Road Scholar: Enchanting Ireland: Town and Country

 A trip to Ireland was just the right way to celebrate my 50th Road Scholar program!  Click on the tab to see the entire list.  We've met several RS 'centenarians' over the years and one man who'd been on 150+.  My parents went on a dozen Elderhostels (as it was then known) so I am second-generation.  Of all the Ireland tours offered I chose this one because, at the time, I didn't want to leave Stevens (with a caregiver) for too long.  I'm happy with all that I saw and did. 

on the approach

Friday, July 18:   Overnight flight from O'Hare to Shannon. 

Saturday, July 19:   Ten of our Road Scholar group were on the same flight.  As we waited in the airport hotel lounge for later flights to arrive, I realized: it’s time for Wordle! And three other people pulled out their phones to log in. 

Everyone accounted for, our bags were loaded on the 26-passenger  bus. We drove 32m (51km) northwest to the village of Ennistymon in Co. Clare.  We checked into the Falls Hotel, our base for three nights.     

The Falls of the River Inagh as seen from the hotel

After lunch I took a walk around the town.  It was a market center for the local dairy business.  "Butter from Ennistymon reached tables all over Ireland and England. A firkin of high quality butter cost about L7 in 1918 and a toll of 3p was due on every firkin than came to market."  (text from a marker)

The Ennistymon leabharlann—library—wasn’t open but looked through the window. The signage and the book titles I could see were in English.  It is a branch of the Co. Clare library system. 

 

July 20    Sunday part 1: to Galway. A port and trading center for centuries. The tour guide was very good, incorporating a little humor and audience participation along with dates and facts. There was free time to continue to explore. Dale (one of the other singles in our group) and I went to the Galway Museum, then joined others from our group for fish and chips lunch.  

These families dominated Galway

Top: Lynch's Castle (medieval fortified house with additions; now a boutique hotel); Nora Barnacle's birthplace (James Joyce's sweetheart).  Bottom: the claddagh (heart/hand motif) was invented in Galway; a pub dating back to King Charles II. 

Sunday, part 2: coach from Galway to Coole-Garryland Nature Reserve. Coole Park was the home of Lady Augusta Gregory. She became interested in Irish language and culture and, with W.B. Yeats, founded the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In addition to encouraging dramatic productions by GB Shaw, JM Synge, Sean O’Casey and others, she wrote 19 plays herself and acted in some of them. Coole Park, the house, was in great disrepair and was torn down. The grounds are now a 1,000-acre national park. 

Lady Gregory's autograph tree with initials carved by the literati who came to visit.

There's a herd of red deer at Coole Park. The gardens, both cultivated and wild, are beautiful.

At Coole Park: George Bernard Shaw visited and wrote postcards to Lady Gregory’s granddaughters. They have been reproduced in stone.

Sunday, part 3: after dinner. Irish music by the Custy family. (Ennistymon locals.)  Fiddle, harp, concertina.

July 21    Monday , part 1. The Burren is a region of glaciated karst/limestone. Today the 1800 hectare park abuts working farms (beef cattle and sheep). Kevin, our guide, led us on a nature walk snd explained the geology, human history (6000 years), and botany.

Top: guide (why the FBI cap? we'll never know); dry stone wall (single width is easier to repair if a cow kicks it); the Poulanbourne Dolmen (neolithic tomb? temple?).   Center: fragrant orchid (that's the name); Carline thistle about to bloom; the limestone is at the surface.  Bottom: hart's tongue fern; another fragrant orchid; more limestone.

Hair in the air at the Cliffs of Moher

Monday, part 2: after lunch (Irish stew at a restaurant in Kilfenora) we went to the Cliffs of Moher. Not cold but SO windy! The cliffs are shale and sandstone, exposed to the ocean and constantly eroding. More than a million people visit annually. 

I walked to the end of the north path, maybe a mile each way. The visitor center is built into a hill. It was so crowded I didn’t stop to see the displays, and I wanted to walk as much as time allowed.  

