So upon realising that Australia was out of the question, we took a look at the large list of destinations that hangs behind our front door. This list is ever changing, expanding, and luckily, forever being given big ticks next to our destinations of desire. Scrolling to the bottom of the list, we both agreed that Scotland for New Year (or Hogmanay) was very high on our list. Add to the fact that my bestie Shauna comes from Glasgow, and had offered us an open invitation to come visit when ever she was home was just the icing on the cake. So new year was settled, but with the opportunity to take holiday from December 23, we decided to squeeze in an extra 6 days elsewhere.
And what is close to Scotland that Michael had always wanted to see? Ireland of course. Our last name isn't just a name of course. This was finally our chance to discover the history of Michael's family name 'Mulcahy', as well as all the Irish surnames in his lineage. So without further hesitation, we booked what was to be an exciting, fast paced journey through the Emerald Isle.
I must admit that the first day of travel was not very exciting at all, as we both had to work until 4:30pm. But we had taken our suitcase with us to work and as soon as the clock ticked to half past four, Michael was downstairs chasing me out (I have had a recent history of not being able to leave work on time, all my own fault). He almost had to pull me out from under some children who were lying on top of me refusing to let me leave. As sweet as that was, I too was desperate to begin my vacation. The last Mistie holiday had been all the way back in May/June when we went to Portugal and Spain, and we were really looking forward to two weeks away from the hustle and bustle, and some time together. So out of work, we jumped on the Airport bus and we were on our way.
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| Let the road trip begin! |
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| Emerald Isle countryside. |
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| The Rock of Cashel. |
Jumping back into the car, it was my turn to drive. Oh the joy of driving on the left side of the road again (or as we like to say - the 'right' side of the road). Michael and I have both become quite comfortable with driving in Europe but nothing quite beats getting back to what you are used to.
We drove the next leg down to the city of Cork. Cork in itself was nothing special, and it was almost disappointing to be in such a large commercial city after driving through such pristine country all day. However, we later discovered that there was more to see as the port in Cork was the last stopping place of the Titanic before its ill-fated voyage. Wish I had gone down to the water front now...
But we did park the car in the centre of Cork and went off in search of a large late lunch. Just what the Irish are good at. Michael tried his first Guinness in Ireland, and we both tucked into a hearty meal. I had an Irish stew, and Michael had an Irish lamb dish. Both were really yummy.
Wandering through the township, it was very packed. No surprise really seeing as it was 3pm on Christmas Eve. Everyone was panic buying. A lot of men..... But I couldn't help but stick my head into a shop called Tiger, which I am now in love with.
With one last walk along a little water channel, and back to the car, we got under way so that we could still visit one last monument in daylight.
Not super keen on actually kissing the Blarney stone, we still wanted to say we had seen the castle itself. So knowing full well that the castle was actually shut (being Christmas Eve) we still made the drive and parked just outside the entrance gates. We then took a wander along a road and were able to see Blarney Castle in the setting sun.... by balancing on top of a concrete post to see over a rock wall! We are nothing if not determined to see everything on our holidays!
We would have liked to have gone in but we knew full well that travelling over Christmas would result in one or two closures. Not a major problem.
With day one of our road trip nearly over, we made the last leg of the journey to our gorgeous little bnb in Killarney that was to be our home for the two nights over Christmas. When we got there (after driving through beautiful sunset countryside), we were welcomed ever so warmly by our lovely hosts Connor and Bridget, and we made ourselves feel at home.In our little room, we found a nice Christmas card addressed to us, and then later, in the sitting room, we found ourselves engrossed in conversation with several other couples (some Irish, some not) and enjoying a lovely feast of fruit cake, mince pies and such along with lovely pots of tea by the fire. We ended up making some great friendships with other families, including an older Irish pair by the name of John and Bernie, who were very interested in Michael and I, and our work in Germany and former lives in Australia. John was also a teacher prior to his retirement and so he and I had some wonderful discussions over the next two days.
