Saturday, May 10, 2003
[denotes editorial notes to ourselves]
[we may choose to take out some of the links as we insert our own photos]
Saturday, 3 May 2003 (Day 1)
We all arrived in Shannon, rented two cars and made the approximate two hour drive to the house, Kara Hem, where we would stay for the next week. The house was close to Farrinfore about seven miles from Killarney.
That evening we made a short drive into Castle Island where we had dinner at the River Island Hotel. The fish and chips were excellent, and never topped, although we sampled many versions during the trip.
Sunday, 4 May 2003 (Day 2)
[Weather: rainy, windy, cold, occasional breaks in the clouds.]
Today is Sir Charles birthday! The ladies cooked a breakfast of free range eggs, bacon rashers and toast for the birthday boy. The celebration included balloons, streamers and birthday posters.
It rained as we made our way out to Inch Beach and along the Dingle Penisula. Our next stop, Minard Castle along the penisula was built by Normans in 1551 and attacked and defeated in 1650 by Cromwellian forces. Despite the "No Trespassing-Unsafe Structure" signs, a rogue portion of our party decided to get a closer view of the remains of the keep.
We stopped for lunch and shopping in Dingle. The locals were celebrating May Day with a parade, which included Chinese dragons and girls dressed in Chinese outfits. We're not sure of the reason for the Oriental theme of the parade. We visited St. Mary's Church. We had a great lunch at the renowned Lord Baker's Pub, believed to be the oldest in Dingle, where we were served by the proprietor himself.
After lunch, we made our way around to Slea Head (which is the westernmost point on the European Continent), passed the sleeping giant island and one of the peninsula's ancient ring houses. We stopped and browsed the Louis Mulcahy Pottery store. We had seen Louis' wife Lisbeth Mulcahy's weaver shop in Dingle earlier that day.
We visited the Gallarus Oratory, a stone building built perhaps 1300 years ago. It is located in the south-eastern corner of Smerwick Harbour on the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry. The oratory was built by early Christians. Successive invadors - Vikings and Normans destroyed their way of life. Amazingly, the mortarless oratory is still nearly as waterproof as it was in the 8th century AD. Early Christians were forced to practice their religions in extreme locations on the edge of the continent.
That evening we stopped in Tralee and dined at Kirby's Brogue Inn and Ale House. Kirby's had fantastic seafood chowder but overcooked lamb. Throughout the trip, it seemed 'medium' to the Irish was more like our 'medium well.'
Monday, 5 May 2003 (Day 3)
[Weather: partly sunny, rain showers and brief sleet.]
We drove to Killarney and visited the Muckross House, Gardens and Traditional Farms. We met a group of senior citizens visiting from Cork at the Farms and enjoyed a few old Irish tunes as we broke freshly baked soda bread together in one of the small traditional farm houses on the property. Charlie even sang a few bars of "The Lord's Prayer" for them.
That afternoon the ladies shopped at the Blarney Woolen Mills Outlet and the guys visited the [?] Cathedral and the Franciscan Church.
We had dinner at The Laurel's Singing Pub and we stayed for the music after dinner. All the Americans were called up front at one point to lead the crowd in renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "God Bless America" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic." At the pub, Greg had an interesting conversation with the barkeep:
GB: What other local beers would you recommend besides Guinness?
BK: There are none.
GB: There are no other beers you would drink? I wanted to try some others.
BK: Have you had Smithwicke's?
GB: No, would you recommend it?
BK: I wouldn't wash me car with it.
Tuesday, 6 May 2003
[Weather: partly cloudy with showers]
We drove to Blarney near Cork and toured the Blarney Castle. Greg, Jill, Derek and Christy all kissed the Blarney Stone to receive the gift of Irish eloquence and good luck [check out the website - the stone is rumored to be "Jacob's Pillow" from the Bible]. We drove on to Cork and walked through the town center and the English Market. We lunched at O'Brien's Sandwich Shop.
After lunch, we drove west to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery and took the tour. JB got to sample 6 different whiskey, and received an official whiskey taster certificate.
Although Cork has been named the European City of Culture for 2005, it was unanimously the group's least favorite destination. That may have been tainted by the couple of hours we spent sitting in traffic trying to find a way out of town.
We did like the little town of Macroom and decided to stop there for dinner. We had dinner at the Castle Hotel. Greg toasted, "May the roof over our heads never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out."
Wednesday, 7 May 2003
[Weather: partly cloudy and showers]
We went back to Ross Castle and toured the interior and then drove up to see Ladies View. We had lunch at the top. We drove back down into Killarney and did some shopping and site seeing. Some of the group visited St. Mary's Cathedral.
After a nap at Kara Hem, we went back to Killarney and dined at Foley's, a pretty good seafood restaurant. After dinner we made our way over to the Danny Mann Pub and caught the tail end of the Pot Belly Folk's show. Jill and Cathy danced and then a dance line formed with Janet, Christy and Cathy whooping and spinning.