Monday, part 3. Free time. The bus stopped at the seaside town of Lahinch. Anyone in our group who wanted to get off to spend more time there could. Five of us, including me, did. The rest went back to the hotel. 

I went to the beach! But where was it? All I saw were big rocks for stabilization. Ah! It’s the Atlantic Ocean—and high tide! I walked farther and got a chance to put my feet in the water. (I dried them with the sweater stowed in my tote.) Then I walked around the shopping area and did a little retail therapy.

 Lahinch is 2 miles from Ennistymon.  There were three ways to get back: walking, the bus, or a cab.  I wasn't up to walking at that point and the group leader said bus service was erratic so I decided on a cab.  I went to the reception desk at a nice hotel and asked for help. She gave me a number and I called.  I waited and waited.  I asked the clerk for help again and she called: "How are you, Matt? I have a guest here waiting for you. Oh? I heard his father had died."     It turned out there was a really big funeral in Ennistymon this afternoon that backed up traffic in town and on the main road. When the driver finally picked me up he took me on the back road—one of those 1-1/2 lane roads where cars pull over to let oncoming cars pass. Once back at the hotel I went to a restaurant in Ennistymon for fish and chips.    I didn't see the other four from our group in Lahinch. Two of them took the bus back and two walked.

July 22     Tuesday morning Bunratty Castle. (Bun = bottom or end, so “mouth of the Ratty River.”).   The original castle was built in 1425 by the McNamaras. It was home to the O’Briens from 1518 to 1645. The English Stoddards acquired it in 1720, built a country house, and let the castle fall into disrepair. In 1954 Standish Vereker, the Viscount Gort, bought it and restored it in order to house his collections of 15th-16th century furniture. 

Center: 10,000 yr old elk antlers preserved in a bog.  Bottom:  several tapestries from Gort's collection.

The castle, house, and grounds are now a “folk park” with cottages and shop buildings brought in (like Greenfield Village, Sturbridge, or Shelburne). The grounds are extensive and flower-filled.

We had a guided tour of the castle, then walked around the village on our own, then met at the tea room for lunch.

The "snapshot in time" is circa 1900. The quilt at lower right is tied. 

Bunratty castle fauna. White peacock and peahen and a regular peacock. Chickens beg for handouts outside the tea room.  (White peacocks are leucistic, a genetic anomaly. They are not albino.) 

From Bunratty to Adare, our base for the next three nights.  

 The Dunraven Arms opened in 1792. Fortunately it has been remodeled.  Adare is the site of the 2027 Ryder Cup so the town will become familiar to golf fans. The golf course is very exclusive and visitors are not allowed.

July 23:   Wednesday.  We left after breakfast to drive through the beautiful green (emerald!) countryside with stone walls marking off fields with sheep (mostly) and cattle. Destination: Dingle, 131 km/82 miles. Dingle is in County Kerry, an Irish-first county so many official signs are in Irish only. However, commercial establishments had English signage and it seemed only Irish-centric craft shops (jewelers, weavers, etc.) had Irish signage.

Dingle was an Anglo-Norman settlement and a port town for trade with France and Spain. Many emigrant ships sailed from Dingle. Now it’s tourism and holiday homes. Movies, too: Ryan’s Daughter was filmed here.  

We had free time until 1:30 to explore the town and have lunch.  I went to the aquarium which focused on global oceans rather than local, but that was okay because who doesn’t like penguins, sea turtles, and rays?   

 

Still in Dingle: the library was open so I went in.  Most of the collection was in English, though the shelf indicators were in Irish. There was a section with Ukrainian books.   Many Ukrainians have come to Ireland, a boon for employment especially in rural areas. 

I had lunch at John Benny's Pub because it reminded me of Waukegan's Benny Kubelsky, better known as Jack Benny.  

