Emerald Isle

In this post:  the luck of the Irish?  a week in Ireland with kids

We embarked on a full-week adventure to the Emerald Isle.
My goals:  take in lots of nature, meet the famously friendly Irish people, see some of the top spots from the books I've read, have some quality family time...

While this won't go into the books as our greatest family vacations (according to our kids), it was an amazing experience, and we're all glad that we seized the opportunity to jump over to Ireland.

Let me preface by saying that it probably wasn't best to move every single night (days 3-5 could be done from one location, but involves more driving) and we had a sick child and rainy weather which soured the week a bit!!

Basic Itinerary:
Evening flight - Arrive in Dublin late & drive 20 min north
Day 1 Newgrange, Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, drive to Doolin
Day 2  The Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle & folk park & Medevial Banquet

Day 3 Explore Dingle Pennisula & Drive to Ring of Kerry

Day 4 Boat tour to Skellig islands - am, drive the Ring of Kerry - pm, Drive to Killarney National Park

Day 5  Explore Killarney National Park, drive to Blarney
Day 6 Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel, Drive to Glendalough     
Day 7 Wicklow Mts Visitor Centre, Glendalough - explore/hike area, pm drive to Dublin (1hour) 
Day 8 Explore Dublin, fly out in the early evening

Cliffs of Moher - definitely one of our favorites!!

um that's a bit close there dad!

The fine print:
The best way to see Ireland is to rent a car.  And this we did.  We began in Dublin, but exited as quickly as possible, spending the first night at StayCity North Dublin Hotel (really great).  This set us up for a departure next morning to hit our first tourist spots just north of Dublin.   Top of the list: Newgrange.  1000 years older than Stonehenge and constructed even 500 years prior to the pyramids of Giza, this rock structure is among the oldest buildings in the world.  Wow.  That alone was impressive.

Newgrange from afar

http://www.newgrange.com/

Next stop - The Hill of Tara.  Unimpressed.  This hill had a few mounds on it and a stone, with some nice views.  http://hilloftara.org/

Hill of Tara

Final destination for the day....Trim Castle.  Trim Castle was a set for the movie Braveheart.  The kids were more interested in playing in the castle grounds and we couldn't get in for a tour (too busy) but those aforementioned kids didn't want to tour it anyways, so we walked around the area and breathed in deep breaths of fresh Irish air.  This was followed by a sincere search for the Blackfriary Archeological site which was featured in a book titled "100 places that will change your child's life"....didn't change our lives since we could not find it!  Then, drive to Doolin....basically crossing the whole of Ireland!

Trim Castle - from the film Braveheart

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlandseastcoast/TrimCastle/

We stayed at the Doolin Activity Lodge, which was lovely - a larger B&B with many rooms.  This area of Ireland was amazing - with the Burren and the Atlantic and castle ruins scattered across the landscapes.  We ate a very satisfying meal at Fitzpatrick's Bar in Doolin.  Traditional Irish music was playing as we made our way home (we longed to stay and listen more).  Doolin is famous for its music....

The Burren

DAY 2:  The next day we hit The Cliffs of Moher.  We had amazing sunshine.  We hiked about 30 minutes south along the cliffs, past the barriers that keep crazy people from teetering at the edge of the cliffs.  This would be the favorite acitivity for children....yes.  They love to get about as close to the edge as possible.  Especiall 14 year old boys.  Actually they don't get too close but as every parent knows just taking your kids to those cliffs is scary....and then you see those terrible warning signs....Anyways, the Cliffs of Moher were jaw-dropping amazingly gorgeous!

http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/

CLIFFS OF MOHER

sign at the Cliffs of Moher...maybe not a place for toddlers?

