September 29th – Kilkenny

Thursday, September 29, 2011

We had a very nice breakfast at our hotel before heading to the bus stop to begin what was one of our longest travel days.  The bus from Kinsale to Cork left at 9:10am, with an hour layover in Cork, then a three hour bus ride, finally arriving in Kilkenny shortly after 2pm.

After checking into our hotel, the weather was partly cloudy so we went across the street to Kilkenny Castle (yes, right across the street from the Hibernian hotel).  We did a self-guided tour of the castle, wishing we’d had an audio guide!  After doing so, we listened to one of the castle docents give the history of the castle, and its occupants through the years.

We walked around the town up at St. Canice’s church but, with our recent luck, the church had closed just five minutes earlier!  We have some time tomorrow before heading to Dublin so we’ll tour the church in the morning.

Walking across the bridge of the River Nore, we were surprised to see the castle reflected in the still water.

After dinner at our hotel, we headed back to our room, calling it a day.  Barb has had a cold for the last two days, and Jackie came down with it today.  We’re blaming it on the concierge at our Killarney hotel who, on our first day there, was very helpful in giving us directions, following us out of the hotel lobby to show us what way to go, but while doing so he’s blowing his nose and telling us he has the flu!  Thanks!!

September 28th – another rainy day in Kinsale

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Based on a good weather forecast, we decided to stay in Kinsale another day to take the walking tour and go on the harbor boat cruise (which was cancelled Tuesday due to fog).

Weather forecast:  fog lifting by 11 AM, partly cloudy in the afternoon.

Actual weather:  fog lifted at noon, overcast, full clouds, absolutely no sun for the rest of the day.

After breakfast, we moved to the Old Bank House. Then, we went on the walking tour with Don (Don & Barry Walks).  We learned much about Kinsale’s role in Irish history while strolling a bit of Kinsale.  A port used to take up a good portion of the walled city. We have noticed lots of dog poop around Kinsale.  We had never seen it in the other towns and cities we have visited.  Barb asked Don about it, and he said it has been an ongoing problem, and none of their solutions have worked.

We went for a decadent hot chocolate at Jo’s, which was amazing.  She made it with chunks of dark chocolate with frothy milk, and dark chocolate shavings on top of that.

Then, we walked on the other side of the bay in order to see the harbor from a different perspective and get close enough to see Charles fort.  We also wanted to see the tides.  In the morning, the bay is all mud, but in the afternoon, it is filled with water.  Evidently, there is a ten foot variance. Jackie spotted a sign that said, “Beamish,” so, of course, she had to have her picture taken.  She neither turned Amish nor saw any Amish.  😦 Then, down to the harbor for our boat cruise (which we’d been told they take rain or shine).  But, no — cancelled once again.  They said it was due to lack of visibility — not true — there was no fog, and we had seen the fort from a distance.

Now, we were in a pickle.  We would have left for Kilkenny if we had known that.  However, we saw a sign for a different walking tour in the afternoon and also for a road train ride to Charles Fort so we were pleased with our options.

We got a beer at Lord Kingsale’s Pub, and caught the walking tour with Dermot Ryan.  He covered different information than had been conveyed in the morning tour and showed us different parts of Kinsale.  He mentioned the Ford ties to the area.  William Ford (1826 – 1906) emigrated to America during the potato famine.

Then, we went to catch our road train, however, it was cancelled because he was taking around a private group.  Arghghghghgh!

Went to dinner at the Armada pub for fish and chips – forgettable. This evening, the music we heard in pubs was mostly the melancholy Irish folk tunes, rather than lively Irish drinking songs so we got home early.

September 27th – Kinsale

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Foggy, dreary weather today. That’s what we expected in Ireland, but it is still a bit tiresome.

We took the bus to Cork. We do miss the trains and subways that we had in the UK. The bus rides are stop n’ go and nerve-wracking. We had over an hour layover before our bus to Kinsale so we headed off to explore Cork, and hopefully find a Starbucks (with no luck!)

Then, we took the bus to Kinsale. Weather continued to be drizzly and foggy. We checked at the Tourist Center for lodging. They told us the owner of the B&B we had booked had a heart attack. They suggested Tierney’s because of its great location, but pointed out where other B&B’s are located. We also asked about the boat tours and were assured the boats go out at 2 pm and 3 pm, regardless of the rain.

We went first to the Presbytery B&B. They had no twin available, but let us leave our luggage. We went across the street to the San Antonio, but no one answered.  We checked out a few more B&B’s, but either they had no room available or they were very expensive.

