ABD - Ireland 2013 - Parts 1 - 10

[BetaCygni]

Cast & Crew
Me (50 something Disney fanatic), DW (50 something vacation lover), DS (16 Disney fanatic), DD (16 Disney fanatic) – Twins!

Pre-Trip Planning
There wasn’t too much pre-trip planning other than deciding on Adventures by Disney vs. a regular tour. With three Disney fanatics in the family including two teenagers, it was a pretty easy choice. The air fare is about half the cost, so the little bit extra that the Disney tour cost was more than made up for by the cool activities and staying in 5 star hotels like Dromoland Castle.

We only have a few more family vacations until DS & DD are off to college, so we decided to go out with a bang!

We are coming from the west coast of the U.S.A., so we opted to fly in one day early and secured an extra night at the Westin Dublin. That way we could do something on our own and start adjusting the time change (8 hours).

We have a direct flight from SFO to London Heathrow (10:30 hours) and then a short hop to Dublin from there. Our plane arrives in Dublin around 11 AM, so we’ll have the afternoon to relax and perhaps do some walking around.
We have all day Tuesday until the Adventures by Disney dinner reception so we booked a tour to New Grange through Mary Gibbons.

newgrangetours

We should be back in Dublin by 4:30 PM which will give us enough time freshen up before the reception.

Spoiler Alert
Some spoilers about the trip are in this report, so don’t read it if you want to be surprised. Just skip to the end for our conclusion (pssst it was a great trip!).

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 0 (Sunday/Monday July 21-22, 2013)
This was our travel day and it was a long one. We took BART to SFO for our United Airlines flight from San Francisco to London-Heathrow. It was scheduled to leave at 1PM, but left about 20 minutes late because they were “waiting for some baggage”. It was a fairly old 747 without TV screens at each seat. They provided a meal, a snack (ice cream) and a very small breakfast. It was hard to sleep on the plane because there were two crying babies who took turns.

DW, DS, and DD sat together and I sat across the aisle. I was lucky there was no one in the seat next to me since the flight was almost full. That let me spread out a little.

We arrived at London Heathrow on Monday July 22 in the morning. Due to confusion from our check in in SF we thought we had to get our bags in London but after waiting for them we asked the baggage people who said they were checked through to Dublin. We had to go through security and wind through many long passageways to get to the gate for the Aer Lingus flight.

It took even longer than it should have when an airport employee directed us to a security entrance that didn’t lead to our gate. More backtracking!

We were grateful for our small breakfast since we had no time to eat in the airport. We made it to the gate with about 5 minutes to spare and got on the flight. Yay!

That was the worst thing that happened to us on the whole trip! And it was mostly our own fault.

Things started improving when we arrived at the Dublin Airport. We were met at the gate by “Richard” our Disney driver. He was very pleased to meet us an welcomed us to Dublin. He grabbed DW’s rolling suitcase and off we went to his car (a nice Lexus). He said he does this “on the side”. The Disney Magic was starting to glow!

We arrived at the Westin Dublin hotel around noon and our rooms were ready. They were connecting with two single beds in one room and a double bed in the other. Nominally DS & I were assigned to the same room and DW & DD in the other (Disney requires an adult in each room), but DW & I took the room with the double bed!

We were very hungry by then so we ate in the Atrium restaurant in the hotel. We were too tired to go anywhere else. It was very relaxing with peaceful music and good food. DD had a wrap and the rest of us had sandwiches.
As we were sitting there (having been up for more than 24 hours at this point), we realized were going into zombie mode. So we went back to our rooms, planning to stay up until about 4PM and then sleep through to breakfast (skipping dinner).

But before that DD & I used our last bit of energy to walk around a little outside and get our first Irish (and European) geocache
(geocaching)! It was only one block from the hotel and easy to find since there was no container, just a log stuck behind a plaque. Score!

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 1 (Tuesday July 23, 2013)
At the Westin, full Irish breakfast is included with your room so we went down to the Exchange Restaurant when it opened. The Blueberry Banana Smoothie with soy milk and honey was yummy.

After breakfast we got ready for the day and then before heading out we met with our Disney guides Zoe & Kelley in the lobby. I spotted them right away because of their cast member name tags with the familiar shape. They gave us our Adventures by Disney zip-up duffle bags and other information about the trip and reception that night. Our Disney adventure was about to begin! But not just yet…

The bus that was picking us up for our Mary Gibbon’s Tour of New Grange wasn’t due until 10:15 A.M., so we walked around some more and grabbed our second Ireland geocache near the gas company building. Another easy find. In Ireland, geocachers seem to take a picture of themselves with the cache container right next to where it is located making it easy. That is uncommon back in the states.

