Blogs from County Tipperary, Ireland, Europe

Today, Renata, Mom and I decided to do a Princess Cruise tour to the Rock of Cashel, the Vee and Lismore. Lismore The first stop on our tour was Lismore. One of the main attractions of Lismore is Lismore Castle. Lismore Castle is the Irish home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. You can stay at Lismore Castle at a steep price with rates starting from 86,000 euros for a seven-night stay for up to 16 guests. Not in our budget. The Vee After exploring the town of Lismore, we headed towards the Vee, a V-shaped turn that showcases panoramic views of the Irish countryside, before making our way to Cashel. The Rock of Cashel The town of Cashel is famous for the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most ... read more

Day 11 Our last full day in Ireland, was spent traveling to see the Rock of Cashel, which was a little over an hour away. The Rock is where St. Patrick baptized the King Aengus of Munster around 450. Around 1101, the King gave the Rock to the Church, and in 1134 they built the Cormac Chapel, and between 1230 and 1290 the Cathedral was built. You can see from the diagram in the pictures, that both Churches do NOT face East. The Chapel, since it was first, faces East. The Cathedral, because it was second, and the king wanted it bigger, they had to elongate some parts, and orient it the way it is so it would fit on the Rock. We walked around at first, but it was drizzling rain, so we stayed under ... read more

I was up at 8 this morning as I was going to head up to see Brid and then take Charlie for a walk so he could sleep. Brid was looking great this morning and didn't seem to be tired or stressed at all. This is most likely due to her superb organisation skills! After Charlie was fed and changed, I took him downstairs to his pram. Within about 5 minutes of being in the pram the little darling was asleep. I walked the length of the driveway down to the lake. What a beautiful little spot which I am sure comes in handy for wedding photos. There was a little boat that you could row - very Bridget Jones! After walking further, I came across a river that had some swans on it. It was ... read more

When I opened the curtains in my room this morning I was met with an amazing view! Mountains lined the horizon and were all covered with clouds on top. Stunning. Steph, Carol (Steph's Mum), David, Nick and I headed up to the hotel for breakfast. Even though we were there in plenty of time, they had started clearing everything away but they were lovely and set us up in the bar area (of course we joked about starting the day at the bar!). To our delight Brid arrived with Charlie and it was so exciting to see them both. After breakfast we all drove up to a lookout that wasn't far from our accommodation and took some scenic shots before driving Steph to "the home place". There we got to see Brid's Mum (Pauline) again as ... read more

Is anyone reading these? If not, it will still help us remember our amazing visit to Ireland. We had our first "Irish" breakfast at this nice B&B - little medallions of black pudding and white pudding, (Canadian) bacon, sunny side up egg, grilled tomato. Could have had porridge, cereals, fruits, etc etc etc. Then off to the Waterford Crystal factory tour. It was fascinating to see the craftsmen and hear about the process. No temptations to buy! Then off to New Ross to meet Mary Jo Mohlmasters second cousin (we think), Mike Quinn, and his 14 yr old son Josh. We sat for an hour to have tea/scones, wishing it could have been longer but the tour started after that hour. What a nice man -- we think niceness must be in the genes. We continue ... read more