Hi Listers -- My sister and I had the time of our lives for a month in Ireland - her treat! (Our first time there). We initially took a marvelous two-week guided Globus coach (bus) tour and then spent a week based in Limerick and a week in Dublin independently. We opted not to drive in Ireland, got around with taxis or on foot. Several e-mail friends generously offered to come and pick us up where we were staying to take us out for a day and show us the sights. Those days were extra special for us, as you can imagine! We found the Irish people to be exceptionally friendly and fun-loving. Everyone we encountered was trim. People on the street dressed very casually, had on "sensible" shoes, saved "dressing up" for the evenings out. My sister and I were exhausted by 9 p.m., so we saw very little in the way of pubs. We did get our fill of Irish music from Jury's Hotel Ballsbridge (Dublin) terrific Cabaret show and an excellent "Riverdance" matinee, etc. We especially enjoyed visiting with the elderly. In Northern Ireland, Peter HUTTON was enjoying the unseasonably warm weather with his dog Tyson. He seemed delighted to have someone to talk to, claimed to be in his 90s and said he lived on Abercorn Rd, Derry City. Another darling gentleman was Terrence BOYLAN, who we found seated on a rock wall near where the poet William Butler YEATS is buried at Drumcliff, Co. Sligo, his loyal dog "Rover" at his feet. I believe Mr. BOYLAN was in his 80s. I asked him if he knew where Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim was, where my redheaded Catholic Irish FORD/FORDE's came from. He said it was nearby. We took their names and addresses and have sent along their promised photographs. We did not have any trouble understanding the Irish speaking English in our travels unless they spoke rapidly. One darling elderly lady whose surname was MURPHY (who we spoke to in a tea room) had to repeat her surname three times before we caught it. She had just a little different way of pronouncing it. Can't remember what little village we were in, at that time. She graciously allowed us to take her picture, too. I discovered I was mispronouncing many places I had read about, such as the Cliffs of Moher (pron. "more.") and Fermanagh (pron. "fermagh"). Donegal is prounced Don-e-GALL, with the final syllable said louder and on a higher note. We visited wonderful museums and great houses. Enjoyed so much the thatched cottages, although found the burning peat a bit strong. Ireland's scenery is breathtaking, and because the culture is so ancient there is something interesting to see around every corner! That, together with the Irish peoples genuine friendliness, made our whole Ireland experience the trip of a lifetime! We caught a "Riverdance" matinee at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, which was excellent! Interestingly, the last half of the show included dancers and singers from other cultures, such as Spain, etc., and there was a wonderful tap dancing "duel" between the Irish step dancers and two marvelous African-American tap dancers! We also enjoyed an all-Gaelic production about the Blasket islands on our tour. The programme gave us all we needed to know about the story line, and the acting and music was superb! We didn't attempt to visit any islands except for a very short and calm trip to Garinish Island with its lovely tropical plants. In fact, we saw many palm trees growing in moderate-climate Ireland! We nearly were run over twice in Dublin. Pedestrians need to watch what they are doing. Some of the streets had very helpful directions painted on or near the curb for pedestrians advising them which direction (right or left) to look first before crossing. My sis and I also locked arms and watched where we walked all the time in Ireland, as there seemed to a step where you would least expect it inside buildings and outside where one could turn an ankle. In Dublin we walked down to see the very moving famine statues near the Custom House. We also visited factories such as Beleek's pottery in Co. Fermanagh where I purchased a darling bunny for a daughter's collection. I also bought some lovely gemstone earrings as gifts at the Connemara Marble Industries in Moycullen, Co. Galway. My sis and I also chose matching necklaces at Waterford Crystal Co., darling little old-fashioned "pocketbooks" made with shiny crystals. The skill and precision of the craftsmen in Ireland is mind-boggling. They must all have excellent eyesight, you rarely found any older worker wearing eye glasses. As part of the tour we went to a sheep-shearing farm and also to a cookery school where the lovely young Irish chef invited two fellows on the tour to make scones with her. Must have been the "luck of the Irish" in the air that day, as they turned out delicious! Her home and her grounds were beautiful. She epitomized Ireland's beautiful, feminine, soft-spoken and gracious women. Oddly enough, I spotted Everett, WA-based Rick Steves in a bar on the Dingle Peninsula; I recognized the back of his head from watching all his Ireland travel documentaries on television! He was kind enough to pose for a picture. I told him that his guide book at been our "bible." We took an independent local one-day bus tour to the Rock of Cashel in Co. Tipperary from Limerick city where St. Patrick actually had christianized a King of Ireland - a site not to be missed! While in Limerick, we went on the "Frank McCourt tour," where a guide took us around to the places mentioned in the author's lovely memoir, "Angela's Ashes." Visited beautiful Muckross House in Killarney National Park and the beautiful gardens. Queen Victoria slept there on a visit to Ireland. Enjoyed a jaunting car ride in the rain through Killarney National Park on the only day it rained the whole month we were there. We couldn't have cared less, just popped open our umbrellas; the rain made the experience even more "Irish." Ireland was so green and the air so fresh! Speaking of gardens, Powerscourt in Co. Wicklow is one of the most world-famous formal gardens and rightly so! Not to be missed! An e-mail friend took us to the Rathmines Writers (poetry) workshop where they were surprised that I was familiar with some of their names and their poetry. It was a very special evening. Earlier, she had invited us to have lunch in her flat and, because I happened to mention that my mother used to cook up rhubarb for us when we were growing up, she surprised us with a wonderful homemade rhubarb and custard dessert. That is just one example of the Irish going out of their way to make certain we enjoyed our trip. She had also amassed literature and photographs of Co. Leitrim, where our respective kin had grown up likely knowing each other! On the last day of the guided bus tour I managed to faint briefly and scare my sister at the Knappogue medieval dinner. Must have been the combination of the mead, wine, and fatigue from keeping on the go! No repercussions. Doctor in audience did check me for any signs of a transient ischemic attack, though, given my age. Overall, we experienced 99% of the places I had longed to see in a month of glorious activity! Jean

Thank you Jean, I will print out and keep this one...!! You make it sound so good and it makes one feel that we were the ones there... Thank you..! I am still trying to find my husbands grt grt grt grandfather,who is said to have been born in Rathkiele, Limerick .. some have told me I will not be able to find any info as the records didn't start till the late 1880's..would appreciate your opinion on that one? Dot Robertson . Qld, Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 6:17 AM Subject: [IRELAND] Ireland Trip Snippets - Summer 2006 Jean wrote..... | Hi Listers -- My sister and I had the time of our lives for a month in | Ireland - her treat! (Our first time there). We initially took a marvelous | two-week guided Globus coach (bus) tour and then spent a week based in | Limerick and a week in Dublin independently. | We took an independent local one-day bus tour to the Rock of Cashel in Co. ----------- ----------------| Tipperary from Limerick city where St. Patrick actually had christianized a | King of Ireland - a site not to be missed! While in Limerick, we went on | the "Frank McCourt tour," where a guide took us around to the places | mentioned in the author's lovely memoir, "Angela's Ashes."