DD needed to buy a birthday gift for a friend, so we went across the street to Carroll’s, the ubiquitous Irish gift shop. I started my search for a keychain with a fob of Connemara Marble (the official rock of Ireland -> greenish marble). No luck so far.

Then it was time for the bus tour to Tara and New Grange. Mary Gibbons is quite a character. She kept a steady patter going the whole trip; going over the last 8000 years of Irish history. She has an interesting way of covering a period of time and the repeating a few key parts of it at the end before going onto the next time period. It seemed strange the first few times, but I found that I remembered the key parts better later in the day.

Our first stop, the Hill of Tara, is rich with Celtic history. Mary said “Tara is to the Irish what Delphi is to the Greeks”. One hundred and forty two pagan Irish Kings were crowned there. It is the highest point in the area and you can see 3/4ths of Ireland on a clear day.

She told an interesting story about why there isn’t much archeologists can do on the site. A group of Israelites who thought they were one of the lost tribes of Israel were convinced that the Arc of the Covenant was buried at Tara, so they dug everything up looking for it.

As we started walking towards the stone monolith where the kings were crowned, it started raining hard. Our first Irish rain! DS & I had raincoats so kept going. DW & DD stayed back in the trees. By the time we got to the stone, the rain suddenly stopped! More Disney magic!

The view was spectacular even with overcast skies. There is a stone tablet at the site commemorating a failed Irish rebellion against the English in the late 1700’s. It was inspired by the American Revolution. It would take another 150 years before Ireland would attain its freedom.

Back on the bus to New Grange. Mary told us about the “Battle of the Boyne” in 1690. Protestant King William the Orange of England defeated the Catholic Jacobites and their French allies. The anniversary of this battle still causes friction between the Protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland.

When we arrived at the Bru na Boinne visitors center, we were given tickets to tour the Newgrange Burial Mound and had time for lunch (price not included in tour) before boarding the shuttles to the site. They bring people in groups of 30 since only 15 can fit into the tomb at once.

New Grange is a “passage” tomb with the entrance aligned with the winter solstice built over 5,000 years ago (older than the pyramids). The front has been restored to look like it did when it was built and it is spectacular.
Our guide told us that after the Battle of the Boyne, the victors started looking for stones to build with and found the New Grange tomb. Luckily the first place the dug up was the entrance. When they saw the intricate carved stone, they realized it was a special place and didn’t destroy it. New Grange has been open to visitors for over 450 years!

The inner chamber is about 20 feet tall and is capped by large flat stones that were placed 5,000 years ago. It was incredible to think about the people who did that in the distant past.

It was excavated in the 1960’s and the archeologist found a window above the entrance door. On the winter solstice, the sun shines through that window and illuminates a large chamber 60 fee in from the entrance. They have a light they can turn on to simulate that and it is quite amazing. You are in complete darkness and then an orange glow lights up the chamber. There is a lottery for admittance to the tomb during the week of the winter solstice. It is often cloudy in December in Ireland so it is really a long shot!

We returned to our hotel about 4:15 and had some time to relax before the Adventures by Disney dinner & reception at 5:30.

A total of 32 adventurers were on the trip, plus the two tour guides and surprise guest: Farley! His twin brother Pen was “sheep-napped”!! Our quest this week is to find his brother.

There were seven different families of various ages, with a lot of young kids and two other teenagers besides ours. It was a nice mix and everyone was very pleasant. Some had been on other Adventures by Disney trips.

Everyone gets an Adventures by Disney lanyard and each day there is a pin for the theme of the day. Today’s theme was Céad Míle Fáilte which is Gaelic for a Hundred Thousand Welcomes.

The reception was in a private room at the hotel. The food was great. The steak was the best I’ve had in about 5 years. I learned later on the trip that Ireland is known for its beef.

After dinner we relaxed for about an hour and then hit the fitness room. We burned off enough calories to offset the yummy dessert then called it a night. Tomorrow our Disney Adventure officially begins!

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 2 (Wednesday July 24, 2013)
Today’s theme was Life on the Liffey. The Liffey River runs through Dublin. After a leisurely morning we met at 9:30 for our Viking Splash Tour of Dublin.

