10 days - 650 miles - 57 pints - 52 pubs & a lot of sights!
Orlando & Dublin
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Orlando - Dublin - Friday/Saturday
Left OIA at 1:15 p.m. to JFK. Left JFK at 9:45 p.m. for Dublin. Landed in Dublin at 8:30 a.m. and checked into O'Callahan's Davenport Hotel in Merrion Square area at 10:30 a.m. Had to get out and explore and started by waking towards Trinity College to see Book of Kells and the Long Hall. Very touristy, but worth it! History of not only the book itself, but how it was created - from the inks to the paper, to the fact they could trace the illustrators down to 6 different people - some did just illustrations, some did just text, and some did both. As a graphic artist - it was a fascinating lesson on inks, papers and craftsmanship. The book itself is in a dim and crowded room, but again, worth the jostle to learn the history. Exited out to the Long Hall with literally 1,000s of books from floor to ceiling and some amazing examples from the collections under glass for review. Worth the hour stop for sure!
Next stop was The Palace Bar for our 1st pint of Guinness of the trip! Superb pint in an amazing pub with lots of character and lots of Characters. Little did we know we stumbled into Dublin the day of the Heineken Rugby Cup finals! Thousands of fans flocked the streets for the championship game of Clermont vs. Toulon. It was great fun to sit in The Palace Bar and speak with fans from both sides.
Walked to Christ Church area and did the outside look-see, while enjoying a pint at Little Green, then headed off to St. James Gate to visit the Guinness Storehouse. Amazing mecca of beer! Between the history, the layout of the museum, and the people within, it was a Lovely day for our third and fourth pint - which we got to pull ourselves to learn how to pour the perfect one! We all mastered it, I am happy to say!
Worked our way back downtown to Temple Bar area and dinner at Farringdon's. Our first proper drink of the trip - and not enough ice to our chagrin! But the Paddy's was superb! After some more wandering around, back to our hotel to crash for the night with a last drink and dessert of the evening before we went to bed.
Left OIA at 1:15 p.m. to JFK. Left JFK at 9:45 p.m. for Dublin. Landed in Dublin at 8:30 a.m. and checked into O'Callahan's Davenport Hotel in Merrion Square area at 10:30 a.m. Had to get out and explore and started by waking towards Trinity College to see Book of Kells and the Long Hall. Very touristy, but worth it! History of not only the book itself, but how it was created - from the inks to the paper, to the fact they could trace the illustrators down to 6 different people - some did just illustrations, some did just text, and some did both. As a graphic artist - it was a fascinating lesson on inks, papers and craftsmanship. The book itself is in a dim and crowded room, but again, worth the jostle to learn the history. Exited out to the Long Hall with literally 1,000s of books from floor to ceiling and some amazing examples from the collections under glass for review. Worth the hour stop for sure!
Next stop was The Palace Bar for our 1st pint of Guinness of the trip! Superb pint in an amazing pub with lots of character and lots of Characters. Little did we know we stumbled into Dublin the day of the Heineken Rugby Cup finals! Thousands of fans flocked the streets for the championship game of Clermont vs. Toulon. It was great fun to sit in The Palace Bar and speak with fans from both sides.
Walked to Christ Church area and did the outside look-see, while enjoying a pint at Little Green, then headed off to St. James Gate to visit the Guinness Storehouse. Amazing mecca of beer! Between the history, the layout of the museum, and the people within, it was a Lovely day for our third and fourth pint - which we got to pull ourselves to learn how to pour the perfect one! We all mastered it, I am happy to say!
Worked our way back downtown to Temple Bar area and dinner at Farringdon's. Our first proper drink of the trip - and not enough ice to our chagrin! But the Paddy's was superb! After some more wandering around, back to our hotel to crash for the night with a last drink and dessert of the evening before we went to bed.
Dublin, Castlecomer & Kilkenny
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Dublin, Castlecomer, and Kilkenny - Sunday
Up and out early again - hit up a small coffee/pastry shop before heading through St. Stephen's Green garden district. Explored the park, Grafton Street and back up through Temple Bar. Back to hotel to check out and to Avis to pick up our rental car - a Skoda! Go Skoda Go! Became our mantra after just a few short minutes in our spiffy new ride! We quickly eschewed the main roads for backroads and headed off towards Kilkenny for the night. Off the beaten path, we drove through many little towns, until we happened upon Castlecomer and Shortalls for our first pint of the day! What a great pub! The locals were all in having their Sunday pint and little did we know that we walked straight into the Hurling Hall of Fame for Kilkenny area. The locals were eager to show us the photos and discuss hurling and all it's attributes and to tell us that they had won the national championship 10 of the last 12 years! Damn those folks from Tipperary for messing up the streak! We were waved at on our way out the door, promptly picked up some fish and chips to go and got back on the road. Arrived in Kilkenny by 2 p.m. and checked into the River Court Hotel directly across the street from the Kilkenny Castle! What a beautiful sight! We went on walkabout again and had to start with Tynan's Bridge House pub, which is over 300 years old. Great bartender that afternoon - showing us the seat George Bush sat in, and letting us drink the finest in Kilkenny beers - Kilkenny Cream Ale - which was FANTASTIC!!!! Because our goal was not to linger too long at any one pub, we continued on to the grocery store to stock up on room/car supplies and headed back to the hotel to drop them off. Next on the agenda was The Dylan - and gin/whiskey bar that boasted more than 100 whiskey brands and 80 gin brands...still not enough ice in our drinks! So we left there and headed to the beer store where Stick found the only Kentucky Bourbon Ale and promptly toasted his UK Wildcats and the Kilkenny Cats Hurling team at a nearby church. Back to hotel for dinner - where the food was fabulous, and the view out the window looking at the castle was even better. Busy day in town as it was Sunday and many confirmation parties were going on. After dinner we headed out again - this time to Matt the Miller's for some live Irish music and a pint (or two) - but no Kilkenny's Cream on tap so we HAD to head back to Tynan's for the last pint of the night - which ended up being the third to the last pint of the night as we met MANY locals who wanted to talk to us about as badly as we wanted to talk with them. Met Jerry, the artist, who just finished up serving in the Irish Army and hated the Bloody English. Met up with our bartender from earlier in the day, who promptly growled at Cindy (in a loving way!), and finally had to have the owner let us out a side door, as the front doors were locked - second time the four of us have been locked in a bar!
