rich_jacko (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rich_jacko) wrote2016-09-13 10:31 pm
rich_jacko) wrote2016-09-13 10:31 pm
Eachtraí na hÉireann
So, the second leg of my holiday took me to Ireland and Northern Ireland, places I'd never visited before. I've now finally been to every nation in the British Isles - I'm slightly ashamed that it's taken me thirty-*ahem*-something years to manage it!
Monday 29th August
My time in Dublin was limited, and I was bombarded by suggestions about what I should see. I'd bought an Eyewitness "top 10" guide so in the end I decided to see as much of that list as I could comfortably do in the time available. I did get round all ten, although there's a few I'd like to go back to, to see the bits I missed.
The weather on Monday was gloriously sunny, so I decided on a walking route around the city, soaking up historical culture at various points - specifically, a university, two cathedrals and a castle.
My first stop was Trinity College. I got there just as it opened, knowing that if I went later on the queue for the Book of Kells would be huge. There was still a queue at 9:30am. The exhibition is very swish and informative, quite similar to the one I went to in Durham a few years back for the Lindisfarne Gospels. The book itself (a collection of 9th century gospels, two of which were on display) is also similar, though even older. The illuminated letters were a joy.
The book, however, was secondary to the main reason I wanted to visit Trinity - the Long Room of the Old Library. Oh. My. God. Completed in 1732 (but altered since), it's the longest library room in Europe, 65m of bookshelves containing 200,000 books. I want one in my next house, please. :o)
After exploring the university grounds, my jaunt took me south to St Stephen's Green, then east to visit the cathedrals.
Walking around Dublin was a "same but different" experience. On the one hand, English is the main language, there's lots of familiar brands, and the traffic drives on the left. On the other, it feels more like a continental European city, particularly in the wide main streets running either side of the river, which is something you don't often see in British cities.
Their traffic lights make amusing computer game noises, but are horribly inefficient, holding pedestrians and cars on red for far longer than necessary. I took my cues from the locals about when was safe to cross. If you wait for the green man, bring a book because you'll be waiting a long time!
The two cathedrals are close to one another and there's plenty of interest inside. Christ Church has a mummified cat and rat, found in the organ ("Dublin's answer to Tom and Jerry", according to a guide). St Patrick's is the burial place of Jonathan Swift. The cathedral buildings themselves are worth a look, but neither is particularly large or architecturally noteworthy. It made me remember how lucky we are to have such spectacular cathedrals in England.
On to Dublin Castle, where I grabbed lunch and booked myself on a tour (You can't go around as much of it on your own). I had a lightning quick look around the Chester Beatty Library before my tour was due to start, but I ought to go back and visit it properly some time, along with the revenue museum which was also closed by the time I finished the tour.
For the most part, the 'castle' is more of a palace, rebuilt after a fire in 1684. Some medieval parts remain, some of which are underground. The later apartments are still used for state occasions, including presidential inaugurations. A garden outside the castle marks the site of the original Viking Dubhlinn. Amusingly, the city's name literally translates as "Blackpool". ;o)
I walked a bit more of the city in the evening and visited the famous Temple Bar (crowded and not that great) and the nearby Porterhouse, a fantastic (and enormous), multi-level craft beer pub. Thank you for the recommendation, top ten guide!
Tuesday 30th August
Tuesday took me out of Dublin at the crack of dawn, for my only pre-booked event of the holiday - a coach tour of the Glens of Antrim. This involved catching a train to Belfast at 7:30am and not getting back until 10:15pm, so it was a long day, but worth every minute of it. There were eight of us in the group from Dublin, meeting up with another 25 or so for the tour, and I got to know many of the others reasonably well. We were a diverse international bunch, from France, Italy, Australia, Canada and the US.
From Belfast we transferred to our coach. Troy, the driver and tour guide, was hugely entertaining. He had a constant supply of interesting facts, anecdotes and jokes, although it wasn't always easy to tell them apart! The coastal scenery was very picturesque and (speaking as someone who is not usually fond of coach journeys) even just sitting in the coach was a great experience.
