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We made our way to Midleton to tour the Jameson Irish Whiskey distillery. This was on Geoff’s must do list and I am glad we did this; very interesting place and another surprising highlight of the trip. We got a wee bit turned around in Cork City trying to get to Midleton, but we made it finally and Geoff did a terrific job navigating the city of confusing signs and his frustrated navigator!
Irish whiskey has been distilled in this location for several hundred years. We learned about the distillery process (with many comments about how superior it was to scotch and American methods). At the end of the tour Geoff volunteered to participate in a whiskey taste test and earned a certificate…he was quite proud.
We decided to stay the night closer to Dublin, as we had to turn in our car in the morning. We chose Kildare as it was only about 60km outside of Dublin. Along the way we had a chance to swing into Mitchelstown; this is the region where my great grandparents came from! We made it to Kildare and lodged in the Silken Thomas Inn…quite interesting…I will leave it at that. I also managed to
Geoff's certificate
He's going to frame it!! go for a run in Kildare…I had planned to run a bit while in Ireland but the spirit never moved me until now. Enjoyed a brisk morning run through the town and marveled at the ancient round tower, castle, and beautiful churches, while contemplating that my ancestors certainly visited Kildare and saw pretty much the same views that I was seeing.
We left early for Dublin, and managed to turn in the car with no problems…as we were travelling without auto insurance (way too expensive), I was extremely relieved to have the car cleared and turned in without incident. Now Dublin was in a bit of a grid lock due to the Queen’s visit this week. But our cabbie managed to find an unobstructed path to our hotel, ironically right across the street from the Gardens of Remembrance, where the Queen laid a wreath upon her arrival the day before. If we had been in Dublin one day earlier we could have had a front row seat to this historic event!!
We had a grand time in Dublin. Visited the Guinness Factory which was spectacular, toured Trinity College, viewed the Book of Kells, visited the Temple Bar area, toured St.
Mitchelstown
The area where my great grandparents were from before emigrating at the turn of the century. Patrick’s Cathedral, and purchased souvenirs. I really liked Dublin and could have visited for a week or more. But alas, the trip was over and in the morning we would be heading back home.
Well dear reader, I hope that you had as much fun reading about our travels as I had sharing the experience with you.
Final Gaelic phrase: Éirí an bóthar suas chun bualadh leat, agus féadfaidh an ghaoth i gcónaí leat!
(May the road rise up to meet you, and may the wind be always at your back!)
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