mmaloney
Unregistered User
(7/8/05 1:49 pm)

Ireland Travel Journal / Trip Report (Part One)

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Ireland Travel Journal / Trip Report

Before I start I want to deeply thank Michele for both her book and the wonderful advice I received on this website. Her help in fine-tuning my itinerary significantly improved our first trip to Ireland. While we still saw a large chunk of the country I wasn’t exhausted and I actually had time to take a deep breath and enjoy my surroundings. It made all the difference.

Since we were in Ireland for two weeks and I have a lot to say (I tend to ramble), I’m going to break this up into sections. Here’s part one…

Day One: 13 June 2005

We arrived at the Dublin Airport around 11am. Fortunately my wife and I were able to sleep on the plane so we weren’t terribly exhausted. We took a cab into the city centre to our hotel, The Morrisson. First off, I have never, ever, experienced such a friendly cab driver. He gave us great tips on places to eat, pubs to check out, an interesting perspective on the changes he’s seen in Dublin, and tips on driving. It was a great first impression of the Irish people that remained true throughout our trip. The Morrisson was a wonderful modern Hotel just across the river from the Temple Bar area. It was a perfect location for us. We spent the day casually walking around Temple Bar and Grafton St. I was happy to find Green Spot Whiskey which I’ve been trying to get for years. We had dinner at Gruel, a great little café type place in Temple Bar. My wife DeAnna had Bangers & Mash and I had an Irish Stew. Unfortunately I brought a slight cold with me to Dublin that I was fighting off, and so based on the cab drivers recommendation I had a Hot Whiskey at Stag’s Head. Man did that do the trick! A brief pub crawl to Stag’s Head, Oneils for some Irish Music and a final stop at Quays Bar. Went to bed pretty early to fight off the cold and the jetlag.

Day Two: 14 June 2005

A wonderful day in Dublin with clear skies. And guess what, the cabbie was right! The Hot Whiskey did the trick! No cold! We started the day getting on the hop on/hop off bus, which gave us a solid overview of the city (as well as a great way of transportation). First stop was Trinity College to see the book of Kells. While the book was definitely fascinating, I particularly enjoyed the ‘long room’ library. After Trinity College we stayed on the bus for a while, eventually stopping at the Guinness Storehouse. I wasn’t entirely impressed with the self guided tour, but I loved the floor where they showcase the old (and new) advertising campaigns. But the main reason we went was to have a Guinness at the top floor, which was breathtaking. My wife was hungry and was in need of food, but unfortunately the café had just closed. However, one of the staff brought us a bowl of soup and a scone at no charge! Another unbelievable example of how kind and considerate people are, and this was in Dublin at perhaps it’s most touristy! I was shocked. I work near Venice Beach and let me tell you people are just not that friendly to tourists over here (or they are until they steal your wallet L ). After making a complete loop on the tour bus we took a brief nap, freshened up, and had a wonderful dinner at Eden in Temple Bar. DeAnna had venison & I had a slow roasted pork belly with carmelized onions and apples. Both included, of course, mash. For dessert we shared a white chocolate parfait with dark chocolate mousse & mango. To quote another person at the restaurant, it was “supreme.”

Day Three: 15 June 2005

We met up on O’Connell St. to take the Mary Gibbons Tour of Newgrange and Hill of Tara. This was one of the main highlights for me of the trip, and I highly recommend taking this tour since she actually gets you in to the real Newgrange, not the replica. Mary was a great host with an enormous amount of knowledge regarding the history of the city. We first stopped at the Hill of Tara and the statue of Saint Patrick. The weather was warm and sunny, a perfect day. Next was Newgrange. They allowed us inside the tomb and performed a simulation of the spilling of slight that happens only one day a year. The host ‘Paddy’ was very informative. The tour takes a good chunk of the day, so afterwards we did a bit more shopping, a quick nap, and then time for another round of pubs. The plan was a pub crawl, but we only ended up at one, O’Donoghues on Merrion Row. We had so much fun there we ended up staying till last call.

