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Published: March 21st 2009
Our car
Lisa with our rental as we were leaving the Rad in DublinWe got up in the morning fairly early, but decided to forego the churches in favor of getting on the road. We got an upgrade to slightly larger car because they didn’t have any small automatics left. I wish that we drove automatic better, but since we’re driving on the wrong side of the road, a strike against us, we didn’t think it would be wise to try to struggle with a manual car as well. So we forked over the higher fees and paid for our “luxury” car. It worked out well. Driving on the other side of the street actually takes quite a bit of getting used to. I’m still not used to it. I actually haven’t driven yet since Lisa got the car in her name, but all that will change tomorrow. The streets are very narrow and windy - in some parts it’s only 1-lane and you have to find a pullout to move over if someone comes from the other direction. A very funny story comes out of the small windy roads. When Lisa rented the car, the woman at the car place sold her the EXTRA insurance (paying for the insurance in Ireland is a
Irish streets
Driving through the towns on the way to Waerford MUST - the highest accident rate anywhere. The insurance costs more than the rental!! And your credit card won’t give you free insurance in Ireland - it’s the big exception). She said that Americans (or other left-sided drivers) who get in and drive usually lose the left mirror or scratch it up within the first few hours of having it. Also that we tend to drive a little too far to the left, which causes damage to the left side of the car on the tiny roads. So Lisa sprung for the extra insurance which is the super-duper insurance that, for $10/day, will cover everything and anything without a deductible (otherwise you might get stuck paying a $1500 deductible). Well, we parked at our first destination and I looked down at the car because it looked funny. I turned to Lisa and asked her if she remembered if we had all 4 hubcaps when we started. I think you know where this is going. At some point during the drive, Lisa had noticed the over-abundance of sheep in Ireland. Each time she would turn and look and point out the sheep in the field grazing, and each time the car
Irish streets
This doesn't do it justice -- how windy and narrow many of the streets were... would wander a little to the left. We had 4 close calls, but no incidents - well, except one! We hugged a curb a little too tightly and didn’t think it was a problem, until we stopped later that day. Her nickname became “hubcap” for the rest of the trip. Good thing we had the super-duper insurance!
Our first stop from Dublin was Waterford. It was a nice drive through the Irish countryside. We’ve seen better since then, but picturesque, nonetheless. We stopped at a little grocery store and picked up some sandwiches for lunch too. We also grabbed some interesting looking potato chips that were chocolate and chili flavored. Turns out they were fantastic! If you ever see these for sale anywhere, try them! Not a bad taste combination. We arrived in Dublin a couple of hours later. Ireland is a pretty small country - about the size of Indiana - so driving all over and around it really doesn’t take that long (despite the low speed limits and ample snail-paced locals). We planned on going to Waterford, touring the factory and watching them make their famous glass, then moving on to the next stop. Our plans got
Waterford Factory
If only we'd gone a few months earlier... derailed a little by a local crisis. Turns out that some big companies called in some loans from Waterford Crystal, which they were unable to pay, and the company declared bankruptcy. They were bought out by some big firm (in NY!) who doesn’t really care much about the crystal, but just wants to make some money. Waterford already had factories around the world (Portugal, China, Poland, etc) but the main and original factory was in Waterford, Ireland. I’m sure it’s more expensive to maintain the Ireland factory, though, so it was the first thing to go. The workers showed up to work on Jan 30 like any other work day and were given a letter, without warning, that they were “sacked” and so sorry good luck in the future. No pension, no retirement, nothing. These were working-class guys who were the backbone of the company for most of their adult lives, and who had been paying into a pension for 40 years. Now with nothing. It’s sick. The Irish government isn’t stepping in to help (but there’s a big movement to try to spur them into action) and the foreign company couldn’t care less. When we got to the factory
is the first time we heard about any of this. There were a lot of people sitting outside with signs, and some farther in town with picket signs marching. I guess what else can you do when you’ve just lost your job of 40 years? We stepped inside and up to the counter of the entrance, and were welcomed by a very nice Irishman about 60 years old who explained the story. He had been working there for 40 years (and was one of the experts who skillfully made the very intricate glass trophies that they’re known for in Ireland!) and now was on the street with nothing. His last act is to usher the confused visitors into the lobby (the only part of the factory still open) where there’s a 15-min DVD about glass blowing, some posters about the history of Waterford, and a few fine examples. It was the most sad thing I have seen the whole trip, and no one even knows it’s happening. Economy sucks.
