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Ireland
  • JoAnne Gelowitz

Ireland

A 20-day adventure by JoAnne Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 13, 2023
    JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    I like the shadows of the clouds on the fields.
    Regina from the sky!

    On our way!

    May 13, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We are off to Ireland to see the emerald isle. Looking forward to learning about Ireland and seeing the sights. Its our 30th anniversary. What a great way to celebrate our marriage 😀❤️

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    The bear statues right at our gate.
    A nice display just as you enter the area for international flights.The first view of Ireland.Dublin from the air.Our first supper in Dublin. It was an Indian restaurant, Kerala Kitchen. I love the plates🙂

    Dublin

    May 13, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Got to Dublin around noon Ireland time, which I think would be 5:00 am Regina time. Right now everything feels very familiar. We checked into our apartment and instantly took a nap. Then we found a bar that Dad wants to see. Then found a place to eat that didn't need reservations.
    My first pictures are from Calgary Airport. I always appreciate the things they have to look at while you wait for the plane.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    The first display in the museum.
    Many great authors from Ireland. Pull the lighted book to hear an excerpt.Cool video showing breakthroughs in science. I just really liked the video.

    EPIC Emigration Museum

    May 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Started the morning with a Hop On Hop Off bus tour to get ourselves oriented. Had a really good guide who used a lot of Irish humour to describe the sights. Once that was done we went to the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. This museum explains why the Irish have been leaving Ireland for so many years, decades, even centuries. One of the first reasons people started leaving had to do with the British. When Britain was taking over the area the Irish had to pledge allegence to the queen and become Protestant rather than Catholic. Those who wouldn't do this were forced to leave. Frickin British Empire😕
    This was a great interactive museum that explained a lot of Irish history and the influence the Irish has had on the world.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Interesting things at the college
    A sample of the decorative lettering in the Book of KellsThe Old Library. Two stories of books.Cool stairs.Ladders for getting the top books. They use a system for filing the books that is not Dewy Decimal.The letters help find the books. The books are not in alphabetical order.The harp is the official symbol of IrelandThe fake Book of Kells

    Trinity College

    May 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We went specifically to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library. The Book of Kells was written in 800 a.d. by some monks
    They rewrote James and Matthew's gospels in Latin. The book was not meant to be read but rather was to be used as a decorative piece for the altar. The book is encased in a glass box and a page is turned about once a month. It sounded like a painstaking process. A poem was written by one of the monks about how his hand was shaking and that it was difficult to write clearly.
    You were not allowed to take photos of the book. I was a little jealous of the guy who managed to take one on his cell phone while the security guard was not looking. I was tempted to ask him to send it to me.
    The Old Library is a long high room with first editions of so many books. The books don't have to be Irish to be housed here. The library has acquired some of Shakespeare's original works and had a special display for these. The books in the library can be and are used by the students at the college.
    At the very end of the library was a fake copy of the Book of Kells, so I got a picture of that 🙂    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    A picture for Wallace
    The people wouldn't move so I took the pic anyways

    Cobblestone Pub

    May 15, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Ended the day by going to the Cobblestone Pub to drink Guiness and listen to some Irish music. No I didn't drink the Guiness, Dad did.
    The pub was packed. The space where the the musicians are sitting are reserved for them, so they get a little bit of room. We managed to grab bar seats at the front. There were so many people behind us.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    The family vaultThe three special barrelsWhiskey tasting at the end. Gerard got double.

    Teeling Whiskey

    May 16, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today we went to two places. I only took pictures at one. First, we went to the Teeling distillery to see how whiskey is made. Although this is a small distillery in Dublin terms it was huge compared to Last Mountain Distillery. It's also quite new in terms of Irish distilleries. The two brothers who run this distillery are from a family that have been making whiskey for generations. So lots of experience. An interesting display that was at the distillery is the family vault. Most of the whiskey is stored at a different facility while it is aging. This is both for safety and economical reasons. However they have three barrels stored at the distillery. One is the first barrel of whiskey distilled at the plant. The other two are barrels that were distilled on the day of birth of the two daughters of one of the brothers. These two barrels are to be opened on their 21st birthdays. Pretty cool!