We got back in the bus and went down the peninsula. We stopped at a farm that has medieval “beehive” buildings. Even the roofs are stone. Remarkable construction. In the newer stone barn we got to hold the lambs 

Onward to the Gallarus Oratory, another example of a preserved stone building (called “dry rubble”) 

 Photos of the landscape because it is beautiful.

Wrapping up Wednesday:  excellent dinner in Tralee (where there is a Rose of Tralee contest every August). Back at the hotel in Adare I went for a walk along the river walk to enjoy the mild evening and stretch my legs. There were swans and another bird I didn’t know.

July 24  Thursday, part 1:   Sunshine and 70F.  We went to Coorevin Farm in Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary. Second-generation owner Padraig Moran gave us a tour and told us about modern Irish agribusiness. The original farm was carved out of an English-owned estate in 1837. After several owners Padraig’s father bought it. Now Padraig’s son Owen is co-owner. 120 acres owned, 300 leased. They have 90 beef cows, no dairy. (Dairy is a mega-business—we passed the Kerry HQ (Kerrygold butter, etc.).) Until recently they had sheep but the market wasn’t as good. All the cows are bred, born, and finished on the farm. The bulls are Charolais and Limousin. The cows are crossbred. No steers — there is a European market for bull beef.

EU agriculture regulations are tough with many levels of inspection, requirements and restrictions on hormones etc. A lot of hoops to jump through. Farm labor is nil — Padraig helps Owen; neighbors help out, but no hired help. Not only have human food prices skyrocketed in recent years (Ukraine can’t export readily), so have animal feed prices.  

Today’s (literal) field trip was one of the things that I enjoy about Road Scholar. I’d never have found this on my own and I learned so much.

Our group in front of the old barn.

Thursday, part 2: “Afternoon at leisure.” Seven of us opted to be dropped off in Limerick. I was one of them. Eliza and I had lunch at a place overlooking the Shannon, then toured King John’s Castle.  (He was the Magna Carta King John.)  

We thought we could get to the cathedral but it had closed just as we walked up the steps so we went to the Hunt Museum instead.

The Hunts were art collectors and connoisseurs who curated their acquisitions for design, craftsmanship, and artistic merit. Objects ranged from neolithic (the bronze shield in the photo) to contemporary (1930's). 

We met our fellow adventurers at the bus stop (interurban bus, not the 26-passenger bus that’s taken us out each day) for the 15km ride back to Adare.  

Inventive names for these champions

July 25.  Friday, part 1:   99 miles from Adare to Kildare.  We toured the Irish National Stud and Gardens. The stud farm was begun in 1900 by racing enthusiast Col. William Hall Walker. It’s a maternity hospital for mares — those brought in and their own — with their stallions, all champions. 250 foals are born there every year. They are all thoroughbreds, the genetics carefully watched and all aspects duly registered.  

Not only are there horses but there are also gardens. The Japanese Garden was created from 1906-1910.

There’s also a cafeteria, where we had lunch, and of course, a gift shop.

 

Friday, part 2: 37 miles from Kildare to Dublin. We checked into the hotel about 3:00 and had free time until dinner at 7:00. (The Grand Canal Hotel is conveniently located in the older part of Dublin.) 

I decided to explore and found the National Gallery of Art which, fortunately, was open until 5:30.

All Irish, British, and European paintings, very little sculpture or other media. Admission is free though 2 euros for a gallery map.

I walked back through Merrion Square (a park, actually) and got a picture with a statue of Oscar Wilde.  He grew up in a house facing the square.

 

July 26     Saturday, part 1: The group had a 90-minute bus tour of Dublin. We were dropped off at Dublin Castle. The original structure dates to 1209 to defend the city and later as the administrative center. Georgian architecture coexists with medieval stone towers. Over the centuries it became the seat of the English government. In 1922 when the Irish Free State was established the complex became government offices. All the presidents of Ireland are inaugurated here.

Top: the now-decomissioned chapel, the medieval tower. Bottom: the Georgian-era courtyard, the ballroom (inaugural setting).

