient ruins. We followed the directions the best we could, and found four or five out of a possible nine sites. Fun though!
After dinner in Dungarven and a stroll around the harbor we headed back to the farmhouse. Since it was still light we took another walk, along one of the country lanes there, before turning in, sleeping well with the pleasant sound of the garden's fountain outside our window.

The next day, after bidding a fond farewell to Glasha, we headed to Cashel, via Cahir Castle. The castle was fun to see, with a good tour guide. We then went on to Cashel. We were a bit early, but since the town was fairly crowded and parking seemed to be at a premium, we pulled in to Rockside House, our next B&B, which is right at the base of the Rock in a prime location. Joan Joy welcomed us, we moved our bags into our room and left the car in their handy parking area. We walked up to the Rock, which was fascinating to explore, and then walked around the town a bit. Some of the roads in Cashel are quite busy and congested during the day, so we were glad that Rockside house was off the main road (the one with the trucks). We ate dinner that night at Chez Hans, which was wonderful. We'd looked at Legends, too, but it was a bit more expensive. Chez Hans was wonderful. After dinner we walked to the Bru Boru performance, which was very enjoyable. Strolling back to the B&B with the Rock of Cashel all lit up was enchanting, and we could see the Rock from the window of our room, also. Joan and Rem Joy were warm and friendly, the room and breakfast simple and good , very pleasant all around. Rem gave us several suggestions for our long drive the next day - we were heading up to Connemara via Clonmacnois Abbey. But that's for the next posting, with a new title. Connemara deserves one all it's own!

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1645
(7/25/03 12:39 am)

Lovely Trip

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Hi Wren,

So far you seem to have had a lovely trip. I hope the weather was good as well. I agree that Connemara deserves a topic of its own.

Michele