Blogs from Ireland, Europe - page 3

Lovely room we have had and warm hospitality in Waterford ….left Hotel after breakfast at 8:40 am and headed to Waterford crystal factory very expensive and famous ….had a guided tour of about an hour then a quick wander down the road to the waterfront on the river …. On the bus at 10.20 am and headed towards Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone arrived around 12.30 pm and a cute little village. Entered the castle grounds and were amazed at the pristine gardens and surroundings … made our way to the Castle and a piper at the bottom…. The que was over an hour long but we had no desire anyway to kiss the Stone …. We got lots of photos then made our way towards the old stables to the cafe ordered a ... read more

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

WOW!!! One word description of The Ashford Castle Hotel. We spent three nights to celebrate our 50th anniversary. It was the perfect place to celebrate our special day and was the experience of a lifetime. What an elegant, beautiful hotel with over the top service. The setting over the Corrib lake was gorgeous. I can't begin to describe this place any better than this link https://allaboutrosalilla.com/luxury-hotels-ireland-inside-ashford-castle/ To celebrate our anniversary, we had the eight course tasting menu with a bottle of bubbly (the go to term for champagne in Ireland!) We brought some champagne glasses that we had engraved to commemorate the occasion with a delicious bottle of French champagne. Dinner lasted 3 ½ hours and every course was a work of art. What a memorable 3 1/2 hours. While at Ashford Castle, we took several ... read more

In lieu of taking the train with two changes, we booked private transport with Daytrips. A lot less hassle and a much shorter trip. We stayed at the Galway Bay Hotel. The primary reason for going to Galway was to see the cliffs of Moher and proximity to Cong and Ashford Castle. There are a lot of people here this week and we had difficulty finding lodging. The reason for the large number of people is the horse races, Ireland's Kentucky Derby lasting a week.The women are all dressed up with outlandish hats. We took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. It was really tough weather overlooking the cliffs with driving wind and rain that can make holding your phone for pictures very difficult. In fact, sometimes they close the site down due to ... read more

The flights went smoothly and even arrived a half hour early in Dublin. Had to wait on the tarmac for 30 minutes since the ground crew and customs do not open until 5:30 am. We stayed at the Stauntons on the Green hotel which is directly across the street from St Stephens Green. The included breakfasts were fantastic! The park is a wonderful oasis of trees, flowers lake and birds. Reminded us very much of the park in Halifax. Unfortunately, the history of the park included the violence of the Irish uprising from British rule. Went to the Museum of Archaeology which included displays from the bronze age. It was very interesting and included three bodies found in bogs. Apparently the dessicated bodies were all very prominent personel but suffered very violent deaths. Also visited Christchurch ... read more