Our children decided to give a unique gift to our grandson Riyaan on his first birthday- a vacation with both sets of grandparents in Ireland! And we were so delighted!!
Day 1 in Ireland
We reached Dublin yesterday and checked in to Radisson Blu St Helen's hotel which is a 16th centry Georgian mansion with beautiful lush gardens
Day 2
Waterford
The oldest town in Ireland, known for Waterford crystal. Visited Waterford crystal museum and Medieval Museum. The heritage museum had charter roll of Waterford with illustrations and vestments from 1460 made of silver and gold.
We then headed to the Magic Rd about half an hour from Waterford where apparently cars roll uphill in neutral. But unfortunately we couldn't locate that spot (fairy tree). They need better signs there. But we did go to see Mahon falls. On the way we saw blue goats on the mountains and it was a lovely view of the mountains and meadows from that place.
Our next stop was the famed Barney Castle which has beautiful gardens and sculptures too.
Day 3
We stayed at a bnb in Kenmare and made it our base for 3 nights. On Day4 we headed to Ring of Beara instead of the more popular ring of Kerry. Ring of Beara is parallel to the coast for most part and has breathtaking landscape views of mountains, Atlantic ocean, and rolling meadows with goats and sheep along the way. There are many quaint picturesque villages with colourful houses.
The roads in this part of Ireland are quite narrow and it would be best if you were traveling by a small car. We found drivers to be very courteous, giving way to each other on these narrow roads. Surprisingly the speed limit on these roads is 80km/hr. We stopped for lunch in a small town Eyeries and enjoyed the relaxed hospitality and Irish beer.
From there we proceeded to Dursey Island which is the south-western most point of Ireland. Dont forget to enjoy the Murphys icecream at the cable car point.
One thing that Ireland is known for are the stonewalls. Farmers would dig out stones from the land before cultivating it and use these stones to demarcate their properties boundaries. We saw many stone walls on this route and also at other places wherever we traveled on this trip.
Our last stop on our way back to our bnb was at Castletownbere where we were surprised to find a very good Indian food restaurant and of course we got a takeout dinner packed which we enjoyed with a glass of wine in our cozy bnb.
Day 4
Our destination today was Inch beach in Dingle, about 2 hrs away from Kenmare. A big wide beach with very fine compacted sand where we enjoyed a lot. Next was the sleahead drive where some of us hiked to the top - Dunmore point- the most westerly point in Europe offering magnificent views of the ocean and land.
Day 5
This morning we strolled through the streets of Kenmare browsing through Irish linen and other gift stores. We got to do a part of Ring of Kerry today and went to Killarney National Park which is the oldest park in Ireland. The Torc falls, the Muckross house and gardens are all in the park. Muckross house is a 19th century mansion which contains all original furniture, artwork and trophies from that period. There are also farms on the Muckross estate that have replicas of old traditional Irish houses complete with furniture and barns. Our next stop was Killarney town which has The Shire pub that is themed on the Lord of the Rings.
Killarney
muckross house
The Shire Pub
After a full day we reached our bnb which was a lovely 3 br house with all facilities and set in a calm, rural setting in Kinwara where we stayed for next 3 days.
Day 6
Doolin is a small town on the west coast of Ireland and is gateway to Aran islands. From there it's a 10-min drive to Cliffs of Moher which are the most popular attraction in Ireland. The cliffs are over 200 m high on the Atlantic ocean and provide habitat for wildlife specially Atlantic puffins. The tourist centre at the site has a good interpretive centre with interactive computer screens which provide information on Ireland. There is also a 5-min short movie on the cliffs that plays continuously there. Wide stairs from the tourist centre to the top are very comfortable to what is a 2-3 min climb to the point from where you get a good view of the cliffs.
Day 7
It was our grandson's birthday today and we were all excited and shared our favorite memories of his first year. The day started with bright sunny sky and we could have our breakfast outside. Later in the day we headed to Galway. It is a harbour city on Ireland’s west coast, sits where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city’s hub is 18th-century Eyre Square, a popular meeting spot surrounded by shops and traditional pubs that often offer live Irish folk music. Nearby, stone-clad cafes, boutiques and art galleries line the winding lanes of the Latin Quarter, which retains portions of the medieval city walls. One can park the car and walk on foot in the market which has many streetside shops and eating places. There lot of hustle bustle there with many people. The roadside small stalls had genuine Irish products- sweaters, wood work, pottery, enamel jewellery souvenirs etc.
The patisserie in this market has very delicious pastries, which we found very reasonably priced. We just loved the pastries everywhere that we visited on this trip (mainly southern Ireland).
The cathedral in the city center looked quite impressive but we headed back to our bnb since the weather had changed and it started raining. We had Riyaan's birthday celebrations in the evening in our bnb. He got scared and started crying when we all started singing Happy Birthday.
Day 8
On our way from Kinwara to Dublin there was a monastery in clonmacnoise. It was founded in 548 AD by St Ciaran. It has the remains of a number of churches, a round tower, a castle, 3 stone crosses and many grave stones.
Day 9
Our next 3 days were in Dublin.The Grofton market is a cobble-stoned place with shops, pubs, and restaurants on both sides of the road. Dublin castle is a 10.min walk from grofton market but it closes quite early at 5 PM and so does the hop on hop off sightseeing bus. So its best to visit these places in the morning.
Temple bar area is another place worth visiting.....it has many pubs and is quite a vibrant place.
The oldest pub in Ireland is the Brazen Head Pub in Dublin which was established in 1198.
