WICKLOW MOUTAINS AND GLENDALOUGH
After our first initial stay in Dublin, we ventured south en
route to our vacation rental which was near Cork. I wanted to see Glendalough
Valley and the monastic ruins that have been there since the 6th
century. We got our first initial taste of “white knuckle” driving that
everyone warned us about. Skinny, one lane roads with either old stone walls
bordering each side of the road or overgrown, green foliage…it was a bit
insane. Not to mention, the mountain passes were curvy and unforgiving. One
local told us that to put the speed sign of 100k right before a bend was like
the road was coaxing you, daring you to drive that fast.
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| Many one lane bridges |
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| Ireland roads |
Glendalough was beautiful with historic and old ruins, two
beautiful lakes, and expansive hiking trails. Old, Celtic cross tombstones and
tight fitting graves dotted the landscape next to the monastery and tower. We
saw our first deer here, so we high-fived at spotting wildlife other than
ravens, pigeons, and magpies.
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| Yummy butterscotch ice cream treat |
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| Cascading waterfall |
Our GPS, which we lovingly named Emily (and if you have seen
Friends, you will understand why), took us on a route out of the Wicklow
Mountains on backroads that crossed over high mountain pass that was vast with
rolling hills, farmland, and trees. It was beautiful!
CORK-MALLOW
The 20th of June we arrived at our vacation
rental outside Castletownroche, a small village near Mallow and Cork. Centrally
located, we were immediately enchanted by this magical place. It was built in
the 1800s and was refurbished in the 1990s. The property was taken back by the
state because the land owners could not pay the taxes they owed, and now it was
a vacation rental. The castle is located on a large acreage that houses a huge
Victorian house, with servant quarters and stables, and a hidden secret garden
that was free for us to explore. It was perfect! It was my favorite place the
entire trip. J
We had no TV or Wi-Fi which made this place even more spectacular. We played
Scrabble by firelight and enjoyed the Irish radio where we searched out
traditional Irish music over the electric and dance, or constant talk, we
seemed to only get via the other stations.
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| Rhody's in the back left---old house on the Annes Grove Garden Estates |
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| My new favorite flowers: alliums |
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| So Brad and I bought this estate while in Ireland... |
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| Gate to the secret garden |
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| Patio for two |
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| Private cemetary |
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| Roses |
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| Trellis |
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| Vacation Rental View |
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| Property we got to explore |
Being centrally located, we split up our days to explore the
surrounding areas.
BLARNEY CASTLE AND CORK
Of course we had to visit the Blarney Castle, kiss the
Blarney Stone, and enjoy the grounds, trails, and geocache on the grounds. We
were smart enough to get up early and beat the large tourist buses, by being at
each tourist destination before 10.
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| Kissing the stone |
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| Kissing the stone |
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| Blarney Castle grounds |
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| View from below-where you kiss the stone |
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| Bamboo Tunnel |
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| Oh, the signs make me smile |
We enjoyed the Midleton Jameson Factory Tour, which was
where Jameson was originally distilled before moving to Dublin. The tour was
excellent and free drinks at the end were a great way to comesmerate Father’s
Day.
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| Our first Irish coffee |
Then, we enjoyed walking around Cork, shopping, and watching
a local band play (The Big Mikies) at a pub, Oliver Plunket’s. We also were
introduced to hurling…violent, insane sport!
RING OF KERRY
We did the Ring of Kerry, listening to Emily who took us on
one-laned short cuts near breathtaking cliffs and roads to get there. We
stopped occasionally on the way to take in the views, and let crazy tour buses
inch around us, that were just amazing. At the top of Coomakesta Pass, we spoke
with an Irish artisan whose dog was a hoot. He said his dog, Snoopy, was
leaning up against me because he had one too many Guinesses last night. He’s
recovering.” We bought one of his homemade St. Brigid crosses, one of the
patron saints of Ireland. Hang the cross in your home to protect you from fire
and want.
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| Artisan |
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| Colorful Pub |
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| Windy roads of Kerry |
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| Kerry Cliffs |
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| Ring fort |
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| Coomakesta Pass, Kerry |
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| St. Brigid Cross |
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| Foxglove |
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| View from ring fort |
We continued to Portmagee, onto Valencia Island. Checked out
Kerry Cliffs and hiked Bray Head Loop, which was where we left our travel bug
on a geocache. This route was recommended to us by another artisan atop
Coomakesta Pass, and it was worth it.
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| Dingle Peninsula and Portmagee/Valentia Island views |
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| Talking to Maddy |
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| Along the trail |
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| Old stone wall |
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| Gates |
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| Bray Head Loop Trail |
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| Retrieving our geocache |
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| New York is 5000 K from this point |
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| Kerry Peninsula |
That night we loved sitting in a quiet, quaint pub in
Castletownroche, listening to an older couple converse. I don’t know how long
they had been married, but they were a hoot
and deeply devote and in love. I loved overhearing their conversations with one
another.
Watching a crime show on TV, the old man was in awe that
they would show the actually crimes and his wife promptly interjected stating
is was reenactments and not real. “They do reenactments to find the blokes that
did that to her.”
Another conversation
was complimenting the reporter, Wife: “She’s quite a lovely figure." Husband: “Yes, such a
lovely smile.”
Husband: “What type of drinks are
those?”
Wife:“Irish coffees.”
Husband:“Didn’t they just have Guiness?”
Wife: “Yes, now they’re
having coffees.”
Husband: “I think I’ll have one of those, then.”
Wife: “Not if you’re to get
me home!”
They were also very pleased
with the bartender stepping out to care for her elderly grandma, by putting her
to bed. Made me smile as I hope Brad and I will be as sweet, in love, and
comical as the two of them.
We intended to drive the entire Dingle Peninsula but only
made it to Dingle, a small coastal village and one of the first places we
managed to go shopping. Unfortunately, there had been a mix up with our
reservations at the vacation rental, originally thinking we had the place until
Wednesday morning, so we ended up cutting our trip there short.
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| Church |
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| Build around it |
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| view from the harbor |
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| Grottos were everywhere |
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| HIlly streets of Dingle |
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| Sheepdog on a mule |
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| Statues depicting religion were every where, too. |
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| Stain glass in the churches were amazing |
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| Loved the colorful houses |
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| Wool shop window |
We did stop in
Mallow en route to finding a place to stay for the night and met a great pub
owner, Andrew, who was A) Irish-American and B) picked up on Brad’s New York
accent right away, even though he hasn’t lived there in over 13 years. He was
great to talk to as we chatted about family ties to the states and in Ireland,
history of Ireland, and tips on what to check out while in Mallow. We checked
out Mallow Castle ruins, that are apparently in the process of being somewhat
restored to attract more visitors to the area. We also had a chance to check
out the gift(s) from Queen Elizabeth I, white deer, and quite a herd of them
still reside on the property some 500 years later.
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| White deer |
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| Mallow Castle Ruins |
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