On the Viking Splash tour, you board a World War II DUKW (amphibious truck) for a drive around Dublin with the driver providing commentary and jokes. AND since it is a Viking tour, you get to wear Viking helmets that you can keep as a souvenir! The driver encourages you to give a Viking roar at people we passed that aren’t paying attention. Rarrr!

Dublin was founded by Vikings in 868 A.D. so it all makes sense…

Some of my ancestors were from Denmark so I guess I do have some Irish Heritage.

In fact, later on the trip we learned that there was no red hair in Ireland until the Vikings showed up. Interesting…

Our driver was fun and we learned a lot about Dublin on the tour. Near the end we entered a man-made waterway (22 feet deep and hand dug many years ago) and the DUKW got to show off its amphibious nature. While on the water we saw Google’s & Facebook’s HQ’s and U2’s recording studio.
After the Viking Splash tour we visited the Jeanie Johnston famine ship. It is a replica built about 10 years ago. The docent gave our group a great tour of the ship and explained all about the Irish Potato Famine. The ship transported over 2000 people to North America without losing a single one. That is remarkable record since many people died on the way over. Most of the trade of the day was from North America to Europe, so transporting people back to North America was a way to make money on the return trip. The original ship eventually sank in the Atlantic Ocean, but all passengers were saved, preserving her perfect record!

Then it was onto the Guinness Brewery for lunch and then a tour. We were in a private room for a lunch of Guinness Stew, veggies, fruit, and dessert. On the tour we found out how Guinness is made. They brew about 3.5 million pints of beer every day at the plant.

We finished up in the “Gravity Bar” on the top floor. It has a 360 degree view of Dublin. You got a ticket you could use for a soft drink or a pint. I opted for the pint. I haven’t had Guinness for a long time and I found it tasted a lot better than remembered!

The last of today’s activates was a walk from the hotel to Trinity College to see the “Book of Kells”. It is an illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the New Testament written in the 800’s on the Isle of Ione off the coast of Scotland by monks. It is called the “Book of Kells” because it was taken to Kells, Ireland to prevent it from being stolen by Vikings. The exhibit explained how manuscripts like that are made and displayed a number of other ancient books.

That night was dinner on our own, so after resting a while at the hotel, DW, DD, and I headed for Grafton Street (a pedestrian street near the hotel) for dinner at an Italian restaurant. We read a good suggestion that you’ll get plenty of Irish food on a tour of Ireland, so while you are in Dublin, try some other cuisines. DS was feeling really full from a big breakfast and lunch, so he stayed at the hotel.

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 3 (Thursday July 25, 2013)
Today’s theme was Celtic Kingdoms. We had to have our bags out by 7 AM since this was a travel day to Killarney. On an Adventures by Disney tour you don’t have to handle your luggage. You leave it outside your room in the morning and it magically appears in your new hotel room. Nice!

At 8:15, we said goodbye to Dublin and headed for the Rock of Cashel, a church on top of a huge limestone outcrop with a commanding view of the surrounding area.

The bus trip wasn’t boring. Our guides told us what we were passing and told jokes.

On the way we stopped for a bathroom break and a snack of scones and tea in Abbeyleix at a hotel café. Disney thinks of everything! Our tour guide Zoe reminded us what her mother used to tell her: “Go when you can, not when you have to.”

When reached Cashel, we started our walk up the hill to the church. Along the way was another geocache hidden behind a map of the town, so we logged it.

Cashel means “stone fort” and way back when it was a fortress where the King of the Munster (southern) region of Ireland ruled. About 800 years ago it was taken over by the church. The adults and young adults had a private tour by a docent of the grounds including the cathedral of the Arch Bishop of Cashel. The kids played games out on the grass with one of the Disney Guides. DS & DD went on the tour.

Like many churches in Ireland, this one was sacked by Cromwell (boo, hiss -> the Irish hate Cromwell who ransacked their country). There is scaffolding all while it is being restored. The cathedral is made of sandstone and needed to be dried out, so the building is covered by tarps. It is almost dry. When it is, they will remove the scaffolding and tarps and should be good for another 800 years!

It was kind of neat to go to Tara when the Pagan kings of Ireland were crowned and Cashel where the Catholic Kings were crowned. Both places were high on a hill.

After the tour we had lunch on our own in Cashel. The luck of the Irish and Disney magic had kept away the rain so far. The guides gave us a map with suggestions about where to eat.

We ended up at the Bake House. The food was very good, but the layout was very cramped. After lunch we split up and did some shopping. DS & I went in one direction and DW & DD in the other. I didn’t have any luck finding my Connemara Marble keychain, but DW found one at the Irish heritage center and got it for me. A shamrock; perfect!