Another family that we struck up a conversation with happened to be Australian. From Melbourne to be precise. But our discussion came about due to the man overhearing that our surname was Mulcahy, as his cousin is also a Mulcahy. I must quickly note here too, that we were very quickly put in our place by the Irish when it came to the pronunciation of our surname. "Mul-ka-hie".
So after a long day driving and exploring, eating and talking, we stumbled up to our room around 10:30pm (after saying we would only pop down to the sitting room for one hour and one fruit mince pie.... 5 hours later....) and we managed to quickly skype both Michael's immediate family and my family. Couldn't speak to everyone as it was too early in Aus, and too late in Ireland, but it was good to get a few Christmas wishes in!
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| Christmas Jumper!!! |
Being Christmas day, we really did know that nothing was going to be open. So we had purposely prepared ourselves for this. We had chosen our driving route for the day - the Ring of Kerry - and we had packed a backpack of supplies. We jumped in the car and got on the road, enjoying the scenic winding roads, the gorgeous coastline views, and the serenity of silence. Whenever we stopped for a a few minutes break, once the car engine was off, there was nothing but us, and the sounds of nature - waves, sheep, wind.
The Ring of Kerry is a very famous tourist drive and notoriously packed. Tourists are requested to drive around the ring in an anti-clockwise direction while the tour buses take a clockwise route, thus avoiding buses trying to pass other buses. In parts it is said to be incredibly hairy trying to squeeze past tour buses on extremely narrow passes. I do not believe we could have chosen a better day to tackle this drive. There was no one. Absolutely no one. Over the duration of the day, I think we counted 10 other cars, and absolutely no tour buses! It did mean that there were no restaurants open but we weren't bothered.
We did stop for one particularly nice wander along a beach, for two reasons. Firstly, it was so beautiful. Secondly, we felt it was important (as Australians) to say that we had at least been to the beach on Christmas day!
The majority of our time was spent driving, but we did take one stop to explore Derrynane House. The house itself was closed but the rainforest like gardens were still open for exploration. Which we made sure to do. We spent almost 2 hours just wandering through beautiful woodlands, and spotted dozens of mini fairy houses mounted into the trees. They were so cute and unexpected, and it was quite fun going hunting for them.
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| Tiny knife of ridiculousness |
Back on the road, we kept driving, making a few more stops, including one of the largest and oldest stone forts in Ireland, and some beautiful outlooks in the heart of the Killarney national park.
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| Sheep on the road!!! |
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| Torc Waterfall |
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| Torc Waterfall |
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| Torc Waterfall |
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| Muckross House |
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| Muckross House |
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| Look Ma! I found some Mistletoe! |
Heading back into Killarney central, the sun was dying. We decided to return to our bnb, allowing ourselves some time for a much needed shower (to warm up) and time to get ready for Christmas dinner. Connor and Bridget were putting on a huge 3 course spread for all the hotel guests staying Christmas night so that we need not feel so far away from home or celebration. And what a lovely dinner it was.
We eventually turned in shortly before midnight, and even though we were both desperate to rest and relax this holiday, we couldn't help but be happy. For our second Christmas away from home, it was a really awesome one.
After a great Christmas night, we still tried really hard to get up and underway relatively early on the 26th. With so much to see and do between each of our stop overs, we really wanted to make the most of our time. So bidding farewell to Connor, Bridget and our Australian family, we jumped in the car and made a quick stop Ross Castle, and Muckross Abbey. The castle was an old crumbling ruin that I'm sure would be interesting to view from the inside (but alas, closed). However it was raining on quite an angle with bitter winds blowing in off the lake right at the foot of the castle. So we didn't really stick around there for long.
Muckross Abbey however was beautiful. Also old and crumbling, this place had a special feel about it. A 15th century Friary, it was clear that this had once been a very well kept and almost mystical place. We could only imagine how amazing it must have looked once upon a time with all its stained glass windows and ornate ceilings. As it was, walking through the open air ruins, we couldn't help but drink in the eerie silence.