So… we went to Tierney’s. We took a room and a key, but hadn’t given them our charge card. When we left, we looked at each other and said, “UGH,” and decided to keep looking. We went back to the San Antonio Bed and Breakfast and knocked really loud. We had just rounded the corner when a man came out. He is the owner’s brother and is watching the place while his brother is in Portugal on holiday. He had a room available so we grabbed it, and took the key back to Tierney’s and told them we changed our plans.

After lunch at Lord Kingsale’s, we headed down to the pier for our boat ride. However, as luck would have it, the cruise was cancelled, likely due to the fog.

San Antonio B&B’s brother did not know the access code to the WiFi, so we went to an Internet Cafe.  We decided that on Wednesday, rather than spending the night in Kinsale, we would go on the walking tour and then head to Kilkenny. Jackie booked the hotel in Kilkenny for Wednesday night, as well as Thursday.

We found the Dalton Pub, and had our picture taken. Dalton is our grandma’s maiden name (on my dad’s side), and his family is certainly Irish Catholic!

After checking out choices for dinner, then went to another Internet Cafe to verify
bus times to Kilkenny. The times did not work well unless we left in the
morning so Jackie emailed the Kilkenny Hibernian and cancelled for Wednesday.

Then, we found a different lodging for Wednesday night – the Old Bank House (now we’ll have FREE WiFi),

We ended up having a great dinner at the Cobra, an Indian restaurant.

Once again we decided to find ourselves a pub with traditional Irish music, and that we did! We first went into Dalton’s because, of course, we had to have a beer at pub bearing our family’s name. A trad (jam session) was in progress when we arrived. These are fun as you just never know what you’re going to hear. We could picture Harriet, Gretta, and Mayme (our dad’s sister and cousins), while on their Ireland trip some 30 years ago, sitting around a table chiming in, loudly singing and having a grand old time!

We ended up the evening at Seanachai, a pub close to our B&B. An absolutely wonderful duo, Trad Routes was playing so we stayed until they were done for the night (here that is only 11:30).  Though they play mostly traditional Irish music, they finished with a sing-along to American Pie!

For a day that was mostly dreary with a few glitches, we ended it on a fine note!

September 26th – Dingle Peninsula

Monday, September 26, 2011

There are no self-service launderettes in Killarney, but luckily a drop off service is available just around the corner from our hotel.  We dropped off everything but our sweaters and the clothes we were wearing,

Today was our tour of the Dingle Peninsula.  Our tour guide/driver, Donal was great.  He provided lots of information about the area, and also sang several Irish tunes for us while going along the narrow, winding road! The weather was not so great… it drizzled and was overcast the entire time.

We still were able to see the Blasket Islands, which are at the westernmost point in Europe – as Donal, our guide, told us “The next port of call is America”.

Another stop was at the Gallarus Oratory, a small, stone-built chapel, shaped like an upturned boat that is believed to have been built in the sixth century.

Dingle town, a fishing village in Dingle Bay was our last stop.

On the way back into Killarney, the weather cleared so we bought a Stella at the store and sat out on the hotel balcony to enjoy the sun.

After dinner, we packed, etc., then headed out to be groupies for our band, Tintean.  Another fun night!

[Editor’s note:  Even baby Jackie enjoyed the Tintean youtube, must be genetic.]

Tomorrow should be interesting.  We just received a response to our email confirming our arrival time with our B&B in Kinsale saying that due to unforeseen circumstances, they closed for the rest of the season!

September 25th – Killarney Nat’l Park

Sunday, September 25, 2011

We were concerned about today because much rain was predicted, and we weren’t sure how we’d occupy ourselves.

After a scone, we headed off in the rain to St. Mary’s Cathedral to hear Father Patrick or Father Kevin say Mass.  But, no, we got Father Moses from Kenya!  No Irish brogue for us this morning.

Then (still in the drizzly rain), we headed through Killarney National Park to the Ross Castle.  We wanted to take a boat ride, but they needed ten, and in the precarious weather, there were only four hearty souls.

The guided tour of the castle was very good.  The castle was built in the 15th century. It had only three owners before being donated to the national government in the early 1970’s.  It took 20 years or so to complete the restoration work, but they did a nice job of keeping its authenticity.

After the tour we were once again hoping to go on a boat tour, and though the rain had subsided, there were still not enough takers so… no boat ride.

We then walked through the national park back to Killarney town.  It was raining so we decided to go to Buckley’s pub for a couple hours in the late afternoon to hear a trad.  The music was just great, and we chatted with a group from the USA who were here on a Smithsonian history tour.  Though it’s fun to hear the locals talk, it’s also nice, at times, to hear voices from home, and yes, we do have accents!.

We went back to our hotel to check email, etc.  Then, we walked around town for a while before going back to O’Donoghue’s for a cheap dinner.  Talked with some travelers who are on a tour through a Catholic organization.