After that we drove to the Killarney Park Hotel which took a couple of hours. On the way we watched “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” on the bus’s video system. If you have small kids on a Disney bus tour, sit up near the front so you can see better. I’ve seen that movie before and it is pretty funny with a very young Sean Connery as the star. I guess that is the only Disney movie set in Ireland so it was appropriate. Watch out for the Banshee!

Later the guides did a trivia contest and I got the first question right: “What is Walt Disney’s middle name?” (Elias). I got a sucker in the shape of a leprechaun’s head! Whoo hooo!

DD got another one right: “What year was Walt Disney born?” (1901) “and for a bonus, what city?” (Chicago) Chicago is where tour guide Zoe grew up so she was excited that someone got that right.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were met by the town crier who welcomed us to Killarney. He also had the day’s pins for our lanyards.

After about an hour to freshen up, we went in the bus to diner at Kate Kearney’s Cottage. It has been open for over 100 years, so I guess the food must be pretty good. It is located in a gap in the mountain range that is Ireland’s tallest. They were much higher than any we’d seen so far.
For an appetizer we had vegetable soup. For the main dish, DS, DD, and I had lamb and DW had chicken. The lamb was okay, but not great. They also serve you potatoes (of course) and steamed “Veg” (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower). A drink was included so I had a half pint of Guinness. DW had cider and DS & DD had water. One of our Disney guides, Kelley, joined our table.

For dessert, I had cheesecake and everyone else had profiteroles. Yum.
The real treat was the Irish music and dancing. A trio played the guitar, mandolin, drum, bagpipes, whistle, and accordion (not all at once! ). A young man and woman performed a couple of sets of Irish dances. The young man did one dance with a broom that I hadn’t seen before. A number of the kids and adults joined in; lots of fun by all. DS & DD and the other teenagers were “too cool” for that.

Near the end the musicians asked if anyone if anyone wanted to sing the song of the “drunken sailor”? I immediately raised my and since I know that song well. I walked up to the front and made sure it was the song I thought it was (“What do you do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?”) and it was, so I said I’d sing it. No one had volunteered previously that evening (some kids had played the drum a little) and they seemed somewhat surprised that I wanted to sing. Maybe it was the Guinness?

They gave me a mic and off we went. I remembered a couple of verses (“Put him in the longboat till he’s sober” and “Lock him in the hold until the morning”). We finished up with them singing “Scrape his belly with a rusty razor” and I heartily joined in.

It was a lot of fun. DS took video and the guides took pictures. One of the benefits of an Adventures by Disney trip is that the guides take tons of pictures that are available to everyone on the tour via a website a week or so after your vacation is over. So we got lots of pictures with the four of us in it which is unusual when we go on our own.

As we were leaving, one of the guides asked me where I learned that song. I told them my brother used to be a sailor (which is true). Actually I can’t remember when I learned it. It is like I’ve always known it…

On the way back to the hotel we saw a rainbow. More Disney magic!
It was 8:45 PM when we returned which was too late for the fitness room or pool at the hotel (closes at 9 PM). So DD & I vowed to get up early tomorrow and go running in Killarney National Park which is just across the street from the hotel.

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 4 (Friday July 26, 2013)
Today’s theme was Cycle of Kings and Queens. But before we get into that, DD & I had our early run. It was glorious running in the damp Irish morning. We started out running along a river in the trees and then cut across an open field just as the sun was rising. Our shadows extended way out towards the mountains where we ate dinner last night. They were orange with the early morning glow. We made it almost to Ross Castle (another 700m to go), but we had to turn around in order to make the bus by 9AM after eating breakfast.

After taking showers we had our full Irish breakfast (see a pattern here? ). DS & I had the french toast. It was a petite portion of cinnamon and sugar encrusted toast. Not that great. There was lots of fresh fruit, juice, and cereal. DW had porridge.

At 9AM we met in the front of the hotel to catch our ride in our jaunting cart driven by its jarvey (driver). The cart was pulled by a lively horse named Ginger. Our jarvey was named Pat, who grew up in Killarney and told us lots of interesting facts along the way to Muckross House in Killarney National Park. On the roads, jaunting carts have the right-a-way.

We went clip clop down the street. It put a smile on all our faces. Ginger was a real runner. We were the last of four carts and Pat had to slow her down. He said if the road was open, she’d want to pass the others.