From what little of the Waterford info I could get off the wall: Glass has been around since the 1500s, but perfected in the 1700s in Waterford (according to them)
Waterford Crystal
No tour for us... with the use of a secret recipe. What made Waterford glass special is that they were somehow able to get a very pure, clear white glass while everyone else at the time had a bluish tint. The recipe was/is a highly guarded secret (but is displayed on the wall oddly enough). The factory/recipe was handed down through the generations, and is still in business today. The workers there will train for many many years to be able to make the fine pieces that Waterford is known for (very intricate). If they make any mistakes, the pieces are worthless and they only get paid for pieces that sell (a lot of incentive to make good pieces). And that was the extent of our “tour”. It would have been nice to see, but I’m sure it would have been much like the Corning Museum of Glass that we used to live near in NY.
We did get one perk by being there during it’s closing - we got full range of the employee gift store. The big gift shop has been closed since the bankruptcy, but there’s a smaller employee gift shop that’s now open to the public (at employee prices!).
We got some REALLY discounted pieces. On average, a 7-in Waterford bowl may go for 150euros (that’s about $200) but they would have it for 100euros. Some things were even more discounted (one piece was like 90% off!!) Though they were unintended purchases, it was the best purchase I’ve made so far.
From Waterford, we hopped back on the road and headed to the Jameson Distillery in Midleton. There are actually 3 of them, but this is the only working one, and therefore rumored to be the best. Even though neither of us really enjoy whiskey, it was still cool to see where it’s made and learn about it. It was much like the Guinness - starts out exactly the same way in fact. Barley is roasted with some special circulation (which makes it malted), then grinded into a meal, then mixed with water to make a mash, then allowed to ferment - beer. Then it’s triple distilled, which is where the magic happens. Irish whiskey (like Jameson) is triple distilled, Scotch (Scottish whiskey) is often double distilled, and American whiskey is often a single distillation. I think that was right - correct me if I’m wrong on that
one… So the Jameson is run through a distillery (just like in high school chemistry class) three times which makes it very pure and very high in alcohol content. Then it goes into oak barrels (often into barrels that were previously used for something else, like sherry, or beer) and allowed to sit and age. It has to be aged at least 3yrs to be sold in Ireland as whiskey (by law). It evaporates as it’s aging about 2% per year, and takes on a darker color. Looks like it’s condensing. They sell an 80yr aged whiskey (for a mere 150euros) - no we didn’t get it. At the end of the tour, though, you get to have a little whiskey tasting. I was one of the 8 volunteers to do a comparison taste test (she actually had trouble finding 8 if you can believe it!!). It meant that at the end of the tour, I sat a table with 3 little tasters (1/2 shot of whiskey) from America, Scotland, and Ireland (Jameson, of course). I’m sure they use the crappiest American and Scotch they can find, but of course the Jameson was the best (fullest flavor with hints of
vanilla), Scotch next, and America the worst (like pure rubbing alcohol). They were even watered down for the test. Then you can follow it up with your free glass of Jameson. Good God it was awful. I still don’t know how people drink that stuff. It’s another one of those things for me that are much better in theory than in practice: the idea of having a nice glass of whiskey on the rocks sounds much better than the rubbing alcohol in front of me (with hints of vanilla, of course) threatening to choke me if I take another sip. I ended up giving the rest of my samples and my glass to some eager tourists (fellow NY-ers!)