Up and out early again - hit up a small coffee/pastry shop before heading through St. Stephen's Green garden district. Explored the park, Grafton Street and back up through Temple Bar. Back to hotel to check out and to Avis to pick up our rental car - a Skoda! Go Skoda Go! Became our mantra after just a few short minutes in our spiffy new ride! We quickly eschewed the main roads for backroads and headed off towards Kilkenny for the night. Off the beaten path, we drove through many little towns, until we happened upon Castlecomer and Shortalls for our first pint of the day! What a great pub! The locals were all in having their Sunday pint and little did we know that we walked straight into the Hurling Hall of Fame for Kilkenny area. The locals were eager to show us the photos and discuss hurling and all it's attributes and to tell us that they had won the national championship 10 of the last 12 years! Damn those folks from Tipperary for messing up the streak! We were waved at on our way out the door, promptly picked up some fish and chips to go and got back on the road. Arrived in Kilkenny by 2 p.m. and checked into the River Court Hotel directly across the street from the Kilkenny Castle! What a beautiful sight! We went on walkabout again and had to start with Tynan's Bridge House pub, which is over 300 years old. Great bartender that afternoon - showing us the seat George Bush sat in, and letting us drink the finest in Kilkenny beers - Kilkenny Cream Ale - which was FANTASTIC!!!! Because our goal was not to linger too long at any one pub, we continued on to the grocery store to stock up on room/car supplies and headed back to the hotel to drop them off. Next on the agenda was The Dylan - and gin/whiskey bar that boasted more than 100 whiskey brands and 80 gin brands...still not enough ice in our drinks! So we left there and headed to the beer store where Stick found the only Kentucky Bourbon Ale and promptly toasted his UK Wildcats and the Kilkenny Cats Hurling team at a nearby church. Back to hotel for dinner - where the food was fabulous, and the view out the window looking at the castle was even better. Busy day in town as it was Sunday and many confirmation parties were going on. After dinner we headed out again - this time to Matt the Miller's for some live Irish music and a pint (or two) - but no Kilkenny's Cream on tap so we HAD to head back to Tynan's for the last pint of the night - which ended up being the third to the last pint of the night as we met MANY locals who wanted to talk to us about as badly as we wanted to talk with them. Met Jerry, the artist, who just finished up serving in the Irish Army and hated the Bloody English. Met up with our bartender from earlier in the day, who promptly growled at Cindy (in a loving way!), and finally had to have the owner let us out a side door, as the front doors were locked - second time the four of us have been locked in a bar!
Dungavan, Cork & Blarney
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Kilkenny, Dungarvan, and Cork - Monday
Breakfast at the hotel overlooking the beautiful river/castle scenary. Set out across the bridge to Kilkenny Castle for our self-guided tour. Castle is an excellent example of over several hundred years of castle "technology" where the sub-floors of the ancient castle are seen side-by-side with the 18th and 19th century updates. Impressive portrait hall and grounds. Strolled back through the town to hit up the Hurley Depot to check out hurling equipment. Back in the Skoda for a drive to the coast via Carrick-on-Suir on rural roads 699 and 676. Arrived at Dungarvan waterfront for our first pint of the day at the Moorings. Walked around Dungarvan before heading out on the back roads to Cork. Made reservations at Garish House B&B - which was made up of three different Victorian-era buildings that have been renovated. Met Katherine at the door - lovely lady who gave us scones and tea after we were settled in. Set out to explore Cork - via the pub crawl - staring with Conestan's and a pint of Murphy's Stout as Murphy's is brewed in County Cork and is preferred over Guinness in the area. After a walk along the Lee, we crossed at Carroll's Quay into the Shandon district to visit Franciscan Well Brewery - a local micro-brewery. We tried the Rebel Red, Blarney Blonde and Franciscan Wheat...pretty good overall. Next stop was the famous Sin E pub - a very old, very small pub with candles on every table - which we found to be fire hazards after a few too many pints. Met our first rude Irishman - who first of all sat down at our table without invitation or a by-your-leave, then informed us we were too concerned with money as we had been discussing pint prices, and then he continued to sit at our table but turned his back to us to complain to someone else. Oh....kay, then! Headed back across the river to meander down Merchant and Lavitt Quay on our way to dinner. Found the Indigo Restaurant which sat on the river at the fork in the channel. Picturesque views and our waiter turned out to be the owner (who had just purchased it that week) after he had been manager there. The food was superb, the view was lovely, and even the guy at the table next to us catching his newspaper on fire added to the overall ambiance! Headed back to the Garish House where lovely Katherine was so kind as to provide us a pitcher of ice to take back to our common room so we could finish our day with a proper drink of Paddy's with PLENTY of ice!
