Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, September, 2007

            On September 4th, we left Tucson on US Air bound for Shannon, Ireland.  We stopped at Phoenix and Philadelphia and arrived in Ireland at 8:30 a.m. on September 5^th.  We were met by Gary, our taxi driver, from Barratt Tours.  He took us to Patrick Punches Hotel in Limerick where we were booked for seven nights.   

             After a good rest in our room, we went for a walk to a nearby shopping mall and found ice cream at McDonalds. After a walk and some dinner, we decided to take in a movie to keep us awake for awhile and we saw John Travolta in Hairspray.  We were able to then get a fair night’s sleep, but it took us a few days to get over the jet-lag.

            The second day, September 6^th, we enjoyed a great hot/cold buffet breakfast provided by Patrick Punches Hotel, and then we took a city bus to the center of Limerick to visit the Hunt Museum, founded by John and Gertrude Hunt. The Hunt collection has some 2000 original works of art and antiquity.  Some of the most interesting pieces include The Mary Queen of Scots Cross, The Leonardo Horse, The Arthur Cross and The Arthur Chalice.  From the museum, we walked towards King John’s Castle, a 13^th century castle on ‘King’s Island ’, which overlooks the river, Shannon .  We also stopped at St. Mary’s Church and saw the ancient Celtic tombstones.  For lunch, we found our first pub called “The Bank” recommended by an employee at the Hunt Museum . We both ordered cottage pie and it was huge with lots of potatoes, but very tasty.  When we returned to our hotel, we found a Chinese restaurant for dinner, and then retired. 

            On September 7^th, we purchased Bus Eireann tickets which took us out of Limerick to Bunratty where we visited Bunratty Castle and Theme Park. The present castle, last of a series on the same site was built around 1425.  During the 16^th and 17^th centuries it was an important stronghold of the O’Briens – kings and later earls, of Thomond or North Munster .  It is furnished with mainly 15^th and 16^th century furnishings in the style of the period of the Great Earl.  The Great Hall is the most interesting. It is the original banquet hall and audience chamber of the Earls of Thomond. The Earl gave judgments while sitting in his Chair of Estate.  The walls are hung with French, Brussels and Flemish tapestries.  We thought this Castle was the most interesting and well preserved that we saw in Ireland . The Theme Park features houses with peat fireplaces, water mills, church, school, and various shops showing life in ancient periods. We split a sandwich at a picnic bench in the park.   We were struck by the green, green, fields of Ireland and the many cows and horses as we traveled through the country.  After a bus ride back to Limerick and our hotel, we found dinner at the local deli.

             Prior to leaving home, we arranged 4 day tours with Barratt Tours, with Richard and Christine Barratt, owner/operators (see www.4tours.biz ).  So, on Saturday, September 8^th, Richard picked us up at our hotel for our first day tour to the Cliffs of Moher.  Enroute to the cliffs, we traveled through the Burren.  The Burren is an amazing area with limestone formations on the ground and in the surrounding mountains. This landscape was created at the end of the ice age over 10,000 years ago.  We stopped at Leamanagh Castle for photos, an imposing building dating from the 17^th century still owned by the O’Briens.  Our next stop was at Caherconnell, an ancient stone fort dating back to the bronze age. It is owned by the Davoren family and it has been handed down in this family since 500 a.d.  There are 600 stone ring forts in the Burren.  The wealth of the people has always been based upon cattle and sheep raising.  We saw a film about the history of the area at this site.  After leaving, we came to Poulnabrone Tomb, an ancient burial site. While excavating in this area in 1986, bones found dated back 3,400 years.  We stopped and walked near the tomb and took photos. Afterwards we continued on to Doolin and had lunch at O’Connors Pub.  I had fish and chips and Roger had beef stew. The food was delicious.  We then proceeded on to the amazing Cliffs of Moher.  It is a stiff climb to the top, but well worth the effort to see the cliffs stretching in the distance, with sheer cliffs dropping to the water below.  We left the cliffs and enjoyed the beautiful drive back to Limerick .  Our first day tour with Richard was very interesting and amazing.  When we arrived back home, we found an East Indian Restaurant across the street from our hotel and enjoyed a delicious meal before retiring for the night.