Day Four: 16 June 2005

Our first day of driving. I woke up in a cold sweat. This was what I was fearing most. As suggested on the web site, we took a cab into Dublin, and picked up a car for hire OUTSIDE of the city centre. Excellent advice. Another cab driver took us out of the city centre who was also very informative and kind. More great tips on driving and he gave us directions to our first stop, Kilkenny. One piece of advice he gave us was “Just follow the person in front of you, until they get off the road, then don’t”… While this seemed more like a joke than anything else, it actually was great advice! It’s amazing how the most common sense stuff isn’t so common when taken out of your environment. I kept repeating his words throughout the trip. He was my Irish Buddah. We rented an automatic Nissan Micra, which was small but comfortable. My first few minutes on the road are a bit of a blur; but somehow I survived leaving the car rental parking lot, managed to get through a couple of roundabouts, and was cruising on the M50, of course about 25 km too slow. Someone started honking at me, gave me the bird, and as an emergency response I pulled over on the right side of the road!! AARGH! Okay, don’t panic. Deep breaths. Get back on. Okay I’m cool… Then I notice an open door light is on. I have my wife check her passenger door… That wasn’t it. Then I checked my door. Crap, that wasn’t it. Then I realize I’m only going 70km on a 100/120km road and kick it up. Okay. I’m waving at people apologetically passing me, hoping they don’t kill me (they would in Los Angeles, especially with the recent freeway shootings). But at least now I’m going the right speed. Then I realize which door is ajar, the hatchback. I figure this out because it flies open as I’m going 120km/hr. Pull off on the right…Oh no wait… I mean the left… Crap. Deep Breaths. I get off on the left hand side. Whew. Close the hatchback… Luckily we didn’t lose any luggage. Now its official, I really suck at driving. I get back on the M50 and its much smoother from this point on. Although my wife is getting really frustrated because I can’t concentrate on a word she’s saying. I know she’s trying to calm me down by having a conversation but I’m just trying to stay on the right, er, left side of the road. That’s all I can think about at this point. Luckily Kilkenny is only about a 2 hour drive. Thank you Michele for suggesting we do an overnight in Kilkenny! If I actually tried to drive to Kenmare on my first day on the road I don’t know what would’ve happened! Anyway, we make it to Kilkenny. We stayed at Butler’s Court which wasn’t anything outstanding but it was was easy to find, and Yvonne the host was extremely friendly and helpful. We were only doing one night in Kilkenny, but the town was so charming I immediately wanted to look around. And thanks to ‘yessiree’ & this web forum we had a copy of the Kilkenny Walking Tour. This was a great little book that I highly recommend to anyone that visits Kilkenny. It’s a perfect size for an afternoon walk and introduction to a fun town. DeAnna and I did about 1/2 of the tour. Highlights were the butter slip, Black Abbey with its stone graves, & Saint Marys Catholic Cathedral with the wax encased bones of Saint Victoria. A bit creepy, but I love that kind of creepy stuff. What was interesting was how small Queen Victoria was (she was 14 when she died, but she looked about 4’8…TINY! This highly contrasted the Norman stone graves at the Black Abbey, which appeared to hold men much taller (My wife who is 5’10” got in a couple to check out). For dinner we ate at the Marble City pub (a recommendation from Butler Court). The food was excellent. I had the Irish Stew and I was by far the best I’ve had. Man I really didn’t expect to love the food in Ireland as much as I have had so far. After dinner we enjoyed some wonderful Irish music at Ballards Pub. While O’Donogues in Dublin was more of a party pub, this pub had a great cozy feel, almost like you were staying in someone’s living room. Had some Green Spot Whiskey and a reserve RedBreast which are two whiskeys almost impossible to find in the US. The music was the best I have heard so far on the trip. Much more delicate, and at times melancholic. A really nice relaxing way to end my stressful first day of driving.

…part two coming soon…

kbk54923
Registered User
Posts: 8
(7/8/05 4:26 pm)
 
Re: Ireland Travel Journal / Trip Report (Part One)

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Thanks so much for sharing. This is exactly what I'm looking for. Places to eat and drink when our tour stops in different towns.

Michele Erdvig
Administrator
Posts: 3246
(7/9/05 11:43 pm)
 
Re: Ireland Travel Journal / Trip Report (Part One)

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Michael,

I really appreciate your kind words about my website and book. I'm so glad that both helped with your trip. And what a trip it was! I have been chuckling through it already...especially the driving. I often think that the most dangerous places to drive in Ireland are the car rental parking lots and the exits from the airports!

