God,Jean ,You sure are going to pack a lot in .Whatever you do dont miss the Siamsa Tire Show .!Glengarriff is beautiful and so peaceful .Kylemore Abbey also and Westport House .The scenery in Co Kerry--is absolutely stunning .I hope you get lovely weather but bring a fleece jacket -just in case .Also bring some sun cream !Anne in Ireland --- Original Message ----- From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 8:04 PM Subject: Re: [IRELAND] Query, My Upcoming Trip to Ireland -- Recollections, Willie WALSH -- "Colours of Childhood" (contemp.) > Hi Ms. Gilly in Wales - Well, it has taken all this time to finalize my > sister and my itinerary for our month-long trip to Ireland (our first!) > this > coming summer. I will be sure and write a newsy note to the list and tell > you all about it. My cousin decided not to join us, which made us very > sad, > but we will have a fun time anyway! > > After a glorious14-day guided Globus coach tour, which begins and ends in > Limerick, we will divide our time between a nice Limerick city hotel and a > highly recommended B&B in the quiet countryside outside of Limerick town, > then take the train (we love trains!) across Ireland over to Dublin to > stay > several days in a posh Georgian hotel restored 17th c. across from the > National Museum! We are looking forward to meeting two Irish friends we > have gotten acquainted with via e-mails and will see all the sights and > may > even take one or two half-day or one-day round-trip rail tours out of > Dublin > (one is a mystery tour that doesn't tell you the destination that leaves > at > noon!). We shouldn't have any trouble getting around by walking and > public > transportation in Dublin city. . > > I will fly from WA State to spend a day or two with my sister in OR and > see > her new house. Then we will take a bus to the Portland area and stay > overnight at a hotel nearby so we can be up and ready for our > early-morning > flight. We will fly to NY, have a short wait, catch another plane that > flies across the Atlantic and touches down in Shannon Airport, over on the > west coast of Ireland, in the Clare/Limerick area. > > We chose July-August time period (for the best weather) although more > expensive. We took a lot at all the listers' suggestions. We discovered > that once we found an interesting-sounding, recommended 4-star B&B on the > Internet, if we took more than a hour or two deciding, it would be filled > by > the time we wrote them back!! This happened several times to us, even > though we were looking for accommodations seven months before our trip! > We > ended up getting some help from a travel agent to find good accommodation > in > the heart of Dublin. > > Since my sis is paying my way, and I was given the task of getting the > most > for "our" money (since I knew more about Ireland, having studied it), I > was > like 'a kid in a candy store,' with so many things I wanted to see and > experience. We decided that a trip that incorporated a guided coach tour > (with airflight over, accommodations, sights, most meals included) was > less > of hassle for us and actually quite cost-effective and our luggage taken > care of, for the most part. > > On the advice of a travel guide, we decided to spend a week longer in > Ireland because it might be our one-and-only triip abroad, there was so > much > to see and do and we needed some relaxing down time. We didn't want to be > on a bus all day, either. Because our cousin (who was to be the driver) > backed out, we had to look into public transportation to get around. (I > don't drive and my sister is loathe to!). We were going to take a Rick > Steves' guided coach tour that sounded wonderful as travellers stayed in > what sounded like homey B&Bs throughout, lots of time at the seashore, we > decided that it might be more tailored for the younger, back-packing > crowd. > We looked into other guided tours and settled on one that seemed to be a > good value (14-day Globus/Scenic Ireland) that would trace the coastline > of > the entire island. The tours includes stays in nice hotels in several > Irish > counties including one recommended by a lister, Jurys Ballbridge in > Dublin. > > The tour includes many meals, all accommodations and fare to sites with > several optional events we will take in (or stay put and relax). Some of > the tour I have outlined below (but not all). We will visit Bunratty folk > park, enjoy dinner and traditional irish music in a barn. Visit Cliffs of > Moher, Rathbaun Farm (watch farmer shear sheep and his wife make scones > for > us), Connemara (Galway) marble factory and Galway town, visit Clifen, a > small fishing village in the far west. We will visit Kylemore Abbey, > massive castle acquired by the Benedictine nuns in a beautiful setting. > We > will also visit Westport, and Knock (where the Virgin Mary appeared). On > the way to Bundoran we will stop at Drumcliff on Sligo Bay to visit the > grave of W. B. YEATS. Our tour takes up into the wild and beautiful > Donegal, and we will follow the Atlantic coast, visit Donegal town, > Bundoran. We will also visit the Belleek Pottery Factory. > > We will go past Dunluce Castle (part of which fell from the cliff into the > sea, taking the kitchen staff with it, in medieval times). The tour > visits > Co. Antrim's Giant's Causeway. In Derry.