    The second place we went was the museum of archaeology. There lots of really interesting items there. Dating back prehistoric times. The item I found most interesting was a long boat carved out the trunk of an oak tree. It was incredibly long and incredibly old, 4000 years. It was pretty much intact. Just no pictures😕    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    The time clock used by the shipbuilders
    Scaffolding that was built in order to build the Titanic. One leg of about twelve.Ride to experience the conditions the shipbuilders worked inFire for weldingFirst class roomSecond class room.First class menuModel of the Titanic suspended from the ceilingThe violin that was being played as the ship sank.

    Titanic Museum

    May 17, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    While in Belfast we had the opportunity to go to the Titanic Museum. It explained everything from the business purchases that were made, to the discovery of the Titanic. It was pretty interesting and had quite a moving memorial near the end. I won't go into too many details except one. The sinking of the Titanic was Murphy's Law in action. From the keys to the binoculars being left on shore to radio messages calling for help not being heard because the radio operator falling asleep. And finally icebergs floating by when they weren't normally expected.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    The Giant's Causeway. Area formed by lava and water.

    Belfast to Portrush

    May 17, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    This was the first day of our 5 day tour with Rabbies to Northern Ireland. We traveled from Dublin to Belfast to Portrush and learned a lot about 'The Toubles'. The Troubles were the time of conflict between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK). It's kind of weird to think about these times because I remember hearing about the conflicts when I was child/teenager.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Peace Prize for John Hume for his work to promote peace in Derry.
    Organ in Guild Hall (city hall)Walking along the top of Derry WallThe Peace Bridge1Poster for the Derry Girls. Someone told me to watch that show.

    Derry

    May 18, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Derry is where Bloody Sunday occured in 1972. It happened as a result of 'The Toubles' associated with separation of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (UK). Thirteen people died and an inquiry said these people provoked the situation. After a second inquiry it was found that they were innocent. Derry has done a lot of work to promote peace since that incident.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Entrance to Glenveagh National Park
    Store across from our hotel. Except that this Tweed actually sells fabric and clothing 🙂

    Glenveagh and Donegal

    May 18, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We traveled from Portrush to Donegal. Along the way we stopped at Glenveagh National Park to see Glenveagh Castle. There were some cool pieces in the castle and the gardens were really nice. Once we were done with that we were off to our tour guide's hometown of Donegal. He suggested that after supper we go to the Reel Inn. Another pub with Irish music. Got front row center seats to watch the musicians.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Farm at Carrowmore Cemetery
    Faery tree. If a tree like this grows in a farmer's field they don't cut it down. That's bad luck!!Tomb without a wall. This how most were built.Willow model of St. Brigid outside the museum of country life.Little black and white lamb with mama 😀Cliffs on Achill Island. These were scary high with no fence/wall to protect people.People surf here😲

    Donegal to Westport

    May 19, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    On our way to Westport we made a few very interesting stops. The video was our first stop in the County Sligo where we stopped on the coast to watch the waves. People actually surf there 😲
    Next stop was in Carrowmore to see the megalithic tombs (standing stones). These are not as high as the ones in Scotland and England. I found out from one of our traveling buddies that these standing stones contain the cremated remains of people, while the ones in Scotland/England have bodies. As a result these tombs are much smaller.
    The tomb in the picture contains no more than twelve people. It is surrounded by a circular wall of stones that is about 6 meters high. The passage into the tomb faces east. When the sun rises on October 31 and May 31 it makes the inside of the tomb glow like fire. No one knows the reason for having the tomb built this way.
    Next stop was the Irish National Museum of Country Life. It was a really cool place. Much of the display items are made from straw so there were not a lot of artifacts available to to the museum. People who knew how to make these items were commissioned to make the items. I found the saddle and bridle particularly interesting.
    After that we stopped at School Island to see a castlelette and the cliffs.
    Big day!!    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Doolough Valley
    The falls on the Erriff RiverKylemore Abbey