As is the nature of such tours, I never had quite as long at each place as I'd have ideally liked, but at least I didn't feel too rushed anywhere. Our first stop (for a mere 20 minutes) was Carrickfergus Castle, just to grab a few photos and appreciate the sea air. Next we were onto Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the first of our two main stops of the day. It was quite a trek from the car park to the bridge itself, but great scenery. The bridge was slightly nerve-wracking, but I managed to take a photo over the side and, on the way back, I crossed without holding onto the ropes with my hands!
A lunch stop saw us at Bushmills distillery where we got to sample the whiskey. Officially they only seve the standard 10-year, but if you ask nicely and don't tell anyone (Shhh!) you can try the much finer 12-year. Before getting too inebriated, we moved on to Dunluce Castle, which features in Game of Thrones, for another photo stop.
It was then on to the highlight of the day, the Giant's Causeway, scene of the giant Banandonner running like a big scaredy cat from Fionn Mac Cumhaill (or, if you prefer, a 60 million year old volcanic basalt formation).
The National Trust make you pay £9 a head if you want to go into their shiny new visitor centre, but the stones themselves are a public right of way, so we didn't bother. If I'd had more than two hours there I might have gone in, as some of it sounded interesting, and tried the Nook pub, which was recommended, but the stones were the priority.
What you see here, dear reader, is a tiny fraction of the 118 photos I took at the Causeway. It's an amazing site, utterly alien in appearance. It's hard to believe it's natural, but equally it's clear that it's not man-made. It's quite extensive. The famous hexagonal stones form two promontories jutting into the sea at the base of a cliff. There are other interesting rock formations all around, including the "camel" in the first photo below. With clear sky and calm sea, I could see all the way to Scotland in one direction and Malin Head in the other.
I spent over an hour at the stones themselves, then walked up the cliff path to take some high photos looking down, before heading back to the bus. We had a whole 15 minutes to see a bit of Belfast and grab some food for the train back to Dublin.
Wednesday 31st August
Wednesday dawned a greyer day, and I got rained on a bit later on, but I can't complain. I had been so incredibly lucky with the weather up until now, especially given that (a) I'd been visiting Wales and Ireland, two places not known for being dry; and (b) It had been the August bank holiday weekend.
It was sunny to begin with and I visited O'Connell Street, with it's shiny spire marking the site of the Easter Rising (marking its centenery, so there were lost of commemorations all over the city) and the famous GPO, which I went into to buy stamps for postcards. What did I find there? Only a Lego reconstruction of the Easter Rising, that's what! They must have known I was coming ;o)
Back to my Dublin top ten mission, and next on the list was the Guinness Storehouse. Well, I had to really! As expected, it's a much glossier experience than any brewery tour I've been on in the past. The bits about the history of the company and the huge contribution they've made to the city were really interesting. The bits about how you brew beer were less new to me ;o)
Going there in the morning meant I had two (free) pints of Guinness before lunch (I poured the one on the left in the photo below), which perhaps wasn't the wisest idea, but it was planned to avoid the crowds and it did mean the place was less busy. The circular bar at the top has some great views across the city and to the hills beyond.
After finishing at the Storehouse, I went to Kilmainham Hospital (now a modern art museum) where I had lunch, before taking a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, which is very impressive. Like Dublin Castle, it played a pivotal role in the history of the city and once housed many notable political prisoners. Some of it is quite eerie. An unusual tourist attraction, but definitely worth a visit. The history is told sensitively and fairly by the guides, rather than being, "Rah! The bloody British!"
It was late afternoon by this point, but while I was this end of the city I wanted to visit Phoenix Park. It falsely (like so many others) claims to be the largest urban park in Europe. Okay, it is big, but apart from a few scattered sculptures and Ireland's version of the White House (yes, the president lives there, and it's surrounded by barbed wire and a ditch), it's a bit dull, being mostly just open grassland. What did make it worth visiting were the deer, unexpectedly just roaming around freely, not behind any fences or barriers.
The evening took me back to Temple Bar for a last evening. The streets have a real buzz to them. I found a great burrito bar, Molly Malone's statue, and the Stag's Head pub (first in the city to get electric lighting, and I don't think it's been replaced since...). I'm glad I saw the Ha'penny bridge lit up at night too.
