July Tour of Ireland

Dublin to Home

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 12:33:55 -0400

After almost three weeks of traveling around Ireland with our tour and on our own, we are finally on our way home this morning. We’ll be departing Dublin Airport via Aer Lingus #105 and heading to JFK-New York, and then up to Red Hook by car. We know we’ll be exhausted by the time we reach home, so this will be the end of our Blog unless we encounter some more interesting tidbits to add later. Hope you all are well - and thanks for reading our Blog!

Dublin City

Wed, 2 Aug 2006 11:26:59 -0400

Dublin City

Tue, 1 Aug 2006 12:09:29 -0400

A cool and crisp morning with bright sunshine greeted us today,and the sun remained with us all day, along with a brisk breeze. It was perfect weather for exploring Dublin City.
With the taxis on strike, I expected the traffic to be in full gridlock, but instead the traffic moved freely with lots more people than usual getting around on foot or by bicycle.
I chose to start the day with a cruise on board the “Liffey Voyage,” a sleek new waterbus (photo above left), built in Sweden and costing one million euro, with windows on the sides and top of the vessel. The boat sits low in the water, almost like an over-water submarine, with room for 48 passengers. The skipper is Colum, and the guide, Gerry, gives a running commentary as we cruised along (photo above right shows Colm and Gerry helping passengers to disembark). The trip is not really a tour of Dublin City from the water, but a tour of the “new” Dublin along the Docklands, formerly a derelict area. It was a real revelation to see the vast development along the docklands area, with dozens of new apartment buildings, hotels, restaurants, and many international financial companies and banks. Gerry points out lots of interesting places on the tour including Colin Farrell’s penthouse apartment and the U2 recording studio, and the route passed under O’Connell Bridge twice. It is a part of Dublin not usually seen on the bus or walking tours, and well worth doing. It is still a work in progress, but, in another 10 years’ time, the docklands will be a focal point of Dublin.
Later in the morning I joined a hop-on/hop-off bus not just for the sights, but also as a great way to get around the city in the midst of the taxi strike. The buses were filled with tourists from many lands, young and old alike.
This evening we are having a party with 25 of our Irish friends at Cafe Bell next to the Westbury Hotel. It should be fun - wish you were here! (Photo shows us waiting to greet our guests at Cafe Bell).

Dublin City

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:25:45 -0400

We are enjoying our time in Dublin thoroughly. The city is alive with street buskers (photo right,on Grafton Street) and lots of visitors from many different countries are milling around on every street.
In the morning, I decided to take a walking tour with Angel Tours and met Shaun Smyth, an excellent guide who also works for the Student Union at U.C.D. Shaun is 6’5”, unusually tall for an Irishman, so he stands out and is easy to follow on a walking tour (see photo above, left). Shaun is well versed in Irish history, folklore and humor.
After the tour, I did my own tour of Dublin’s cafes, pubs, restaurants and shops, to update all of my info for books, newspaper articles, web site, and more. It was easy to conclude that Dublin has indeed become a “cafe society” with new cafes on every street. Sipping a cup of coffee or cappuccino has become part of the lifestyle, just as going to the pub for a drink used to be the main social hub.
The weather has held up well, mostly dry and clear, although it is a lot cooler than last week. I actually got to wear my wool jacket for most of the day and was glad to have it. I walked till my feet were ready to come off, and happily met John back at the Westbury Hotel at the end of the day. What was John doing all day? Why, shopping, of course! And they say that women are the shoppers. I know differently...
Tomorrow there is a 24-hour taxi strike scheduled for Dublin so that should have a huge bearing on getting around in the city tomorrow. I plan to take a hop-on/hop-off bus tour, but the taxi strike should have an impact on all transport around the city. Walking will probably be the best way to get around! Oh, well, I have lots of experience at walking....

Driving from Killaloe to Dublin

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 15:52:53 -0400

After a cooked-to-order Irish breakfast, we bid goodbye to Phil and Liz at Lantern House and set out to Murroe, Co. Limerick to attend the 10 a.m. Mass at Glenstal Abbey. We always try to take in at least one liturgy at Glenstal as it is a special experience, with all of the monks singing. The current prior, Andrew Nugent, was featured in the “Irish Times” this week as the author of a new mystery novel, too, so he has become somewhat of a celebrity. Yet, he served in a supportive role at the Mass, giving the other monks a chance to shine. We were pleased to see a new reception area at the abbey, with a newly expanded shop and rest rooms, ideal for visitors.
After leaving Glenstal,we set out on our drive to Dublin and made remarkably good time (less than three hours), thanks to the new improvements on the M7 road and light traffic on a Sunday. We took the M50 round to N11 and then approached the city from the south - much easier than going right through the city centre. We navigated our way to the Westbury with ease and we were at the hotel just after 2 p.m. Our room was not ready so we took advantage of the WiFi connections in the lobby and caught up on email and questions on my Forum. I learned that the “Boston Globe” recommended our October Tour in its travel section today, so that will no doubt bring us lots of inquiries in the coming days.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Dublin, alive with lots of activity on a Sunday afternoon. See photos above of the Davy Byrnes Pub and a street art display on Grafton Street as well as a cyber cafe sign in Polish, indicative of the “new Dublin.” More tomorrow....