IRELAND, PART ONE - DUBLIN TO KILARNEY

Here we are standing in front of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. If you look closely you might see  fatigue and frustration reflected in our expressions. We had just spent over an hour walking here and there, and asking many people for the right bus stop to go the the market. But alas we did not find it and were both too tired to keep trying so we went to this meeting place for the Walking Tour of Dublin. What a crazy experience! Thankfully things got better and our experience in Ireland was fantastic.

                                         
As we drove north towards Holyhead in Wales we saw a definite change in the landscape. The hedge fences gave way to rock fences. The landscape was more rugged and beautiful in its own way. Our research time in Wales was over and we had a few days to explore Ireland. Steve's ancestors the Dungans had lived in Dublin in the 1600's so it was appropriate for us to visit another land of his forefathers.

We knew little of the history of Ireland so a grand adventure awaited us.

Soon we approached Holyhead and found the way to the ferry.

It was a cloudy, almost stormy day but this bridge was amazIng to behold.

The SatNav shows where we were as we boarded the ferry. Fortunately the weather cooperated and we only had a little turbulence on the water. It was windy but our sailing was fine.

And just like that we were in Ireland. The idea was to find a particular book store in Dublin where we could buy a discount ticket for a few events. But we made a wrong turn and after a little while decided we might as well just head to Enniskerry and our B&B. We were tired and just did not feel like driving through Friday afternoon traffic to find a bookstore.

The drive was beautiful! Just look at those clouds! and the roads were nice and wide! -Still driving on the left side of the road.

Lots to see as we drove along but this blue church caught our eye.

This is Ferndale House in Enniskerry were we spent 2 nights.. It was lovely and the host was very nice. The breakfasts were more than adequate and cooked to our requests. It is situated right in town within walking distance of several restaurants.    http://ferndalehouse.com

Enniskerry is a small village. It was dusk on our first evening there.

A lovely garden at the back of Ferndale House.

Nice to have the bus service right out front of our B&B. We were up and going Saturday morning bright with anticipation of  the day's adventures.

We loved sitting on the top deck in the very front of the bus because it gave us such a great view.  We also had the privilege of a lengthy conversation with a young man who shared so much with us about the history of Ireland. Our 15-20 minutes on the bus gave us a great wealth of information from someone who actually really knew the history.

Our son told us to take photos of the 'normal' things which I have been trying to do. These road which are so common were new for us and we soaked it all in.

The chimneys were always an interesting delight to me.

Love looking back at these! 

Impossible to capture all the  sites!

Close by the bus stop we saw this beautiful church sandwiched between  local businesses.

Thought this lamp post was interesting.

As we came to the shopping area and walking street we saw these four missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints out trying to share the Gospel. And of course we had to stop and chat with them. The next day at church we saw them as well and it was fun to recognize them. I really respect the missionaries for their sacrifice. It is not fun to face rejection but they do it every single day as they try to find those who are interested in learning more about  Jesus Christ.

Love this view!

Although there was not enough time to do justice to the museum we found it and saw some interesting items. We later wished we had taken more time with the old Viking items found at a local dig. But thought this amazIng door was worth a mention.

And this door along our way. I love the old architecture and feel we have really lost something in our more modern architecture.

This detail was one of several along the bottom of the columns on a building. Thought it was pretty cool.

Happened to see a cricket game in progress as we walked by.

Can't remember the name of the tour guide but he was delightful. He had a  MA degree in 1800 Irish History but knew so much more as well and told us so many interesting details. Steve was not up to walking that much so he waited and "people watched" near this amazing building which is currently the Bank of Ireland but which had a significant role in Irish history in it's quest for independence. https://historicaltours.ie

Our walking tour lasted a little more than 2 hours and was overflowing with great historical detail. I wish I could remember it all but it was just a teaser to what we would learn in coming days.

I have a fondness for cobblestone roads. They look so great but I do NOT like driving on them as they are very rough.

Another cool street!

Tagging along behind the group. It was hard to keep up and have the chance to take photos as well.

An old church with its own history. Lots of things happened here. It is a Protestant church but  at one time on what is now part of the lawns sat a convent. Eventually the nuns left and spaces were rented out to businesses. Also rented out were spaces in the basements of the church one of which became a sort of 'speakeasy' of its day. Eventually all of that went away and now we see only a beautiful old church with lovely lawns.

