Sunday, 29 May 2011

Dublin 26 to 29 May


Checking the ancestral
home

Thursday 26 May 2011 
Maynooth Castlse Keep

Went to Maynooth Castle home of the Fitzgeralds.  According to the Keating surname history the original Keating was born a Fitzgerald so in effect Danny was checking out his ancestor’s castle.  Unfortunately it is little more than an unroofed pile of grey stones. 

 




Friday 27 May 
Phoenix Park


Phoenix Park seems to go on for ever.  We had visited the park before and seen deer way off in the distance.  Today we got to see  the whole herd up front as they mowed their way up the rugby field.  We walked passed the Irish president’s residence and turned back to walk through more beautiful mature trees and over lawn areas to arrive back at the Park teahouse for a snack.
So cute

Phoeix Park Deer


Front row forwards













Saturday 28 May 2011

Ready for the wedding

Packed up and headed to Carlow along the M9/N9.  Changed at the hotel and we were ready and at St Clare’s church in time for the two o’clock service.  Elaine looked truly stunning.  A very beautiful bride and Paul looked dapper in his suite.  The priest was very personable and the ceremony was relaxed.  
Elaine and Dad Paddy











A champagne reception met us on our arrival back at the hotel and then it was into the reception.  We had a great time at a table with Danny’s old work crowd.  The speeches were first and then everyone could relax and enjoy the four course dinner which helped settle the champagne bubbles. Then it was dancing to the band and then the crowd retired to the residents bar where they all joined in a sing-a-long until the early hours of the morning.  A wonderful day was had by all.

Enjoying non alcoholic punch

            







Sunday 29 May 2011

A very quiet morning.  It was Lucozade all round.



Thursday, 26 May 2011

Dublin 22 to 25 May

Sunday 22 May 2011
Given the rainy weather we decided to make it a museum day. First up was the Georgian House Museum where we were taken on a guided tour from the basement to the attic, through rooms which have been furnished with original artefacts as they would have been in the years 1790 to 1820.
 
The first occupant Mrs Olivia Beatty and her seven children moved in in 1794. Her husband was a successful wine merchant but at the age of 33 she became a widow.

The furniture, glassware, ceramics, and paintings on display were particularly interesting because they were mostly Irish from the late 18th century or early 19th century.  There were a number of pieces that I could see sitting rather nicely in my shop!

The afternoon was filled with the Natural History Museum, a venue that we had been trying to get into since 2006.  It was closed in 2006/7, then it was closed last Monday when we arrived and it was closed this Sunday morning when we tried so it was a matter of principle that we finally get inside. A comprehensive display of Irish animals, birds and insects met us on the ground floor.  Upstairs were examples of animals from around the world.   


Monday 23 2011
Gale force winds, with potential structural damage, and highs of 10 to 13 were the forecast for today.  We decided that shopping was the best option so headed to Liffey Valley centre. 

Barrack Obama was in town so the Garda or security in their infinite wisdom decided to lock down almost the entire city.  The roads were closed 7 kms out from the city; the equivalent of closing the South East Freeway at Mt Gravatt to ensure the protection of someone standing in Queen St!  Chaos, pandemonium and lengthy delays were the result.  It was just annoying for us but we could only imagine trying to run a business during the visit and this comes on the heels of the Queen’s visit where the same restrictions applied.  What a week we chose to come! 

In addition we experienced the windiest May day ever recorded in Ireland with wind gusts at 132kms per hour! 

Rathfarnham Castle

Looking for another inside activity we fought the traffic to Rathfarnham Castle.  It doesn’t look like a castle as such; more like a fortified house with four towers.  It was built in the late 1500s and has had many owners including Jesuits. We saw the fine 18th century interiors with beautiful plasterwork molded ceilings. The building is undergoing conservation and we saw layers of the castle's earlier existence including 18th century wallpaper.

Castle ceiling
 Unbelievably in 1985 it was facing demolition until the state purchased it in 1987. One of the most chilling stories about Rathfarnham Castle is that of a skeleton found in one of the hollow walls in 1880. She was there for over 130 years.  The story goes that she was locked into a secret compartment in one of the rooms during a ball. Two suitors were arguing over her love and they decided to sort out their differences by a dual. The successor would then rescue the fair maiden from the wall. But as it happened, both died - one from drowning and the other from his wounds. 
The whole affair was conducted in secret so the beautiful maiden was left there entombed in the wall, where she died.  Does she walk the halls at night?

Stained glass window
Rathfarham castle

Clone lace work

The castle also housed an exhibition of Irish lace making.  There were pieces of Clones lace, named after the town where it was created in 1847. It was inspired by Venetian point lace, and undertaken as a famine relief project in the small region of West Monaghan and Southeast Fermanagh, at the height of the Great Irish Famine. The Clones people made it their own by adapting it to include many local flowers. It is very delicate work.  



Tuesday 24 May 2011
Headed south to the green lush Wicklow countryside stopping in at Avoca and having lunch at the Meeting of the Waters.  The sun cooperated and gave us a lovely afternoon as we drove along under arches of lime coloured leaves. It is a very tranquil part of the world.