After Muckross Abbey, we made our way back through Killarney and drove to Dingle. Dingle Peninsula is said to be as beautiful as Ring of Kerry and most tourists are told to just do one, not both. However, we didn't go to Dingle just for the view. We headed into the main township of Dingle for a look around. We were on the hunt for Michael's family history as we had been told that more than one of his family's names were common in the area of Dingle.
We stopped for a quiet bite of lunch in the only open place we could find, which happened to be a small cafe inside a gift shop, that was only serving cake and scones. So a large fruit scone with jam and cream it was! What a lunch! This was followed by a very unique ice cream while wandering on the street - Butterscotch Caramel and Dingle Sea Salt ice cream!
With ice cream in hand, we started to walk, and couldn't help but notice the banging noises, and the strangely dressed people gravitating towards the loud sounds. We had just so happened to time our visit to Dingle perfectly. We were in town for 'The Wren'. The Wren is a special event that occurs in the town of Dingle every year on Boxing day. The locals seem to each have their own favourite or associated pub which they take part in the Wren with. Each pub group gathers, dressed in their chosen theme/colours. Some stand with large instruments, some shake money boxes while others are just there to dance. With a sudden whistle, the group sets off, marching/dancing up the street with the beat of their band to drive them. Random street people all follow along and watch with great interest as the very colourful groups ambled along. Along the way, the group we were following (The Green and Gold Wren team) were passed in the street by another group (the Goat Street Wren team). It was a friendly meeting, but even more interesting was the music. The two bands did not miss a beat, playing two different songs, two different beats, and yet the passed each other and kept to their own. It was so much fun.
We followed the Green and Gold team for a bit then made our way back to the car so that we could go and see the Dingle peninsular in good light.
For the most part, it could be said that the Dingle Peninsular is just like the Ring of Kerry, but I think in all honesty, Michael and I enjoyed Dingle more. The coast line was rockier with better views of the water.
We also found the famous Mulcahy - Louis Mulcahy, a potter right out in the middle of the peninsular. We were super excited when we saw the 'Open' signs hanging outside the shop as we drove up, thinking that we were in luck. But alas, the signs were just that. The doors were all tightly locked and no one was around. The wind was extremely strong and so we didn't hang around to see if someone was just on lunch break. As it was, the next half hour of driving was quite hair raising with the car being blown by the harsh winds as we drove.
The end of the Dingle Peninsular trail lead us in a loop back into Dingle township, then we exited out the other side, heading straight on towards our evening destination of Limerick. The drive started out as nice and scenic and we took one or two stops to smell the roses. As the sun started to set, our 2 hour planned journey started to grow longer and longer as we became caught in a long line of cars behind someone travelling 40km an hour in a 100 zone. Due to the intense darkness on a one lane highway in the middle of Irish woodland, overtaking was not easy and the queue of cars just kept getting longer. We drove for over half an hour in the queue, growing more frustrated by the minute. Eventually someone up ahead found the gap we had all been waiting for. It took me a few more minutes to find my gap as the queue ahead of me took their turn but soon we were free. |
| Bunratty Castle |
We arrived at our hotel outside Limerick (township of Bunratty) over an hour late and just in the nick of time as the owner and her entire family were heading out for dinner to celebrate her twins' 21st birthday. She was at the door as we walked in, and she took a moment to show us to our room then ran out.
We too decided to head on out for a bite to eat. Seeing as lunch had been just a scone and an ice cream, we were pretty hungry. We drove into Limerick and we were looking for both a carpark and a place to eat. Taking a wrong turn, we ended up going back across a bridge, out of Limerick itself, and right into a traffic jam. We discovered that we were driving past the local Gaelic football stadium, and a game had just finished. As we sat in traffic, we discussed how boring and how 'city' like the town of Limerick had been and how much we would prefer a good Irish pub dinner. So once clear of the traffic, the police and the throngs of fans, we drove back to Bunratty to the pub right down the road from our hotel. |
| Black pudding entree |
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| Goats cheese tart entree |
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| Cheesy chicken main |
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| Seared Salmon with hazelnut butter main |
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| Tirimisu Parfait |
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| Apple Pie |
By the end we were both so stuffed that we rolled back to the car. But it was good.