These items are imbedded in the side walk. They are replicas of items found a couple of hundred  yards away. There was a travesty which occurred. According to our tour guide when the city of Dublin broke ground for new city buildings a treasure trove of artifacts were unearthed. In fact a significant well preserved Viking settlement.The city and its investors wanted to just bury them and get on with their new building. But when people who cared about archeology found out about it they apparently came and laid themselves on the ground in front of the heavy equipment. 

The issue ended up in court and the archeologist swere given a certain length of time[6-12 months] to work on the dig and get out as much as they could. They found millions of artifacts but after a few short months everything was buried and construction resumed on the office buildings which are not attractive in the least. I did not even take a photo. But in a nod to the significance of the dig  these items were replicated and embedded in the sidewalk as a token for all to see. So sad to have lost that history. He told us that the name of the city "Dublin" came from the old Irish language  from "dub   lin" which meant dark water because of the underground river that ran into the bay. There is a little more information about the dig at the following website.

.archaeologist-hails-extraordinary-viking-village-find-in-dublin-1.3437108

Yes a country of bicycles.

One of the old government buildings. The history is so rich. I learned so much about the roots of the Protestant/Catholic issues in Ireland and how many centuries things have been happening.

Window detail.

So much history, so much pomp and circumstance and so much tragedy. And now there is angst over Brexit. It has been interesting to hear those who are for and those against it.

I just loved the architecture. What a day it was and then we were done and took the bus back to the B&B. I think we could easily have spent a week in Dublin as there was so much more to see!  after we left the bus we walked right across the street to a pub where we ordered and ate some wonderful vegetable soup and rich soda bread.

Sunday broke as a beautiful day. We checked out after our yummy breakfast. And  after one wrong turn - we are really good at getting lost- we found the meeting house. It is so nice to find a place to attend a church meeting anywhere in the world. There is a website on https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng which allows us to input our address and find the nearest meetinghouse. The spirit we feel is always the same and the people are great in which ever congregation we find.

Then we were on the road again in beautiful weather with amazing clouds.

Just beautiful!

An interesting art installation of metal butterflies along the side of the motorway.

Beautiful!

Again we managed to get ourselves lost as we looked for Sally's Gap. We came to a road which obviously was not where we wanted to be but there was this great old ruin of a house in the field.

When we pulled up to a place to turnaround we asked a woman parked there how to get to Sally's Gap and she told us. 

Of course it meant we had to drive about 20 minutes back another way which wasn't too great  But the bonus was our conversation with her. She cautioned us about traffic and big farming equipment along the way - which we never saw. But of greatest interest was our conversation with her as she expressed her fears of Brexit with a hard deal. She worried that there will be blood shed again if a border must  be erected between Ireland and Norther Ireland.  As a mother she as very worried. It was kind of surprising that a total stranger would speak so freely to us but I loved the interaction. Interacting honestly  with so many people has been one of my favorite memories.

And then there are the many beautiful scenes we saw along our way!!!

Love these tree arches!

I did not expect to see PALM TREES in Ireland. They are not native but somehow they manage to survive and perhaps even thrive there.

After seeing mostly sheep for months it was kind of fun to see some cows. And LOOK a the sky!

Can I just say that I  LOVE rock walls! So there will be lots of photos of the same as we go along!

Amazing to me where the many, many ferns which lined the road sides!

Beautiful skies and heather on the hillside.

Some of the best views are out our windows. Steve took a lot of photos as we drove along. I wish there would have been time and opportunity to stop more often but sometimes we just could not stop and photos out the window were the only option.

This amazing view was enjoyed by many. We found many cars lining the roadway as people had stopped to take photos and in this instance there was a 'baby bump' photo shoot with a very pregnant mother and her husband.

This view was just something I wanted to get lost in. So breathtaking with all the heather.

What can I say other than that it is beautiful!

I thought it was interesting how the heather seemed to grow in rows. Never was able to figure it all out. 

Heather.

OK, so we stopped to take photos and Steve decided to take a photo of me taking photos.

Photos really do not do this view justice. The heather on the hills and the lake were just amazing.

No words.

The plan was to stop at a couple of other sites along our way but we were  too tired to hunt them down. So, we were on the road again towards Cashel. And what lovely skies we saw.

So much beauty!

Amazing clouds!

As we came around the corner our eyes caught this castle in the distance.