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Cork and Blarney - Tuesday
Breakfast at the Garish House - which it is well renowned for - as it should be! Porridge with Bailey's, Irish Breakfast, Scones, and so much more. Back in the Skoda and headed out to Blarney to visit Blarney Castle. Wasn't sure I really wanted to go, as it is such a touristy place and for the most part we avoid tourist spots...but tourist spots in Ireland are very different than here in Florida! There are no railings, ramps, or other additions to the ancient structures, everyone is warned they enter at their own risk, and nothing is over exaggerated...in other words, they just let their spaces/places speak for themselves. The grounds of Blarney Castle are worth going to alone. The castle is worth the effort to go. Though the climb was a bit higher than i expected, the opportunity was amazing. Cindy braved kissing the Blarney Stone! We walked the grounds, the poison garden, then headed back on the road to go see Roger's Castle - the Hurley Castle.
Breakfast at the hotel overlooking the beautiful river/castle scenary. Set out across the bridge to Kilkenny Castle for our self-guided tour. Castle is an excellent example of over several hundred years of castle "technology" where the sub-floors of the ancient castle are seen side-by-side with the 18th and 19th century updates. Impressive portrait hall and grounds. Strolled back through the town to hit up the Hurley Depot to check out hurling equipment. Back in the Skoda for a drive to the coast via Carrick-on-Suir on rural roads 699 and 676. Arrived at Dungarvan waterfront for our first pint of the day at the Moorings. Walked around Dungarvan before heading out on the back roads to Cork. Made reservations at Garish House B&B - which was made up of three different Victorian-era buildings that have been renovated. Met Katherine at the door - lovely lady who gave us scones and tea after we were settled in. Set out to explore Cork - via the pub crawl - staring with Conestan's and a pint of Murphy's Stout as Murphy's is brewed in County Cork and is preferred over Guinness in the area. After a walk along the Lee, we crossed at Carroll's Quay into the Shandon district to visit Franciscan Well Brewery - a local micro-brewery. We tried the Rebel Red, Blarney Blonde and Franciscan Wheat...pretty good overall. Next stop was the famous Sin E pub - a very old, very small pub with candles on every table - which we found to be fire hazards after a few too many pints. Met our first rude Irishman - who first of all sat down at our table without invitation or a by-your-leave, then informed us we were too concerned with money as we had been discussing pint prices, and then he continued to sit at our table but turned his back to us to complain to someone else. Oh....kay, then! Headed back across the river to meander down Merchant and Lavitt Quay on our way to dinner. Found the Indigo Restaurant which sat on the river at the fork in the channel. Picturesque views and our waiter turned out to be the owner (who had just purchased it that week) after he had been manager there. The food was superb, the view was lovely, and even the guy at the table next to us catching his newspaper on fire added to the overall ambiance! Headed back to the Garish House where lovely Katherine was so kind as to provide us a pitcher of ice to take back to our common room so we could finish our day with a proper drink of Paddy's with PLENTY of ice!
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Cork and Blarney - Tuesday
Breakfast at the Garish House - which it is well renowned for - as it should be! Porridge with Bailey's, Irish Breakfast, Scones, and so much more. Back in the Skoda and headed out to Blarney to visit Blarney Castle. Wasn't sure I really wanted to go, as it is such a touristy place and for the most part we avoid tourist spots...but tourist spots in Ireland are very different than here in Florida! There are no railings, ramps, or other additions to the ancient structures, everyone is warned they enter at their own risk, and nothing is over exaggerated...in other words, they just let their spaces/places speak for themselves. The grounds of Blarney Castle are worth going to alone. The castle is worth the effort to go. Though the climb was a bit higher than i expected, the opportunity was amazing. Cindy braved kissing the Blarney Stone! We walked the grounds, the poison garden, then headed back on the road to go see Roger's Castle - the Hurley Castle.