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| Never has Michael had to stoop so low... |
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| Me guarding the drawbridge! |
We went for a wander through the medieval village but as they were cleaning up from their Christmas celebrations, it was far less of a medieval place. Far too much fake snow and childrens amusement rides for a medieval place. But I did find a friendly goat and a pair of giant knockers! (sorry but that totally triggers my inter Monty Python sense of humour!)
We still surprisingly spend almost 2 hours at Bunratty, as the inside of the castle itself was very interesting. It was however far longer than we had intended on being there. We were almost lucky that the village wasn't interesting/open.
We didn't really care about that lunch, mostly because we wanted to hurry on. Today was the day we would see one of the sights that really mattered. One that we had been planning to see for quite some time. The Cliffs of Moher.
As we pulled into the carpark, I was already excited, but cold. We drew level with the visitor centre and ducked inside to make sure we were ready. Beanies on, scarves pulled right up, we made our way back out into the high winds, and suddenly also light but whipping rain.
A few more steps and there it was. The cliffs were genuinely spectacular, and we enjoyed walking and viewing them from many angles. After a little bit, the rain also stopped and the sun made it even more beautiful.
We eventually agreed it was time to leave the beautiful coastline and make our way through to Galway - our resting point for the evening. We were treated to a stunning sunset though along this drive!
Once checked into our Galway accommodation, we went for a big walk in and around the town. We had read online about an amazing Pie company that calls Galway home. We were so pumped for a pie, drooling practically, so we were understandably upset when we found the restaurant with its very closed doors and a large box of groceries out the front. No pies for dinner that night!
But we did stumble across a nice little pub. Or so we thought. The Front Door turned out to be a massive pub with a tiny front entrance! And the food ... WOW! I absolutely loved my pork belly served on a bed of black pudding mashed potatoes! And Michael had a very lovely hamburger. But the best thing of the whole night was undoubtedly the hazelnut chocolate fudge brownie with mint choc ice cream. The brownie was so warm and oozy and the ice cream melted over the warm brownie. The two of us absolutely devoured it! I wish I could have another one right now!
As we left the pub, we were also entertained by a group of performers. They were so amazing and energetic. I think we stood there for over 10 minutes! |
| The front hall of our bnb. |
With our last day of big travel ahead of us, we jumped into a somewhat icy car and set off on the road back to Dublin.
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| Thanks for that Captain Obvious! |
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| Michael using a credit card to scratch off the ice! |
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| Looking out over Galway bay. |
The drive itself back to Dublin was uneventful and we returned our little rental car safe and sound to the airport. A quick bus ride into town and checked into our hotel. Underway, we used our phones to quickly research what there was to do in Dublin, and we discovered that there was a Free Walking Tour operating. We love the free walking tours, having now done them in a few major cities.
So at 3pm, we were waiting at The Spire in the middle of Dublin city, near the town hall. It was there that we met Peter who was to show us around the Northern side of the city.
We saw and heard some great history, including the peace memorial, and some areas where the Easter Rising in 1916 and the Irish War of Independence took place.
The tour wrapped up just after the sun had set, and we were freezing. Both of us. I honestly could not feel my toes. So we made our way back to the hotel for a quick pit stop, for warmer layers of clothing and so that my feet could spend a little time on the radiator before I put on an extra layer of socks.
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| I got new earmuffs and gloves! Bear gloves! |
With the group gathered, we wandered to the first pub, the Black Sheep, where we were all herded downstairs to a private room where we got to sample three artisan beers made by the Galway Bay Brewery. Everyone had their favourites and I for the first time found that I had a liking for stout. I usually hate stout beers, but the Galway chocolate stout (contains real chocolate) was pretty good! It was called Buried at Sea. Michael, however, preferred their Bay Ale.
The next stop was quick, and it was to discuss the world of Guinness. What Irish beer tour wouldn't include Guinness. I did manage to drink my entire glass, but I wouldn't run back.
