It Is Not A Long Way to Tipperary

Last night Lyn created much amusement in the local pub when she referred to the sticks used in hurling  as 'hurling bats'. She was quickly corrected by the giggling barmaid, "they'rrre hurrrls orrr hurrrlies". We were in a bar covered with memorabilia celebrating the glories of Stoneyford and Kilkenny hurling dating back to the 19th century. It was as if someone had walked into the Bradman Arms in Bowral and asked about a cricket racquet.

Today we left Lawcus Farm after a wonderful stay and drove to Cahir. Lyn drove into town, said "Where's the castle?", turned the next corner, "Oh, there's the castle."

A party of school children was invading the castle so we began our visit with the river walk to the Swiss Cottage. This was the local aristocracy's version of roughing it and playing at being rustic. It was 25 minutes till the next tour so we opted to let the nice lady show us the rooms, and got the tour anyway.

Then it was back to the castle. It looks great but Lyn was genuinely dismayed to learn that an Elizabethan army captured it in a couple of days with 2 cannon in 1599. (There's a reason why castles were no longer being built.)

Last leg of the journey was through rain to Kinsale. With a little difficulty we found Cloisters B&B and dealt with priority 1 - we raced around to the only laundry in town to leave our washing to be done for tomorrow.

It is 6.15 and the sun is out. Time to explore...

Black and Amber

Kilkenny is nuts about hurling and every second house flies the black and amber flag of the local team.

We woke to yet another beautiful day. We took the opportunity to do a loop walk around Kells: explored the huge medieval priory, walked along the King River, discovered the 5-storey Victorian flax mill with its derelict waterwheel and mill race, crossed the historic stone bridge and then walked back through the village. It was a perfect start to the day.

Next visit was to Jerpoint Abbey where we caught the local enthusiast's tour. The building was impressive but the pleasant surprise was the medieval sculpture found there. This was another highlight for me but Lyn's historical tolerance meter was moving into the red.

From there we headed for Inistioge which boasts a seven-arch old bridge and the Woodstock gardens. We saw a fly fisherman and bought pastries from a shop where the lady suggested that the weather we had brought should make us Irish national treasures.

By this time my toe,  yes the Bologna toe, was beginning its daily torment but I wanted to see Kilkenny. We wandered up and down the Medieval Mile, saw the castle and even glanced speculatively at the tall round tower of St Canice's cathedral - the view from the top would have been really something but the toe said no. However, we did replace Lyn's nail scissors so that she can donate them to another airport.

I have a daughter, niece, aunt in Australia who ...

Powerscourt

We caught the airport coach to collect our car and headed south through the Wicklow Mountains. On the way we grabbed lunch at a beautiful village which had a little church where Lyn lit candles for everyone!

Our Ford Focus

 At Powerscourt we visited the gardens.

From there we drove to the spectacular valley, lakes and monastic ruins of Glendalough and walked to the Upper Lake.

Lyn spotted a deer on our walk

Most of the last couple of hours were needed to drive to our BnB in Stoneyford just south of Kilkenny.

 

Tonight we had dinner and drinks at the local pub, chatted with the locals and listened to the last Wednesday of the month traditional music session. We had beautiful warm weather all day but it just began to rain. We spoke to many locals and they all seem to have a relative in Australia.

the pub

Dublin Spire aka ...

This was our parting view of Dublin this morning - O'Connell Street with roadworks and the giant spike called officially the Dublin Spire or The Monument of Light.

Inevitably it gets better names from the locals: Stiletto in the Ghetto, Rod to God and Lyn's favourite, Stiffy by the Liffey.

Dublin is very low rise. Its last great growth spurt was in the 18th century and the architecture has been declining ever since. Emigration is probably to blame I guess.

Bog Bodies and Revolutionaries

Irish history began with human sacrifices and after millennia of the Irish oppressing each other the English took over and oppressed the Irish properly. With the English gone the Church tried to fill the vacuum. In 2016 Dublin is worrying over the centennary of the Easter Rising.

(There you go - a history of Ireland in less than 50 words.)

Lyn started the day in the hotel gym.

I started the day in the National Archaeological Museum which has a lot of golden jewellery and church vessels but the real treasures are the amazing things retrieved from peat bogs. Amongst these are some sensitively displayed human remains. These people were victims of violence and look it. There were fish traps, wooden tools, clothing and an amazing boat. The stone tools were beautifully crafted. 

I liked this weird two-faced sculpture

...and whatever this is.

Arriving at the museum, I'd thought the police presence outside this unassuming museum was a bit over the top. Leaving, it all made sense. 

I then rang Lyn who had been shopping and met up with her in Grafton Street. Off we went to the Little Museum of Dublin for a guided tour through 20th century social history. It was pleasant enough. 

We had lunch at Peter's Pub and then Lyn wanted to see Dublin Castle, which was dull,  and I wanted to see the Chester Beatty Library, which was amazing. Chester was an American book collector with taste and money. It had everything from books to Chinese snuff boxes. If we hadn't been so wrecked we would have stayed longer.

I decided I had neither the time nor the inclination for Kilmainham Gaol and its tales of sacrificed revolutionaries. We'd just been to Dublin Castle where thousands of wounded Irish soldiers were treated during the Great War... In history context matters.

This is our last night in Dublin. Our driving adventures begin tomorrow.

And the whistling oyster

The Guinness exhibition includes a history of Guinness advertising including this whistling oyster. Click the link beneath to watch and hear it.

Whistling oyster

Colouring in and the Seven Storey Pint

We arrived at Dublin airport, where a planeload of people was as rigorously checked as you would expect when entry is controlled by a single middle-aged customs officer at a desk. There were two younger men earlier in the process who were leaning against a wall.

I was going to buy a 3-day Dublin transport card but was told there is a bus strike starting tomorrow. We made it to Cassidy's Hotel which suits us nicely.

Irish patriot with gull

Today we rode the hop on hop off bus around and stopped to visit Trinity College; good fun, beautiful Georgian architecture and the Book of Kells. The latter, a ninth century illuminated manuscript, proves the monks of Iona were talented doodlers with neat handwriting and a talent for colouring in. I was delighted by the story that Queen Victoria managed to make her own small contribution to centuries of English oppression by autographing the Book of Kells when it was placed in front of her to admire.

Me with fairy godmother after our visit to the Book of Kells and, of course, the gift shop.

Cui bono? The old Trinity College library was fascinating - Lyn found a custodian to interrogate about the catalogue system.

We found a smaller cousin of the giant snitch we'd seen in the Vatican and I found a tie in the souvenir shop while Lyn snaffled some jewellery. Lyn observed how painfully straight the students all were, and how overwhelming Anglo-Celtic!

Lyn with giant snitch

Oregon Maple with Irish university

Small Leon with large chapel

From there we finished our bus tour of a city. Dubliners are apparently intent on ripping up the city streets to extend the Luas network, the local trams.

Luas with half of Lyn's head

After a quick lunch at our hotel we used the Luas to get to visit the 7-storey Guinness Storehouse. There we saw a giant exhibition telling the story of ... Guinness. This was more fun than it sounds. I liked the whistling oyster and the bar at the top was great. We are having a quiet night in.

Leon with Guinness sculpture

Lyn says, "read the quote".

A pint and a rest after a long day