Out and about in Dublin

Day 7, Friday 17 August

Trinity College — The Book of Kells

This exhibit took me back to Prep and the ritual beginning of every day being the drawing of an AMDG to decorate each new page. seeing the intricate work done by the inks in the a book of Kells has given me an insight into the motivation of those nuns all those years ago. Even to complete our crude decorative borders would have taken  hours and required
Concentration and focus all of which would classiest a class of 5 year olds quiet for hours. I wish I had some samples of the work I did all those years ago. My child's memory tells me it was a very satisfying process and one of which I was very proud.

To The Book of Kells. This amazing manuscript that dates to AD 800 is one of the oldest books in the world. It contains the four Gospels of the New Testament, written in Latin. If it were merely the words the Book of Kells would simply be a very old book - it's the extensive and amazingly complex illustrations that make it so wonderful. Imagine the time and labour of the process. First you have to kill a beast; not to put too fine a point on it a baby beast is preferred, (unless one has conveniently died for you). Then you have to remove all the obvious nastiness that animals skins have on the outside, it's hair etc. Then the hide needs to be prepared, this might involve soaking them in urine to make them soft enough to tan. This specially treated calf skin is called vellum. The hide next needs to be fixed on a frame for the writing process to begin. And all this is happening in a small stone monastery, cold, damp and with minimal lighting.

Things the Irish do and don't do
- they do always carry an umbrella (I wonder why)
- they do know how to talk
- they don't start the day early
- they don't take any notice of traffic signals
- they do not wear bike helmets
- they do like beer (in any form) at any time of the day
- they do not know how to make a long story short
- they do like to eat vegetables that have been boiled

The sun does come out in Ireland - I got a sunburnt face today.

The virtues of Black pudding remain a mystery to me and one that I am happy to leave a mystery.

Trinity College Library

The main courtyard at Trinity College

The National Museum of Ireland

Free, which makes a nice change.
The museum has a collection of early Irish archaeology. The display that most captivated me was called Kingship and Sacrifices, we came face to face with historic discoveries that give amazing insights from iron age bog bodies, burial ceremonies, kinship  and sovereignity.

The bog bodies are an extraordinary record of life and culture in Ireland. One of the bog bodies Oldcroghan Man was in extraordinary condition. Imagine looking at the hand and nail pits of a human remain that dates back to 400 BCE. His finger prints and hair pits are clearly seen.

On display also were amazing gold jewellery and treasures from early celtic to christian periods of Irish history. The Irish have such a story to tell and are so proud of what they have done and it shows in the content and the information that they provide. The National Museum is not big (about the size of the old Victorian Museum in the city) but it has a fantastic collection that tells the story of the Irish.

Bishop's staff with patterns from the Viking era

Ancient horn with early celtic design

Magnificent metal cross with container for a holy relic

Detail of the decoration on the cross

Finely patterned gold celtic neck plate

Interior of National Museum

The Trinity Library

A great many choices of books (Sue eat your heart out)
First impression was the smell. At first the smell was the books, but on further sniff examination I realised it was the smell of the old oak that was in fact the timber of the library. The dark oak interior is the work of master crafts men. College building accounts show repeated employment of several generations of the same families of artisans in plumbing, slating, painting, plastering, and stone cutting. Today the Long Room stands at 63.7 metres long, 12.2 metres wide, and 14.2 metres high.  In 1892 the Long Room held some 250,000 volumes. What a wonderful crusty, dusty old gem. The scale of the library is its other striking feature.
They had some fantastic samples of ancient, medieval and early industrial revolution period books that showed the evolution really well. The collection is spread over European and Middle Eastern books as well as their own Irish collection.

The Temple Bar

After lunch it was time to wander the Temple Bar area. Lots of the pubs were full with live music happening and buskers outside competing for the crowds. It was very busy for the middle of the day so no doubt it really warms up at night.

Some of the pubs have 24 hour live music.

The streets were busy.

The original Temple Bar

Had dinner tonight at a restaurant near our accommodation called The Farm.

Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains and on to Dublin

Day 6, Thursday 16 August

Glendalough to Dublin

Glendalough is memorable not so much for the historic remnants, but for the spectacular scenery around the site. Set in an area called “the valley of the two lakes” this is a real ramblers paradise; with the scenic lakes and valleys and lush mountain vegetation. Put it on your travel plans as a must do destination - Glendalough is a remarkable place that will still your mind, inspire your heart and fill your soul.

