Oct 1, 2019 - Swords, Ireland: My Last Days

I decided to spend my last two nights in Swords, a town about 40 minutes north of Dublin because it is closer to the airport, and originally I thought I could spend my last day visiting the beautiful Malihide Castle and gardens, by bus just a few minutes away. Unfortunately the weather turned cold and rainy, the beginnings of the effects of the storm Lorenzo in Ireland. How strange to have been worried about the possibility of Hurricane Lorenzo damaging my island home in St. Croix before leaving for this trip to Irleand to only be hit by it...

Sep 30, 2019 - Glendalough and Wicklow Mountains In The Rain

This is my last bus tour in Ireland today. A return to Glendalough and Kilkenny Castle,w here I have already been. But I spent all my time at the Kilkenny Castle first time and this time I wanted to do some shopping and see some more of historical Kilkenny. I also wanted the chance to see the beautiful Wicklow Mountain scenery. It was the coldest rainy day of my time in Ireland. Making any sightseeing pretty miserable. I skipped most of the Glendalough walking tour and visited the museum instead. The day in Kilkenny was also rainy but I...

Sep 29, 2019 - Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry Sightseeing Tour

Today my bus tour continued to the Dingle Peninsula and includes Connor Pass, one of the highest Irish mountain passes served by an asphalted road. A very narrow, twisting road. The scenery changed from almost Barron to wet woods lands and lakes. We made several stops. One for the waterfall you will see in the pictures and another longer one in Kerry for lunch and a ride through the county park with a horse and buggy. It was really an oohing and awhing day. We returned to Dublin after 7 PM and a drop-off almost at the doorsteps to my last...

Sep 28, 2019 - The Cliffs of Moher

After quite a long drive from Galway, and fortified with a good lunch we stopped at the ‘main attraction’ of the day, at least for me. The Cliffs of Moher. They run about 9 miles and are over 350 fee high. Every year about 15 people die from falls here. Most of the walks for viewing the Cliffs are protected by large slabs but farther up the slope there is only a dirt track, very muddy and slick from all the rain. I saw many fools standing on the cliff edge for selfies. But views were spectacular! I can’t imagine there any better 2 feet...

Sep 27, 2019 - Galway, Ireland: Paddy Wagon 3 Day Bus Tour

I am now taking a three day Paddy Wagon bus tour. The backpackers rate was $280US. That means I stay the nights in a Hostel. It was a pretty long drive from Dublin to Galway, but we had several stops. One was the city Cong where the movie Quiet Man was filmed with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Cong also features a ruined medieval abbey, Cong Abbey, build 1120, where Rory O'Connor, the last High King of Ireland, spent his last years. Of course the roof had been removed to save on taxes so not much was left except Abby ruins and a beautiful...

Sep 26, 2019 - Dublin Trinity College and St. Patrick’s Cathedral

For the first time in all my travels I am staying in a hostel in a 6 bed female dormitory. I have stayed in hostels before but always with a private room. So now I’ve had the experience and I don’t need to do it again.....ever. I’m sure I’m the oldest one here by at least 30 years. The young men stand outside beneath the window and talk all night long. Even with special wax in my ears it is noisy. Also no place to put you stuff to easily use. Everything needs to be kept in a cage under the bed and locked. Someone took my towel that I had to...

Sep 25, 2019 - Dublin City Tour and Christ Church

The City Tour began at Trinity College and was led by Brian, a history graduate, no less. Was very interesting to me and he did a very good job explaining the political and religious history of Ireland. Even made me feel good about my Protestant ancestors (not Catholic!). He explained that England encouraged many Protestants from Scotland to come to Ireland and take land on Plantations, I’m sorry to say land that was taken from Catholics. But these Scotch Protestants were treated no better then the English Church Protestants treated the...

Sep 25, 2019 - Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

The Literary Pub Crawl was a strange but entertaining way to visit some Irish pubs in Dublin with a group.And if you are solo like I was a way to pub crawl with a friendly group. We would stop at a pub with some connection to the beloved Irish authors, Yeats, Joyce, Swift, etc. Outside the pub we had an introduction to some history of the pub then 20 minutes to have a drink and look around, then back outside our 2 older group leaders would perform an act, or reading from one of the authors. Before we moved on to the next bar. We started at...

Sep 23, 2019 - Blarney Castle in the Rain, Cobh, and Jameson Distillery Tour

I am solo now as Debbie and Renee return home today. I decided to go ahead and visit the Blarney Castle, even though it is such a touristy thing to do. I was surprised at how beautiful the surrounding gardens were. Too bad it was the worse rainy day I’ve had in Ireland. At least I had rubber boots on. (If you visit Ireland, bring rubber boots, leather will not keep the drenching rain out.) I decided to skip the 90 minute line to climb the narrow, slippery, spiral staircase to lay on my back in the rain to kiss the Blarney Stone. I have...

Sep 22, 2019 - From Cork Ireland, a tour of Cashel Rock and Kilkenny

Renee, Debbie, and I spent the night in Cork at the Clayton Hotel, a conveniently located hotel near the city center. Only a few minutes walk to Oliver Plunkett street, where the Old English Market, many Pubs and shops are located, and only a few minutes to the PaddyWagon office and St. Patricks Bridge where many tours leave from. We decided to stay here to have a chance to hear some Irish Music and to be near where our tour of Kilkenny and Rock of Cashel, an impressive castle rising above the plains of Tipperary. Our tour to Cashel Rock...

Sep 21, 2019 - Cork, Ireland and a City Walking Tour

Early Saturday Morning we drove from Dungarvan to Cork to spend one night. We took an interesting city walking tour, had lunch at the Oliver Plunkett Pub, later returning for some evening Irish music, and visited the Old English Market, a typical fresh meat, bread, produce and much more market. Some interesting information about Ireland and Cork we learned. Before the potato famine (Catholic genocide, our bus driver called it. There was food, lots of corn being shipped to England, but not made available to the starving Irish Catholics)....

Sep 20, 2019 - Ireland With Friends

I’m off to Ireland finally. Got a pretty good ticket (I think about $450 round trip) from Philadelphia to Dublin, on Aer Lingus. A direct flight only 6 1/2 hours long. I’m traveling with two retired teacher friends Renee, and Debbie, who both taught in St. Croix some years ago. Debbie just retired and has planned this trip so she won’t miss being back at school in September. Our flight left Philadelphia at 5:30 PM and we arrived in Dublin the next day (today) at 4:40 AM. We rented a car, with the steering on the right and have to drive on...