Dublin

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It was a glorious morning this morning with blue skies as we traveled back to Dublin via Kilkenny to spend our last night in Ireland. After an hour's drive, we made a stop in Kilkenny for some free time to explore. I looked up my mother's maiden name of Meany and I think this is the area that they were from. I found a Paddy Meany Funeral Home, but it looked like there were many Meany's in the area. Unfortunately, time did not allow me to do any searching. I might just have to come back here someday. We first visited the grounds of the Kilkenny Castle. We decided to forego going inside the castle to allow us more time to explore the town. As we came out looking at our map and probably looking a little lost, a nice young man gave us a more colorful in depth map. He pointed us in the right direction to the Medieval Mile where there were lots of shops, restaurants, gardens, a brewery, and galleries. We strolled along until we came to St. Mary's Cathedral. It was built in the 1800s. Next we visited St. Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower. As is usually the case, we were running short on time so we didn't go in. The round tower offers the best view of the city. The round tower is only 1 of 2 round towers in Ireland that can be climbed. We found our way back where our bus was parked to grab a quick bite to eat, and then Carol and Frank shopped while John and I went to take a peak at the castle gardens. It was really a quick peak as we never want to be the last one on the bus.

The day after we arrived in Dublin we had a tour of the city which was fine, but it is a pretty big city and didn't seem walkable so we weren't sure how this was going to work out. We were staying in a different hotel and we were pleasantly surprised that it was about a 20 minute walk to the center and pedestrian district. What made it better is that there was no rain and it was a glorious day. We really enjoyed Dublin the 2nd time around. We listened to some music on the street and just enjoyed the day. On our way back to the hotel, we walked through St. Stephen's Green Park, which was very peaceful and away from the crowds on the street. We arrived back at our hotel in time to rest before we had to meet in the lobby at 6:00 to travel to our Farewell Dinner.

We went to a place called Taylors Three Rock which is Ireland's most loved pub and entertainment venue. It involves a rip roaring evening of traditional Irish song and dance accompanied by a great selection of quality Irish food. This show had everything from well-known songs to foot tapping dances, soulful ballads to lively music, and side-splitting mirth by their resident comedian. We had a frolicking good time. I haven't seen a comedian that funny in a very long time. The show went on for over 2 hours with no intermission. It was great.

We arrived back at our hotel and had to say good-bye to Peter and Patrick who made this trip a success with their good humor, stories and always a smile. Will miss them. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Until next time.......

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Comments

[Sharyn Heisick]

Dublin
So happy you had such a great trip. What a way to end with such a grand farewell dinner with all the dancing and singing. Have a great trip home.