We rode the carts all the way to Muckross House which is located in Killarney National Park. It was built in the 1800’s as a wedding present. It and the surrounding lands were donated to the Irish government. Its main claim to fame is that Queen Elizabeth once stayed there for two days. There were six years of preparation for those two days! The owner at that time wanted a title and thought by hosting the queen, he’d have a good chance of getting one. Unfortunately for him, the King died three months after the visit and the Queen went into mourning.

We had a tour of the house which was interesting to the adults, but the kids quickly got antsy. The beds were really short because people back then slept sitting up because lying down was the “death” position.

It was interesting to see all the bells in the basement that are hooked up to various pull cords throughout the house so the servants would know who needed assistance.

After the tour, we went on a bike ride to Torc Falls. That was a lot of fun and the falls were very impressive. One problem was there weren't enough adult sized helmets, so some of us went without.

We rode back to Muckross House and had lunch (paid for by Disney) at the visitor’s center cafeteria: main dish, side dish, dessert, and a drink. There was a good selection. We skipped the dessert because we planned on getting ice cream that night and I've read that the ice cream in Ireland is very good.
After lunch we hopped on our bus (which magically appeared) for a quick trip to Ross Castle, where DD & I were running towards that morning. We finally made it!

It is another castle sacked by Cromwell (boo, hiss), located along the lake in Killarney National Park. It was there that we got our pins for the day: Mickey & Minnie dresses as royalty riding in a horse drawn carriage.

You could only walk around the outside of the castle so it wasn't that interesting, but the Disney guides had us line up for some fun group and family photos.

At that point we could either take the bus back to the hotel or walk back. Ten or so of us (including our family) decided to walk back. It was about three miles and took a little over an hour. We took a side trip up to Knockreer House up a steep hill. From there we could see the lake and Ross Castle off in the distance. It looked a long way away; that was fun.

We got back to the hotel around 3:30 PM and took showers. We were on our own for dinner that night and we needed to eat a little early since we were going on the optional ghost tour of a couple of supposedly haunted sites: a hotel by the lake and Muckross Abbey which has a graveyard next to it. Ooooh. Spooky!

We chose Bricin’s Boxty House. We arrived at 6 pm and got a table without a reservation. Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake folded over a variety of fillings. I had lamb, DW had yummy ratatouille (which didn’t seem to include eggplant), and DW & DD had chicken. DS & I had fish and mussel chowder which was excellent.

We walked down the street and had ice cream at Murphy’s. It was really good. Maybe not quite as good as Lappert's in Hawaii, but right up there. DD didn't like it that much.

We went back to the hotel for packing. Tomorrow is another travel day and bag pull was at 7 AM and the bus would be leaving at 8 AM.

Then it was time for the Ghost Tour. We boarded a “ghost bus” which had the windows all blacked out and creepy decorations. I won’t give anything away, but our guide said it was “PG 13” and no one would jump out at you but she was tricking us! Some really young kids went on the tour with their stuffed animals. They didn’t cry but everyone screamed the several times someone jumped out. Good rule for Disney ghost tours: stand next to the guides, they know where the guy is going to jump out from and position themselves away from there.

I don’t really like to be frightened like that, but I’m kind of glad I went anyway. I enjoyed the ghost stories. They were really good at telling them.

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 5 (Saturday July 27, 2013)
Today’s theme was Bring on the Blarney. We had an early departure (8 AM) to beat the crowds at Blarney Castle so could kiss the Blarney Stone. It was about a 90 minute drive and we got let in at 9:45, 15 minutes before the official opening. Before crossing a bridge we posed for a group picture just as it started to rain. It was the worst rain we’ve had since the start of the trip. As soon as the picture was over it stopped raining!

After that, we hiked up the hill to the castle which towered over the surrounding landscape. Then it was up a narrow somewhat slippery staircase because of the rain. There was a thick rope to hold onto on the way up.
When I read about kissing the Blarney Stone, I found out that you had to lean way back to do it, but I didn’t realize it was 5 stories up at the top of the wall. Yikes!

You have to lean way back and down and down some more to reach it. Not to mention that all along the wall there was a large slit where boiling oil could be poured down on attackers. So you are hanging in space. Luckily there is a man to help you and two pipes you can hold onto.

I kissed the first stone I saw, but I realized it was just granite, so I leaned farther back and finally saw the smooth blue stone & kissed it. It was quite an experience and I would do it again.

On the way back down we walked on another spiral staircase; this time with a modern meal railing on both sides. It was nice to get back on the ground. I decided I wouldn't really like living in a castle like that.

