Real Ireland & A Medieval Castle
June 2023. People often say they want to visit the real side of a country. Funny thing is, seeing the real side takes time and countries are huge they can’t be neatly packed into one real adventure. Nonetheless my recent rip to Ireland allowed me time to see some real things. This post is a place for me to save some of my favorites from the trip.
Leprechauns are not called out much in Ireland. I heard tell they used to be mentioned a bunch because that is what tourists expected. Terri and I found it a giggle to pose in front of this sign because we were the shortest in our group. The other photos are of the Gap of Dunloe. Terri and I hiked all the way to get a good look at the view. You can see the clear water and sheep companions made the effort picture perfect.
The first photo in this group is famine housing. It was sobering to see how pitiful it was. The next of blue shutters and the happy yellow house are in the same town, Liscarroll, and offer a cheerier vibe. Cottage windows and thatched roofs exist and are charming, it’s just what you’d expect.
The photo that looks like a dungeon hole is actually a staircase in one of the castles we toured. We braved going up and down. The stairwells were designed to keep the inhabitants safe from invaders. This means the spiral twists for left handed people since most of us are right handed. Thus keeping invaders off balance. To make it harder the steps are not even, some wide, some not, and the height of each is no uniform. I’ll admit at first I thought the castles were small. In the movies they always seems so vast. But once I was up close and inside I realized the scale was deceptive. The massive ten foot thick walls put it all in perspective. These are fortresses make no mistake.
We got to see the softer side too. There are fairies residing all over Ireland. The tree photo shows a close up of some of their homes. Yes it is fanciful, but I love that the Irish embrace this. It’s quite normal to talk of spirits, fairies, and sprites. Mischief is a part of Irish life.
Finally the yellow house on the Burren. We would’ve loved to have more time on the Burren. It is a place where rock is the feature of the landscape. It’s otherworldly. Not a landscape I have ever encountered. I wished for more time to sink in and feel the place. Reason to return.
You can never have too many photos of donkeys. They are rather adorable. They are also strong and can be cranky with a loud voice. We were charmed by our visit to the Donkey Sanctuary. And while we were in Licarroll we stopped in to Philip Egan’s pub for an afternoon of him reading us his poetry. And then of course some Irish hospitality with tea and scones. I love tea and scones. In the evening we went across the street to the other pub in town, O’Brien’s where a local session was taking place. This is where musicians just keep showing up and joining in. It was the real deal. Jeanette even joined in with her ukulele and she was welcomed with open arms.
Yes, I spent most of my time with a smile on my face. There was so much to enjoy and making new friends with my travel mates was fun as well. This is me sitting in the Earl’s chair at Bunratty Castle. Our last night we enjoyed dinner in the castle. I finally found my drink of choice, MEAD! I am not a Guinness fan. Give me mead and keep it flowing. So good. The night was filled with madrigals and harp music, eating with our hands and pounding the table to applaud. Makes me cheer to think of it again.
Jerome was our driver for the week. He was a kick. He knew people every where we stopped. Some he hadn’t seem in 20 years but they talked like it’d only been a day. Even folks he’d never met were fast friends. He was marvelous and very Irish. While he loaded our luggage in the boot one day I took a turn behind the wheel. I would NEVER make it driving on the LEFT! I’m glad we had such a terrific guide and driver.
So many good memories. I’ve only scratched the surface! I’ll keep it all in my heart. Loved our troop: Jen, Jeanette, Eileen, Terri, Susy, Laurie, me and Dana. It will never be as amazeballs as the first time, but let’s do it again!