Wednesday 25 May 2011

Loughcrew Cairn

Drove north passed Kells to visit Loughcrew Cairns, ‘the best kept secret in archaeological Ireland’, so the brochure said. The tourists that came off the bus that parked next to us must have read the same brochure.  
The cairns at Loughcrew form the largest complex of passage graves in Ireland. The Cairns are megalithic structures originally built about 4000 BC as burial chambers. We had a steep walk up slippery grass to see one of the cairns.  The wind was so strong it was almost pushing us backward and the rain was icy. The Cairn was roofed and the walls had excellent engravings which we could just see with the torch.  Just like Newgrange the backstone of the chamber is illuminated by a beam of light at sunrise on the Spring and Autumnal Equinoxes.  Regardless of the archaeological significance it was just nice to get out of the wind for a minute.  The view from the top of the Cairn was stunning and would have been brilliant on a sunny day but that was not to be so hot tea and scones at the Loughcrew garden and coffee house was the order of the day.

We circled north and then headed for the coast road home via some interesting diversions thanks to the sat nav taking us on the most direct route but not necessarily the one with the best roads.  On a couple of occasions the roads got narrower and narrower and then grass appeared down the middle of the road, then taller grass and then less bitumen.  Time to turn around – if only we could find a spot to do that!  Regardless it was enjoyable travelling through the greenest fields imaginable, passed ruins and little farmhouses.  When we went through little towns we were continually amazed at the size of the churches.  They would be cathedrals back home and seem out of proportion for the little villages in which they stand. 

Dinner was at Paddy and Helen (Elaine’s parent’s) house.  We had a lovely BBQ which we had to eat inside thanks to the weather.

Sunday, 22 May 2011

Dublin - 19 to 21 May





   
A ghost(?) Dalkey Castle



  
            Ready to face the day

We are still having a great time and using the opportunity to do some of the things we didn’t get around to doing when we were last here. We went on the tour of Dalkey castle. The tour was very good with actors delivering information on how they treated illness in medieval times.  Another actor told us all about archers and an actress in the graveyard, who later revealed she was a ghost, told us that if you touch the Yew tree and make a wish it would come true and if you walked through a low passageway through the church ruins and said good fortune then that would come to you.  It sounds a bit corny but it was all well done.

We walked most of the way home but the wind was too forceful to fight all the way.

Castle ruins

       
Dalkey Castle




In Herbert Park

On Thursday 19 May we went for a walk around our favourite Herbert Park.  There was lots of warm sunshine which changes the whole complexion of the city.   In the afternoon we walked into town and caught up with Michelle and her mum for a lovely afternoon.

We picked up the car on Friday 20 May.  It is a black Nissan Micra with a 1.2 litre engine which is all you need in congested Dublin traffic.

Making the most of having a car we headed off to the well-known Newbridge silver factory at (you guessed it) Newbridge.  The showroom also houses the Icon Museum where you can view the dresses and costumes worn by major film stars like Maureen O'Hara, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.  They had dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Charade, and dresses worn by Grace Kelly; the tux worn by Dean Martin and the grey suits worn by the Beatles when they performed a Hard Day’s Night.  They also had artefacts such as Marilyn Monroe’s last medical bill and the Vespa that was ridden by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.  Danny was most impressed by the actual jeannie bottle from I Dream of Jeannie, signed by Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman. It was amazing to see all those beautiful dresses and costumes in one place.  One of the outfits cost 600,000 euro and two of Grace Kelly’s dresses cost 350,000 euro when purchased at major auctions!  It is strange that such a stunning collection is to be found in a little town half an hour out of Dublin.     

  

Icon Museum - Newbridge Silver














Killruddery House in Bray countryside

Beech Hedges

What's she doing
with a mobile phone 

                 
On Saturday, despite the cloudy weather and forecast of lashing rain, we went to view Killruddery house, an Elizabethan-Revival mansion, south of Bray.  The house wasn’t open – pity the brochures didn’t say that - but the grounds were accessible and we were given a brochure which led us to the Monks walk which was a passageway between rows of oak trees planted in the 1600s and to view a myriad of hedges, fountains, beautiful purple irises and the long ponds.   We took a break and had tea and toast  with Kilruddery honey made from their own hives.

Obviously we aren’t doing things tough and we are both well.  Hope all is well back home.  

Friday, 20 May 2011

Dublin May 2011

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all well.
Cafe en Seine

The Barge Hotel
 
Ballsbridge Bridge

We are having a farntastic (Irish) time.  We have walked all over Dublin reminiscing and checking out all our old haunts.  The place really hasn’t changed that much but because of the Queen’s visit, Barack Obama’s visit and the UEFA world cup final they have spruced the place up and the litter has been collected so the place looks neat and tidy.  All the VIPs must have known we were coming and wanted to upstage us.  The city has been locked down with lots of Garda (Irish Police) because of the Queen’s visit but so far the bomb scares have been hoaxes and we have avoided the demonstrations.

We have met up with Paul and Elaine (the wedding couple) and stayed the night at their place and we have met Elaine’s parents who are lovely. 

We walked Howth headland on Tuesday and completed the longest, hardest walk titled the Bog of the Frogs.  Danny declared himself King of the Bog of the Frogs as we were the only ones on the walk. 

The weather has been difficult with showers, clouds and minimums of 6 and highs of 15.  We were hoping for a warm and sunny spring – why we had such outrageous expectations is unclear given that after 2 years here we should have known better. 
Tomorrow we are meeting up with Michelle the student I worked with and we pick up the car on Friday for some driving adventures.

We will be in touch again soon.
Love 
Danny and Karen 

Cafe En Seine

King of the Bog of the Frogs

Step Inn with Paul, Elaine and Elaine's parents