|
|
|
|
 |
Judi & John |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Judi & John | |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday - May 15, 2002
 |
We spent today driving back toward the South and the Republic of Ireland. This is a shot of scene near Sligo, Ireland. I'm very happy to be able to return to Castlebar for one more night and revisit my newly adopted Irish Family, Michael and Bernie Collins. We stayed 4 nights with them earlier in this trip, you'll recall (he farms sheep)and I'm as excited as though I were going home. =) |
Wednesday - May 15, 2002
 |
These beautiful yellow flowers are all over Ireland. They are hearty and grow into trees. We have asked everywhere we have been what they are - but they are called something different in every town, every borough, and every village. So we will just call they very pretty yellow flowers that will always remind us of Ireland. |
Wednesday - May 15, 2002
 |
We returned tonight to "our house in Ireland - Bernie and Michael's" This is our room. Still waiting for us. =) Called the pine room - it's quite large with two single beds and a double and a full bath. Was like coming home to our family! |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
May I proudly introduce you to our Irish family. Michael, Bernie and me. =) It's just after breakfast now - Michael will leave for work - Bernie and I have been up all night gabbing - imagine that - and I'm mostly asleep =) I hate to leave them - but we will be back! |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
John and Jood stop for a morning picture by the water pump. (it actually works) I'll have a nice one made of this to send to our new family. =) |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
On our way to catch the ferry in Killimer, we just happened to stop at a pub that is the oldest family operated pub in Ireland, and it was just delightful. We sat in a private room in front of a turf burning fire and had a light lunch. Very quaint pub and quiet at this time of the day. |
 |
This is the front of the pub - Fanny O'Dea's (pronounced Fanny O'Day's). |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
Our final destination for the next few days is Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kery. We will locate a fairly central place to stay and do one the first day and the second the next day. To get there, we travel South to the Tralee area. We put the car on a ferry at Killimer and made a 20 minute crossing to Tarbert. |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
We have arrived in Tralee. The Brianville B&B is on the gateway to the Tralee Bay, and is 4 diamond recommended - we'll pop in and see if we can stay for awhile. =) This will locate us nicely between the two places we wish to tour in the next few days. |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
This is the breakfast and living area of Brianville. Woah - lots of Waterford crystal and antiques. VERY nice. |
Thursday - May 16, 2002
 |
This is the entry hall to Brianville - gotta just love this lion table! Check out the Waterford! Oooh - lah - lah! =) |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
Today we traveled farther South to the Dingle Peninsula. This is one of the rare parts of Ireland where the Gaelic Language has been preserved and is the native tongue of the townspeople although they are bi-lingual and also speak a form of English =) ALMOST understandable. This was one of the beautiful stretches of green farmland and rock walls we saw on our way out to Dingle. |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
Connor Pass, County Kerry, climbing between the Brandon and central Dingle groups of mountains - this drive passes through some of Ireland's most spectacular scenery. We had an absolutely gorgeous, fine day with vast panoramas of mountains, sea, lakes and valleys. |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
Just past the valley of Stradbally, you cross the deep Glennahoo Valley and begin the climb to the 1,500 foot summit of the Connor Pass with spectacular views of valleys strewn with boulders and about a mile from the summit tiny Peddler's Lake. |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
As we left the summit of Connor Pass and continued around Dingle Circle, there were just breathtaking bays such as this. If you look closely you will see caves in the cliffs we're shooting and a beautiful beach. |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
There are many points of interest around Dingle Peninsula - and Dead Man's Island is one of them. If you look at this formation, you'll see the head of a man at the far right with his arms crossed over his chest in eternal rest (well at least he had a GORGEOUS place to die!) |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
As we wound round and round the mountains and the gorgeous cliffs and valleys, John seems to think he's found the way out at last! |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
The Atlantic on one of her prettier days. The weather was perfect today and the waves were stunning. It was hard to leave and not just sit all afternoon and watch them crash against the shore. |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
This is the roadway winding up the Connor Mountain Pass with just beautiful stone walls all along the cliff edge. Again, no mortar. =) |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