We had a few minutes to visit the “Poison Garden” where all the plants are poisonous. Each plant had a description of what type of poison it contained. There were several placards that reference Harry Potter like Mandrake and Wolfsbane. Our guide took a funny picture of us in front of the entrance sign that we ended up putting on our Christmas card!

When we regrouped, our guides led us on a hike through the Rock Close (or Garden) on the grounds. The younger adventures had lots of fun there climbing on trees and rocks. We found the rock you need to get the virtual geocache at Blarney Castle. Score!

Around 11 AM we left Blarney Castle and drove to Adare, a quaint little village that won the 2012 “Tidy Town” contest. In that contest, small towns across Ireland compete against each other to win the award. Killarney won in 2011. Both were much cleaner than Dublin!

Our guides gave us a map and lunch suggestions and we were out on our own again for eating and shopping. We picked “The Arches” restaurant.
DS had fish and chips which he’d been craving. He thought it was good, but not quite as good as a restaurant back home that we’ve eaten at. I had a chicken salad sandwich. DD had a chicken salad (not a sandwich) that came with an incredible carved apple that looked like a bird. DW had breaded and fried white fish.

After lunch we did some shopping. DW found a tea towel with an inspirational Irish saying. I treated DS & DD to some chocolate covered caramels.

Then it was back on the bus for the 30 minute drive to Dromoland Castle! The grand finale to the trip. We have three nights there.

On the bus, the guides passed around a clipboard for each family to sign up for the castle activities they were interested in. These cost extra and included things like: hawk walk, skeet shooting, archery, golf, and many others. We signed up for the hawk walk and archery.

When we arrived, we were greeted with refreshments, and we got our room keys. As it has been at each hotel, our room had a large single bed and DS & DD’s room had two singles. These were connecting like the ones at the Westin in Dublin. Disney thinks of everything!

Our room was in the new wing on the 4th floor with a great view of the original castle. The castle was rebuilt in the 1800’s so it wasn't sacked by Cromwell (boo, hiss!).

We had a few hours until dinner, so I went running around the grounds and everyone else went to the fitness room by the golf course pro-shop. They have treadmills, elliptical machines and a stationary bike. They also had some weight machines.

Running on the grounds was interesting. The road to the entrance is pretty short, so I switched to the golf cart paths. I had to keep alert for golf balls.
For dinner, the parents and other adults went to the very nice restaurant (Fig Tree) at the golf club and the kids and teen adventurers played games, ate pasta or pizza and watched a movie. It was very nice to have an adult conversation and the food was excellent.

We also got our itineraries for tomorrow: We have the hawk walk and archery in the morning and then the afternoon off until dinner.

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 6 (Sunday July 28, 2013)
Today’s theme was Limericks and Leprechauns. We slept in until 8 AM and went to breakfast at the Earl of Thromond Restaurant in the castle. Anything on the menu was included (full Irish breakfast! ) so DW, DS, and I ordered french toast (super good!) and DD ate from the buffet. We all got fruit and juice from the buffet and DD & I got a smoothie.

We relaxed back at the room for about an hour and then it was time for our Hawk Walk. We enjoyed about an hour with T.J. the Harris Hawk and his trainer (Jim). As we walked through the woods, Jim would release T.J. into the trees and then put a small piece of ground beef on our gloved hand. T.J. would fly to our hand to get his reward. It was very magical to be that close to a bird like that. We learned that Harris Hawks are from the west hemisphere and are the most intelligent hawk. In the wild, they hunt in packs and share the food they catch.

After the walk we returned to the castle falconry and met the other birds they have there including a Peregrine Falcon, a barn owl, and various other raptors. We got to pet a 1 year old barn owl that was very fluffy. Most of what looks like their head is really feathers designed to direct sounds to their ears.

Then it was off to archery. The four of us took turns shooting 5 arrows at a target about 20 feet away. DS & DD did the best on a consistent basis, but DW got one arrow the closest to the center of the bull’s-eye. I need to work on my archery…

After archery we had lunch on our own at the Fig Tree restaurant (the same place we ate dinner at last night). DS, DD, and I had sandwiches and DW had a burger. They all came with a small salad and “chips” (i.e french fries). The chips were yummy.

After lunch I shopped for a golf towel for my brother (he collects them) on the way back to the room. We relaxed until around 4 PM when we went for a run around the grounds for 25 minutes or so. Then it was time for a shower and getting ready for our bus ride to Knappogue Castle for a medieval banquet with music, song, and dance.