Later, we went back to O’Donoghue’s because the band was there that we’d heard Friday night.  It was crowded.  We had just ordered a Harp and were standing at the bar when the waitress from dinner came up to us.  She asked if we’d like to sit up by the band.  Barb answered that there were no seats up there.  She said to come with her.  She pulled seats up to a table where other people were sitting right in the front and put us there.  Barb’s nice tip at dinner paid off!

The band, Tintean was great again.  They will be back tomorrow evening, and so will we!

September 24th – Killarney – Ring of Kerry

Saturday, September 24, 2011

First of all, thanks to Jean, our editor extraordinaire!  We provide the narrative and photos, then she puts the info in WordPress and even provides links!  Without her, this blog would not have happened.

Our tour company, O’Connor Auto Tours picked us up first so we had our choice of seats for the Ring of Kerry tour. Our first stop was at the Kerry Bog Village where you could pay 5 Euros (€5 ) to tour the village, pay €5 to drink Irish coffee, or spend 35 minutes in the gift shop.  Unfortunately, we picked the village.  It is suggested on many sites when you tour the R of K, however, it is a tourist trap.

After touring the Isle of Skye, we were nervous that we would be seeing the same.  Luckily, the landscape was different.  There are many more little lakes, towns and homes on the R of K (though have to say the remoteness of the Isle of Skye was in and of itself part of its appeal).

Our tour guide was constantly pointing out sites to us, but provided absolutely no history.  We passed through a town with the Daniel O’Connell church… He pointed it out, but that was it!

We made a stop where you could opt to pay €5 to watch a shepherd demonstrate how border collies herd the sheep (which we did…the alternative being to sit on the bus or spend a half hour in the gift shop).  We were surprised to learn the sheep are actually afraid of these very friendly dogs.  The sheep think they look like predators.  Of course, we’ve never heard anyone say, “as smart as sheep.”  This was very interesting.

We stopped for lunch at a beautiful spot overlooking water and mountains.

We made several stops for photo opportunities (some also involved gift shops– UGH).  Our driver complimented himself for providing a rainbow and sheep crossing the road for us to photograph.

When we got back to Killarney, we checked out several menus, but ended up back at O’Donohue’s (€13.50 for fish & chips and a pint of your choice).  Good deal for us because we share both!

Then, we went in search of traditional Irish music.  Our location makes it very easy to come and go.  The pubs are just around the corner!  We found some good music, had a half-pint (or two!) then back to our lovely hotel.

September 23rd – Killarney

Friday, September 23

Started out the morning around 8:30am looking for a nice coffee shop. Not much open here until 9am.

England – tea rooms and pubs
Wales – tea rooms and pubs
Scotland – coffee shops and pubs
Ireland – pubs and more pubs

Then, we set off for a 4+ mile walk to Muckross House and Gardens. Part of the walk took us through the Killarney National Park, along Lough (lake) Leane.

We were starved by the time we got there (and our poor feet needed a rest) so we grabbed lunch at the Muckross Cafe. We then walked through the various gardens, then took a guided tour of Muckross House. This is a lovely house with lots of original pieces from the mid 1800’s.

By this time we were pretty tired, and the jaunting car (horse and buggy) was expensive (35 Euros) so we took a taxi back into Killarney Town.

After an ice cream, very little shopping, and a check on train tickets, we stopped off for a half pint at The Laurel’s Pub. We walked around a bit more and got dinner at O’Donoghue’s Pub.

We decided to do our own “pub crawl” tonight. First, we went to Killarney’s pub at the Grand Hotel. They were having a trad, a  which is essentially a jam session with local musicians playing instruments such as the accordion, fiddle, flute, guitar, and drum. At the time we were there, the music was pretty repetitive, so we left.

Next, we went to Failte pub, and they had a lone singer with his guitar. We ordered a beer and listened to him for a while. Now, we did know ahead of time that he’d playing a variety of music… didn’t mean we were expecting the Bee Gees, Bread, Eagles, Kenny Rogers, and Johnny Cash! But it did provide us an opportunity to sing along!

We finished the evening at O’Donoghue’s (where we had dinner earlier) listening to traditional Irish music played by Tintean, a four piece band. They were more what we’d been hoping to hear, and they met our expectations. We came back to our hotel feeling very Irish!

September 22nd – Killarney

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Began the day at Starbucks where Jackie got a Starbucks card so we could have WiFi. Then we caught a bus to the Glasgow airport. We were surprised at the lax security. Since we had a bit of a wait, we went to Frankie and Benny’s for Stella (beer for those who haven’t discovered Stella) and pizza. Prices were reasonable for an airport.

Then, we caught a bus from the airport to Cork, then the bus to Killarney. At about 17:30 (5:30 pm), we checked into the International Hotel. We loved our room so much (second floor looking out on the jaunty wagons) that we decided to keep staying here, rather than switching to a B&B.

