Ireland welcomed us with calm seas, blue skies and the crash of a pigeon on our windscreen as we careened on the motorway at 75 miles per hour, on the afternoon of Thursday, June 20th docking into the port of Rosslare. Leaving Fishguard on the English coast we began our Irish exploration and today, as I sit overlooking the water on the northern coastline we have driven 1600 miles by car and 104 miles by sea. This equates to 2600 km driving and 166 km by ferry in nine days.
Last night we arrived at Ballygally Castle, overlooking the Sea at the head of Ballygally Bay, it is dated back to the 17th century. Restored and operating as a grand hotel, it is reported to be one of the most haunted places in all of Ulster. We will make this our home for two nights. A welcome change from cheap bed and breakfasts we have started Northern Ireland in a little ghostly luxury.
My view, as I sit in the drawing room, typing away as Daryl maps our next days, is surreal - grey skies merge into the horizon with the water mimicking the same overhead hues. The water is calm, the wind chill is biting and I could easily settle in for a while. Before we get excited about Northern Ireland let me take you back to Ireland ( independent of the UK) and share some of our journey to date.
Initially, we booked into a small B&B named Crossroads on the back roads of New Ross. Greeted by our host Liz, this home was ours for two nights and we shared it with a French couple, Philippe and Christine. Charming folk iconically French, they are travelling the country on a luxury BMW motorbike. Philippe traverses countries far and wide, researching his new book, a travel guide for bikers. He writes a book every two years and spends the intervening time researching, he will be in Australia next year, we hope he will make contact and we will see them again in our patch of dirt. I am a little jealous.
From New Ross we ventured to the Hook lighthouse - the oldest intact operational lighthouse in the world. Set atop the cliffs on the Hook Peninsula this massive black and white striped tower, marks the entrance to the Waterford Estuary. The history of this lighthouse is rich and full of hardship and perseverance. The first beacon ( fire) was lit by Saint Dubhan, a monk in the 5th century after realising the treacherous cliff face would cause many tragedies, if the sea travellers could not be warned of imminent danger and it has remained lit forever more. The lighthouse itself was built in the 13th century, providing shelter and a home for the monks who continued to ensure the sea vessels did not meet the rocky shores on their travels. Technology has sophisticated the practices from the raw days of collecting wood to burn, and the lighthouse, with its 115 steps, is worth the climb to enjoy the views from 46 meters above sea level.
This was our first taste of the wild coastline of Ireland. Having our fill of sea air, we journeyed inland to Waterford and were left stunned by the beauty and skill housed in this factory. Taking in the tour of the Waterford Crystal factory we went behind the scenes and watched, in awe, as the craftsmen created these pieces of pure pleasure. Staged in four main areas the craftsmen can only qualify in one skill - glass blowers, glass cutters, glass finishers or glass engravers. This takes a five year apprenticeship followed by a further three years to become a master craftsman. Watching them work is hypnotic, the temperature is hot in the glass making house and the defined muscle on their forearms indicate a life’s work of patience and perfection. Some of the photos in our album “UK adventures plus Northern Island” shows the works on display at Waterford. If you ever choose to purchase Waterford crystal make sure it bears the hallmark otherwise it is a replica! Feeling richer for the experience we set off to Kilkenny.
Steeped in history this city has much to offer tourists. We toured through Kilkenny castle, and the divide between the rich and poor is highlighted in every room with opulence and excess in high quantities. Without a doubt it was a male dominated world filled with violence, greed and the quest for power. Settling for something quirky we got aboard for the Kilkenny road train tour - this was a blast. Trundling through narrow streets and getting a recorded story of the highlights we enjoyed history though a different perspective. Feeling and looking very much like the quintessential tourist we sat goggled eyed, pointing and laughing at the sights before us. The medieval museum finished off our historical tour of Kilkenny and we decided we had well and truely earned a drink. Daryl was determined to try the local beverage of choice - Guinness and felt it important to share the experience with me. At a fantastic little pub we sampled the black tar and I found it expectantly disgusting. Daryl drank it out of stubbornness rather than enjoyment. Later on, finding another well rated Irish pub we lucked a table and watch, with some fascination, the sights before us. A local band was playing traditional Irish songs, our food was hot and filling and the drinks were generous. We shared a table with a rather strange lady, who I suspect was a little simple, I watched her searching the room, and spotted us, clearly an easy mark. She asked to sit and really how can you say no. I suggest she is a regular visitor to the establishment following the apology from the publican as we left. Young men sporting shaved undercuts, is very much the fashion and women of all shapes and ages are sporting leisure wear on every street.
Leaving New Ross we started toward the Ring of Kerry. Checking out the city of Cork we supported the local economy and found another eatery, enjoyed the buskers and the English market where food is on display uncovered all the time!