The food at the banquet was good and entertainment was loads of fun. There were other groups there and one couple from each group was chosen to be a visiting King & Queen and they sat at the head table.

On the way back to our castle (I love saying that ), the guides said that in keeping with today’s theme, every family should write a limerick to read at tomorrow night’s farewell dinner. DD immediately said she would do it (with feedback from the rest of us). Way to take charge!

 

[sayhello]

Hi, BetaCygni! Looking forward to reading the Rest of your Trip Report! We haven't had an Ireland report in a while.

Please, if you post a website, you need to post the *entire* URL. (ie www.newgrangetours.com) Using "*dot* com" to get around the filters is not allowed on the DISBoards. If the website won't come up, then it means it's banned. I'd appreciate it if you could edit your post and fix that.

Thanks!
Sayhello

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 7 (Monday July 29, 2013)
Today’s theme was Ever-Moher because we are going to the Cliffs of Moher today, the last full day of our tour. Boo Hoo

Breakfast again at the Earl of Thromond Restaurant in the castle. This time I had buttermilk pancakes which were better than other pancakes I’ve had in Ireland (they don’t seem to use baking powder so they are very flat), but the french toast was a lot better.

We boarded the bus around 9 AM. To visit Rathburn Farm. That was definitely a highpoint of the trip. We made scones under the firm direction of Francis, the lady of the house/farm. She was very strict about how to make them. We made a Mickey shaped scone, but she nixed it. Luckily Zoe (one of the guides) got a picture of it before that.

The scones were popped into the oven while we went to meet Fenton, Francis’ husband who is in charge of the animals on the farm. He said they have an organic sheep farming operation. The weather in Ireland is too cold, so the sheep are bred for meat rather than wool since the wool is too coarse. That surprised me some, I thought colder was better for wool.

The wool is sold anyway, but only brings in about what it costs to pay someone to shear the sheep.

Fenton had their border collie round up some sheep and he gave a sheep shearing demonstration. Then we took turns feed a lamb milk from a bottle.
Last but not least, we found Pen, Farley’s brother! Yay!

By then our Ploughman’s Lunch was ready: lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and ham. Along with fresh baked soda bread. For dessert we had rhubarb crumble with custard and whipped cream. I don’t really like rhubarb, but the crumble, custard, and whipped cream tasted good. One of the Disney guides, Zoe, sat with us and we had a pleasant talk.

Then it was time for the big reveal! One person from each table went into the kitchen and returned with a plate of the scones we each made. They were yummy with clotted cream!

After that we visited the original farm house which is about 250 years old and has a thatched roof. There was a peat fire burning in the fireplace. It smelled earthy, but didn’t put out much smoke.

Then it was back on the bus to head for our final destination: The Cliffs of Moher. It was a fairly long drive over a twisty road so we started watching the Disney movie “Enchanted” to pass the time.

There is a nice visitor’s center built into the hillside at the Cliffs. The cliffs are made from limestone, sandstone, and shale so they are dark unlike the sandstone cliffs at Pt. Reyes National Seashore near where we live or the chalk cliffs of Dover in England.

We learned that Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince and the Princess Bride were filmed there.

It was super windy but clear with scattered clouds. The Disney Magical Weather was holding!

We could easily see the Aran Islands off the coast. We walked up to O’Brien’s Tower. The tour included a ticket to go to the top of the tour up a couple of spiral staircases. The original tower here and at other places along the coast were to watch out for Napoleon’s army in case they invaded.
O’Brien’s Tower is also the location of an Earth Cache, so I gathered the information needed for that. Unfortunately it was late in the season, so we didn't see any puffins flying around.

After about an hour and half, we boarded the bus for the return trip to Dromoland Castle. We took a different route which wasn't so twisty and saw some people kite surfing. They have up to 60 foot waves here occasionally and a short notice surfing tournament like Mavericks back in California.
We watched the end of “Enchanted” and the guides passed out snacks.
Back at the castle, DD and I went to the fitness room and DW & DS relaxed and took showers.

The farewell (boo hoo ) dinner was at 7 PM. There was great food, music, and dancing. DW & I joined in on the Irish dancing (like square dancing) and it put a big smile on my face.

Then each family read their limerick. Here is ours:
On our whirlwind adventure by Disney
We saw Dublin, Dromoland, Killarney!
We had such fun
We're sad it's done
Our great thanks to Zoe and Kelley!​

The guides tried to read a poem to us, but a double rainbow showed up outside behind them, so everyone rushed out to look at it. More Disney Magic!

