Ireland 2015

Easy flight, fun friendly natives, the same language – why wouldn’t we return to Ireland?

21-Nov-2015

Lunch at historic Moran’s Oyster Cottage, which has been here overlooking the water for 3 centuries. We order the special mussels in wine broth and grilled, breaded oysters and start with their homemade brown bread.

Marless House B&B in Salthill, Galway is very nice, with a chatty and friendly owner that immediately confirms why we love to visit Ireland so much. From there we can walk down along the seaside Promenade, just less than a mile to the D’Arcy rotary to a street full of restaurants, ice cream and coffee shops, liquor stores and pubs and restaurants.

We purchase 4 craft beers at around 3.50 Euro each and one bottle cider. We decided on Salthill Fish & Chips (9 euros with tartar sauce and mayonnaise), a casual chippy. Upon hearing our crazy idea of eating on the edge of the windy coast with our beers, the chip worker graciously lets us eat in the shop as long as we put the beers in paper cups. She is nice, but we can’t understand a word she is saying (and can’t figure out where she’s from, certainly not Irish as she had no idea where Boston is and wasn’t trying to be funny).

Dessert at Bean and Cone, a large café but also server soup, sandwiches, and fun flavored gelato. There is Mango, strawberry, Bounty, Malteser, Ferrero Rocher, Smarties… We get peanut butter and toffee and Kinder crème.

On the walk back we pass through a large rock garden dedicated to Organ Donors. Green space with a few paths and rock sculptures are here. Very dark, but lights show the way.

22-Nov-2015

Our first hearty Irish breakfast of eggs and pudding, bacon, fruit, yoghurt, cereal, jam, Nutella.

Get into car after more joking and coffee and drive to city center. Because it is Sunday, parking is free in some spots and we find a place along the roaring Corrib River on the center outskirts. The Christmas Market stalls are going up. We enter a church called St. Nicholas church and see services, which are Romanian Orthodox in a side chapel. They say Christopher Columbus prayed here before setting sail for the New World, and now this church shares services with Russian and Romanian Orthodox.

At 10 AM we get a “free” tour (i.e. tips only) from a local. There are lots of city walking tours but this one, Shamrock Tours, operates on Sundays in winter (which few, if any, others do).

We learn about Galway history, siege and attack and sack by Cromwell in 1650s, the 14 Tribe families, etc. It seems Galway is 3^rd most populated city in Ireland and started its financial comeback 30 years ago. We see some sites including the Spanish Arch and Lynch’s Castle, where Mayor Lynch hung his own thief of a son because no one else dared.

After tour, we walk to expensive cheese shop, Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, for a cheese and quince paste and fig compote.

We take our charcuterie spread down to the fishing village of Kinvara and sit on a bench overlooking the little cove. Dunguaire Castle on the edge of town is closed, but we walk around the perimeter.

Back to Galway center for Christmas markets and dinner. Christmas market food is burgers, hot dogs, bratwurst from one stall. Fish / chips from another. We skip the fruit with melted chocolate and 4 euro gluwine, having had our fill and better quality in Germany last year.

The pub Tig Coili is supposed to have live music at 6, but this night it is delayed until too late for us, so we cross the street to Taffes, where this is a small session going on. These pubs had been recommended to us by Brian O’Donovan of WGBH’s Celtic Sojourn shows, so we know they’re the best options in town.

23-Nov-2015

Galway Tour Company picks us up promptly in front of the B&B for our full day tour of the Connemera. The weather is dreadful, and for just 25 Euros per person we’re thrilled to enjoy the sites and leave the driving and navigating to the pros.

First stop is the Claregalway Friary. It once housed Franciscans from around Europe. We see a fresh grave and inquire about its inhabitant. Turns out he is a bachelor and will be the 2^nd to last person to be buried inside the walls (the last is a 90something spinster still living) – as there’s little room left at some point burials became restricted to those with no offspring…

Next stop is town of Cong, famous all these decades later for The Quiet Man with Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne, which is considered in part responsible for the popularity of tourism in Ireland as many people came from USA to see the town. There is a bronze statue of John and Margherat as well as Pat Cohan bar and other businesses around named after the movie. We did purchase a small Cadbury rocky Road bar with strawberry and probably marshmallows and cookie.

Kylemore Abbey is the highlight of the tour, built in the late 1880s by Mitchell Henry. It changed hands a few times and eventually occupied by nuns who ran a boarding school and houses a few religious artifacts brought over by nuns from Belgium in the 1700s.  On the grounds are a masouleum and a small cathedral with homemade wood furniture  The onsite restaurant is good and we enjoy lamb stew, quiche and a superb rhubarb crumble I ever had. The nuns make excellent jams.