Thursday 1st September
Thursday was the beginning of the end of my holiday. There was so much more to see in Dublin, but I narrowed it down to a morning at the museums. The archaeology and history branch of the National Museum of Ireland was the main one I wanted to visit, but it opened later so I went to the National Gallery first. This was mostly shut for refurbishment except for one wing, so it didn't take me long. The finger puppets (below) in the gift shop amused me!
I found Oscar lounging around in Merrion Park and had a quick visit to the "dead zoo" or Natural History Museum. It's two rooms absolutely stuffed (if you'll excuse the pun) with animals.
After that, I had barely an hour and a half to look around the main museum (must go back to them all!). The 12th century reliquary cross and 4,000 year old Lurgan Logboat below were just two of the highlights. One of the odder and more disturbing exhibits is a collection of bodies found in peat bogs.
got the ferry back late afternoon, and suffered the only setback of my otherwise meticulously planned holiday - getting to the ferry port. The chap in my hotel reception said it was a five minute walk from The Point. That's all very well - and I could see - my ferry, but it's a mass of roads with no obvious way in for pedestrians. I wasn't the only one wandering up and down with luggage feeling lost, and in the end I hailed a taxi with an American couple and got there in plenty of time.
I didn't fancy doing the whole journey home in one day, so I broke it up by staying in Bangor (the Welsh one, not the Irish one!) overnight. My hotel was not too much of a walk - the photo below was taken from the railway station car park!
I strolled into town in the evening and, as it was a Thursday, had Chinese food at a great little place called "Wok & Go". I had a couple of pints in the Castle pub before heading back to bed. It had been a long day.
Friday 2nd September
There's not a huge amount to see in Bangor, but it was worth spending a morning there before continuing my journey home. There's a university, a cathedral (which was closed), views up to Penrhyn Castle in the distance, and an attractive Victorian pier with great views. Because the Menai Strait is so narrow at this point, it was slightly odd to see more land so near off the end of the pier.
Four trains and a tram ride later, I was back home again, and out in time to catch up with folks at the First Friday Social. The perfect end to a fantastic week! :o)
Monday 29th August
My time in Dublin was limited, and I was bombarded by suggestions about what I should see. I'd bought an Eyewitness "top 10" guide so in the end I decided to see as much of that list as I could comfortably do in the time available. I did get round all ten, although there's a few I'd like to go back to, to see the bits I missed.
The weather on Monday was gloriously sunny, so I decided on a walking route around the city, soaking up historical culture at various points - specifically, a university, two cathedrals and a castle.
My first stop was Trinity College. I got there just as it opened, knowing that if I went later on the queue for the Book of Kells would be huge. There was still a queue at 9:30am. The exhibition is very swish and informative, quite similar to the one I went to in Durham a few years back for the Lindisfarne Gospels. The book itself (a collection of 9th century gospels, two of which were on display) is also similar, though even older. The illuminated letters were a joy.
The book, however, was secondary to the main reason I wanted to visit Trinity - the Long Room of the Old Library. Oh. My. God. Completed in 1732 (but altered since), it's the longest library room in Europe, 65m of bookshelves containing 200,000 books. I want one in my next house, please. :o)
After exploring the university grounds, my jaunt took me south to St Stephen's Green, then east to visit the cathedrals.
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Walking around Dublin was a "same but different" experience. On the one hand, English is the main language, there's lots of familiar brands, and the traffic drives on the left. On the other, it feels more like a continental European city, particularly in the wide main streets running either side of the river, which is something you don't often see in British cities.
Their traffic lights make amusing computer game noises, but are horribly inefficient, holding pedestrians and cars on red for far longer than necessary. I took my cues from the locals about when was safe to cross. If you wait for the green man, bring a book because you'll be waiting a long time!
The two cathedrals are close to one another and there's plenty of interest inside. Christ Church has a mummified cat and rat, found in the organ ("Dublin's answer to Tom and Jerry", according to a guide). St Patrick's is the burial place of Jonathan Swift. The cathedral buildings themselves are worth a look, but neither is particularly large or architecturally noteworthy. It made me remember how lucky we are to have such spectacular cathedrals in England.