Thursday, 8 May 2004
[Weather: spectacular]
We all walked the Gap of Dunloe, a hike of four miles out and four back. We stopped on the walk back for tea and scones at the Colleen Bawn Cottage. The lady serving us was very nice. We had lunch in Killarney (a diner-not the best but the shepherd's pie was okay) and went to the house for a nap.
We went back to the Danny Mann for dinner that night and also saw all of The Irish Weaver's show. The show features the lead singer's natural whistling (a dying Irish tradition) on one song, and a bike pump (in B flat) on another. All joking aside, the bike pump solo brought a hush over the crowd. The pub owner/manager recommended two albums; The Storm featuring Christy Moore and A Woman's Heart. Jill and Christy danced an Irish jig up front when the band asked for volunteers.
Friday, 9 May 2004
[Weather: another pretty day]
JB and Charlie made the daily run to the Texaco/Spar for jambons. We all drove Greg and Jill to airport - a two hour drive through Castle Island, Abbeyfeale, NewCastle West, Adare, and Limerick to Shannon. We said our goodbyes to the Beadles.
Derek took over the wheel of Greg's rental car, and we all drive back to Adare. Adare is a neat little town with thatched roof cottages. Historical sites include Trinitarian Abbey (founded 1236), Augustinian Priory, and a castle and friary that could not be visited due to construction. Lunch at Arches was fantastic, especially the broccoli chicken soup and roast stuffed chicken and ham. Charlie bought a tin whistle and immediately played it better than the saleswoman [assuredly due to experience in Mrs. Beadles 5th grade music class!].
Visited the cemetery at Rathkeale, the next town down the road, and saw JB's pub [photo available]. While Jonathan stopped to take a picture, a woman whipped her car around in the road (with kids in back seat) to explain that this pub was featured in the movie Gangs of New York, and described some connection to Martin Scorcese (her brother's friend or something like that). Before she let him walk away she added, "We'll be open tonight if you're in town."
We drove back to Kara Hem to pack things up. Derek and JB walked into the pasture. JB wimped out but the bulls came to Derek and followed him to the fence.
We had dinner at Mac's (it was not that great), followed by ice cream. We stopped at Texaco/Spar for a bottle of wine. We drove back to the house for wine, digestives, conversation and lamentation. Our trip of a lifetime was ending.
[we may choose to take out some of the links as we insert our own photos]
Saturday, 3 May 2003 (Day 1)
We all arrived in Shannon, rented two cars and made the approximate two hour drive to the house, Kara Hem, where we would stay for the next week. The house was close to Farrinfore about seven miles from Killarney.
That evening we made a short drive into Castle Island where we had dinner at the River Island Hotel. The fish and chips were excellent, and never topped, although we sampled many versions during the trip.
Sunday, 4 May 2003 (Day 2)
[Weather: rainy, windy, cold, occasional breaks in the clouds.]
Today is Sir Charles birthday! The ladies cooked a breakfast of free range eggs, bacon rashers and toast for the birthday boy. The celebration included balloons, streamers and birthday posters.
It rained as we made our way out to Inch Beach and along the Dingle Penisula. Our next stop, Minard Castle along the penisula was built by Normans in 1551 and attacked and defeated in 1650 by Cromwellian forces. Despite the "No Trespassing-Unsafe Structure" signs, a rogue portion of our party decided to get a closer view of the remains of the keep.
We stopped for lunch and shopping in Dingle. The locals were celebrating May Day with a parade, which included Chinese dragons and girls dressed in Chinese outfits. We're not sure of the reason for the Oriental theme of the parade. We visited St. Mary's Church. We had a great lunch at the renowned Lord Baker's Pub, believed to be the oldest in Dingle, where we were served by the proprietor himself.
After lunch, we made our way around to Slea Head (which is the westernmost point on the European Continent), passed the sleeping giant island and one of the peninsula's ancient ring houses. We stopped and browsed the Louis Mulcahy Pottery store. We had seen Louis' wife Lisbeth Mulcahy's weaver shop in Dingle earlier that day.
We visited the Gallarus Oratory, a stone building built perhaps 1300 years ago. It is located in the south-eastern corner of Smerwick Harbour on the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry. The oratory was built by early Christians. Successive invadors - Vikings and Normans destroyed their way of life. Amazingly, the mortarless oratory is still nearly as waterproof as it was in the 8th century AD. Early Christians were forced to practice their religions in extreme locations on the edge of the continent.
That evening we stopped in Tralee and dined at Kirby's Brogue Inn and Ale House. Kirby's had fantastic seafood chowder but overcooked lamb. Throughout the trip, it seemed 'medium' to the Irish was more like our 'medium well.'
Monday, 5 May 2003 (Day 3)
[Weather: partly sunny, rain showers and brief sleet.]
We drove to Killarney and visited the Muckross House, Gardens and Traditional Farms. We met a group of senior citizens visiting from Cork at the Farms and enjoyed a few old Irish tunes as we broke freshly baked soda bread together in one of the small traditional farm houses on the property. Charlie even sang a few bars of "The Lord's Prayer" for them.
That afternoon the ladies shopped at the Blarney Woolen Mills Outlet and the guys visited the [?] Cathedral and the Franciscan Church.