Then, we went in search of a place for dinner. The pubs were really crowded because it’s Arthur’s Day (Arthur Guiness, that is). As we checked out the posted menus, we found prices to be higher here than anywhere else we have been. Arghghghghgh!

After dinner, things quieted down, and we checked pubs for music. We ordered a beer at Scruffy’s just before the band took a break. 😦  We quickly finished our beer and came back to Hannigan’s, our hotel pub to hear the music that was to begin at 21:30 9:30 pm). We listened to a duo called the McGuire’s. We enjoyed her singing and his fiddle playing for an hour and a half.

MANY pubs here have live traditional music. We’ll be checking them out for good music and will keep you posted.

Some musings…

We love the differences in the language. Jackie hopes to add “brilliant” to her everyday vocabulary. In northern England, they referred to us as “luv.” As a caution, instead of using “watch,” they use “mind.” “Mind your head.” “Mind your step.” And our favorite, “Mind the gap”. Jackie gets a “concession” rather than a senior discount.

Per capita, we believe they have more smokers. We estimate it at 30%. Of course, when we have time, we will check online for the accuracy of our prediction.

They appear to be more energy conscious. We’ve seen very few vans, pick-up trucks, and SUV’s. Eleven percent of Scotland’s energy is provided by renewable sources (hydro, solar, and wind), and they continue to increase this.

Television at the B&B’s and hotels is very limited compared to that in lodging in the US. We don’t know if it’s the same in households. They don’t have DVR’s.

Everyone has been both helpful and friendly everywhere we have been, even in the big cities.

The transportation system in the UK is much better than ours. Trains and buses are numerous, clean, and on time (except for a little lateness in northern England).

The use of the metric system is inconsistent. In the UK, they use miles rather than kilometers. You order draught (draft) beer by asking for a half pint or a pint.

The signal at pedestrian crossings that it’s okay to cross, is a little green dude (our term), rather than “walk” or a little white dude.

We’ll keep you posted on this, as well.

September 21st – Highlands

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Rainy, gloomy weather today… and we didn’t get the best seats, either (but still fine).  [editor’s note: there are 18 people, how bad can it be?]

Started with a Loch Ness boat tour.  Like millions of other visitors, we didn’t sight Nessie, even though our Thailand college students made up a Nessie cheer!  Our tour wasn’t on your usual touristy ferry boat, rather it was on a smaller boat with John, a captain who works with the university.  He gave us great information, and since it was rainy, we sat inside and got to see the radar and depth finder controls.

Along the way we passed by what remains of Urquhart Castle, which figured prominently in Scotland’s history during its 500 years.  Shortly after, the rain subsided… still no Nessie, but we did spot a rainbow.

Throughout the past days, Colin, our tour guide has been giving us history, culminating in the final battle of the Jacobites in Culloden. It was the failings of the uprisings that cemented Scotland’s history for the past 300 years.  Our tour took us to the Culloden battlefield itself, but it was so windy and rainy that, though we tried, we just couldn’t walk out far enough to really see and imagine what atrocities occurred at this spot.

As we were leaving the battlefield, Colin drove us to the back of the parking lot where there were hairy coos (long-haired cows) in a pasture. We quickly got off the bus in order to snap a picture and jump back in!

After a couple other stops in the wind and rain, we stopped at the 4000 year old cairns (burial places).  Jackie was pretty impressed.

At about 12:45 pm, the rain subsided, and we could see the beautiful scenery.  We stopped for a late lunch at McKays in Pitlochry, a very cute town.

After bidding farewell to our fellow travelers in Glasgow, we settled in the Marks Hotel.

We ate dinner O’ Sole Mio, not exactly a Scottish pub.

September 20th – Highlands

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The good news is some sunshine. The not so good news is the wind– gusts of 50 mph so no pictures of us! You might wonder why we referred to mph instead of kilometers. That’s because they mark distances in miles… and beer in pints… Go figure!

The best news is we were first on the bus so had our choice of seats (trying for a repeat tomorrow).

The word of today is SCENERY! We toured the Isle of Skye, which is in northwest Scotland along the Atlantic Ocean. We spent some time in their capitol, the fishing village of Portree, making several stops along the way.

It was another “white knuckle” day for Jackie as we drove on one lane roads through jagged mountains with nothing but cliffs below. The names probably don’t mean anything, but we drove through the Black Cuillin Mountains and along the Trotternish Peninsula.

Our guide, Colin continues to give us great history, and calls Skye his spiritual home. He used to come up here as a boy and the connection remains strong.

We are spending the night at Drumnadrochit, which is near Loch Ness. We begin our morning in search of Nessie.