Dunmanway, Aghvide, Kerry & Killarney
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Dunmanway, Aghaville, Ring of Kerry and Killarney - Tuesday
Breakfast at the Garish House - which it is well renowned for - as it should be! Porridge with Bailey's, Irish Breakfast, Scones, and so much more. Back in the Skoda and headed out to Blarney to visit Blarney Castle. Wasn't sure I really wanted to go, as it is such a touristy place and for the most part we avoid tourist spots...but tourist spots in Ireland are very different than here in Florida! There are no railings, ramps, or other additions to the ancient structures, everyone is warned they enter at their own risk, and nothing is over exaggerated...in other words, they just let their spaces/places speak for themselves. The grounds of Blarney Castle are worth going to alone. The castle is worth the effort to go. Though the climb was a bit higher than i expected, the opportunity was amazing. Cindy braved kissing the Blarney Stone! We walked the grounds, the poison garden, then headed back on the road to go see Roger's Castle - the Hurley Castle. Just off the road in Dunmanway area is Hurley Castle. It is a significant structure on the national registry with a car park and picnic area located across the street. The castle itself was in very good shape, and the views from the top of the hill it sat atop were beautiful! You could almost imagine the Hurleys hanging out with the Butler's from Kilkenny and the MacCarthys from Blarney. We continued on the back roads and came to our first pub of the day at Aghaville. We entered McCarthy's pub and were greeted by David McCarthy (owner's son and bartender), Nora McCarthy (owner), Frank the Farmer (longtime local) and Deirdre (local farmer's daughter). Lovely time learning about the local history, farms, and overall outlook from small town Ireland. Learned about potholes from Deirdre, which are men you want to avoid when they have been drinking. Bought Deirdre a pint, which she thought was "Grand" of us, and headed back out on the road to do the Ring of Kerry. Entered the ring of Kerry from the south via Kenmare, then travelled to Sneem for our second pint of the day at O'Days. Waterfront view and eclectic mix of tourists and locals. From Sneem we started the Ring of Kerry drive - a three hour drive that had moments of grandeur followed by miles of "eh" but not great. Not sorry we did it, but none of us felt like it was a "wow" experience. Left the Ring via Killorglin and headed into Killarney where we stayed at Murphy's - a combo pub/inn on the main street. First Killarney pint at Murphy's then headed out to dinner at O'Donoghues Public House for a nice sit down dinner with lots of local meat and veggies. Topped off the day with a final pint at Tally's and talked to a few local merchants about our next day plans to hike Carrauntoohil.
Breakfast at the Garish House - which it is well renowned for - as it should be! Porridge with Bailey's, Irish Breakfast, Scones, and so much more. Back in the Skoda and headed out to Blarney to visit Blarney Castle. Wasn't sure I really wanted to go, as it is such a touristy place and for the most part we avoid tourist spots...but tourist spots in Ireland are very different than here in Florida! There are no railings, ramps, or other additions to the ancient structures, everyone is warned they enter at their own risk, and nothing is over exaggerated...in other words, they just let their spaces/places speak for themselves. The grounds of Blarney Castle are worth going to alone. The castle is worth the effort to go. Though the climb was a bit higher than i expected, the opportunity was amazing. Cindy braved kissing the Blarney Stone! We walked the grounds, the poison garden, then headed back on the road to go see Roger's Castle - the Hurley Castle. Just off the road in Dunmanway area is Hurley Castle. It is a significant structure on the national registry with a car park and picnic area located across the street. The castle itself was in very good shape, and the views from the top of the hill it sat atop were beautiful! You could almost imagine the Hurleys hanging out with the Butler's from Kilkenny and the MacCarthys from Blarney. We continued on the back roads and came to our first pub of the day at Aghaville. We entered McCarthy's pub and were greeted by David McCarthy (owner's son and bartender), Nora McCarthy (owner), Frank the Farmer (longtime local) and Deirdre (local farmer's daughter). Lovely time learning about the local history, farms, and overall outlook from small town Ireland. Learned about potholes from Deirdre, which are men you want to avoid when they have been drinking. Bought Deirdre a pint, which she thought was "Grand" of us, and headed back out on the road to do the Ring of Kerry. Entered the ring of Kerry from the south via Kenmare, then travelled to Sneem for our second pint of the day at O'Days. Waterfront view and eclectic mix of tourists and locals. From Sneem we started the Ring of Kerry drive - a three hour drive that had moments of grandeur followed by miles of "eh" but not great. Not sorry we did it, but none of us felt like it was a "wow" experience. Left the Ring via Killorglin and headed into Killarney where we stayed at Murphy's - a combo pub/inn on the main street. First Killarney pint at Murphy's then headed out to dinner at O'Donoghues Public House for a nice sit down dinner with lots of local meat and veggies. Topped off the day with a final pint at Tally's and talked to a few local merchants about our next day plans to hike Carrauntoohil.
