Sept 22nd

We've arrived! The flights weren't too bad - Cliona slept a good bit and bringing her seat on board worked really well. Didn't do too much the first day, went on a chestnut hunt and caught up with Mam and Dad - perfect way to start a holiday!

Sept 24th

We started the morning with a trip to the park so Cliona could hang out with the locals. After her nap we introduced Nan and Grandad to playdoh before heading over to Eoghan's house for a bbq. He had all his toys out and Clio had a great time trying out the diablo. We drew the line on the fire-clubs though! BBQ was great, company even better - it's just great to be on holidays!

Sept 25th

In Dublin's fair city, where the .......
What a fun day we had romping all over Dublin. We started with a visit to the Book of Kells in Trinity College. The Book of Kells is an ornately illustrated bible, produced by Celtic monks around AD 800 but there was an entire exhibition of earlier and similar writings. And Trinity college is one of Ireland's oldest universities (founded 1592). It was well worth the visit. Then on to Dublin castle which is really more like a house today than a castle. We took a tour and though the rooms are ornate, the history was the most interesting to me. The castle started as a Danish Viking fortress in the 930's and then went back into the hands of the Irish in 1014. The Normans took over in 1169 and then in 1204 the King of England built a stronger castle on the site. So it's seen it's share of occupiers! From the castle we went on to St Patrick's Cathedral and finally stopped at the General Post office, the site of the 1916 Easter rising which eventually gave way to the Irish free state as we know it today.

Sept 26th

While Stephen, Dad, Karen and Bill went sightseeing in Co.Wicklow I met up with a couple of old friends and spent the afternoon in an indoor playground. It was great seeing Cliona, Kian and Robian all play together and it was extra special to meet little Karl.

Kian

Cliona

Michelle and Karl and Debbie

Debbie and the three youngsters

So excited to get in!

Sept 27th

We are off on our tour of Ireland. After a quick stop in Kildare to visit Sister Mary we headed onto the Rock of Cashel. It looks so impressive, standing up on the hill over the town. It's basically three churches built at different times in different architecture styles. The tour guide wasn't very good so I don't think any of us left all that impressed. There were some great celtic headstones in the cemetery though and the view was great.

A tour of Ireland wouldn't be complete without kissing the Blarney stone. Blarney Castle was built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy. The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle in 1446. It is said that kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab.
The legend goes that Queen Elizabeth I wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney".
Karen and I couldn't resist - though I wouldn't say either of us is lacking in the area of gabbing :)

Sept28th

From Kenmare we drove around the Ring of Kerry - arguably the most scenic drive in Ireland. Dramatic panoramas, majestic mountain shapes, ancient sites and small towns are found along the winding route. Along the way we visited a Bog Village where traditional cottage dwellings have been restored and give an excellent view of life in days gone by. We caught the car ferry across to Valentia island and got to see some beautiful scenery.

I couldn't resist taking this picture at one of the scenic stops - nap time!

Some views of the lakes of Killarney. We stayed in Killarney overnight where Bill got himself a traditional Irish drum (Bodhran) . And we got to see a traditional Irish band play in one of the pubs.

Sept 29th

In the morning Stephen and I walked the grounds of Muckross house (a Victorian house in Killarney national park) while Karen and Bill toured the interior.

Then it was off to Bunratty Castle and folk park - one of my favorite castles. It is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendor and now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries, and works of art which capture the mood of those times.

The folk park features reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. Old tools, furniture and artefacts are displayed, with the village kept alive by some inhabited shops, an old home bakery and peat fires in cottages.

The Medival night at Bunratty castle was great craic. We started off with some mead in the Great Hall- quite like a dessert wine but made of honey, water and yeast. The singing and pagentry were good fun and after a while we headed down to eat. The food was surprisingly good - those Medival lords and ladies really did eat like kings. No forks though - not that civilised appartently. We finished the night off with with a few pints in the original Durty Nelly's - established in 1620!! It was fun but Stephen maintains the San Antonio Durty Nelly's is nicer! Probably a little more room in the new version.

sept 30th

Stephen's surfing day! It was great- the weather was beautiful, Ben gave us great directions to the surf spot he was at and we spotted him straight away on the beach. Stephen got a board, suited up and finally caught some Irish waves. There was a golf club and course right by the beach - so Karen and I walked up the beach to the clubhouse to check it out while Bill walked a couple of holes. There were plenty of surfers out which surprised me - apparently surfing has really taken off in Ireland. A big thanks again to Ben for making it all happen! We decided to have lunch at the clubhouse before heading off to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway.