Started the morning early. The room was very nice and breakfast was great. We were on the road by 9 a.m. As I said yesterday, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time here. The drive from Kilkenny to Dublin today took through the Wicklow Mountains. The mountains were very pretty. Snow was visible on the peaks. We decided to get off the motorway and drive through the countryside. At a corner we stopped to take photos of some sheep. I crossed the road and instead of running away (like the Connemara sheep), they all ran toward me! Brenda found this very funny. We both laughed and laughed. The sheep were bleating, the cows mooing, and the dog was barking. Quite a lot of noise. I was sure the farmer was going to come out to see what was going on. Before too long into the drive we stopped for tea and to use the facilities. This stop was made in Baltinglass. We wanted to stop here as there was an abbey listed on the map. We stopped in at Horans for a cup of tea. It’s quite a cute little bar. The barmaid, Kathleen, was super friendly. She told us what to see in the Wicklow Mountains. She said to be sure to see the Upper Lake at Glendalough, that the locals still find it wonderful. We told her we wanted to see the abbey. She said it wasn’t much. We told her that such sights were not available in the U.S. and we all agreed it was a case of it being around all the time, thus losing it charm. When we were ready to leave we asked what we owed and she said nothing. It was to be considered Irish hospitality. We did stop in Glendalough, but the Upper Lake required an admission and we were getting short on time. It will have to wait for another trip.
We completed our trip into Dublin using the motorway, what we call expressways. These are in very good condition as they are fairly new. The M50 is a bypass around the city of Dublin. Wikepedia lists it as the busiest motorway in Ireland. I can believe that. Before dropping off the rental car we went to see Drimnagh Castle. This is just about 5km from our hotel. The tour was fun and informative. Charlie the guide was great. He is here from Scotland. In order to go into the castle you are required to take a guided tour. This was very affordable 4.50 per person for adults. Drimnagh is a Norman Castle in the heart of South Dublin and Ireland’s only remaining moated castle according to their website. The urban area just grew up around it.
We got to the Red Cow Moran about 2:00 p.m. Just a little behind our time. The car rental company couldn’t pick up the car, so we drove it to their offices. They did give us a lift back to the hotel though. No more driving for us now until we get to Michigan.
The hotel is beautiful, and quite large. We went into the bar for a late lunch and a pint. Brenda found out she could get a glass of Guinness instead of a pint. Her new nickname is half-pint! I again chose the seafood chowder. That seems to be my go to meal for lunches. It was quite good. We sat and relaxed ab bit. After lunch we headed to the room to regroup. Tonight we went into Dublin city for our Irish House Party dinner and a show reservation. The routing to get there was a bit of a challenge. We walked the ten minutes (.5 miles) to the Red Cow Luas stop. We purchased a day ticket (€6.80) thinking that would bring us back as well. The ride on the train was fun. We met a older gentleman, whose name is Tom, and he told us about buildings and areas as we past them. He said that if you are over 65 you can ride the public transportation for free. What a great idea. We got off at our stop (Jervis) and walked 20 minutes (.9 miles) to the St. Stephen’s Green Luas stop. From this train stop we walked 20 minutes (1 mile) to our destination. As I told Brenda after we had done this, there is always a “death march” on any trip I plan.
The dinner was very good. Far too much food was served. This is a very touristic thing to do. All of our dinner companions seemed to be visitors like us. There was a large, and loud, group of Belgians. After dinner we were sent downstairs to the performance area. There were four musicians who entered the stage. Declan Quinn was the leader. He sang and played penny whistle and the flute. His brother Eugene sang and played acoustic guitar. Fergal Chambers played the uilleann pipes. There was a young lady who played the bodhran, sang and danced. I cannot for the life of me remember her name! I think it might be Grainne. We learned that there are three instruments native to Ireland. The bodhran, uilleann pipes and the Irish harp. Overall a very good night of food and music.
After a very long day we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. This was much easier on us than the walk/public transit that it took to get here. The cost was €20 well spent. We crashed for the night. Tomorrow is our last full day in Ireland.
Oíche mhaith