    The Famine and Abbey

    May 20, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Doolough Valley was our first stop of the day. This was the area where many people died during the famine. The reason they died here was in trying to cross the mountains to get to places with food and work. There were three reasons why the famine occurred. First, nature causing a failure in potato crops. Second, the high dependence on potatoes for food. Third, the British Empire had a conservative government that believed in the free market and was willing to let the famine to run its course. In their opinion there were too many people. The population went from 8 million to 4 million. Sounded pretty horrific.
    Just up the road were the falls on Erriff River. Pretty little place.
    We finished the day at Kylemore Abbey. This Abbey is occupied by the St. Benedictine Nuns. It used to be a boarding school run by the nuns, which had a very good reputation. Because of an economic downturn the school had to be closed. No one could afford it. The mind themed it into a very successful tourist attraction and are now expanding by building a new residence for the nuns with a retreat centre. Nuns are so resourceful. We were kind of castled out and just wanted to walk around outside so we choose not to go in.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    1

    Westport to Galway

    May 21, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This was pretty much a driving day from Westport back to Dublin. The last two nights we've stayed at a really nice hotel that offered breakfast. The first picture shows the place setting. It felt pretty posh.
    After breakfast we left Westport. Our only touristy stop was Ballintubby Abbey. It was destroyed and rebuilt. It has a lot of interesting nooks and crannies, however, I didn't take a lot of pictures on my phone. When we got back to Dublin we were scoping out a way to get to our final destination and found Gerard's Cafe. It is actually across the street from where we are staying. We may have to check it out tomorrow.😀    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    St Stephen's GreenSt Stephen's GreenEntrance to St Stephen's GreenGrafton Street on a MondayThe start of Temple BarMolly Malone, selling cockles and mussels, alive, alive, ohCenter court at Trinity College

    Dublin Again!

    May 22, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today was a big walking and getting our bearings day. We are back in Dublin to regroup before our next. Got to experience a launderette. There are no laundromats around our hotel. We had to drop off our clothes and post someone to wash and fold them. I feel a little weird about having a stranger clearing my undies but now we're good for the rest of the trip.
    While waiting for our laundry we walked along the River Liffey, back towards the EPIC Museum. Another task we had to do today was try to figure out the best way to get to our AirB&B on Saturday. So we wandered around the bus and train stations for a while.
    After eating lunch and retrieving our laundry we walked over to the Trinity College area to see a few more sites. The locations are in the photos. We found the statue of Molly Malone who may or may not be a real person. No one knows for sure. People rub her breasts for good luck. After posting the picture I realized I cut off her head😜
    For supper we went to Celtic Nights for dinner and a show. It was a great way to spend the last evening in Dublin.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    1Oscar Wilde
    Oscar Wilde's childhood home1A statue by Oscar Wilde1Another statue by Oscar Wilde

    Oscar Wilde

    May 22, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Another stop was to see the Oscar Wilde statue at Merrion Square. It's pretty cool because he is looking at his childhood home.

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Breakfast room
    Ceiling of the breakfast roomRuins of the Tower O'RourkeCeltic cross. This is original to the monastery.Ruins of the monasteryGalwayGalwayThis dam has sooo many holes

    Trip to Galway

    May 23, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Today was the first day of our second Rabbies tour. This tour is going to southwest Ireland. Saw the ruins of a monastery today. I believe it was the first one in Ireland. It was a very peaceful place. I have taken lots of pictures of purple flowers growing out of the stones. I always find this interesting.
    Just outside the monastery are the ruins of the Tower O'Rourke. Our guide said the O'Rourke's were a very powerful family in this area. He also gave a couple of reasons that the O' may have been dropped.
    We then stopped in Galway for shopping and exploring. Took some pictures of the river(s) that flow through this city.
    The first two photos are of the breakfast room in the hotel we stayed at the past two nights in Dublin (Beresford Hotel).    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Castle Dunguaire
    The grounds at the castleThe view on our walk to the castleView at Hazel Mountain ChocolateCorcomroe Abbey. Can you see the dog? It's the same style used in The Book of Kells.Poulnabrone portal tombCliffs of Moher on the left.Cliffs of Moher on the right. It's a bit of a walk between the two.Our lunch buddy.Funny sign in a restaurant window.