             The next day, September 9^th, we were up early and enjoyed a full Irish breakfast at the hotel readying ourselves for the tour with Richard to see Blarney Castle . On our way we passed through the village of Croon , known as the ‘poet’s corner’ where the first limerick was written.  We then passed Buttervent Village , where the first steeple chase took place. We also passed through the village of Mallow , known for food production.  We arrived at Blarney Castle , built nearly 600 years ago by one of Ireland ’s greatest chieftains, Cormac McCarthy.  It stands 85ft high and has walls 12ft thick.  It is the home of the Blarney Stone, said to bestow the gift of eloquence upon those who kiss it.  Roger and I climbed the steps to the top, very slowly due to the crowds, thankfully, and he kissed the stone!  Queen Elizabeth I of England wanted the castle, but McCarthy never gave over rule to her, and just kept putting her off.  As a result, she said McCarthy just spoke ‘blarney’ to her.   After leaving Blarney , we headed for the port city of Cork . It is Ireland ’s second city and capital of the ancient province of Munster .  It was founded on a monastic settlement established by St. Finbarre in 606. It is best known as a major international seaport.  We mostly did some shopping on St. Patrick street and found O’Brien’s sandwich shop for a great lunch.  Afterwards, we returned to Limerick and were very tired.  We ventured out for dinner at the Indian restaurant again and finally rested through the night, with no jet lag.

             September 10^th we were ready for our tour to Galway City and a cruise on Lough Corrib.  Richard picked us up bright and early and we headed out.  We passed through Ennis, an ancient town the O’Brien’s established.  It is now a technology city.  Our first stop is in the town of Gort .  It was the home of Wm. Buckley Yeats. We had great hot chocolate and treats at the local bakery. Gort was a nice stop.   We enjoyed great views of Galway Bay enroute to the City of Galway . It was founded in the 13^th century by the Normans .  Galway was a port for trade with North America, Spain and Portugal.  In the 1600’s it received a royal charter to rule itself.  There were 14 ruling families and became known as the “city of the tribes”.  There are flags on the town square with the families’ coats of arms.  We had a sandwich at Subway, found an internet café, and did some shopping where we found an Irish CD. We found a small pub on the square and Roger enjoyed a draft ale and we took a break before boarding the bus again and heading to Lake Corrib for a relaxing cruise.  We had fun talking to students from Italy who were on board.  We also enjoyed an Irish Whiskey and the beautiful scenery of the lake.  After the cruise, we returned to Limerick .  We decided on the deli for dinner as we were very tired.

            September 11^th came too soon – it is our final day tour from Limerick to Adare and Killarney.  Christine picked us up for this tour instead of Richard.  She was very lively and explained about our day.  The first stop was in the town of Adare near the heraldic square.  I purchased several heraldic pins representative of our Irish ancestors, and we walked the streets for awhile.  We then headed towards Killarney and on to the Muckross House, which was built by the Herbert family on land granted to them by King Charles I.  They decorated and furnished a suite of rooms for a visit by Queen Victoria I, with hopes for additional grants.  However, the queen only stayed 2 days with them and upon her return to England , her husband died.  She went into mourning and forgot about the Herbert family.  The family went broke because of the expenses preparing for her visit and they had to sell the house.   The house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers-Bourn of California as a wedding gift to their daughter.  She and her husband were the last to live in the house.  After their daughter passed away, her parents and husband gave the house to the Irish Government.  This was a high manor estate with serfs, etc.  It was a very interesting tour of the house and the servant’s quarters, kitchen, bells to summon the servants, and the furnishings.   We had a sandwich and dessert in the museum café. Afterwards, we went for a short drive to Torc waterfall.  We hiked to the falls and took photos.  The area surrounding Killarney is beautifully wooded and has many lakes and streams.  We were able to view the area as we headed back to Limerick .  This ended our four days of tours with Barratt tours, Richard and Christine Barratt.  They had showed us some beautiful sites and made their tours very personal and interesting.