(St. Columbs' Cathedral) and > Belfast (where the 'Titanic" was built) we will be part of walking tours > by > local guides. > > We will see the Mountains of Mourne and then back into the Republic. The > Boyne Valley is the scene of a bloody 17th century battle, and we will > visit > the Knowth passage-grave dating from the Bronze Age. > > In Dublin we will visit Trinity College and the Book of Kells, join in a > walking tour of the city including statue-lined O'Connell Street, elegant > Georgian squares, St. Patrick's Cathedral. The afternoon is one of > leisure > and we can enjoy an optional Irish dinner and cabaret show. > > We will visit the Wicklow Mountains, visit Ballyknocken House, a typical > Irish family-run guesthouse best known from its cooking school, where we > will have a homebaking demonstration and enjoy fresh cones vrom the oven > and > coffee. We will spend an afternoon in the pretty county town of Kilkenny, > visit the castle. There is a visit to the Waterford Crystal factory and > another to Blarney woolen mill. > > We will call on Bantry, Cork, which is nestled bewsdie a large natural > harbour, board a private boat at beautiful Glengarriff for a short > (apparently calm) crossing to Garinish island, where we will stroll > through > a fragrant and lush tropical island garden. We will head over the > mountains > into Co. Kerry and experience more breathtaking scenery. At Kenmare we > will > join the fabled 'Ring of Kerry' and see Lakes of Killarney, visit > Killarney. > We can take in an optional evening in Tralee with dinner and tickets to > the > Siamsa Tire National Folk Theatre. > > We will visit Dingle Peninsula, the blasket island centre (dedicated to > Irish language and culture), visit Dingle. We can take a optinal > excursion > by horse-drawn jaunting car through the national park, see Lakes of > Killarney, Ross Castle. We will visit quaint Adare, renowned for its > pretty > thatched cottages and we have an optional (medieval?) banquet at Knappogue > Castle. > > Some of the things we are planning on seeing during our free two weeks > exploring at the end of the tour include Limerick's Hunt Museum, take the > Frank McCourt walking tour ("Angela's Ashes"), eat in pubs and get some > local color, take a local bus and revisit Dingle and Tralee, perhaps > Ennis, > Clare, Galway, visit the marvelous Muckross House (where Queen Victoria > stayed), visit Kinsale, Cork (Cobh), the Rock of Cashel, stud farm and > Japanese gardens in Kildare, (hopefully, Dunbrody ship at New Ross, > Kenmare > Lace Centers, Strokestown House). Also definitely want to see Kilmainham > Goal in Dublin, National Museum, National Gallery (Art), and possibly > Botanical Gardens and Guinness Storehouse. Besides a half-day rail > "mystery > tour," we are looking at other RailTours out of Dublin with flight to Aran > Islands, to Avoca (Ballykissangel) and Avoca. I also want to see Trim and > Newgrange, both highly recommended places/sites. The Trim (Meath) castle > is > the one in the movie "Braveheart." and is only an hour from Dublin.. > > If we were driving, I could think of lots more places to visit. We will > be > somewhat limited. > > I have an Irish poetess e-mail friend who has offered to take a day off, > prepare lunch for us in her flat, and show us some of the Dublin sights. > She was born in Co. Leitrim, where our Irish kin evidently came from. We > want to treat her to dinner in the evening. An Irish gentleman, a > business > friend of my nephew, also plans to show us some of the Dublin sights and > promises to treat us to "the best dinner in Ireland." > > I am going to do my best to talk my sister in visiting Liverpool (short > flight) from Dublin, where our English father was born, and to visit > Drumshanbo, Leitrim, where our Irish grandfather was born. As novice > travelers in our 60's we may just get worn out and see half of these > wonderful places before flying back home from Dublin. We may attempt to > do > some genealogy while in Ireland, perhaps look at the National School > Records > at the National Archives. > > I bought some wheeled luggage, had my birth certificate corrected to show > the correct day, have gotten new glasses, had a foot problem and dental > problem taken care of, and the new shoulder bag I bought turned out to be > named "Erin"! ('Twilight Zone' music here). > > Jean xx > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gill Smith" <gilliandavies@lineone.net> > To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 3:01 AM > Subject: Re: [IRELAND] Recollections, Willie WALSH -- "Colours of > Childhood" > (contemp.) > > >> Hello Jean >> >> That was another lovely one. How's plans going for the trip? >> >> Gilly Gill - in Wales >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Jean R." <jeanrice@cet.com> >> To: <IRELAND-L@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 7:07 AM >> Subject: [IRELAND] Recollections, Willie WALSH -- "Colours of Childhood" >> (contemp.) >> >> >> > MEMORY LANE: In a 2002 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" >> > magazine, Willie WALSH recalls his Irish childhood: >> > <snip> >> > > > ==== IRELAND Mailing List ==== > Ireland Mailing List website..surname registry, links, lookup > volunteers,unsubscribe, change your subscription from L to D or D to L > http://www.connorsgenealogy.com/IrelandList/ > >