    The Way to Killarney

    May 24, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We drove from Galway to Killarney today via the way of ruins of various types. First stop was Dunguaire Castle. It was very nice. People can have their wedding receptions there. That would be cool!
    Then we went to Corcomroe Abbey.
    Next stop the Hazel Mountain Chocolate Factory. There is no mountain by that name but centuries ago the whole area was filled with Hazel trees. Hence the name. Very good chocolate.
    Next stop was to see some standing stones. These stones are about 5000 years old. This area was better preserved than the ones we saw on the northern tour.
    The grand finale for the day was the Cliffs of Moher. Pretty spectacular!    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Town of Killarney in the distsnce

    Dingle Peninsula

    May 25, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Dingle Peninsula was the tour today. Lots of cliffs, beaches waves and even surfers. Our tour guide is a surfer and keeps threatening to ditch us and go surfing. The weather was unusually warm for Ireland today. I left my sun screen back in the room, so now my face is a little burned. I'm looking at it in terms of maxing out on vitamin D.
    We stopped at a farm where you could see and hold baby lambs. I didn't hold any of them but they were pretty cute.
    Then we stopped in the town of Dingle for the afternoon to enjoy the port and do some retail therapy.
    Nice day!    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Fancy utensils
    Waygu beef, baby!!Sushi and dumplingsA very fancy light fixture

    Supper in Killarney

    May 25, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    When in Killarney Ireland where does one eat? At a Japanese restaurant! It was very good. Gerard had some surf and turf sushi. And I had a waygu beef steak. It was very yummy!!

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Jimmy and Claire waiting to work
    I just like the horse.Dad on the steps of the ring fortOutside of the ring fortRing fort from aboveSheep living on the edgeThe town closest to the Skelligs2Giant rhubarbLadies ViewTorc WaterfallsFind the seagull😀

    The Ring of Kerry

    May 26, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The Ring of Kerry is not a place but rather a drive. We had another day full of beaches and cliffs and ended up in the national park just outside of Killarney.
    Our first stop was to see a demonstration of border collies working. It was pretty cool to see. The way the dogs moved reminded me so much of Rebel.
    Next stop was to see a round fort built in the iron age. The one we saw was rebuilt so you could go inside and get a feel for how the place worked. It's hard to see in the pictures but there are steps along the walls so you can walk up to the top. The top of the wall was about 2 meters across and could easily be walked along.
    The next stop was to see two skelligs (rocky islands). No actual phone pictures of these they were too far out, but got some pictures of the area. You can go on a tour out to visit Skellig Michael; we watched a video. There is a monastery built on this Skellig it's only 602 stairs to get to the top, no handrails, and a couple of spots with shear drops into the ocean. It's actually all pretty crazy how people go out there. Some people go and camp overnight, but the conditions have to be just right. If the conditions are not favourable you get trapped on the Skellig.
    Next stop was Derrynane House. We just walked around the gardens. There are only so many old castles and old furniture one can look until you're tired of it.
    Last stop was the national park. Queen Victoria used to visit this park which eventually made going to this area a tourist destination. We stopped at Ladies View. Named by Queen Victoria because she thought it would be a lively view for her ladies in waiting to see.
    Last we went to Torc Waterfalls. It reminded me of a mini version of Johnston Canyon.    Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    First view of Blarney Castle
    The stone is at the top of the castleA random person kissing the stone1