As we rounded a sharp bend in the mountains, we came upon this. I think it speaks for itself. I got out to take the picture and couldn't take my eyes off of it. In this setting, truly in God's country - it was very, very moving. |
Friday - May 17, 2002
 |
About 3 miles above the main road, an ancient road is lined with stone huts and other remnants of ages past. The stone beehive huts have nothing to do with bee raising or honey making but were once dwellings. The bee huts are a remarkable and evocative relic of prehistoric times. |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
Today was rainy as we started out - and somewhat overcast, but we weren't going to let that dampen our moods. We headed out for the Ring of Kerry. This is about a six hour road trip. This is home to the Torc Waterfall which is formed by the river which flows from The Devil's Punchbowl. It tumbles over massive boulders. This was a beautiful spot as we entered the Ring of Kerry. |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
If I could figure out a way to bring home some of this driftwood from the Atlantic - trust that I would. =) Gorgeous - and very large and heavy. These giant elephant ear type plants were in abundance in this area - along with a new myriad of wild flowers. |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
There were many native types of craft, pottery and art stores around the Ring as we traveled. This was certainly the most quaint of them. =) Wait a second - what is that in my hand? I appear to be holding something! |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
AHA! A closer picture reveals I am holding my green Irish Passport in my hand! Looks like I'm armed and dangerous and ready to do some damage! WOOHOO! |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
One of the smaller towns just before we entered the pass up the mountains had this magnificent Roman Catholic Church in the town center - it was worthy of a stop to show it to you. |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
At the very peak of the Ring of Kerry I had the opportunity I had most wanted in all of our trip. A man was at the top - in the rain - with a small herd of lambs, guinea pigs (!!), a rabbit and a goat. =) This little fella' is only 3 weeks old - and mostly fleece. This is the highlight of my entire trip - most of you know I have fallen madly in love with the sheep, but I never thought I'd be able to pick one up and cuddle it - most of them you just can't get near. This one was as sweet as sweet could be - very affectionate. |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
This adorable little fella is 8 weeks old, white as snow - and also very affectionate - this has made my entire trip to Ireland. =) |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
I have wanted, for weeks, to capture a picture of the indiginous grasses that grow wild all over Ireland. They are very, very pretty and we have seen them both in the North and the South. Big clumps of rush (kinda') - but it was at a great price I got this shot for you! Ok - I hadda' pee - so what's new???? You're in the middle of nowhere. I walked down to the water's edge - commenced to do my business - and SAT on what I have named the Burning Bush! This is NOT funny - lol - burning is an understatement - and I now have big welts on my butt - but YOU have your picture! You are welcome! |
Saturday - May 18, 2002
 |
On the way back down the Ring of Kerry today we saw this magnificent rock and tree formation. You see alot of these old trees uprooted along the roadsides - but they are just beautiful. Tomorrow we will continue on into Cork - the home of the Blarney stone! They say you kiss it for the Gift of Gab! John's not sure I need to make the trip - but a girl can't come to Ireland and not kiss the Blarney stone! God Bless, and we'll be in touch! |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
When we awoke today and left Kilarney, I had no IDEA of the adventure that lay ahead of us for the day. It has, indeed, been one of our more memorable days in Ireland. We're exhausted tonight, but it is a day neither of us will ever forget. We traveled from Kilarney to Blarney today first stopping off at the Blarney Woolen Mills. This is a site unlike any other I've seen here. Several FLOORS of fine wools, sparking crystal, of Waterford, Tipperary and Galway. I bought my Waterford Crystal Shamrock here today - a gorgeous, thick and heavy piece of dazzling crystal. I just had to have a picture of these Waterford Crystal Globes - I had never seen anything like them. Would have loved to buy one for each of you - however, the small one was $2,500.00 and the large one was $6,250.00 =) Maybe next time. =) |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
No, that is not Mary Poppins in front of the Blarney Castle - that would be me. =) The Blarney Castle is in County Cork and are very well preserved ruins. Built in 1446, the castle draws visitors not just for their history, but also for the magical powers attributed to the famous stone embedded in its parapet wall. The Blarney Stone, of course. =) You'll see John and Jood kissing the Blarney Stone later, however, the kissing of the stone involves climbing 120 VERY narrow steep steps that go straight up to the very top of the Castle, lying down on your back and hanging over an open space. John's last words were: "I'm not doing THAT crap!" LOL - however, he is now impowered with the kiss of the Blarney. |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