The Glendalough Valley is located in the Wicklow Mountains National Park and has many attractions to entice, entertain and enthral visitors, from its world famous Monastic Site with Round Tower to its scenic lakes and valleys, as well as a selection of walks and trails in the area including The Wicklow Way. The steep wooded slopes of Glendalough (GLEN-da-lock, "valley of the two lakes"), are a stark contrast to the stark Wicklow Mountains, that are treeless and severe.

This early Christian ecclesiastical settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Set in a glaciated valley with two lakes, the monastic remains include a superb round tower, stone churches and decorated crosses.

PS Did I mention it was raining!

View of the Wicklow Mountains from the top lake at Glendalough.

Remains of the Reefer Church at the top lake, Glendalough.

The Reefer Church was located on the banks of the top lake.

Church and round tower at the main monastic site.

The main monastic site through the rain.

Onward to Dublin

Onward to Dublin; or so we thought; we were about to experience another Murphy’s law moment. We expected that our navigational advisor would steer us through the Wicklow Mountains to Dublin. An hour into our journey we were somewhat surprised to find that we were still travelling through the stunning Wicklow Mountains and shortly afterwards we arrived AGAIN at Glendalough. After  refocussing we set ourselves back to the task of driving to Dublin AGAIN!

The Wicklow Mountains, while only 10 miles south of Dublin, feel remote — enough to have provided a handy refuge for opponents to English rule. Rebels who took part in the 1798 Irish uprising hid out here for years.

The Wicklow Mountains are a mix of wind swept tundra and lush glacial valleys.

Dublin

Driving into Dublin was easy once the GPS was sorted. Number 31 Leeson Close where we are based for the next two days is in a great location. The Main Canal is right across the road and it doesn’t take long to walk right into town through St Steven’s Green. At 22 acres (89,000 m2), it is the largest of the parks in Dublin's main Georgian squares. Dublin’s numerous parks and gardens are the life and lungs of the city. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets, Grafton Street. So we spent the afternoon getting our bearings, to allow us to be prepared for a more in-depth discovery day tomorrow.

We are also fortunate to have a little group of restaurants and pubs not far from where we are staying. The Sussex was our choice for dinner last night and it was a gem. The Guinness was great!

PS Did I mention it was raining!

Number 31 Leeson Close is a doorway in a wall on a small side street.

It did take a bit of finding, but we managed!

We are in a room in the converted stables of a Georgian Terrace. An interesting renovation.

Dublin has many side streets with restaurants and pubs.

Did we mention it was raining again.

Irish pubs are certainly distinctive.

They also have some very interesting shops.

Surviving the winds on the Rock of Cashel

Day 5, Kenmare to Kilkenny

Beannachtaí, greetings from Kenmare

Arguably the loveliest town in Kerry, Kenmare (or Neidín, meaning ‘small nest’) is located at the tip of the Kenmare River (which is actually a bay) and the Sheen River.

Wednesday is market day in Kenmare. Now if you wanted a fake rolex, or a made in China Gucci handbag forget it. This is a ‘real’ country market with horses, cows, ducks, chooks - all for sale. And to make the whole event more colourful there were real Irish farmers, talking like there was no tomorrow. Most of what they were saying we could not understand at all. Wellies, tweed caps or is it a tam-o-shant, macintoshes and of course the blackthorn walking stick. This was not just a visual sensation, this market assaulted the senses with farm smells, animal noises and over riding it all a wonderful Irish melody of men arguing, negotiating the terms for a sale of a shaggy Irish pony, or just ‘Ag caint faoin aimsir’ talking about the weather. We felt a bit voyeuristic mingling amongst all this cultural wonder; we snapped a few of the locals pretending to be snapping their beasties.

One wonderful man who I saw chasing his wayward sons trotting down a side street with an original sulky. When he caught up with them he gave them a tongue lashing, I wasn’t sure what for but it must have been bad as he used lots of ‘fekking’ to describe what had transpired. I bravely went up to man, beast and ‘fekking’ boys and said in a very chummy way: ‘He seems to have a mind of his own.’ To which my Irish farmer replied: ‘Oh the cars all right, it’s the fekking drivers that are the problem.’

Serious cattle trading in Kenmare.

Hitching up the pony to the sulky.

Market day on the streets of Kenmare.

Kenmare to Cashel

After a few challenges with the GPS and nameless streets of Cork, we eventually got onto the right road - the M6 not the N6, and had a smooth if very wet and windy drive to Cashel. Found a very acceptable Irish pub not far from Cashel Rock for lunch. It’s always a good sign I reckon when you walk in a door to nice food smells and the hum of people deep in conversation. There is an added lilt to  the noise when Irish men and women are a factor.