Carrauntoohil, Milltown, Kilrush & Kilkee
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Killarney, Carrauntoohil, Milltown, Kilrush, and Kilkee - Wednesday Morning/Afternoon
Breakfast in the pub at Murphy's and out on the road by 8:30. We headed out to hike Carrauntoohil - the highest peak in Ireland. Roger and Cindy are members of the high point club and have spent many years hitting the high points all over the States...and there was no way we could pass up the opportunity to hit the high point of Ireland to add to their list. Stick and I have not done this type of hiking (closest for me is in Georgia) after all we are Florida kids. Carrauntoohil is 1,038 metres (3,406 ft) high and is the central peak of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks range. After a winding, tight and sheep filled drive to Cronin's Yard, we parked the car and started out through Hag's Glen, a beautiful approach that lead to the Callee and the Gouragh lakes below the ascent to Carrantuohil. With my fear of heights, I knew we weren't going to make it all the way to the top, but Stick and I did make it all the way to the start of the ascent at Devil's Ladder - not too shabby! The first hour of the hike was gravelly and dry with baseball-size rocks lining the path. As we ascended higher, the second hour of the hike became steeper, with more of a muddy-boggy-wet hike (the area past the lakes). While Roger and Cindy started on Devil's Ladder, Stick and I hiked back down for a good hour or so, then hiked down to Loch Gouragh to have some lunch. We continued our hike back and made it to the car park about 1:30 for our first drink of the day! Paddy's and water - tasted pretty good! Roger and Cindy completed the journey to the high point, had their photo taken with the cross and descended back to the car park by 3 p.m. We were all good and ready for our first pint of the day and headed towards Tarben to catch the ferry knowing we would find a town/pub along the way. We were in luck and the first small town was Milltown where we stopped at Larkin's for our first pint of the day. Once again, we had the opportunity to speak with the pub owner while enjoying our Guinness Pint. On the road again to Tarben to catch the ferry to take us (and the Skoda) across the River Shannon into Kilrush. Driving into the city center we stopped for our second pint at Crotty's - an old fashioned pub with lots of character. Then we were off to Kilkee where we had a reservation at Stella Maris.
Breakfast in the pub at Murphy's and out on the road by 8:30. We headed out to hike Carrauntoohil - the highest peak in Ireland. Roger and Cindy are members of the high point club and have spent many years hitting the high points all over the States...and there was no way we could pass up the opportunity to hit the high point of Ireland to add to their list. Stick and I have not done this type of hiking (closest for me is in Georgia) after all we are Florida kids. Carrauntoohil is 1,038 metres (3,406 ft) high and is the central peak of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks range. After a winding, tight and sheep filled drive to Cronin's Yard, we parked the car and started out through Hag's Glen, a beautiful approach that lead to the Callee and the Gouragh lakes below the ascent to Carrantuohil. With my fear of heights, I knew we weren't going to make it all the way to the top, but Stick and I did make it all the way to the start of the ascent at Devil's Ladder - not too shabby! The first hour of the hike was gravelly and dry with baseball-size rocks lining the path. As we ascended higher, the second hour of the hike became steeper, with more of a muddy-boggy-wet hike (the area past the lakes). While Roger and Cindy started on Devil's Ladder, Stick and I hiked back down for a good hour or so, then hiked down to Loch Gouragh to have some lunch. We continued our hike back and made it to the car park about 1:30 for our first drink of the day! Paddy's and water - tasted pretty good! Roger and Cindy completed the journey to the high point, had their photo taken with the cross and descended back to the car park by 3 p.m. We were all good and ready for our first pint of the day and headed towards Tarben to catch the ferry knowing we would find a town/pub along the way. We were in luck and the first small town was Milltown where we stopped at Larkin's for our first pint of the day. Once again, we had the opportunity to speak with the pub owner while enjoying our Guinness Pint. On the road again to Tarben to catch the ferry to take us (and the Skoda) across the River Shannon into Kilrush. Driving into the city center we stopped for our second pint at Crotty's - an old fashioned pub with lots of character. Then we were off to Kilkee where we had a reservation at Stella Maris.
Kilkee
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Kilkee - Wednesday Afternoon/Evening
This beautiful little town is the beach haven for Irish families and we were one week early for their opening weekend - which was great timing! The water was chilly, but the beach vistas were gorgeous! Met a lovely lady from Dublin who was out walking her dogs and told us to skip the Cliffs of Moher and do the cliffs of Kilkee the next day as the Kilkee cliffs are just as beautiful - without the tourist - and I quote "Skip the Cliffs of Moher, we save those for the French!" We continued our meander around town before deciding to hit Murphy's Black restaurant for dinner. The place was packed! Met the owner, who ended up sitting with us on and off throughout our dinner. One of best meals we had! Wonderful seafood, service, and just a great relaxing night! Left the restaurant to hit pub number four - Hickey's for a pint, then back to our hotel for our final pint of the night at the Stella Maris pub. They only had two rooms available, and we ended up with the a view of the water and opened our windows to listen to the surf in a big comfy bed! Best sleep I had of the trip!
This beautiful little town is the beach haven for Irish families and we were one week early for their opening weekend - which was great timing! The water was chilly, but the beach vistas were gorgeous! Met a lovely lady from Dublin who was out walking her dogs and told us to skip the Cliffs of Moher and do the cliffs of Kilkee the next day as the Kilkee cliffs are just as beautiful - without the tourist - and I quote "Skip the Cliffs of Moher, we save those for the French!" We continued our meander around town before deciding to hit Murphy's Black restaurant for dinner. The place was packed! Met the owner, who ended up sitting with us on and off throughout our dinner. One of best meals we had! Wonderful seafood, service, and just a great relaxing night! Left the restaurant to hit pub number four - Hickey's for a pint, then back to our hotel for our final pint of the night at the Stella Maris pub. They only had two rooms available, and we ended up with the a view of the water and opened our windows to listen to the surf in a big comfy bed! Best sleep I had of the trip!