Day 13
Our wonderful trip came to an end today as we said good byes to each other and headed to our respective homes.
Day 1 in Ireland
We reached Dublin yesterday and checked in to Radisson Blu St Helen's hotel which is a 16th centry Georgian mansion with beautiful lush gardens
Day 2
Waterford
The oldest town in Ireland, known for Waterford crystal. Visited Waterford crystal museum and Medieval Museum. The heritage museum had charter roll of Waterford with illustrations and vestments from 1460 made of silver and gold.
We then headed to the Magic Rd about half an hour from Waterford where apparently cars roll uphill in neutral. But unfortunately we couldn't locate that spot (fairy tree). They need better signs there. But we did go to see Mahon falls. On the way we saw blue goats on the mountains and it was a lovely view of the mountains and meadows from that place.
Our next stop was the famed Barney Castle which has beautiful gardens and sculptures too.
Day 3
We stayed at a bnb in Kenmare and made it our base for 3 nights. On Day4 we headed to Ring of Beara instead of the more popular ring of Kerry. Ring of Beara is parallel to the coast for most part and has breathtaking landscape views of mountains, Atlantic ocean, and rolling meadows with goats and sheep along the way. There are many quaint picturesque villages with colourful houses.
The roads in this part of Ireland are quite narrow and it would be best if you were traveling by a small car. We found drivers to be very courteous, giving way to each other on these narrow roads. Surprisingly the speed limit on these roads is 80km/hr. We stopped for lunch in a small town Eyeries and enjoyed the relaxed hospitality and Irish beer.
From there we proceeded to Dursey Island which is the south-western most point of Ireland. Dont forget to enjoy the Murphys icecream at the cable car point.
One thing that Ireland is known for are the stonewalls. Farmers would dig out stones from the land before cultivating it and use these stones to demarcate their properties boundaries. We saw many stone walls on this route and also at other places wherever we traveled on this trip.
Our last stop on our way back to our bnb was at Castletownbere where we were surprised to find a very good Indian food restaurant and of course we got a takeout dinner packed which we enjoyed with a glass of wine in our cozy bnb.
Our destination today was Inch beach in Dingle, about 2 hrs away from Kenmare. A big wide beach with very fine compacted sand where we enjoyed a lot. Next was the sleahead drive where some of us hiked to the top - Dunmore point- the most westerly point in Europe offering magnificent views of the ocean and land.
Day 5
This morning we strolled through the streets of Kenmare browsing through Irish linen and other gift stores. We got to do a part of Ring of Kerry today and went to Killarney National Park which is the oldest park in Ireland. The Torc falls, the Muckross house and gardens are all in the park. Muckross house is a 19th century mansion which contains all original furniture, artwork and trophies from that period. There are also farms on the Muckross estate that have replicas of old traditional Irish houses complete with furniture and barns. Our next stop was Killarney town which has The Shire pub that is themed on the Lord of the Rings.
Killarney
Old traditional Irish houses
muckross house
The Shire PubAfter a full day we reached our bnb which was a lovely 3 br house with all facilities and set in a calm, rural setting in Kinwara where we stayed for next 3 days.
Day 6
Doolin is a small town on the west coast of Ireland and is gateway to Aran islands. From there it's a 10-min drive to Cliffs of Moher which are the most popular attraction in Ireland. The cliffs are over 200 m high on the Atlantic ocean and provide habitat for wildlife specially Atlantic puffins. The tourist centre at the site has a good interpretive centre with interactive computer screens which provide information on Ireland. There is also a 5-min short movie on the cliffs that plays continuously there. Wide stairs from the tourist centre to the top are very comfortable to what is a 2-3 min climb to the point from where you get a good view of the cliffs.
It was our grandson's birthday today and we were all excited and shared our favorite memories of his first year. The day started with bright sunny sky and we could have our breakfast outside. Later in the day we headed to Galway. It is a harbour city on Ireland’s west coast, sits where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city’s hub is 18th-century Eyre Square, a popular meeting spot surrounded by shops and traditional pubs that often offer live Irish folk music. Nearby, stone-clad cafes, boutiques and art galleries line the winding lanes of the Latin Quarter, which retains portions of the medieval city walls. One can park the car and walk on foot in the market which has many streetside shops and eating places. There lot of hustle bustle there with many people. The roadside small stalls had genuine Irish products- sweaters, wood work, pottery, enamel jewellery souvenirs etc.
The patisserie in this market has very delicious pastries, which we found very reasonably priced. We just loved the pastries everywhere that we visited on this trip (mainly southern Ireland).
The cathedral in the city center looked quite impressive but we headed back to our bnb since the weather had changed and it started raining. We had Riyaan's birthday celebrations in the evening in our bnb. He got scared and started crying when we all started singing Happy Birthday.
Day 8
On our way from Kinwara to Dublin there was a monastery in clonmacnoise. It was founded in 548 AD by St Ciaran. It has the remains of a number of churches, a round tower, a castle, 3 stone crosses and many grave stones.
Day 9
Our next 3 days were in Dublin.The Grofton market is a cobble-stoned place with shops, pubs, and restaurants on both sides of the road. Dublin castle is a 10.min walk from grofton market but it closes quite early at 5 PM and so does the hop on hop off sightseeing bus. So its best to visit these places in the morning.
Temple bar area is another place worth visiting.....it has many pubs and is quite a vibrant place.
The oldest pub in Ireland is the Brazen Head Pub in Dublin which was established in 1198.
Our wonderful trip came to an end today as we said good byes to each other and headed to our respective homes.
No comments:
Post a Comment