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On to Dublin Castle, where I grabbed lunch and booked myself on a tour (You can't go around as much of it on your own). I had a lightning quick look around the Chester Beatty Library before my tour was due to start, but I ought to go back and visit it properly some time, along with the revenue museum which was also closed by the time I finished the tour.
For the most part, the 'castle' is more of a palace, rebuilt after a fire in 1684. Some medieval parts remain, some of which are underground. The later apartments are still used for state occasions, including presidential inaugurations. A garden outside the castle marks the site of the original Viking Dubhlinn. Amusingly, the city's name literally translates as "Blackpool". ;o)
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I walked a bit more of the city in the evening and visited the famous Temple Bar (crowded and not that great) and the nearby Porterhouse, a fantastic (and enormous), multi-level craft beer pub. Thank you for the recommendation, top ten guide!
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Tuesday 30th August
Tuesday took me out of Dublin at the crack of dawn, for my only pre-booked event of the holiday - a coach tour of the Glens of Antrim. This involved catching a train to Belfast at 7:30am and not getting back until 10:15pm, so it was a long day, but worth every minute of it. There were eight of us in the group from Dublin, meeting up with another 25 or so for the tour, and I got to know many of the others reasonably well. We were a diverse international bunch, from France, Italy, Australia, Canada and the US.
From Belfast we transferred to our coach. Troy, the driver and tour guide, was hugely entertaining. He had a constant supply of interesting facts, anecdotes and jokes, although it wasn't always easy to tell them apart! The coastal scenery was very picturesque and (speaking as someone who is not usually fond of coach journeys) even just sitting in the coach was a great experience.
As is the nature of such tours, I never had quite as long at each place as I'd have ideally liked, but at least I didn't feel too rushed anywhere. Our first stop (for a mere 20 minutes) was Carrickfergus Castle, just to grab a few photos and appreciate the sea air. Next we were onto Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the first of our two main stops of the day. It was quite a trek from the car park to the bridge itself, but great scenery. The bridge was slightly nerve-wracking, but I managed to take a photo over the side and, on the way back, I crossed without holding onto the ropes with my hands!
A lunch stop saw us at Bushmills distillery where we got to sample the whiskey. Officially they only seve the standard 10-year, but if you ask nicely and don't tell anyone (Shhh!) you can try the much finer 12-year. Before getting too inebriated, we moved on to Dunluce Castle, which features in Game of Thrones, for another photo stop.
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It was then on to the highlight of the day, the Giant's Causeway, scene of the giant Banandonner running like a big scaredy cat from Fionn Mac Cumhaill (or, if you prefer, a 60 million year old volcanic basalt formation).
The National Trust make you pay £9 a head if you want to go into their shiny new visitor centre, but the stones themselves are a public right of way, so we didn't bother. If I'd had more than two hours there I might have gone in, as some of it sounded interesting, and tried the Nook pub, which was recommended, but the stones were the priority.
What you see here, dear reader, is a tiny fraction of the 118 photos I took at the Causeway. It's an amazing site, utterly alien in appearance. It's hard to believe it's natural, but equally it's clear that it's not man-made. It's quite extensive. The famous hexagonal stones form two promontories jutting into the sea at the base of a cliff. There are other interesting rock formations all around, including the "camel" in the first photo below. With clear sky and calm sea, I could see all the way to Scotland in one direction and Malin Head in the other.
I spent over an hour at the stones themselves, then walked up the cliff path to take some high photos looking down, before heading back to the bus. We had a whole 15 minutes to see a bit of Belfast and grab some food for the train back to Dublin.
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Wednesday 31st August
Wednesday dawned a greyer day, and I got rained on a bit later on, but I can't complain. I had been so incredibly lucky with the weather up until now, especially given that (a) I'd been visiting Wales and Ireland, two places not known for being dry; and (b) It had been the August bank holiday weekend.