24-Nov-2015

Drive up the (N6) toward Knock, a Marian apparition and pilgrimage site. This sighting was unusual in that it was seen by 11 people, mostly adults. Mary, Joseph, another apparition were seen together along with a lamb and cross standing on an altar. Over the years, the stream of pilgrims and healings turned this small city in a pilgrimage with large cathedral, gardens, visitor center, and eventual local airport, now called West Ireland Airport, etc. With this, local businesses also popped up, café, restaurant, religious shop, etc. The original parts of the old chapel are here and you can see and touch part of the old chapel wall.

Drive to the Foxford Woolen Mills. They still operate today and make high end products. You can see the electronic looms through glass, and we don’t see the point of taking the 8 euro tour (around the café there are also displays of historical objects).  We eat salmon on top of leak quiche (yummy), veggie soup, and a very tall and delicious banoffee pie, and of course, tea.

Drive to Killala, a very small, blink and you miss the center town. We cross a narrow bridge and we drive to Rathfran Abbey. This one was tough to find. We park and it is raining and the abbey is in the middle of a cow pasture. We get the bright idea of opening a cow gate to avoid the super muddy path. We march across a yucky field, dodging fresh cow piles to the Abbey. It is on the river side. This abbey has many foundations on the outside, something I don’t remember seeing. There are the usual rooms, ruins, headstones, etc. Fully soaked, head to foot, we head back to the car. THIS is the essence of Ireland.

The friendly owner of the cow field comes by and we chat a bit. No one comes here this time of year except some French family.

Evening at the Belleek Castle Hotel. What a fantastic place. Basically an old manor, used as stud farm, TB hospital, army barracks and asylum before being purchased by an eccentric Englishman to house his fossil and armory collections.

Our room is Bridal Suite, room # 3. Dinner was fantastic, 5 courses for 49 Euros, including venison, lamb and a main course was a small loin of Irish beef that is set on fire at the table with Jameson whiskey. Just about everyone orders this, their signature dish. Lovely. Dessert was fantastic toffee custard.

25-Nov-2015

Morning walk along the Moy river, part of the castle compound. Forest here was saved as one of the owners died before he cut down all the trees. We also see one of 12 concrete ships built during WWI as an experiment. The owner is dead, but was a nautical enthusiast.

For 8 Euros, we had a fantastic tour of the castle hotel for just the two of us. Basically, it was saved in 1961 by a hotel magnate and antique dealer / enthusiast. In order to not pay taxes, the roof was about to be torn off. Man saved this castle and renovated in 9 years. Lots of collectibles.

A bar is recreated from old timbers from a 30 yr old ship wreck. Some pieces and one statue of Cortez are from the original Spanish Armada ships. We hold an actual executioner’s sword. Game of Thrones fans, eat your heart out.

Back in car to find other 2 Abbeys around here. We drive down the road to Rosserk Abbey to see its ruins and double wash basin (woo-hoo!!!). The road was narrow but parking was fine and we could walk in through a not too muddy field.

We also investigate a Holy Mary site down some small cow path, Mary’s Well. A small stone building houses a statue, surrounded by more statues and mounds around. Don’t know the significance of these mounds, but people leave personal artifacts behind, I guess for a healing prayer.

Back on road to tiny town center. We pop into a local pub for Fish Chips for 8 Euros. It’s mild out so we eat at the supermarket picnic tables like homeless people with our box and beer and cider bottles in brown bags.  On to the last Abbey. Down another narrow straight road. When we arrive to the Abbey entrance, the cattle gate is locked. Signs on the adjacent gate warn of no parking, no trespassing and that the owners are not responsible for your safety as this is a farm. So they must get lots of visitors wondering around in the summer. We turn around and view the Abbey from afar and drive on back to the castle.

We purchase a bottle of Belleek Castle Irish crème, made here, for 15 euros. It is like Baileys, but much thinner. It is good for a shot, at least cheaper than getting in a restaurant.

Wonderful meal again at the castle, heritage pork tart, Duo duck (duck breast and dark meat in a pie shell, they love pies here), big toffee dessert cake and cheese plate.

26-Nov-2015 (Thanksgiving Day)

Sadly we leave the Castle hotel on this Thanksgiving morning and drive onto Sligo. First stop is in the town of Ballina, the Jackie Clarke Collection museum. A self-made man, Jackie was successful in life with auctions, and other businesses. At age of like 14, he started collecting items from Ireland’s past so it would not be forgotten. It’s fairly clear from his assortment of posters and other items that he was an IRA sympathizer. He scrap booked lots of stuff and amassed 100,000 items, paper, maps, political posters, books, etc., all housed in the building that used to be a bank.

In Riverstown we stop at an antique place called Sligo Folk Park. This is a poor man’s Sturbridge Village (reminiscent of the equally dusty and slightly dilapidated, yet charming, Bonanzaville in North Dakota). A small group of building setup as it would have been back in the 1870s till like the 1950s. There is a building that demonstrates a small town center with toy store, switchboard, bicycle shop, etc. This building is full of wrapped toys as they are getting ready for the Christmas market.