Then on to Bunratty Castle.  This was a couple hours by car, so we arrived mid-afternoon.  The "Castle and Folk Park" were actually sort of disappointing.  We thought the folk park would have a fair number of people re-enacting the roles of medieval personalities.  Instead it was just a lot of buildings.  Interesting, but the kids enjoyed the play area the most of all.  My advice - skip the folk park and do ONLY the Medieval Banquet ("world famous")!  We all agreed it is fantastic.  Music, re-enactement, great food, right in the castle!  and with your ticket, if you arrive about 15 minutes early, you can take a really quick run through some of the buildings in the folk park (which we had paid a separate entrance fee for).

an original Church of Ireland building, was moved stone by stone from Ardcroney,  Co. Tipperary and rebuilt in the Folk Park and was unveiled  here at Bunratty to the public in 1998

Building at the Bunratty Folk Park

Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet!  Awesome!!

http://www.shannonheritage.com/Attractions/BunrattyCastleandFolkPark/

We then drove to stay in Tralee, where we enjoyed the Manor West Spa and Leisure Centre.  Highly recommended by all of us as a break from the sightseeing. The breakfast is awesome and the pool, sauna, and fitness area helped get us going.

Day 3: After enjoying the hotel amenities in the morning, we drove towards the Dingle Pennisula, via Connor Pass.

people had told us about the narrow roads...typically there is a wall of rocks on either side and once in a while you come across a spot to pull aside for when you meet an oncoming vehicle

Many people recommended Dingle over the Kerry Way. We planned to do both, but had high expectations from the wonderful reviews people passed on! The weather was wicked - rain and strong winds. The drive was beautiful, but exiting the vehicle was challenging!

A beautiful hazy rainbow after heavy rain on the Dingle Pennisula

We stopped at the Gallarus Oratory which was interesting and got out of the car at a couple of overlooks but nearly risked being whipped into the sea by the wicked wind.

Gallarus Oratory

Dinner at QC's in Cahersiveen was the best meal we ate in ALL of Ireland!

Then on to The Old Schoolhouse B&B in Cloon, Ballinskelligs. Lilian (amazing cook) and Dominic (great story teller) had received a cancellation early that day and for some reason they thought it was ours; so unfortunately they were not expecting us! But no worry, they were able to jump right into the mode and made us feel very very at home.

Our wonderful hosts!!

Day 4: A full breakfast cooked by Lilian including her famous pancakes sent us en route to the Kerry Way with full bellies. My biggest disappointment of our entire trip was that we could not get out to the Skellig islands. The world reknown boat trips to the UNESCO heritage site cannot be guaranteed as the weather must be quite calm to land on the rocky site. My cousin had highly recommended it and so did all the books...alas, it will have to be for next time. We did not have that luck =(

Skellig Michael where we REALLY wanted to go but could not....

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/757

So instead, we went to Skelligs Chocolate factory! First we visited the Skelligs Experience Centre and also went on a hike on Valencia Island.

hike on Valencia Island

Continuing then, our drive on the Kerry Way, we entered Killarney National Park and stopped to see the "Ladies View" (favorite spot of Queen Victoria & her ladies) and then the Torc Waterfall. Our lodging was just a few minutes drive outside of the Park at Muckross Stables. Our kids LOVED this place - 4 new Jack Russel puppies, 7 riding horses, pigs, sheep, goats, lambs, emu, rabbits, chickens and a small playground with a zip line.

The favorite place we stayed for the kids (Muckross Stables B&B)

Dinner was at the Lake Hotel (we needed some wi-fi).
http://www.killarneynationalpark.ie/

Day 5: Breakfast with a couple at the B&B, the only others staying there, who happened to be from the Twin Cities MN!! Then a little horseride and a 10k hike in Killarney (Muckross Lake circle) - beautiful and no rain! We drove to Blarney (about 1 hour and a nice rest for our legs after the hike), arriving early evening, checked into the Blarney Castle Hotel and then walked a bit in the village. We ate at the hotel pub that night and enjoyed some authentic Irish music played by some locals!  The Blarney Castle Hotel had the most amazing Soda Bread...but wouldn't give their secret famous recipe! But my aunt's is a contender & is at the end of this blog entry!

It was only an hour at a slow pace, but this was the only time the Larsons have all been on horseback together.

Beautiful Killarney National Park

 Day 6: After a quick visit to Blarney Castle - and yes, Dave, Jonah and I all kissed the famous stone:
 http://www.blarneycastle.ie/pages/kiss-the-blarney-stone

Then we returned to the hotel to have brunch - a 3 course breakfast feast! The Blarney Woolen Mills are worth visiting - "the largest Irish shopping area in Ireland" - and truly, it is large and has great Irish clothing, domestic items, foods....