A short drive got us the car park below the Castle. Little did we know that as soon as we got to the front face of the building we were to be blasted by cyclonic winds (but more of the cyclone later).

We were lucky that we were able to pick up with an English tour soon after we arrived. Our guide did a great job bringing the ruins of the castle back to life. The Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle (Cahir Castle is certainly one of Ireland's most interesting castles.)

The Rock of Cashel’s first life was of a fortress for the Kingdom of Munster (what a great name). Curiously a feature of the Cashel kingships were also ecclesiastics who had wives and children.

In 1101, a King of Cashel gave the Rock of Cashel to the church. This was not an act of generosity, in fact it advanced his credentials and deprived his old enemies of a valuable royal seat. The Rock of Cashel is comprised of a series of buildings – the Cathedral where religious observances were held, Cormac's Chapel, the Hall of the Vicars Coral and the Round Tower. They are a very interesting collection of buildings. The Hall of the Vicars Coral has been restored but all of the other buildings are as they have been for hundreds of years after suffering in a range of wars and disputes.

A storm front had been moving in from the South during the morning and it was now raining and the winds were howling. Outside on the Rock it was had to stay standing as the wind blew around the buildings. We spent about two hours exploring the buildings and then headed off to Kilkenny.

Our accommodation was outside the main town so we went straight there and settled in before heading to dinner. Another very interesting day done.

The Rock of Cashel from the town below.

Heading up to the main entrance. The scaffolding covers Cormac's Chapel while they try to dry it out.

View of the Cathedral and the round tower.

Looking towards the round tower from inside the Cathedral.

One of the towers of the Cathedral has collapsed.

Inside the restored Hall of the Vicars Coral.

A window in the Hall of the Vicars Coral.

Doing the ring ...

Day 4, Doolin to Kenmare

We decided to get up early to explore the things about Doolin that we had not had a chance to experience after our ‘Murphy’s Law’ day yesterday. A sunshine and showers day promised to make the drive to the Cliffs of Moher and around the Ring of Kerry very interesting.

The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are only about 10km out of Doolin and we thought we had a glimpse of them from Doolin ... we were in for a big surprise. There was the obligatory payment before setting foot on the hallowed ground that is one of Ireland's top visitor attractions and a designated UNESCO Geo Park. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and for 8 kilometres tower over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. To say the cliffs are stunning seems to under sell them... they are rugged, barren, beautiful and captivating.


Our major destination for the day was to drive the Ring of Kerry. This involved a three hour drive (on Irish roads), to the start of The Ring at Killorgan. We tossed the GPS and went back to the old fashioned method of navigation – the map. The drive South to Killorgan went well.

The Cliffs of Moher

The Ring of Kerry

We stopped in Killorglin for lunch and petrol and we were on our way. The Ring of Kerry (or Iveragh Peninsula to give it its correct name) is a 179km tourist trail and part of the mystical & unspoilt region of Ireland that has attracted visitors for hundreds of years. The roads and traffic were must better than expected and we reached Waterville for lunch.

We drove on to Derryname where there are some of the finest beaches in Europe. With the temperature reaching a scorching 20 degrees the Irish were out in droves, unveiling their lilly-white bodies to play at the beach. A very funny sight to behold.

Derrynane House at Derrynane is the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, lawyer, politician and statesman. Situated on 120 hectares of parklands the House displays many relics of O'Connell's life and career. In the grounds of also is an ancient round Fort (Caherdaniel Fort),which dates to 600 BCE.

We also made the side trip to Staigue Fort. We drove up expecting a normal tower fort but found a dry-stone circular fort built during the Iron Age and around 2,500 years old. It is the best preserved example of this type of fort in Ireland.

We arrived at our accommodation in Kenmare at about 6.00pm, having had a very interesting day. By now the weather had turned foul so we considered ourselves lucky to have had good weather for the Ring.

Ring of Kerry

Ring of Kerry, looking down at Derrynane area

Ring of Kerry

The Irish go to the seaside!

Staigue fort sits in a valley and surrounded by hills on three sides

Staigue fort has one narrow entrance

Staigue fort showing the steps up to the inside of the walls.

Inside Staigue fort showing the entrance and an entrance to a sleeping chamber  built into the wall.

Staigue fort is all of dry stone construction

Going with the Irish way ...