Kilkee Loop & Dranmore
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Kilkee Cliffs, Loop Head and Dranmore - Thursday Morning/Afternoon
The Kilkee Cliffs were spectacular in every way! The winding path along the cliff walkway was beautiful (and a bit terrifying! The water, the colors, the wildflowers, everything was just naturally beautiful! We spent several hours strolling the path and shot hundreds of photos. The breezy, sunny day was perfect to take it all in. Back to Kilkee to pick up the Skoda for a trek along Loop Head road. Far superior drive/views/vistas than the Ring of Kerry. The quaint towns, the contrast of farming lands to the cliffs and beaches, just gorgeous! Had our first pint of the day at Keaton's - the closest pub to New York City. Back in the car to head towards the Burrens via the coastal road route. There were tons of castle ruins along the route before entering into the Burren area - a rocky barren region that is a geologic area more than a lush Irish green that we had seen to date. The Burren area has some of the oldest and most ancient ruins in the lands, and we stopped at the Poulnabrone Dolmen - a Neolithic/Bronze Age tomb that resembles a small Stonehenge. It was somewhat underwhelming, but one more check mark in the box for seeing and doing Ireland! Headed towards Galway, but had to make another pub stop in Kilmaure to have a pint at Keough's - where we were given Guinness marketing/spy/trivia lessons from the bartender. Absolutely fascinating and I am still on the hunt for the bar's Guinness Manual.
The Kilkee Cliffs were spectacular in every way! The winding path along the cliff walkway was beautiful (and a bit terrifying! The water, the colors, the wildflowers, everything was just naturally beautiful! We spent several hours strolling the path and shot hundreds of photos. The breezy, sunny day was perfect to take it all in. Back to Kilkee to pick up the Skoda for a trek along Loop Head road. Far superior drive/views/vistas than the Ring of Kerry. The quaint towns, the contrast of farming lands to the cliffs and beaches, just gorgeous! Had our first pint of the day at Keaton's - the closest pub to New York City. Back in the car to head towards the Burrens via the coastal road route. There were tons of castle ruins along the route before entering into the Burren area - a rocky barren region that is a geologic area more than a lush Irish green that we had seen to date. The Burren area has some of the oldest and most ancient ruins in the lands, and we stopped at the Poulnabrone Dolmen - a Neolithic/Bronze Age tomb that resembles a small Stonehenge. It was somewhat underwhelming, but one more check mark in the box for seeing and doing Ireland! Headed towards Galway, but had to make another pub stop in Kilmaure to have a pint at Keough's - where we were given Guinness marketing/spy/trivia lessons from the bartender. Absolutely fascinating and I am still on the hunt for the bar's Guinness Manual.
Galway
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Galway - Thursday Afternoon/Evening
Driving into Galway we had our first hiccup in our accommodations plan - which had worked flawlessly to date with the determining where we are going for the night, and calling ahead for rooms using the Lonely Planet Guide Book. So, I had called ahead to the Western Hotel and had it plugged into the GPS...we saw The Western in large letters on a building, but couldn't figure out how to park there and after too many revolutions around the city we decided to park and walk in to get better directions to the parking lot. As we strolled past the bus station, then down a dirty alley complete with rats running over our feet, we passed the only open door and kept walking....got to the end of the block and had to turn around...the gentleman in the open door asked if he could help and we said we have reservations, and he said, "You aren't staying here!" and I said in my head, you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! Come to find out - we were at The Western HOSTEL, not Hotel, which was a few blocks around the next bend...whew! Checked in and headed out for a much needed pint! First place we came to was Kennedy's - the coolest local pub to date with people placing wagers on horse racing at the OTB place next door. Onward through the city to get a lay of the land and have dinner...we arrived at King's Head - which is a pretty touristy place, but the food and the pints were outstanding...by then we had reasoned out that all the pubs we had drank in for the day started with the letter K - so we needed to do at least one more K pub to complete the 5K of the day...so we asked our waitress and though she wasn't thrilled with the selection, we set off to Kelly's - which is more of a bar than a pub, but it was just fine and completed our 5K for the day! Of course we weren't done for the day, so we stopped back in the pub at our HOTEL - for our final pint and to listen to the great local musicians.