We are now at the very apex of Blarney Castle. The man you see to my right we have tipped WELL to assure we are not tipped DOWN the side of the castle! LOL I am now in a prone position and really NOT wanting to do this - but after that HOLY SHIT bridge - how hard could this be???? OHMIGAWD! You lay ON your back and hang onto the bars you see, and this man literally slides you (with your head as far back as possible) down into a hole over the edge of the castle - ABOVE you is the Blarney stone. You give it a quick kiss and he pulls you out - if you don't do it "properly" (as he said) then he makes you do it AGAIN! |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
And John makes a dive for the Blarney! However, according to our guardian angel here at the top, John didn't do it "properly" and had to do it again. LOL. We had professional pictures taken of this grand event also which will be mailed to us in about 4 weeks and we'll scan them so you can see the actual smackaroos taking place - theirs will be much better than ours. =) |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
The legend of the Blarney (forgot to tell you) rose from Queen Elizabeth I's frustration in dealing with Cormac MacCarthy, Lord of Blarney, and his smiling flattery that veiled wiliness with eloquence. Her declaration that "This is nothing but Blarney - what he says, he never means!" added a new word to the English language and probably gave rise to the legend of the 'gift of eloquence' associated with the stone. All I know is it was pouring rain when we went in - after I kissed the Blarney the day was instantly sunny and gorgeous and John hasn't had a silent moment since! On our way to Adare, after Blarney, we stopped in a small town called Buttevant for an absolutely delightful lunch in the most quaint little restaurant and while there we came across this gorgeous church. This is the Buttevant Friary and the portion you see in ruins was built in 1251. John declared that if we could find something in the States that dated back to 1700 we'd feel we'd found history - yet all over Ireland you find relics that were often established some 250 or more years before America was even discovered. Simply amazing. |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
This is the inside of the "newer Friary" (lol - built in the early 1800's). It is a Roman Catholic Church of course and just breathtaking inside. Unlike America, they don't have to keep them locked up. =( |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
Our final resting place for the next two nights. Our butler, John met us at the front door with an extremely warm welcome. We were then escorted through the castle by a lady who showed us how to get around - we toured the dining room, the library, and were then escorted to our room. We were given a quick tour of our room and then left to our own devices. Welcome, our friends, to Adare Manor Castle. I could learn to live this way. =) |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
This is in the back of the castle. Our room is not only right on an Internationally famous Championship golf course - but it's also right on the moat! We are in the old part of the castle - much to my delight. There is a small waterfall in the moat right outside our window. These are the monkey puzzle geometric formal gardens in the back of the castle. There is an 840 acre estate that surrounds the Manor House - full of gorgeous gardens. I'm so thrilled that we included this is our trip - what a perfect end to an absolutely perfect holiday. |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
We, once again, lucked into a wonderful event to attend. The AIB (Allied Ireland Bank) was sponsoring the Irish Senior's Golf Tournament here on the Manor's Championship course. There were golfers from all over the world playing - America, Japan, Chille, England, Ireland - and here we are in the midst of the thicket. =) After an enormously busy day - we followed the leader (the Japanese player) around several holes (about 2-1/2 hours of running from hole to hole) and it was a BLAST! We then stayed for the award ceremony. This picture was shot out of our bedroom window before we walked down to the course. |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf course opened in August 1995. Stretching 7,138 yards from the championship tees, Adare Golf Club encompasses 230 acres of lush countryside. We were walking with the golfers on the 18th hole here afterwhich we enjoyed the award ceremony and then came in the castle to have Bailey's Irish Cream (and of course John had a Heinekenn) in the comfort of the stately library. |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
This is the library. We had it all to ourselves as we enjoyed our drinks and prepared to go to our room to rest before dinner. The ceiling in this room is probably 35 feet high and the room is about 132 feet long. The ceilings in our room are just as high, and of course we have our own fireplace. We went into the quaint village of Adare later for dinner in a lovely, Irish family restaurant with absolutely scrumptuous food. |
Sunday - May 19, 2002
 |
This is the dining room in the castle. We will have our breakfast here in the morning - hopefully in the tables over there -----------> by the moat. =) After we had dinner tonight, we came back into our room to find the maid had been in - turned down the bed, lowered our curtains, left a breakfast menu out on the bed for us and left us chocolates. =) Yes, I was truly meant to live this way. All I need is my kitties. =) Tomorrow we'll take a day trip into Tipperary (just up the road) and visit the Tipperary Crystal Factory, then come back to Adare and enjoy this wonderful, quiet little village for the rest of the day. God Bless - we'll be in touch. =) |
Monday - May 20, 2002
 |
We had a fairly quiet day today both in activity and in spirit. We are ready to come home, but we are also sad to leave. =) We drove to Tipperary today - as the song goes, "It's a long, long way to Tipperary" - aye, that it is - unless you begin your journey in Adare. =) We went to see the Tipperary Crystal Factory. Many years ago, workers from the Waterford Crystal Factory (about 26 miles up the road from the Tipperary Crystal Factory) broke off from Waterford and began their own factory - and from all the crystal we've seen, this is about our favorite. So we drove to Tipperary to see the factory - but why would the Tipperary Crystal Factory be in Tipperary???? Well, it's NOT! LOL - it's another 40 miles up the road. =) We had lunch in their tearoom and then headed back to Adare. Said goodbyes to the beautiful sheep in the fields and just soaked in as much countryside as we could. |
Monday - May 20, 2002
 |
Adare is one of the most charming little villages perhaps in all of Ireland - they have kept operative many of the thatch huts that I so love. This cottage is quite famous - and, of course, I had sheep to purchase in there. =) The castle we're staying in IS most of Adare, outside of this row of thatch huts there's not much else here besides a few pubs and restaurants. The castle owns over 800 acres - that pretty much soaks up Adare. =) |
Monday - May 20, 2002
 |
We've put over 2,000 miles on our rental car while we have been in Ireland. =) As we returned to the castle for the evening, we stopped to go through one of the only car washes in Ireland that is automatic - lol - and vacuumed her out really well. =) Got her ready to go back to the airport in the morning. We returned to the castle to rest before dinner and I took a few pictures for you. The castle is very hard to photograph either in the day or in the night - but this is a picture of what the typical room door looks like. Charming? |
Monday - May 20, 2002
 |
- The lobby of the castle is designed as a Minstrel's Gallery - 132 feet long and 26 feet high. It is lined on either side by 17th Century Flemish Choir Stalls, supported in place by stone gargoyles that are immense and breathtaking. Did I mention there is even a towel heater in the bathroom of our quarters??? I couldn't believe it! And a crystal chandelier by the tub on the ceiling (the chandelier is on the ceiling - not the tub) =) VERY very romantic. |
Monday - May 20, 2002
 |
We ate dinner in Limerick tonight - it's very hard to find anything open on a Monday night in Ireland - outside of the pubs, of course. We had our last Irish dinner at the Texas Steakout - go figgur - and we had fajitas with a LOT of chille powder on them! LOL. We came back to the castle and had Irish Coffee in the Library and then retired to our memories and our matching robes in our room. =) We share our memories this evening of a country we have both grown to love and that we have also been able to bring our friends and loved ones a wonderful experience along with us. We're learned in Ireland never to be in a hurry to do anything. We've learned that it's daylight at 5:00 in the morning and still daylight at 10:00 at night, and these are the SHORT days of summer - not the long. We've learned not to panic when we get on the round-about - that you can virtually stay on one forever and always have the right-of-way. We have learned that cows, horses and sheep have the right away - even though they're often sleeping in the middle of the road. We've learned that chips are fries and red sauce is ketchup, and when someone yells Tally-Ho they aren't referring to your occupation. We've learned that Jesus and lambs can show up in the most profound of places. We've learned to always ask is that REALLY beef? We've learned that B&B's are truly the American way and hotels are out - unless it's a castle, of course. =) We're learned that Jolleys drive horse carriages and Pub Grub is the way to go. We've learned that there are about 6 stoplights in all of Ireland and when encountered you hope you have packed a lunch. We learned where the speed limit signs were and what they meant but also learned they mean absolutely nothing. We have l earned to drive on the wrong side of the road and hope we can correct that within a week of arrival back in the US. We've seen McDonald's, Burger King & Kentucky Fried Chicken, but only 6 all together in in the 2,000 miles we've driven. We know they don't have quarters here - they have 20 cent Euro and 2 cent Euros. They don't have no passing zones - they have "do not overtake" zones. But mostly we have fallen in love with Ireland and her people and her beautiful mountains and cliffs and oceans. As they say in Ireland, "There are no strangers here, only friends who have not yet met." We'll be back, Ireland, please trust that - once you know Ireland you cannot stay gone long. |
Stay tuned for more to come - Our next trip to Ireland is near!
Please feel free to send us an email with your comments or questions