Blarney Castle

Next we drove to the Rock of Cashel - a favorite among our visits. Even though it was a bit rainy, the site is breathtaking. There is a guided tour as part of the admission.  We all truly enjoyed that.  It is a breathtaking place!  We had some treats at Spearmints Tea House in Cashel. Then we drove to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains (National Park). More rain as we checked in to the Glendalough Hotel. We ate dinner at the Laragh Inn Pub.

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/south-east/rockofcashel/

Day 7: Dave and I woke up early to hike in Glendalough. We fought the rain and wind and made the best of a gorgeous 2 hour hike. Then a delicious brunch again - another full Irish - the cereals, eggs, meats, eggs, tomato, etc... It was at this breakfast that we inquired about the black pudding we'd been eating, and now I know I'll never take another bite. All I had to hear was "blood from the pig" and I almost puked. Well, it's a specialty.
 
After breakfast, the rain continued and the amazing not-to-be-missed historic site of Glendalough, where St Kevin established a monastic site in the 800's, did not seem too appealing. Tour buses streamed in and groups ran through the rain and then back to the bus.  We read about it from the car and then ran over and snapped a few photos. That was all the kids (and us quite frankly) could bear in that rain. I had planned to spend a few hours in the area, enjoying the beauty and history....

Glendalough

http://www.glendalough.ie/
http://www.wicklowmountainsnationalpark.ie/

ONTO DUBLIN!
We stopped off at Avoca, a lovely crafts, gifts, linens, clothes and fine foods store along the highway. Then we eventually entered Dublin and found our hotel (the simple and basic Maldron Smithfield). We checked in at 2:00, relaxed a moment and then made our way directly to the "beer lovers Disneyland" - a tour of Guinness storehouse. I didn't expect much and was pleasantly surprised, the place is a marketing marvel, tracing the history of the brewery and its founders with all kinds of fancy-latest-multimedia eye catching displays over seven floors, culminating at the top level which is actually a bar with glass windows all around giving the best views of all Dublin. Best yet you get your Guinness there to drink while you take in those views.

Day 8: walking around Dublin. Best thing was the Trinity College tour and the Book of Kells. We loved Trinity and the student-guided tour!! Afterwards we walked along Grafton Street, a great shopping area. Not having much motivation to tour anywhere else, and anticipating the return home, we made our way to the airport EARLY, only to be disppointed by delays to our flight.

Trinity College - we loved it!!

Th largest library in Ireland - you can view the Book of Kells (one of the oldest books in the world) and one of the longest single room library stacks in the world.  Oddly enough, the books are arranged according to size!

The Irish folk music is so captivating!
Here's a classic - a Dubliners youtube video "Lord of the Dance"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fzRZuGEr04

And the Best Irish pub dancing song!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DjGMOAjdQQ

And now goodbye - The Parting Glass....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCtU737bsJY


and for fun watch this great movie set in Ireland
"Leap Year":
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216492/

GOODBYE IRELAND

SEE YOU AGAIN

standing by one of the many stone walls that characterize the Irish countryside

My Aunt Kathryn's BROWN IRISH SODA BREAD

1 c. unsifted all-purpose flour                         1 ½ Tbsp. butter or margarine, cold

2 Tbsp. sugar                                                  2 c. whole wheat flour (preferably stone ground)

1 tsp. baking powder                                       ¼ c. uncooked rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda                                           1 ½ c. buttermilk at room temperature

½ tsp. salt

Have flours and buttermilk at room temperature to get the highest raise.  Combine all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in medium-size bowl; mix.  With pastry blender cut in butter until particles are very small.  Stir in whole wheat flour and rolled oats; mix well.  Make a well in the center; add buttermilk all at once.  Stir lightly but thoroughly until the flour is mostly moistened.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board (it is a sticky mess at this point).   Knead less than a minute, pressing it together.  Form dough into a ball and place on a lightly greased cookie tin, or you can sprinkle corn meal on the tin.  Pat into about a 7-inch circle.  With a sharp knife, cut a deep cross on top of the load to allow the bread to expand during baking; the top will spread apart at least 3 inches.  Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until the loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.  Remove from oven and place on rack.  Brush with melted butter if desired.  Allow to cool a bit before serving.  This is a family favorite.  It is quick and easy to make and is healthy and delicious with soups or salads, and it freezes well.