    Blarney Castle

    May 27, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    It's the last day of our tour and our first stop was Blarney Castle. There's a whole story about who built the castle and how the stone got there, but to tell the truth I'm functioning on information overload right now and not taking too much in. What I got from the whole story is that you be held upside down and kiss the stone. When you kiss the stone you get the gift of eloquent speech. The stone is located at the top of tower. The line up started at the bottom and was 30 minutes long. We opted to walk around the grounds inside, which were beautiful. No regrets.pRead more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Kilkenny Castle
    Kilkenny CastleKilkenny CastleThe Butler's GardenThe Butler's HouseCute little reading nookChristmas fairy doorWall in the Butler's Garden

    Last Stop on the Tour

    May 27, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    For the last stop we visited the city of Kilkenny. It is famous for its marble mile. There are a few churches and the Kilkenny Castle all concentrated in a small area. We had the option of going to the castle or taking a train tour. We took the option of doing neither of those things and just relaxed in the grounds around the castle. The castle really was magnificent looking and just hanging out in the garden and park was really nice. We did go for a walk and found the Butler's Garden. It was beautifully manicured and there were lots of fairy doors. Now we are off to Dublin to figure out the train.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    Malahide Beach at low tide
    Malahide Beach at high tidePeople swimming even though signs clearly say don't do itRugby practice on the beach at low tide

    Malahide

    May 28, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Our last day in Ireland was spent rambling around the beach and the village. With a visit to Malahide Castle Walled Garden. There's a lot of wood carvings around town, particularly on the walk along the coast. It's a nice place to visit. There are still quite a few tourists but more of a relaxed feeling. It was a nice day to end an action packed trip.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler

    Malahide Castle

    May 28, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Last castle of the trip. It was highly recommended by our Air B&B host. However we once again choose not to view the inside. We did go see the walled garden. When it was originally built its purpose was to grow exotic plants and it is still growing those plants. There was also a butterfly house. We spent a lot time in there.Read more

  • JoAnne GelowitzIrelandTraveler
    WestJet loves the tarmac

    Thoughts About Ireland

    May 29, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    There have been some quirks about Ireland and myself that I want to share.

    First, thing the police are called Garda. It's the Gaelic/Irish word for gaurdian. So the police are gaurdians of the peace. Also, the police here don't carry guns. The gun laws here are so tight that it is near to impossible for anyone to own a gun. Therefore it is highly unlikely that the Garda will be shot at.

    The Irish have a strong affiliation with the US. I think they identify with Americans because of their common problems with the crown. You can see the American influence in the news casts and in the restaurant menus.

    Don't confuse someone who is from the Republic of Ireland with someone from Northern Ireland, or vice versa. They might get a little upset with ya. It's actually much worse than confusing a Canadian for an American.

    There hasn't been rain in the Killarney area for about two weeks. As a result, volunteers are sitting at the top of the vista at Ladies View to watch for forest fires.

    When it is compared to other European countries public transport here is pretty lousy. However, it is better than what we have in Saskatchewan. People in Ireland like the independence that comes with owning a car, much like people in Saskatchewan.

    Garbage bins are hard to find, let alone public bins for recycling.

    Walnuts are in everything here. It's been a little frustrating.😕 Between the high the use of walnuts in everything savoury and sweet, the abundance of shellfish and everything being so green, I am on high allergern alert.

    CNN and ESPN are just a regular part of the offerings on TV. Again, Ireland is highly influenced by America. When taking the train to Malahide we had quite the conversation with a young man about the NHL, which morphed into a discussion about American sports in general. He really knew his stuff and really enjoys the NHL.

    Food halls. These are not food courts but rather one business offering a variety of food to be consumed immediately or for take away. It looks like a grocery store with a deli but is a place that ends up being very cafeteria like. These have a trendy feel to them and usually offer good bites. You wander around aimlessly until you figure out what you want to eat, then join the que. Finally figured out how these places operate while in the airport going home.😕

    I have always known that I am a very proud Canadian. These bus tours have shown me that I may be annoyingly proud to be Canadian 🙃🍁

    Very thankful to have taken another memorable trip with my loving husband.❤️❤️    Read more

    Trip end
    June 1, 2023
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