It was only a small jump down to the next stop (same block, 3 bars down) where we took some extended time upstairs to enjoy whiskey tasting, and a scrumptious Irish pub dinner. I really enjoyed this part of the tour as I am a whiskey enthusiast. I don't drink much other than a nice wine (and now beer having lived in Germany so long), but I do enjoy an occasional whiskey.
I found the two whiskeys we sampled to be quite delicious (not many others did) but what I found really cool was the process that whiskey goes through. I know how wine and beer are both made, but was not really sure of the whiskey process. The ultimate surprise for me was finding out that whiskey is aged in barrels (duh) that are recycled from other alcoholic beverages. One that we tasted had spent several years in a Cabernet wine barrel, while another had been aged in ex-rum barrels. This was indeed news to me, and I can honestly say that I could pick subtle hints of flavour. It was rather nice!
Up till now, all of this had been included in the 12€ fee. So you can see that really it was good value, as Peter the guide gave his time to do all the explaining, tour leading, and all the drinks were included! It was the end of the tour inclusions, but not the end of the night though. All of this was then polished off with a cider and a big plate of bangers and mash / Steak and onion rings. What a great meal it was!
The last stop was a tiny Irish bar where we were told we would get to witness a true Irish Music 'Sesh' with the band sitting amongst the pub goers and just playing as the night went on. Sadly though, the pub was sooooo packed that we couldn't see the musicians, let alone hear them! It was a disaster, and so all the new friends we had made through out the evening walked out together with us and we said our goodbyes. Michael and I enjoyed the frosty walk back to our hotel and were looking forward to just crawling into bed.
The next morning was our last morning in Ireland, and we were determined to make it a big enjoyable last day. We were going to cram as much as possible into it. So after a nice big breakfast, we left our suitcase at the hotel and ambled into town for a spot of shopping (where I bought a present for Shauna, and a new years outfit for myself). We then returned once more to the spire where we met Peter for the third time. This time it was to take the South Dublin Free Walking Tour. Again, we were not disappointed with Peter's knowledge and interesting tales as we took in the sights.We walked over the River Liffey, through Trinity College, saw the old Parliament, wandered through the Temple Bar district and past Dublin Castle. The tour drew to a close at St Patrick's church.
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| Trinity College |
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| The temple bar district |
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| St Patrick's Church |
After the tour finished (at 2pm) we knew we had limited time left, as we had something planned for later in the day. So we high tailed it back across the River Liffey to find some lunch, and couldn't help but find ourselves back at the Black Sheep, the beer tasting pub from the previous evening. When we had gone in the previous night, the smells had been incredible so we were fairly certain that a good lunch was to be found there.
And we weren't wrong. I was dying for some greenery after almost a week of meat, meat and more meat, so I chose a delicious poached pear, walnut and blue cheese salad. It was delicious! Michael had a traditional Irish beef stew, and again, it was great. We both washed our lunch down with a glass of Galway Bay Brewery's finest.
Completely stuffed and very satisfied, we waddled back to the spire, once again a meeting point. But not to meet Peter, and not for another tour. Many years ago, back when I was working for a clothing company in Brisbane, I worked with a lovely Irish girl called Deirdre. She and her partner were in Australia for a year, to work and travel. She became a very good friend and we have stayed in touch over the years. When she heard we were going to be in Dublin, she immediately suggested a catch up. And although our time in Dublin was short, we made sure to fit in some Deirdre time! |
| Me cooing over Deirdre's baby girl! |
We realised that in fact more than 7 years had passed since our last meeting, and it was great to feel within an instant that nothing had really changed. Except for the fact that she was now wheeling a pram! Her gorgeous 4 month old daughter had come along for the meet up! Naturally I was just in awe, even though she didn't wake up the entire time. I just stood over her pram coooooing!
After a lovely coffee and catch up, it was however time to run to the airport. We collected our bag and jumped on a bus. By this stage it was early evening and we were both rather exhausted, and I had a headache, so I was very happy to chill in a pod at the airport before our flight. It was almost surreal to think that this was in fact not the end of our trip but rather only the halfway point. for now, we were off to..... GLASGOW!
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| My Airport Pod! |
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