Day 3, Tankardstown to Doolin

We tested ‘Murphy’s Law’ today – what could go wrong did go wrong and believe it or not it started at breakfast. 8am we decided was a sensible time to start our first full day of exploring Ireland. Unfortunately Murphy the chef had a bad night on Sunday night and didn’t make into work on time to fix our breakfast. The same Murphy therefore hadn’t baked the bread for our breakfast; had neglected to order sausages from Murphy the butcher and from thereon it became a day of Murphyisms.

Our plan had been to have an early breakfast in order to beat the crowds at Newgrange. By the time we had our breaky and checked out of the wonderful Tankardstown we knew we were later than was optimal to beat the crowds at Newgrange. When we finally made it to the visitor centre we were told that the next available bus/tour wasn’t till 1.30pm. Bernie nearly blew a fuse; and that was the end of our visit to Newgrange.

Feeling some what deflated, we rearranged our plans for the day and decided to proceed to Tullamore, the seat of the Nolan clan in County Offaly. We were not disappointed, Tulllamore displayed all the characteristic quirkiness that befits my Nolan heritage.

Clonmacnoise

From Tullamore we headed to the ruins of Clonmacnoise, a monastery founded by Saint Ciarán on the eastern bank of the River Shannon. The site includes the ruins of a cathedral, seven churches (10–13th century), two round towers, three high crosses and the largest collection of Early Christian grave slabs in Western Europe.

Fascinating place to visit and the stories of religious fervour to keep the place going against numerous attacks by Vikings, Danes and the English makes you realise how hard life in these communities was.

Doolin

And onward to Doolin. This was an experience in Irish driving. The speed limit on the roads were crazily optimistic. The roads are about one and a half car widths at best and twist and wind and there are no verges, just bracken over stone walls on either side with the odd bridge wall to add a solid surprise; the brambles and blackberries scrape the sides of the car as you squeeze by.

Doolin is a charming small seaside village on the southwest coast. Set against the Atlantic Ocean and surrounded by the spectacular bare limestone landscape of the Burren, it is a place of breathtaking beauty and a place for walking. People walk everywhere, in fact they cover the roads.

The Cathedral, North cross and church ruins at Clonmacnoise.

The West Tower and crosses in the fields at Clonmacnoise.

The South Cross and church ruins at Clonmacnoise.

The Doolin Hotel.

Cottages by the creek at Doolin.

Tankardstown House near Slane

Tankardstown House, main house

Day 2, Tankardstown House

What a wonderful to start our tour of Ireland. This gorgeous country estate is a surprise at every corner. We are in the old stables building, which is one of a series of attached stone buildings at the rear of the main house used for accommodation, bars, spas and restaurants. The grounds are a variety of formal walled gardens with ‘desire line’ paths and statues everywhere (no gargoiles). The vegetable garden that serves the restaurant is at the rear of the grounds in an enclosed garden. Fabulous beds of vegetables are set out in a formal pattern of intersecting paths. No idea what half the vegetables were but we ate some at the restaurant in the evening and made for some interesting meals.

The Tankardstown restaurant was a treat. It took us quite a while to decipher what was an option in the menu. For example how many of you would know what do to with: 
- Peter Callaghan's leg and shoulder, water cress custard, raw carrot and micro leaves.

-or Boxi potato, roast leg tortellini, crispy wing and egg, morel  sauce.

Anyway we were game to try as mush as possible and it was all blissfully good. Could happily stay on and work our way through the whole menu.

Bumble bees hover over a bed of lavender giving a taste of France. Even a wonderful yellow snail entranced me.

No 3G network out here so having trouble getting the phones onto the local network. Hopefully can get it done when we are near a larger town. At least we have wifi here.

Restaurant garden

Old stables rooms

Stone walled garden

A long day getting to Ireland

The tortuous part of the flying is behind us. The first 13 hours of the trip were as pain free as is possible. We did get a bonus in that we must have had a tail wind and cut the travel time by an hour. … the God’s were with us. We wonder what Ethan would think of all the Sheiks walking around the airport in the full length Arabic clothes.

The other blessing was the Ali’ Abadi transit lounge. Away from the hustle and bustle of the main transit lounges. This was a little oasis, where we were able to shower, eat reasonable food, including beautiful fresh dates and other fresh fruit, honey poached apricots and dates (yum), and a real flat white coffee.

The flight to Dublin was easy after the first leg. Dublin airport was all very new but it still took about 2 hours to get through immigration and collect the hire car. Starting to get used to the Irish accents and the adjective ‘fecking’ used regularly and with gusto!

Surprised that it is about 20 degrees with the occasional bit of gentle Irish rain.