There’s a wreck of a passenger train car full of junk, but also an outside stage with a sled and reindeer on it. There are even 2 black hairy potbelly pigs and approx 9 chickens and roosters.   Our favorite part was a cute little cat escort that followed us around the yard and into all the buildings.

We drive past the Carrowmore Megalithic site, closed now but you can see most from the road.

 

Pearse Lodge B&B is a 10 minute walk from town. We popped into the tourist office at closing time, and attendant was nice We stumble upon Fabio’s Gelato shop and try the Irish Stout and Brown Bread gelato and marscapone and fig. We also pop into an Eastern European market, see all their East European goods and candy and try some smoked sausage. It was called Lithuanica http://lituanica.ie/wholesale/

Thanksgiving dinner was great at Coach Lane, the top rated restaurant in Sligo. Main course was rack of lamb coated with crumbs and a grilled seafood mix. Dessert was a combo of 5 tapas: chocolate lolli was best, but also jello, tiramisso, crème brule, and cream with rasbereries. We walked home in the dark / sprinkle and decided to sit by the wood stove, read, have Irish crème.

27-Nov-2015

Friday … Black Friday. The news is full of sales, etc., copying their American cousins We have a great breakfast with our B&B hosts.

Carrick –on –Shannon to visit the smallest chapel in Ireland, 2^nd smallest in the world – Costello Chapel, built in 1880s by a man for his dead wife.

Inside are 2 lead lined caskets surrounded by rotting wood, in the ground, covered by 6 layers of protected glass. It’s “Ireland’s Taj Mahal.”

 

We visit St. George Heritage center. Attendant offers to open for us, but we decline. He informs us the “Workers Attic”museum was 10 minute walk next to the Famine Memorial Graveyard, but wisely we drive and it’s more like a 10 minute drive. The sign on the door says you need to check into St. Georges for the key. Why didn’t the worker at St. George tell us? It’s rare in Ireland to encounter such a useless jerk, but managed to do so here.  Around the grounds we spy several large soup cauldrons that were used to feed the starving and a famine memorial.

Drive back to town to The Dock (where the parking lot is partially flooded), a small art gallery with modern art, a gift shop and coffee / scone shop only. Not really impressed with art, and they don’t have hot food, and no one is friendly, so we leave.

On to Roscommon town and lunch at Gleeson’s – creamy veg soup, very sweet treacle scone, and tea beside a cozy fire. We peek into a discount shoe shop, but only sizes that do not fit.

Onwards to Athlone and our B&B, Shannonside. Walk to the town centre and the Luan Art Gallery, where we’d been 2 years ago. Exhibit of OPW works from the North selected by art students for a touring exhibition.

Dinner at Thyme Restaurant, a highlight of our 2013 trip. Mackeral with quince (surprisingly good), beef cheeks with apple puree, minute steak and crispy polenta, greens with bacon and onions, duck breast, dessert a chocolate mix with coffee ice cream, orange sorbet, orange, crispy bits and a toffee pudding with popcorn and popcorn ice cream and a glass of dessert Muscadet. Also a local craft stout. All for 71 Euros (value menu).

Pop into Sean’s Bar but music doesn’t start until 10.

After showering in the tiny bathroom, we go to sleep watching Sky TV channel “Bring the Noise”. Show with musicians who play “what song is this” in many ways. Kind of funny and British kooky actions and dancing.

28-Nov-2015

Stop off at Belvedere House (castle, jealousy wall, garden) and decide to drive a short 6 kms out of the way. Rainy, rainy, rainy. Admission is free today for a Holiday Festival. Bunch of vendors selling cheese, art stuff, ice cream, cupcakes, scones, home make crap. We have a typical Irish breakfast and bowl of porridge with banana and honey.

Drive down some really, really windy road called R156. I mean like 10 KMs of windy narrow roads to Trim. Finally in Trim at 12:20, we purchase tickets for the Trim Castle tour. Very informative and funny, tour guide was great. This castle is unique as it was wood first, then rebuilt as stone when burned down. Learned that people in Medieval times used to wear clothes all the time and showered 3 times a year. They would put the clothes over the toilet pit and let the ammonia fumes kill the bugs living inside the clothes. Tour guide was funny. “Braveheart” was filmed here.

Back near Dublin we stop Mallehide and walk around the town. Crazy traffic here as well. We find a St. Andrew’s parish and find them serving food in the Pastoral Center. This is what saves churches in the British Isles, café’s. I get curry and coconut chicken soup ( though not much curry or coconut flavor) it was good nonetheless with rye bread.

Walk down another street and find an antique shop. This is a tourist town and the prices reflect this. The two nicest bracelets cost is 3,000 and 1,175 euros. Ooch.

Purchase treacle beer and chocolate at a Spar, and onto the B&B. Rathview B&B in Swords.

29-Nov-2015

Had forgotten the car return isn’t in the terminal like the pick up, but no big deal.

Onwards to our day in London.