The Ring of Kerry is a spectacular display of Irish coastline, dotted with villages and communities along the way. With plenty of scenery to take in and places to visit the choice is extreme. We stopped in a number of small places and found the people charming, polite, friendly and always curious. Our destination for this day was a seaside B&B at Kells. Right on the water it sounded fabulous, just what we needed. We arrived, late and the view was indeed gorgeous, the smell of the ocean filled our senses as soon as we exited the car. And that is where the good stopped! Our room was so small and it sloped, and creaked and the bed was just awful. Lumpy, bumpy and on a lean it was not quite the adventure we were after. Wifi only worked if you were in the communal lounge room and the bathroom was the size of our toilet at home, in fact the water pressure in our toilet is stronger than the shower. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Heading off weary and early the next morning we set our navigator to the sights of Limerick via Dingle Peninsula. Now this is a sight to see. Spectacular scenery, windy roads, hairpin bends and mad drivers add to the adventure along with rain and temperatures dipping into single figures. But the views, oh my lord, they are extraordinary. We have filled the album with photos and some video footage, do check them out, they don’t do it justice but it’s the best we could manage. The tiny town of Dingle was home to the filming of the Star Wars episode 8. Daryl climbed a mountain in the rain, driven by wild winds, searching for the plaque commemorating the event, only to find it was along the flat road,down the way. Obviously exhilarated by the climb he was drenched on the outside and fortunate to have packed his hiking jacket. Along this way Daryl sampled the local black and white pudding and then we found the famous Beehive huts dating back to 2000 BC and then the Dunbeg fort dating back to 500 BC. The relics that remain provide a rustic visual concept of life in a time so long ago. Hard and raw, a lifestyle like this is unfathomable for our minds now. The Irish famine huts from the infamous Irish famine are also retained by the historic societies and are again a representation of a harshness that gripped the country to a degree we cannot imagine. Leaving the Dingle Peninsula we spoke of returning one day to explore this region more. We returned to Limerick and found the city dirty and darker than anticipated. The selected hotel was a large one and provided a decent bed and blockout curtains, what a relief. The long days with the sun not setting until well after 10 pm have made our sleep patterns somewhat erratic and our bodies a little weary from constant rubber necking and driving on foreign roads.
The roads are two extremes, either wide and smooth or narrow with barely enough room for two cars to pass, the hedges crowd you in, heaven help us every time we see a bus coming our way! Blinkers are an optional extra for Irish drivers, and eventually you get used to the road signs telling you to “ yeild” or give way, “Go Mall” to Go slow or “ amach” exit! All signs are in Irish Gaelic with English translation underneath. The combination of letters is truly unique. The voice on our GPS shifts from Gaelic to English at various intervals, also switching from miles to kilometres - confusing much!
Leaving limerick was not a sad moment but before we did so, we had to pay a visit to the Hunt Museum! Who knew Daryl’s family were so significant in Irish history!
Next stop was the Cliffs of Moher where we booked onto a boat for a cruise. Set in the Atlantic Ocean, again, scenery to blow your mind and fill your soul with ocean air. The bird life around the area is prolific with the Puffin bird the most famous. More than 30,000 birds call these cliffs home. Impertinent tourists, loud Americans, and competing ferry operators kept us entertained when we wanted a break from the magnificent view, which off course was never. At their highest peak the cliffs stand 214 meters above sea level, it is also the site of the Harry Potter sea cave for those Harry Potter enthusiasts who may be reading this post. So much to see - again get yourselves over here if ever you can.
Although we are used to driving long distances at home, sometimes I think we have been a little enthusiastic in our estimations and scheduling. Leaving the Cliffs of Moher well into the afternoon, we now had a five hour trek to our night’s accommodation. Choosing to stop in Galway this would be our last stop in Ireland. This iconic city, which I associate with the lovely movie P.S. I Love You, was a small treat. A very late lunch in yet another pub, we chose a setting in the colourful Latin region of the Galway city. Buskers line the streets and the sounds of Galway are heard vibrating off every wall.
The motorways in Ireland are set to 120 kph, what a wonderful trip this is, doing at least 130 - 150 kms, most cars ignore the speed restrictions and the smooth, wide lanes make travelling easy. It is only the toll booths that slow you down. Thankfully they accept card, as we made sure we had used all our cash Euros before leaving. I am pleased to report the help button on the booth of the tollway worked very well!
We crossed the border about 10 pm last night and returned to the country of ponds, pence and miles per hour. Northern Ireland is now our home for a couple of days and we spent a glorious night in the Ballygally Castle. A relaxed morning today, I have sat here for a couple of hours, typing away, surrounding by a history so rich it gives one indigestion, a view of the bay not a few feet away and the sounds of Ireland quietly playing in the background. Daryl has spent the morning planning our next few days and booking our ferry to Scotland. It’s time to get our tourist pants back on and seems we are heading for the Giant Causeway and whatever wonders it presents.
U til next time,
N
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