            On September 12^th, we left Limerick on a train for Dublin . We had fast food for lunch at the train station.  It was a very comfortable, nice train ride.  We took many photos from the train windows of the beautiful green fields and sites along the way.  Upon arrival, we took the city tram called the LUAS to the center of the city and then a taxi to the Citi Hotel on Dame Street near Trinity College .  Unfortunately, we were on the edge of the Temple Bar District, which proved to be very noisy for sleeping.  However, we walked to Trinity College campus and Library and viewed the Book of Kells which contains lavishly decorated copy, in Latin, of the four gospels.  It has long been associated with St. Colum Cille (c 521 -597 AD) who founded his principal monastery on the island of Iona , off the west coast of Scotland , in about 561.  The Book of Kells was probably produced early in the 9^th century by the monks of Iona , working wholly or partially at Iona itself or at Kells, County Meath , where they moved after 806 AD when Iona was attacked by Vikings in a raid which left sixty-eight monks dead.  The Book of Kells was sent to Dublin around 1653 for security reasons during the Cromwellian period.  It came to Trinity College through the agency of Henry Jones, after he became bishop of Meath in 1661.  While in the Library, we also visited the Long Room which houses many ancient books, busts of famous people and was currently showing an exhibit of James D. Watson’s writings regarding the development of the field of molecular biology.  We walked the campus and viewed the campanile which houses the great bell of the college. It was built in 1853 and also contains the smaller ‘provosts’ bell which may have hung in the monastery of All Hallows, the site of Trinity College .  The campus is very large and is beautifully maintained.  Afterwards, we returned to our hotel and had dinner in their restaurant of typical Irish foods, fish and chips, and Irish Stew. 

             September 13th, we purchased a hop-on - hop-off bus ticket for a ride through Dublin on a double decker bus.  The most interesting stop was the Guinness Storehouse Brewery complex.  It was the Guinness Fermentation Plant from 1904 to 1988, but is now the 7 story visitor experience dedicated to the history and making of the world famous beer.  There are displays that show what goes into the making of each and every pint.  The building is designed in the shape of a giant pint of Guinness, and the top floor is the Gravity Bar which features a 360 degree view of Dublin and where you receive a complimentary pint of Guinness.  Roger really enjoyed this fresh pint and is now hooked on Guinness!    There was a good narrative from the hop-on bus guide as we drove through the city.  We passed a red brick house that had belonged to Jonathan Swift. We decided to visit the National Museum of Ireland and were impressed with the great historical objects dating upwards from 7000 B.C.  Some of the most interesting objects were the Tara Brooch which dates from the 8^th Century AD and came from Bettystown, County Meath, and the Ardagh Chalice which dates from the 9^th Century AD and came from County Tipperary .  There was a good film of bog farms and how items have been recovered. One of the most interesting items on display was of a bog man which was found in one of the bogs.  The museum was opened in 1890.  The building, itself, is exquisite with a domed rotunda, classical columns of Irish marble, and mosaic floors featuring classical motifs.  We were able to walk back to our hotel after this very tiring day of sight-seeing.  After we rested up, we walked into the Temple Bar area searching for a pub with some Irish music and food.  It was very crowded and we were able to just walk through some pubs that were featuring music.  We ate dinner and returned to our hotel early as the next day we had a tour planned. 