Driving into Galway we had our first hiccup in our accommodations plan - which had worked flawlessly to date with the determining where we are going for the night, and calling ahead for rooms using the Lonely Planet Guide Book. So, I had called ahead to the Western Hotel and had it plugged into the GPS...we saw The Western in large letters on a building, but couldn't figure out how to park there and after too many revolutions around the city we decided to park and walk in to get better directions to the parking lot. As we strolled past the bus station, then down a dirty alley complete with rats running over our feet, we passed the only open door and kept walking....got to the end of the block and had to turn around...the gentleman in the open door asked if he could help and we said we have reservations, and he said, "You aren't staying here!" and I said in my head, you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! Come to find out - we were at The Western HOSTEL, not Hotel, which was a few blocks around the next bend...whew! Checked in and headed out for a much needed pint! First place we came to was Kennedy's - the coolest local pub to date with people placing wagers on horse racing at the OTB place next door. Onward through the city to get a lay of the land and have dinner...we arrived at King's Head - which is a pretty touristy place, but the food and the pints were outstanding...by then we had reasoned out that all the pubs we had drank in for the day started with the letter K - so we needed to do at least one more K pub to complete the 5K of the day...so we asked our waitress and though she wasn't thrilled with the selection, we set off to Kelly's - which is more of a bar than a pub, but it was just fine and completed our 5K for the day! Of course we weren't done for the day, so we stopped back in the pub at our HOTEL - for our final pint and to listen to the great local musicians.
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Galway - Friday Afternoon/Evening
Breakfast at the hotel, then off to wander the streets and get some shopping in! We knew we had an appointment at 1 p.m. with a guy to give us a historical walking tour, so we tried to get all of our needed shopping done. Shopping makes you thirsty though, so we hit our first pub of the day at Tigh Neactain (Naughtons) then trekked all our stuff back to the hotel before taking in our second pint of the day at Richardson's. Headed over to the square to meet Derrick Spillane for our two-hour historic walking tour. Derrick was very knowledgeable, but seemed a bit nervous as his presentation jumped all over the place, but overall the walk through the city and the information was good. The best part was at the end we wound up the tour with a pint at Padrig's pub - right near the docks! So I got Guinness and Boats and .... the pub owner's family had been in Galway for eight generations and he had wonderful stories to tell. After a few pints there (one of the few places we had more than one) we left to search out dinner and stopped at The Front Door - another large touristy place, with good food and service. We ambled out to Tig Colli - the most famous pub in Galway - EXTREMELY TOURISTY, but still awesome! The musicians were amazing. Off to the next stop - much quieter - no tourists in sight - literally The Hole in the Wall bar. A college bar with friendly patrons and owners again. We remarked on the Killkenny Cream sign on the outside with no beer on the inside...and they said if we could reach it, we could have it! Don't tempt the two six foot tall men! Then the guy said, "No, it has to stay because it brings people in." Headed back to the hotel to listen to the music and have a pint...but we just weren't ready to call it a night! Walked outside the hotel - looked right and saw all the city lights - and looked left and decided to head left for some local color. Rolled into Paddy Fahy's where a Pinellas County auto tag and Hurley stick were hanging on the wall. Roger and Cindy took their photo under it, then we proceeded to drink with Jerry the bartender who asked Roger behind the bar to test his pint pouring prowess...there were two other nice local gents in the pub with us, then this one obnoxious guy came in and just drove everyone crazy...so the gents left, we finished our pints, thanked Jerry and wandered out....and lo and behold there was one more put across the street we just had to go to. We entered Crowe's and the two gents from Paddy's were there! Too much fun! So we finally headed back to the hotel and found that we were locked out. After Roger jumped the bushes/fences to look through the windows, and we made enough noise, the night desk clerk finally let us in!
Breakfast at the hotel, then off to wander the streets and get some shopping in! We knew we had an appointment at 1 p.m. with a guy to give us a historical walking tour, so we tried to get all of our needed shopping done. Shopping makes you thirsty though, so we hit our first pub of the day at Tigh Neactain (Naughtons) then trekked all our stuff back to the hotel before taking in our second pint of the day at Richardson's. Headed over to the square to meet Derrick Spillane for our two-hour historic walking tour. Derrick was very knowledgeable, but seemed a bit nervous as his presentation jumped all over the place, but overall the walk through the city and the information was good. The best part was at the end we wound up the tour with a pint at Padrig's pub - right near the docks! So I got Guinness and Boats and .... the pub owner's family had been in Galway for eight generations and he had wonderful stories to tell. After a few pints there (one of the few places we had more than one) we left to search out dinner and stopped at The Front Door - another large touristy place, with good food and service. We ambled out to Tig Colli - the most famous pub in Galway - EXTREMELY TOURISTY, but still awesome! The musicians were amazing. Off to the next stop - much quieter - no tourists in sight - literally The Hole in the Wall bar. A college bar with friendly patrons and owners again. We remarked on the Killkenny Cream sign on the outside with no beer on the inside...and they said if we could reach it, we could have it! Don't tempt the two six foot tall men! Then the guy said, "No, it has to stay because it brings people in." Headed back to the hotel to listen to the music and have a pint...but we just weren't ready to call it a night! Walked outside the hotel - looked right and saw all the city lights - and looked left and decided to head left for some local color. Rolled into Paddy Fahy's where a Pinellas County auto tag and Hurley stick were hanging on the wall. Roger and Cindy took their photo under it, then we proceeded to drink with Jerry the bartender who asked Roger behind the bar to test his pint pouring prowess...there were two other nice local gents in the pub with us, then this one obnoxious guy came in and just drove everyone crazy...so the gents left, we finished our pints, thanked Jerry and wandered out....and lo and behold there was one more put across the street we just had to go to. We entered Crowe's and the two gents from Paddy's were there! Too much fun! So we finally headed back to the hotel and found that we were locked out. After Roger jumped the bushes/fences to look through the windows, and we made enough noise, the night desk clerk finally let us in!