We had dinner at The Laurel's Singing Pub and we stayed for the music after dinner. All the Americans were called up front at one point to lead the crowd in renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "God Bless America" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic." At the pub, Greg had an interesting conversation with the barkeep:
GB: What other local beers would you recommend besides Guinness?
BK: There are none.
GB: There are no other beers you would drink? I wanted to try some others.
BK: Have you had Smithwicke's?
GB: No, would you recommend it?
BK: I wouldn't wash me car with it.
Tuesday, 6 May 2003
[Weather: partly cloudy with showers]
We drove to Blarney near Cork and toured the Blarney Castle. Greg, Jill, Derek and Christy all kissed the Blarney Stone to receive the gift of Irish eloquence and good luck [check out the website - the stone is rumored to be "Jacob's Pillow" from the Bible]. We drove on to Cork and walked through the town center and the English Market. We lunched at O'Brien's Sandwich Shop.
After lunch, we drove west to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery and took the tour. JB got to sample 6 different whiskey, and received an official whiskey taster certificate.
Although Cork has been named the European City of Culture for 2005, it was unanimously the group's least favorite destination. That may have been tainted by the couple of hours we spent sitting in traffic trying to find a way out of town.
We did like the little town of Macroom and decided to stop there for dinner. We had dinner at the Castle Hotel. Greg toasted, "May the roof over our heads never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out."
Wednesday, 7 May 2003
[Weather: partly cloudy and showers]
We went back to Ross Castle and toured the interior and then drove up to see Ladies View. We had lunch at the top. We drove back down into Killarney and did some shopping and site seeing. Some of the group visited St. Mary's Cathedral.
After a nap at Kara Hem, we went back to Killarney and dined at Foley's, a pretty good seafood restaurant. After dinner we made our way over to the Danny Mann Pub and caught the tail end of the Pot Belly Folk's show. Jill and Cathy danced and then a dance line formed with Janet, Christy and Cathy whooping and spinning.
Thursday, 8 May 2004
[Weather: spectacular]
We all walked the Gap of Dunloe, a hike of four miles out and four back. We stopped on the walk back for tea and scones at the Colleen Bawn Cottage. The lady serving us was very nice. We had lunch in Killarney (a diner-not the best but the shepherd's pie was okay) and went to the house for a nap.
We went back to the Danny Mann for dinner that night and also saw all of The Irish Weaver's show. The show features the lead singer's natural whistling (a dying Irish tradition) on one song, and a bike pump (in B flat) on another. All joking aside, the bike pump solo brought a hush over the crowd. The pub owner/manager recommended two albums; The Storm featuring Christy Moore and A Woman's Heart. Jill and Christy danced an Irish jig up front when the band asked for volunteers.
Friday, 9 May 2004
[Weather: another pretty day]
JB and Charlie made the daily run to the Texaco/Spar for jambons. We all drove Greg and Jill to airport - a two hour drive through Castle Island, Abbeyfeale, NewCastle West, Adare, and Limerick to Shannon. We said our goodbyes to the Beadles.
Derek took over the wheel of Greg's rental car, and we all drive back to Adare. Adare is a neat little town with thatched roof cottages. Historical sites include Trinitarian Abbey (founded 1236), Augustinian Priory, and a castle and friary that could not be visited due to construction. Lunch at Arches was fantastic, especially the broccoli chicken soup and roast stuffed chicken and ham. Charlie bought a tin whistle and immediately played it better than the saleswoman [assuredly due to experience in Mrs. Beadles 5th grade music class!].
Visited the cemetery at Rathkeale, the next town down the road, and saw JB's pub [photo available]. While Jonathan stopped to take a picture, a woman whipped her car around in the road (with kids in back seat) to explain that this pub was featured in the movie Gangs of New York, and described some connection to Martin Scorcese (her brother's friend or something like that). Before she let him walk away she added, "We'll be open tonight if you're in town."
We drove back to Kara Hem to pack things up. Derek and JB walked into the pasture. JB wimped out but the bulls came to Derek and followed him to the fence.
We had dinner at Mac's (it was not that great), followed by ice cream. We stopped at Texaco/Spar for a bottle of wine. We drove back to the house for wine, digestives, conversation and lamentation. Our trip of a lifetime was ending.
Welcome home, gentlemen! I am going to post a rough beginning here for our Irish travel log that we can all update and add to until we have it exacuo ready. I have been thinking ambitiously the last couple of days that we might be able to do an entire Ireland issue of exacuo. We can write a few essays on how the trip impacted us (e.g. community, temporary vs. lasting architecture, etc.). What do you think?
I started reading Kunstler's "The City in Mind" on the flight home. Although I have not gotten very far into it, I can tell this is a perfect time for us to read it after visiting Europe and having some fresh perspective to the "hairball" that is Atlanta.
I started reading Kunstler's "The City in Mind" on the flight home. Although I have not gotten very far into it, I can tell this is a perfect time for us to read it after visiting Europe and having some fresh perspective to the "hairball" that is Atlanta.
