Follow our journey on this map.
Day 28 greeted us in high 50s, grey sky but no rain. Things were certainly starting out right.
We had a quick breakfast at our hotel: Westin Dublin. It’s a former bank remodeled beautifully into a high-end hotel. Their upgrading us to a 2-room corner suite was really appreciated. These things do happen if one travels for 45 years and attains Marriott’s Titanium Elite for Life (not offered anymore).
After breakfast we met our bus to begin the 10-hour (turned into 11-hour) tour around Ireland. What a blast!
After a drive through the stunning countryside, the first stop was at Kilkinney Castle. It was built in 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Norman occupation and in its original thirteenth-century condition it would have formed an important element of the defenses of the town with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade. The castle and grounds are now managed by the government.
The grounds, as you can see, are expansive and quite well maintained. The interior has been meticulously restored to the 16th century era. The photos don’t do justice to the scale of the castle; the ceilings are super tall and some of the hallways are quite narrow. The tapestries on the walls, again defy context int terms of scale, but Mae is standing underneath one to give some perspective.
From there we headed out on a scenic route through the Wicklow Mountains National Park to stop at Glendalough. In the late 4th century Glendalough was the home of Kevin, a famed holy man, who attracted many followers. Even after his death in about 618, the monastery that he built in its heyday included workshops, areas for manuscript writing and copying, guest houses, an infirmary, farm buildings and dwellings for both the monks and a large lay population. The buildings which survive probably date from between the 10th and 12th centuries.
After leaving Glendalough we headed to a local sheep farm for a demonstration of sheep herding with dogs. It was fascinating to hear about how the dogs are trained. We saw two demonstrations. One with a dog about 5 years old and a young dog of about 2. Their ability to listen to the farmer, react to his short commands, and speed around the pasture was really something to see. I’ve included two videos that attempt to show the action. The pastures were so large that it was hard to keep everything in the frame.
A short 45 minute ride found us back at the hotel and a late dinner.
I finished the evening off with my usual Manhattan. After it was mentioned that I was using bourbon in Ireland (Brad!) I have switched to sampling Irish whiskey in the drink instead. Tonight it was Redbreast 12; last night it was Jameson Black.
