Day 5 – August 9th, Saturday
I wish we had been able to spend some time in Cork during the day and early evening as originally planned. However making it to Skellig was more important. So, Saturday morning got up early and make the quick trip to Blarney Castle. The goal was to beat the crowdsand this was probably the best decision we made the entire trip. Blarney Castle and the grounds were beautiful. And getting their early meant we were able to explore the castle and still get to the Blarney Stone easily for a quick kiss. Going later in the day would have trapped us in narrow stairwells and hallways while we waited in line. It would have been quite miserable. It also allowed us to grab a quick breakfast, shop and get some pictures taken before the crowds formed.
The Poison Garden, Rock Close and the Estate were beautiful and fun to explore. Unfortunately it started to rain a little so we decided to move on to avoid getting drenched. Luckily we didn’t have to cut the visit too short though and were close to finishing the exploration.
After leaving Blarney we went north to Cashel. There we stopped at the Rock of Cashel, which was an old fortress turned church dating back to the 5th Century. The guided tour provided some interesting history regarding the area and The Church in general. The grounds are and cemetary are very well maintained and the Heritage Ireland is working to restore the cathedral.
After finishing the tour at Cashel we again made our way north to Kilkenny. Originally I planned on stopping briefly in Kilkenny however there was an arts festival going on the Jessica wanted to see. So, I booked us a room at Rose Cottage. This was by far the worst place we stayed the entire trip. And Kilkenny was probably my least favorite stop we made in Ireland, although it did have some positives thanks to the festival.
First let’s talk about the hostel. It was an old row house (like much of Ireland) that used to be a family home. I’m not completely sure, it felt like the room we were in, was part of a converted attic. The stairs were narrow, the room was small, the floors needed to be swept, ceiling was low and the window was on the roof. We had to be very careful with opening the window or the drizzle/rain would easily have soaked the bed I was sleeping in. There were another 3-4 rooms with varying amount of guests in each, and only one bathroom, which was in need of a good cleaning.
But let’s not dwell on the negative. Kilkenny itself was a nice town. We took a walk that night to get a feel for the place and have dinner. We stumbled upon the Marble City Bar and had one of the nicer dinners of the trip. After dinner, we walked around a bit more and discussed plans for the next day.
Day 6 – August 10th, Sunday
Sunday morning we walked to a little bakery for breakfast. Afterwards we did a little shopping and site seeing. We were able to tour Kilkenny Castle, watch a string quartet perform Beethoven in St. John’s Priory which was originally built in the 13th Century, watch a street performer, and walk through a luminarium. Overall, while not all my first choice of how to spend the day, it was very fun.
After spending most of the day enjoying the festival we got a quick bite to eat at the Kytelers Inn pub before heading to Dublin. The drive wasn’t bad until we hit Dublin. Jessica was an expert at driving in Ireland at this point. Of course it was all larger main roads and highways by now. Once we hit Dublin though we ran in to construction and this was the first time in almost a week that we had been in a major metropolitan setting.
Thankfully the area wasn’t too confusing or difficult to navigate. We did have a little trouble finding the hotel though. But again this was likely due to Ireland’s lack of easily seen street signs. When we did find it though figuring out parking was a little confusing and a little annoying since we had to pay to park. But after almost a week of traveling we were glad to be in a hotel. Especially after the last hostel.
The North Star Hotel was reasonably priced and decently located. A friend who had spent a semester abroad had recommended it as a nice place. All we really cared about though was a nice bathroom, bed and easy access to the city. All of which the hotel provided.
The evening we kept things simple and low key and spent some time at the hotel bar chatting with the bartenders and tasting a few new drinks.
Day 7 – August 11th, Monday
Monday morning we got up early to have the rental car turned in on time. After some confusion about gas we had the paperwork squared away and spent about 20 minutes deciding how to get back to the hotel. We couldn’t decide between walking, trying to figure out which bus to get on, or getting a taxi. Eventually, Jessica ran in to a pub and then a guy came out with her and helped us hail a taxi.
Armed with our not so great tourist map the taxi driver dropped us off somewhere. I saw somewhere because I’m honestly still not quite sure where we were. While we were consulting our map we noticed a Gypsy girl making her way a little closer to us and eyeing us but she move along to her next mark when I looked at her and purposefully made eye contact. Once oriented and stalker free we started making our way to the tourist traps.
I’ll take a moment to pause here and talk about the weather. We were blessed with great weather nearly the entire trip. We had one afternoon of scattered rain showers and a lot of that day was spent driving. So, walking around Dublin was wonderful in the bright sunlight with a high of 65 degrees and cool breeze.
And walk we did. It was roughly a mile from where the taxi driver dropped us off to Temple Bar. Here we stopped for a quick bite, a couple drinks and some photos. After our quick lunch, we walked another mile, stopping to shop along the way, to Guinness.
Guinness was extremely educational. The tour provided information regarding the history of the beer company itself, as well as brewing and even the correct way to pour a Guinness. Which of course we were allowed to drink. The tasting sample we were given earlier in the tour was good, however when it came time to drink an entire pint, I realized I’m not a fan of Guinness. And if you don’t like a beer at the brewery, you probably just don’t like the beer period. Maybe one day I’ll find a beer I like.
After the tour we made our way back towards the Temple Bar area visiting a few sites and shops along the way. Before long it was time for a special dinner I had booked on Jessica’s suggestion. We made our way to The Brazen Head which is Dublin’s (some say all of Ireland’s) oldest pub. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed (at least outside in the beer garden) as we had a couple pre-dinner drinks.
The dinner was entertaining to say the least. It was a Folklore Dinner with a host that sang, told jokes, and shared stories of Ireland’s history and the superstitions of its people. Ollie was our host for the evening and he was fantastic. So much so that Jessica ended up buying his CD after dinner.
The food was more traditional Irish dishes like Lamb Stew, Bacon and Cabbage, Salmon and of course Beef and Guinness Stew. All of which was delicious (at least what I was able to try). We met a nice young couple from Wales that we were able to chat with throughout the evening and overall, it was one of the best evenings of the trip.
After dinner we have another drink or two downstairs at the Brazen Head before making our way back to the hotel. We stopped at the hotel bar again and had another drink while discussing plans for the next day.