Tullamore & Dublin
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Galway, Tullamore and Dublin - Saturday
Breakfast at the hotel, then time to take the Skoda out for one last day on the road - due back in Dublin at 1 p.m. Had to make a stop at the famous Tullamore Dew tasting room where the boys tried a tasting sample of some of their finest whiskeys. I had a Apple D.E.W., which is Tully and clouded apple juice - lovely drink to start the day! Headed back to Dublin, turned the car in at 1:07 with 1136 kilometers. Cabbed it back to O'Callaghan's to drop off our luggage and meet up with Roger and Cindy's friends - jeff & linda. I had watched a PBS special on historical pubs of Dublin, and Stick and I were determined to hit as many as possible - and since the whole gang was game, we promptly set off down Merrion Square to O'Donoghue's for our first "pint" of the day! On our way to our next pub, we happened by St. Stephen's Green and the hotel there had the Irish rugby team from Ulster and there must have been several hundred fans in the streets cheering the team getting on the bus on their way to the Irish Cup to play Muenster. Next stop was Keough's, which first glance appeared to be packed, but that was only on the outside due to the lovely sunny weather we were having and the locals couldn't be bothered to be indoors. Next on the list was Stag's Head - a 300 year old pub with beautiful stained glass and just a small charming quality to it. Stick met a group from Kentucky (since he was wearing his UK hat) and we had a lovely time with them. Onto Temple Bar for our next round (and round, and round) as we stayed there longer than any other place because we were watching the Muenster / Ulster rugby match - such fun! Decided we needed to eat something, so crossed the street a place called From Mexico to Rome - basically everything you could imagine on the menu. After dinner, we did our final shopping for friends and family (though Stick and I had done most of it at Guinness Storehouse and had it shipped home) - and then we decided to wrap up our night at the Palace Bar - which is the pub we started at our first day of the trip. Met some more great people, had shots of Jameson bought for us, and all in all wrapped up the trip nicely.
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Dublin - Sunday
Up early on Sunday to catch our flight home...and wouldn't you know it, Cindy found a 50 euro banknote in the cab we were taking to the airport - luck of the Irish indeed! Paid for our cab, joined the que and thanks to our double-secret upgrade were almost the first passengers to board the plane and get settled. Back to JFK and was able to score an earlier flight back to Orlando - as our luck was holding! Happy to see Zack, Marae and Barracuda greeting us at the airport. Truly a trip of a lifetime! Cheers to Roger and Cindy and my hubby Stick for 20 wonderful years!
Breakfast at the hotel, then time to take the Skoda out for one last day on the road - due back in Dublin at 1 p.m. Had to make a stop at the famous Tullamore Dew tasting room where the boys tried a tasting sample of some of their finest whiskeys. I had a Apple D.E.W., which is Tully and clouded apple juice - lovely drink to start the day! Headed back to Dublin, turned the car in at 1:07 with 1136 kilometers. Cabbed it back to O'Callaghan's to drop off our luggage and meet up with Roger and Cindy's friends - jeff & linda. I had watched a PBS special on historical pubs of Dublin, and Stick and I were determined to hit as many as possible - and since the whole gang was game, we promptly set off down Merrion Square to O'Donoghue's for our first "pint" of the day! On our way to our next pub, we happened by St. Stephen's Green and the hotel there had the Irish rugby team from Ulster and there must have been several hundred fans in the streets cheering the team getting on the bus on their way to the Irish Cup to play Muenster. Next stop was Keough's, which first glance appeared to be packed, but that was only on the outside due to the lovely sunny weather we were having and the locals couldn't be bothered to be indoors. Next on the list was Stag's Head - a 300 year old pub with beautiful stained glass and just a small charming quality to it. Stick met a group from Kentucky (since he was wearing his UK hat) and we had a lovely time with them. Onto Temple Bar for our next round (and round, and round) as we stayed there longer than any other place because we were watching the Muenster / Ulster rugby match - such fun! Decided we needed to eat something, so crossed the street a place called From Mexico to Rome - basically everything you could imagine on the menu. After dinner, we did our final shopping for friends and family (though Stick and I had done most of it at Guinness Storehouse and had it shipped home) - and then we decided to wrap up our night at the Palace Bar - which is the pub we started at our first day of the trip. Met some more great people, had shots of Jameson bought for us, and all in all wrapped up the trip nicely.
NOTES FROM THE ROAD: Dublin - Sunday
Up early on Sunday to catch our flight home...and wouldn't you know it, Cindy found a 50 euro banknote in the cab we were taking to the airport - luck of the Irish indeed! Paid for our cab, joined the que and thanks to our double-secret upgrade were almost the first passengers to board the plane and get settled. Back to JFK and was able to score an earlier flight back to Orlando - as our luck was holding! Happy to see Zack, Marae and Barracuda greeting us at the airport. Truly a trip of a lifetime! Cheers to Roger and Cindy and my hubby Stick for 20 wonderful years!