The Rock of Cashel dominates the town of Cashel

After a little confusion we found our B&B and we actually had a ground floor accommodation which was so  lovely!

We stayed at Rockville House https://www.rockvillehousebb.com/en-gb  which was so close to town and to the castle. Our hosts were great! Patrick had a delightful sense of humor that just made our day!

Walking to town.

Seen on our way as we walked to town. It always amazes me what people use  to create their art.

We noticed a  lot of color in houses and buildings.

This cross dominated the town square.

We found a pub and soon ordered our favorite meal. We really love the Irish soups and soda bread. We sat next to a French couple who spoke French throughout their meal. Steve told them it was like being in Paris during our meal. They chatted for awhile and told us they had lived in Cashel for 10 years and were involved in the horse racing industry in the area.

Walking to the Rock of Cashel which was close to where we stayed.

It was very huge!!

Explanation of the castle.

It was an  uphill walk to the castle. I love the houses behind me. There were shops along the way and I found a lovely wool scarf that has kept me warm numerous times since we are heading into cooler fall weather.

View from the castle entrance. Can you see Steve at the bottom of the wall?

The chapel entrance.

The cemetery.

Amazing view from the cemetery. Imagine how it would look with sunshine!

Love the architectural details.

So here we are. I wonder how it looked before it became a ruin.

Steve in front of the ruin. It was so large that it was impossible to get it all in one shot. The history of this place  and the area is amazing. It is just so hard for me to imagine soldiers and battles and all that went along with that life. As a woman I think of the hardships of living there, the cold and damp, food preparation, etc. It is all a bit overwhelming to consider.

So, we were on the road again with cloudy skies.

There were many beautiful homes along the way. But too many to capture them all.

More cows and more beautiful fields.

Lots of little towns along the way.

Just a bit showing the architecture of the buildings.

And fall had come. I just loved the beautiful fields full of hay bales, So much hay!!!

Lots of color used on the buildings!

From the window.

Another beautiful home.

We found our B&B in Killarney without difficulty. http://www.countesshouse.net  I never would have imagined myself in Killarney. That is one of the names I Had heard for years and now there we were in Kilarney. We were a short distance from town center and there were a lot of people walking around.

I had not previously heard of jaunting cars but what a delight! https://killarneyjauntingcars.com our driver was Mike and his horse was Sally. We learned more about Irish history as we were driven through various parts of Killarney.

It was such a peaceful interlude. I love the green!

A stop for a photo op. This one in front of the St Mary's church. It was chilly with slight showers but there were warm blankets to cover our knees and plastic siding if needed but we thankfully it did not rain enough for them.

A better view of the church.

Our driver, Mike. He had been on this job for 40 years. This horse and her partner were rotated out every day . He said that the roads are very hard on their hooves. He regaled us with many stories and details of the area. It was just nice.

The Red deer inn the fields. They are protected now but the herd was once used extensively for hunting parties and in order to not use them up another kind of deer was imported from Japan to make more hunting possible on this former estate.

The lake.

View of a ruin on one of the islands in the lake. Note Sally's rose.

A better view

We seem to consistently  push a lot of things into a short period of time. In only a few days we have seen so much and talked to so many wonderful people. I really think that the best part of taking this trip is the opportunity we have had to speak openly and honestly with so many great people. We are learning so much about Ireland and we love it. 

We have appreciated that people just talk with us about life and politics. We are all the same in our hopes and aspirations. Of course they know we are American as soon as we open our mouths but that doesn't seem to be a problem. They like to discuss our current political situation and we hear all kinds of differing opinions. They discuss their politics and how they are impacted with what is happening. It is refreshing to be able to converse without feeling like we have to be politically correct and to just be able to have intelligent conversations and exchange of opinions.

There is so much to see which makes it literally impossible to see it all. There are so many castles, and so much beauty that it is overwhelming. Steve is struggling with his hip so it is impossible to walk very much so of course the things we see are somewhat limited. But still we see SO MUCH. Sometimes it just makes my brain tired from all I see and learn.

This blog only covers 4 days. We left Wales on Friday, then Saturday in Dublin, Sunday at church and our drive south, Monday , Rock of Cashel and our drive to Killarney and our jaunting tour.

I will try to organize the photos for Ireland part 2 and get them posted soon. Since our adventures are continuing there is just never enough time to just sit and work on them.