On to Dublin

April 27-28

Today we had to have our suitcases out for pickup by 7:00. We had breakfast and were aboard the bus by 8:00 for our trip to Dublin. It was drizzling as we left so we took advantage of it and got some extra shut eye.

We stopped at the Rock of Cashel. This is the ancient seat of the Kings of Ireland. It is also the place where Saint Patrick is reputed to have converted the Irish Kings to Christianity. We had a guided tour of the ruins.

We ate our lunch of a baggette with chicken and cheese while others from the group tried out a local pub. We then continued on to Dublin and our hotel.

We freshened up and at 5:45 proceeded to the Cooks Academy where we all worked together to prepare our meal. They divided us into groups of 8 and each person worked on a part of the meal. Since it was a type of ice breaker Coleen and I were in different groups. We each had the same job for our group and that was to chop the cabbage, carrot, and onions and then cook them. We also had honey glazed ham, scones, roasted potatoes, apple cake and a salad. It was really quite fun.

Saturday we got to sleep in a bit as we were staying in Dublin. The bus left at 9 and took us on a tour of the city. 

We stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral and got a tour of the inside as well. It has been a place of worship since the time of the Vikings and was a Catholic place of worship until the time of King Henry VIII. Jonathan Swift is buried there and we saw the plaque in the floor.

We continued on to Phoenix Park which is two and a half times bigger than Central Park in New York City.

We returned to our hotel and Coleen rested as her cold was bothering her. At 2:45 we got back on the bus and went for a tour of the Guinness brewery. It was a special tour and we even got a pint when we were finished. We went to the top where there is a great view of Dublin but it was Saturday and it was crowded.

 Our last adventure in Dublin was an Irish Dinner followed by a music program called The Irish House Party. It was at a small local hotel the Lansdowne about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying. The dinner was very good and the music and dance was like a local get together by friends in a pub. We all had a good time and walked back together.

Ring of Kerry

April 26th

Today we didn't have to put our luggage out as we are staying the same hotel again tonight. Breakfast was from 7:15 and we had a good buffet style meal. We boarded the bus at 8:15 and drove a short way into town where we got into horse drawn vehicles for a "Jaunting Car" ride through Killarney National Park. Our driver John and his horse Sally provided us with an entertaining hour of history and legend intermixed with a great deal of humor.

The park borders the town and so we started out on the city streets but quickly moved into the rural setting. We were blessed with a brief shower as we started but that did not deter us. 

We followed paths that led by the lake and provided a good view of Ross Castle which we had seen the night before.  

We even got to see some deer browsing by some ruins.

Once again we boarded the bus and headed out for a drive around the Ring of Kerry. 

We followed the blue road on the map above in a counterclockwise direction. We made multiple stops for photos and just to enjoy the scenery. It was spectacular. 

This is near where Charlie Chaplin lived and they had a statue of him which I failed to get. Oh well a good reason to return some day.

We had lunch at this place called Scarriff Inn. It overlooks a bay and the islands in the distance, Skellig Michael, were used in filming of Star Wars. We had a rich fish stew that was very good and warmed us as the winds were pretty chilly.

Norman our tour director was overjoyed because we had such a clear day. He said that sometimes the clouds are so low people can see nothing at all. We were thankful for good weather.

After our lunch stop we continued and stopped at Kissane Sheep Farm. We got to see a shepherd and his border collie working the sheep. It was fascinating and we could have watched for an hour. The way the dog, Gwena, concentrated on the sheep and obeyed the voice and whistle commands was astounding. The sheep were out in the open and the dog rounded them up and brought them into a pen area.

Coleen even got to hold a 3 day old baby lamb.

When we got back to the hotel we had about an hour and a half and then were driven into town for dinner on our own. We ate at Quinlan's Seafood. We both had fish and chips. It was good. 

We ended the night at a show called Celtic Steps. This was not in the itinerary but Norman recommended it and so most of us went. It was a combination of Irish music and dance. It reminded me some of River Dance but with a more local flair.