Friday January 19

Dublin is Ireland’s largest city and the start of my short (one week) stay in Ireland. The city, although busy and modern, in many respects, has a laid back vibe to it. I was here about 20 years ago and was excited to revisit the city again, especially its old 18th century city center full of beautiful Georgian architecture, elegant streets and well maintained parks. Due to its diversity in ecology and community Dublin has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere.

Dublin is known for its pub culture. There are literally hundreds of them in and all around the city center. They play an important role in the city’s political, social, intellectual and artistic life. My first afternoon was spent on a foodie walking tour with stops at three different pubs, tasting local favorites like seafood chowder, brown soda bread, fish and chips, and Irish beef stew and of course, a few pints of local brews. It was a short walk to the my hotel, a Hilton Garden Inn, overlooking the River Liffey.

Saturday, January 20

Today is a free day to explore a few of the many museums that Dublin City has to offer. I especially enjoyed the National Museums of Ireland, both history museums covering Archeology and Decorative Arts. The Book of Kells in the Old Library in Trinity College is also interesting and a popular visitor attraction. Just walking around the old part of the city, taking in the beautiful Georgian architecture, is a nice way to spend a few hours.

Sunday, January 21

Today is the official start to Globus’s Irish Escape tour that I am on. The weather is a little cool and drizzly but ok as the late morning and early afternoon tour is a “panoramic tour”, meaning all by motorcoach. Normally, I would rather be out walking but today it’s ok to go by motor coach. One of the highlights was to drive through Phoenix park, a huge park with zoological gardens, Victorian gardens and tea houses, walking paths, polo and cricket fields, just a few minutes from the old part of the city.

Monday, January 22

On the road to Galway this morning. It’s a scenic drive to the west part of the country. Many green farm fields but I was missing seeing a lot of animals… some sheep, a few horses, but not much else? Then I learned, due to the it being the rainy season the cows were kept instead for a few months to avoid the wet fields. Although it was raining when we reached Galway, we did get out to walk the colorful streets full of shops and pubs. For those needing some retail therapy it was a welcomed stop. The Clifford of Moher are just a short drive from Galway. At 668 feet high, theses cliffs offer amazing views.

Tonight we went to Bunratty Castle for one of those Medieval dinner shows. The tower where we had our dinner was well restored. A violinist, a harpist and madrigal singers provided traditional Irish music. The food was good, however in keeping with a medieval theme, we were allowed only knives, as utensils, to eat with.

Tuesday, January 23

Continuing on, the drive on the Ring of Kerry was very scenic. It is a peninsula with views of the Atlantic Ocean along the way. Today the Atlantic looked pretty wild, in fact this part of Ireland is popular for surfing due to the waves.

A stop for Irish Coffee is a must when driving through the countryside. This traditional drink is made from hot coffee, Irish whiskey, a little sugar and some whipping cream. Perfect on a cool day and perfect for practicing “sainted” an Irish toast!

Wednesday, January 24

A visit to Blarney Castle, a 15th century castle, allowed us to kiss the famous “stone”. It was a climb to the top of the tower, .. steps. I enjoyed the views but passed on the kiss. The grounds, especially the gardens, made for a nice walk. This castle sits in one of the last estate villages that remains standing, built in the 18th century.

Leaving the south port of the island we headed back north to Waterford. It’s a nice smaller city where were we offered a tour of the Waterford Crystal Museum. I opted for a walk down to the water and around the neighborhood for some picture taking opportunities. We had a pre-dinner visit to a very old traditional pub for a bit of “craic” (good time). Heated with an authentic peat fire, it was a nice atmosphere to enjoy local music and a few pints.

Thursday, January 25

Our morning drive took us to Kilkenny. This popular tourist destination has art galleries, historic buildings, craft and design workshops and much more. Here we had the opportunity to visit the another castle. It was beautifully restored in the middle of the 20th century. 3 of its original towers still remain. The little downtown was very walkable and allowed us to grab a coffee before the drive short back to Dublin.

Once back in Dublin a few of us in the group went out to visit: Dublin’s oldest pub, The Brazen Pub, a bar inside of the Clarence hotel, once owned by U2’s Bono and a pub that was once a bank. One last Irish whiskey before heading back to the room for an early departure to the import and a long journey home!