Thanks for posting your trip report. It is great.

Michele

Melissa2Ireland
Registered User
Posts: 2
(7/30/05 2:00 am)

Re: Ireland Travel Journal / Trip Report (Part One)

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Hi mmaloney, I love your trip report! I am so excited to be planning our first family trip to Ireland. Your journal is so helpful because you tell it the way it really happened. I can't read the "real" story like this in a guidebook!

I've dreamed of visiting Ireland all my life, because of my beloved Irish grandmother, who was born and raised in Ireland before she emigrated to Philadelphia. Next summer (June/July 2006) I'll be visiting Ireland with my husband and 2 daughters for the first time.

DRIVING IN IRELAND:
People have said the driving was more difficult than they thought in Ireland, but you really tell the whole hair-raising tale of what it's like! That really helps me to plan...

For example, after reading your driving experiences, I am thinking of flying into Shannon airport, renting a car, and staying in our first hotel about an hour's drive from the airport. Then, when it's time to fly home, I think we will drop the car off in Dublin (at Dublin airport? wherever it's easier) And then spend our last 1 or 2 nights in a Dublin hotel, using taxis and the hop-on, hop-off bus. Then fly home.

Or...if we fly into Dublin, I think we will rent the car and drive away from the city, maybe to Trim, for our first night...

And for sure I'm going to remember to add extra time to the estimated drives! Plus, based on your report, I know I'm on the right track in thinking I'd better plan at least 3 nights in each stop, in case the weather foils our plans...

Thanks for telling the "real" story!

GREAT DETAILS:
Love all your details about the pubs, the food, and the pub music.

DUBLIN:
Did you feel it was worthwhile to visit the Book of Kells and the library at Trinity college? Was it worth the time? Not counting the U2 concert (which sounds incredible!) did you feel it was worth your time to see Dublin? I am torn between skipping Dublin, or spending either 1 or 2 full days sight-seeing in Dublin.

NEWGRANGE:
We want to see Newgrange. Doesn't everybody get to see inside the "real" Newgrange? Do you mean some people only get to see inside the replica? I didn't know there was a replica...

I'm so glad you took the time to share your trip with us. I know it's harder than it looks to write a trip report. I printed yours out and highlighted it. It's great and very entertaining!

mmaloney
Unregistered User
(8/5/05 4:51 pm)

Dublin / Driving / Etc...

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Sorry I haven't replied... It's been a while since I've visited this site. I'm afraid my work has finally caught up with me

RE: Dublin
Now that I've been back for a while, I'd have to say that while Dublin was an amazing experience, it wasn't the highlight of the trip for me. Granted, I've lived in Los Angeles most of my life and I've been to several cities. As far as cities go, Dublin was by far the most friendly, but it was not much different than many other cities. And while the Book of Kells was fascinating, I wouldn't consider it a huge loss if you missed it. People could tell we were city folk because we got so excited whenever we saw sheep or cows !

If you do decide to visit Dublin, 2 days should be fine. We basically had 2 days and then a third day to Newgrange. And I would not suggest driving into Dublin. Its a bit more expensive I believe to pick up/drop off cars for hire at the Dublin airport, but for me it was well worth it. I would panic whenever we had to get through little town centers... I can't imagine having to drive through Dublin.

RE: Newgrange.

According to our tour guide (Mary Gibbons), they are limiting the amount of visitors to Newgrange to reduce wear and tear on the site. I believe the Mary Gibbons tour is one of the few that allows you to enter the site, but there were other groups visiting. I never saw the replica, but when I did my research many said to make sure and visit the real thing. If I had to choose a day in Dublin or Newgrange, I would take Newgrange without hesitation.

Have fun planning your trip!

Michael Maloney

Melissa2Ireland
Registered User
Posts: 38
(8/7/05 5:08 pm)

Re: To: Michael; Re: L.A. and Ireland traffic

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Michael Maloney, it's funny that somebody from Los Angeles, which is in the top 5 list for worst traffic in the USA, would panic when driving through towns in Ireland. I guess we all get nervous in unfamiliar situations.

I panic if we have to drive through L.A. en route to anywhere! Your traffic never sleeps, even at night it's still crazy.

Interesting that you enjoyed Newgrange more than Dublin. Thanks for your reply. Good luck on those L.A. freeways!