It was sunny to begin with and I visited O'Connell Street, with it's shiny spire marking the site of the Easter Rising (marking its centenery, so there were lost of commemorations all over the city) and the famous GPO, which I went into to buy stamps for postcards. What did I find there? Only a Lego reconstruction of the Easter Rising, that's what! They must have known I was coming ;o)
 |
 |
 |
Back to my Dublin top ten mission, and next on the list was the Guinness Storehouse. Well, I had to really! As expected, it's a much glossier experience than any brewery tour I've been on in the past. The bits about the history of the company and the huge contribution they've made to the city were really interesting. The bits about how you brew beer were less new to me ;o)
Going there in the morning meant I had two (free) pints of Guinness before lunch (I poured the one on the left in the photo below), which perhaps wasn't the wisest idea, but it was planned to avoid the crowds and it did mean the place was less busy. The circular bar at the top has some great views across the city and to the hills beyond.
 |
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After finishing at the Storehouse, I went to Kilmainham Hospital (now a modern art museum) where I had lunch, before taking a tour of Kilmainham Gaol, which is very impressive. Like Dublin Castle, it played a pivotal role in the history of the city and once housed many notable political prisoners. Some of it is quite eerie. An unusual tourist attraction, but definitely worth a visit. The history is told sensitively and fairly by the guides, rather than being, "Rah! The bloody British!"
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
It was late afternoon by this point, but while I was this end of the city I wanted to visit Phoenix Park. It falsely (like so many others) claims to be the largest urban park in Europe. Okay, it is big, but apart from a few scattered sculptures and Ireland's version of the White House (yes, the president lives there, and it's surrounded by barbed wire and a ditch), it's a bit dull, being mostly just open grassland. What did make it worth visiting were the deer, unexpectedly just roaming around freely, not behind any fences or barriers.
 |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
The evening took me back to Temple Bar for a last evening. The streets have a real buzz to them. I found a great burrito bar, Molly Malone's statue, and the Stag's Head pub (first in the city to get electric lighting, and I don't think it's been replaced since...). I'm glad I saw the Ha'penny bridge lit up at night too.
 |
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Thursday 1st September
Thursday was the beginning of the end of my holiday. There was so much more to see in Dublin, but I narrowed it down to a morning at the museums. The archaeology and history branch of the National Museum of Ireland was the main one I wanted to visit, but it opened later so I went to the National Gallery first. This was mostly shut for refurbishment except for one wing, so it didn't take me long. The finger puppets (below) in the gift shop amused me!
I found Oscar lounging around in Merrion Park and had a quick visit to the "dead zoo" or Natural History Museum. It's two rooms absolutely stuffed (if you'll excuse the pun) with animals.
 |
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 |
 |
 |
After that, I had barely an hour and a half to look around the main museum (must go back to them all!). The 12th century reliquary cross and 4,000 year old Lurgan Logboat below were just two of the highlights. One of the odder and more disturbing exhibits is a collection of bodies found in peat bogs.
got the ferry back late afternoon, and suffered the only setback of my otherwise meticulously planned holiday - getting to the ferry port. The chap in my hotel reception said it was a five minute walk from The Point. That's all very well - and I could see - my ferry, but it's a mass of roads with no obvious way in for pedestrians. I wasn't the only one wandering up and down with luggage feeling lost, and in the end I hailed a taxi with an American couple and got there in plenty of time.
I didn't fancy doing the whole journey home in one day, so I broke it up by staying in Bangor (the Welsh one, not the Irish one!) overnight. My hotel was not too much of a walk - the photo below was taken from the railway station car park!
I strolled into town in the evening and, as it was a Thursday, had Chinese food at a great little place called "Wok & Go". I had a couple of pints in the Castle pub before heading back to bed. It had been a long day.
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Friday 2nd September
There's not a huge amount to see in Bangor, but it was worth spending a morning there before continuing my journey home. There's a university, a cathedral (which was closed), views up to Penrhyn Castle in the distance, and an attractive Victorian pier with great views. Because the Menai Strait is so narrow at this point, it was slightly odd to see more land so near off the end of the pier.
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Four trains and a tram ride later, I was back home again, and out in time to catch up with folks at the First Friday Social. The perfect end to a fantastic week! :o)