After finishing their poem (they got teary eyed), the guides presented a slide show of some of the pictures they took during the week. There were laughs, oohs, and ahhs all around. Then it was time for goodbye hugs.

Tomorrow we have to get up a 5:30 AM for our transfer to the airport.

 

[BetaCygni]

Day 8 (Tuesday July 30, 2013)
Today’s theme was Erin Go Braugh!, which is Gaelic for Ireland forever!

The transfer to the airport (in a minibus) went smoothly. Shannon airport is only about 20 minutes away. We were flying to SFO through Newark airport and we went through U.S. customs in Shannon. Had we known that we would have rescheduled our connecting flight. We had about 4 hours of layover in Newark. There were a couple of flights going to SFO that left before that. A couple of hours would have been a nice break. Oh well. That is really the only complaint we had about our arrangements.

Conclusion
DW & I felt we really got our money’s worth on this trip. The guides took lots of photos of each family which will be posted in a website only the people on the tour can access. The days were well-planned. The guides gave us restaurant suggestions in each city. Hotels were luxurious and many but not all had air conditioning. Sometimes the guides provided snacks on the bus. Wine was included in most included dinners.

The guides were really first rate, DD summed it up this way: They were nice, talkative, and awesome!

There was just enough time on our own to not feel like we were always rushing here and there. A quiet meal as a family a few times during the trip was a perfect way to take a break from the group and build family memories.

DD & DS said that it was the best vacation ever except when we’ve visited the Disney parks.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Very exciting to read this trip report. Ireland is a top contender for my next ABD. I'll enjoy reading it.

 

[Cousin Orville]

The tour to Tara and New Grange sounds really cool. That's neat they have the artificial light in New Grange to simulate the affect so you don't have to wait around for that one week a year. We also like to arrange a tour on our own before the ABD officially begins. There's always so much to see, particularly in that first city that the ABD just doesn't have time for.

 

[BetaCygni]

Hi, BetaCygni! Looking forward to reading the Rest of your Trip Report! We haven't had an Ireland report in a while.

Please, if you post a website, you need to post the *entire* URL. (ie www.newgrangetours.com) Using "*dot* com" to get around the filters is not allowed on the DISBoards. If the website won't come up, then it means it's banned. I'd appreciate it if you could edit your post and fix that.

Thanks!
Sayhello

Thanks Sayhello. I edited the post. Since I'm a new poster, I wasn't able to include URL's until I had 10 posts. The Ireland Trip had 10 parts, so now I can add a real URL.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Day 2 (Wednesday July 24, 2013)
I opted for the pint. I haven’t had Guinness for a long time and I found it tasted a lot better than remembered!

...When in Dublin.....

I'd love to see the Book of Kells. I remember it from my art history days back in college. I'm sure it's beautiful in person.

 

[Cousin Orville]

What did you ink about the hotel in Kilarney? How about the hotel in Dublin?

Darby O'Gill... What a great live action Disney Movie!

 

[Bobo912]

...When in Dublin.....

I'd love to see the Book of Kells. I remember it from my art history days back in college. I'm sure it's beautiful in person.

This was something I was interested in too, but it was actually a big let down. I don't remember for certain, but I believe there were two illuminated manuscripts on display with some other texts in a glass case. They turn the pages each day, and the pages we saw had almost no art work, so we didn't see any of the beautiful illustrations I was expecting. There were quite a few people there besides our group, so when you add in 40 ABD'ers trying to crowd around a glass case to see a couple of small books, it's not an ideal situation.

 

[Bobo912]

I don't remember if I had steak at the welcome dinner, but they had some of the best salmon I've ever had and I'm usually not impressed by restaurant salmon.

 

[Bobo912]

Before crossing a bridge we posed for a group picture just as it started to rain. It was the worst rain we’ve had since the start of the trip. As soon as the picture was over it stopped raining!

The exact same thing happened for us. By the time we had climbed the stairs to kiss the stone, the sun was shining.

 

[Bobo912]

ABD has rearranged this part of the trip a bit. We had dinner on our own and did the ghost tour on the Rock of Cashel day (nobody jumped out to scare us at all on the ghost tour, and it wasn't scary). We didn't go to Ross Castle after Muckross House, but we had dinner at Kate Kearney's that evening. DS and I had ice cream at Murphy's too. I had brown bread, which sounded so strange I had to try it. It was actually very good. I also had a scoop of Irish Coffee, which was even better. The people who work in that shop are some of the nicest, most friendly people I have ever met.