Saturday, part 2: After Dublin Castle we were free for lunch and early afternoon. Dale and I went to the National Museum of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland which are adjacent to one another. Free admission. The library has a public building (museum); the administrative offices were next door (and closed on Saturday). 

NMI is remodeling so the only wing open is about Irish history and archaeology. (Animals and geology, etc., are not on view now.). It reminded of the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) in Toronto. 

Top: Irish gold; a bog-preserved body (there was a video of the forensics--they could tell that his hair pomade came from Spain!), amber (Stevens loved amber and bought me a pendant and necklace that I don't wear often enough).  Center: a dress found in a bog (the white part is recreated); samples of Irish manuscripts. Bottom:  a sabot found in a bog (original LL Bean boot!), trousers (note the plaid matches at the seams).

NLI has a permanent exhibit about W. B. Yeats.

Center: Lady Gregory, the playwright from Coole Park and associate of Yeats in the Irish literary revival.

Saturday, part 3:    The group reconvened at Trinity College at 2:45.  ("Do not be late!")

Major bucket list check-off: The Book of Kells!  Timed entry strictly observed. There is an extensive exhibit explaining Irish manuscripts (a nice follow up to what I’d just seen at the National Museum).

The actual Book of Kells is in a showcase, no photographs allowed. They turn the pages every six weeks. It’s like the Mona Lisa in that it’s very small in proportion to its reputation. But still wonderful to behold.

And then — the Trinity College Library! They are in the midst of a major cleaning and re-inventory. There are flat-screen monitors in the bays of the stacks showing restoration methods.

There are 200,000 volumes in this collection. The contemporary Trinity College libraries have 7 million volumes.

"First range, third shelf, brown leather binding." 

The contemporary Gaia globe hangs over the reading room.

There was a protest Saturday afternoon. (Advocating for fair treatment of immigrants.)

Saturday, part 4:  evening.  We went to the Gaiety Theatre to see Lord of the Dance at the Gaiety Theatre.  This is the 30^th anniversary.   It was grand!    

I remember seeing Riverdance at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago about 1999 and later Lord of the Dance at the Genessee in Waukegan.

 

July 27.   Sunday: “Explore Dublin on your own.”   I walked 1-1/4 miles from the hotel to St. Stephen’s Green, and across the street from that to the Dublin Unitarian Church.   My ALA friend Catharine moved from Oklahoma to Dublin when she retired and this is her church.   We've known one another 30+ years and it was so good to see her again!    Catharine was assigned to the greeter's table and I helped greet. Everyone was very welcoming. Everyone was very welcoming. Afterward Catharine, four others from church, and I had lunch at the cafe of MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland. Great conversation. 

 

Exhibits at MoLI 

Catharine and I then did a tour of MoLI and enjoyed chatting while sitting on a park bench on St. Stephen’s Green.

 Our timing was just off to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral so we went to Christ Church instead. Both are Church of Ireland (Irish Anglicans), very, very old, and very high church.   

We got in at the tail end of evensong at Christ Church. Then Catharine took the bus back home and I walked back to the hotel.

Such a lovely, lovely day.

 

Sunday evening: farewell dinner with Irish dancing. They have toured with Riverdance (he was in the company for 15 years). Nine performances a week. There are no understudies. The cast alternate as principals and in the chorus. Yes, it is physically taxing!

Monday, July 28:    nonstop flight from DUB-ORD.  Uneventful but long.  I walked in the door at 3:30. I had time to pick up the mail, get milk and lettuce, and do the laundry. I stayed up until 7:45 (1:45 Dublin time), woke up at 2:30, 3:30, and got up at 4:30.  Back to everyday life but with great memories.

I exercised restraint in gift/souvenir purchases. 

Quilters take pictures of floors. 

 

 

Clockwise:  Black-backed gull, swan, magpies, European robin, hooded crow.

European robins are flycatchers. North American robins are thrushes.

So many doorways!