We flew out to Dublin from Edinburgh late on Thursday night with a smooth transition through customs into Ireland. Much to my annoyance my new “smartphone” decided not to be so smart and wouldn’t pick up any of the roaming signals as the Three network decided not to automatically set this feature up. My fault for not checking I guess. Picked up the rental car and headed off to the outskirts of Dublin for a sleep before an early rise to head down to the Cork region in the morning.
Thanks to the continental brekky providing us with our stamina for the day (plus 8 free muffins stuffed into the girls handbags) we were off to Blarney. Our first stop led us to the recommended Rock of Cashel, which I originally understood to mean that it was Gaelic for Castle but turns out its a grand old Cathedral. We were just in time to catch a tour around the site which always helps with understanding the history of the area. The site even contains a graveyard which you can still be buried in if you are on the register, however this has dwindled to just 5 locals all over the age of 80. Once they have passed away then no one else will be buried on the site.
Stop 2 was right down at Blarney Castle next to Cork. Amazing grounds with Blarney Castle rising above numerous caves and passages dug into the rocks beneath the foundations. The main reason for visiting was to kiss the old Blarney Stone so that we might gain the “Gift of the Gab” or achieve great eloquence. No luck so far but that might be because I only gave it a minor brush after seeing the slobber marks left by the other hundreds off tourists that had preceded us that day! Adela assured me that she gave it a good old smooch though as you hang upside down over the walls of the castle. So was not really looking forward to later on when she leant in close…
As per usual, our holidays are punctuated with food experiences and this was no different as we prowled around for half an hour looking for the best eating spot and decided upon a really tasty Chinese restaurant with starters, mains and desert for a reasonable £15.
Blarney to Galway. Google maps is telling us that its only 5 – 6 hours to drive, however as with previous experience driving across Canada and USA I knew this would extend into 10+ hours after stops and detours. Sure enough after only an hour we had visited Ross Castle on the Killarney lake front which has a spectacular setting. Our drive continued on to the Dingle peninsular with stops at several beaches. Some brave souls decided that since the sun was poking through the clouds it was summertime and speedos seemed to be the order of the day. Luckily I forgot mine on this occasion as the water would have created some incredible disappearing acts in the nether regions that would rival David Copperfield’s acts.
Through Dingle to pick up some lunch and up and over the amazing Connor Pass (the highest mountain road in Ireland) with some beautiful scenery. Unfortunately there was heavy fog at the top but some amazing views nonetheless. Quick pit stop for lunch with turkey and coleslaw sammies on the beach. Amazingly you are allowed to drive along the beaches although I was fairly worried that our tiny Fiat wouldn’t make it off again but some smooth wheel spins ensured our safety.
We drove onwards to the breathtaking Moher Cliffs which plunge over 200m into the Atlantic Ocean. I only wish we had some binoculars so that we could see the Puffin’s clearly. Absolutely gorgeous and produces some great (and not so great) vertigo moments for someone like myself who is petrified of heights! I couldn’t believe Adela and Warrick could stand so close to the edges with no barriers.
From left to right – Warrick, Adela, Cole and Kate at the Cliffs of Moher (we are in our jandals of course)
We parted ways with our flatties the next morning so that we could head out Aillwell Cave and they could lounge around in the Cafes of Galway. I must say that Aillwell Cave was definitely one of the highlights on the entire trip with a short tour in near pitch-black surroundings with a well informed guide. The caves were formed from an underground river before drying out and is where the local, now extinct, bears use to hibernate. At one moment the guide shut off all the lighting within the cave to understand how it was for the discoverer of the caves. You could not even see your hand 1 cm from your face and the guide informed us that if you spend just 72 hours in that level of darkness you will end up blind from your eyes straining to pick up light sources. Spooky.
We ventured back to Galways and enjoyed the atmosphere of the local Arts festival and tourist sites including the Spanish Arches, Cathedral and canal with an ice cream in hand.
Some amazing features in Aillwell Cave including this 10,000 year old Pillar
We spent Sunday night in Dublin enjoying a well earned pint of Guiness, which tastes a lot better in the city it is brewed in I must say. After stuffing ourselves from the hotel breakfast buffet the next morning Adela and I joined the free Dublin walking tour. Any chance we get we always jump on a free walking tour in all the major cities as they are a great way to see a large portion of the city and quickly gain your bearings. In addition they are free although always worth at least £5 in tips to the unpaid guide who does a good job of sneaking in the word tips every chance he gets. As usual we took in all the most important sites including the Cathedrals, bridges, top pubs in the Temple Bar area and other historic landmarks. All accompanied with a historical background of the Irish independence movements.
Guiness – its so much nicer in Dublin
On a final note, make sure if you have not taken the next day off work when you get back to the real world, don’t go catching the 10.55pm flight!