Our next stop was to the Blarney Stone. This one wasn’t even high on our list to do because everyone says it’s just a touristy thing, and the rock is covered with spit and lipstick (and possibly pee from the locals each night). Neither of us were planning on putting our mouth on it. Plus, you have to pay to have some guy lower you down to it (you have to angle it just right) which seemed like an awfully big
Jameson Distillery
This was one of the oak casks used to age the whiskey. It's from Jerez de la Fronterra! I was there (in Spain) and had sherry at that bodega! hassle if we’re not even going to kiss it. By the time we got there (just at sunset), it was closed. We got some pics of the castle, and had a pleasant chat with an old Irishman who was out for his nightly stroll and has lived in Blarney his whole life. PS, in case you don’t know the story of the Blarney Stone - it was the Blarney Castle, and back in the 1500s the Lord Blarney kept putting off Queen Elizabeth I who was demanding the swearing of loyalty. He kept doing it so eloquently that he got away with it, but she finally called it a load of “blarney”. Now, kissing the stone is supposed to give you the gift of gab, or eloquence. That and maybe herpes. We passed.
Since it was night out, we just headed back to our hotel in the nearby city of Cork. The Hotel Montenotte was a decent place (a good deal on Expedia) but the rating system in Ireland is blarney (haha). The number of stars a hotel has is apparently based on how much they pay the board. It’s pretty unrelated to the quality of the hotel. It
Jameson
Tasting whiskey looked nice from the outside with a great view of the water and city (at night - during the day we saw it was a little creek with a big factory next to it). Inside it was like a 1970s throw back. They tried their hardest to update the rooms, but just stopped at new furniture and a decent TV (with crappy reception). The bathroom was in dire need of help - old, rust-stained, mildewed, with no outlets. Not so nice, but fine for a night that wasn’t too expensive. However, 4-stars I would not give it! Not to mention that I had to lug my suitcase up the 15-step staircase to the room - no elevator and no bellhop. Definitely not the same rating scale as in the states… Overall, though, it was a fine place to stay for the value.
Once we settled into our rooms, we were off to the town of Kinsale (supposed to be a really pretty town nearby) for dinner and some trad (traditional Irish music). We got a recommendation for a place called the Blue Haven Hotel. The sea bass was incredible (and I found out you can eat the skin and
Jameson
The comparison -- American on left, Jameson in middle, Scotch on right. it’s not fishy at all! A big surprise for me…). It was followed up by a musician who came in to play. Unfortunately, his partner wasn’t with him that night, so it was just him on the guitar and harmonica. I’m not really sure what trad consists of since I haven’t really heard it, but I’m pretty sure there are a few other instruments involved (drum, pipe, some bagpipe-like horn). He was good, don’t get me wrong, but when he started playing the Piano Man and other similar songs, we were pretty sure this was not worth staying out for. Lisa said 1 or 2 of the songs he had played were trad, but that was about it. I’d have to wait longer for a good night of trad (and still waiting!)
After that we tackled the 30-min drive back to the hotel in Cork at night on the windy roads. A little scary, but went pretty well. Within a couple of days, Lisa has become quite the expert driver. I sit in our B&B in Ennis writing this on Fri night, about to say goodbye to Lisa tomorrow. She’s going to drop me off at the Shannon airport
Jameson
I'm a certified whiskey taster now! haha in the morning where I’ll rent a car for my last few days and she’ll head back to Dublin for her flight out tomorrow. Sad to see her go. Now I’m on my own. I plan to spend the night in Galway tomorrow night, so hopefully I’ll have some internet there (and find a place to stay!) I’ll have to write more tomorrow night because I am exhausted and have another early day tomorrow! Until then…
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joe blogs
non-member comment
Waterford Crystal did not own any manufacturing plants other than the ones in Ireland. The new owners have outsourced the production to other manufactures. They produce Waterford products on the same production lines as their own products using the same formula as their crystal