             September 14^th – We were up very early and had breakfast in our room, before walking to the Paddywagon Tour Office a few blocks away.  It was raining that morning, but just a slight mist.  It was a nice walk before the city became awake.  The bus to Belfast was on time, and we had no problem meeting our Paddywagon tour guide in Belfast .  The guide gave us a brief history of Ireland as we proceeded towards the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge on the northern coastline.  It was very cold and windy when we arrived there and it was a long hike to the bridge.  We decided to have a hot drink and walked part-way to the bridge and enjoyed the wild waves crashing into the rocks and the beautiful site of the ocean as we walked.  A friend whom we met on the bus trip promised to send us photos of the bridge itself.  True to her word, she e-mailed us the photos when we arrived home. Salmon fishermen for over 350 years have strung a rope bridge there to allow them to catch the migrating salmon. It is where Atlantic Salmon migrate past the Carrick headland to the inland rivers.  After this stop, we continued on towards the Giants Causeway in County Antrim .  This wonderful rock formation is now a World Heritage site. It is one of the world’s outstanding geological areas. It was formed by lava which burst through the earth’s crust and formed into prismatic columns. There is an Irish folktale about a giant who could see a beautiful maiden across the sea and had his men build the causeway in an effort to reach her.  Thus, it is known as the Giant’s Causeway. We were able to take a bus down to the Ocean’s edge and climb out on the columns.  It is a most beautiful and spectacular site.  The whole coastline of Northern Ireland, along this area, is one of the most beautiful areas we have ever seen.  The rich green fields go right to the water’s edge and the water and coastal rocks are magnificent.   After this stop, our tour continued on to the town of London Derry , or Derry as some folks call it.  We saw walls with pictures depicting the uprisings in this part of Ireland .  We walked the city and did a small amount of shopping.  Our tour guide thinks the two countries, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will actually become one within a period of 10 years.  Let’s hope he is right.  We then enjoyed our ride back to Belfast . We missed the bus back to Dublin by two minutes, so we had sandwiches in the bus station and caught the next bus.  It was a very enlightening and enjoyable day, and we were glad to get back to the hotel about 10:00 pm .

             September 15th – Up early for breakfast and then left by taxi for our flight via Ryan Air from Dublin to Edinburgh , Scotland . The Dublin airport was packed.  We were not impressed with Ryan Air, but we were able to catch our flight, with no problems and arrived in Edinburgh on time.  It was very cold when we arrived there.  We took a taxi to our B&B, the Averon Guest House.  There didn’t seem to be any heat in the room and the accommodation was poor.  My cold became much worse!  We walked to a small restaurant and enjoyed some Italian food.  We returned early and stayed in for the night.

             September 16th – We had a good Scottish breakfast at our B&B and took the city bus to the train station.  We used our Britrail pass to go to the city of Dundee .  The train was very nice and we enjoyed the scenery.  It was foggy and rainy and the sights from our train window were very beautiful.  We crossed bridges and saw green fields, rivers, and ocean views. When we arrived in Dundee , the Discovery Point and the Royal Research Ship, Discovery, were just across the street from the train station.  This research ship was used by Captain Scott and his men for his first Antarctica expedition during 1901-1904.  It was built to withstand the hostile polar seas.  It has been very well preserved and there is a nice reception area and museum next to the ship.  We were able to walk the decks and see all of the ship.  Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice hot lunch in the Café of the museum.  Roger enjoyed this trip very much.  Just as we were boarding the train to return to Edinburgh ,

 Roger noticed his watch missing! He had had some watch band latch problems and should have had it fixed prior to the trip. No time to look for it, so we caught the train. When we arrived in Edinburgh , we took a taxi to see the Edinburgh Castle . This is a spectacular castle built on a hill that overlooks the entire city.  The views from the walls are breathtaking.  The architecture of the buildings in the city is amazing and beautiful.  We liked the Great Room, and the Crown Room which features the royal crown, and the stone of destiny.   We also visited the soldier’s museum on the castle grounds, which features the history of Scotland ’s warriors and horses.  We left the castle and walked back towards our B&B.  Along the way we found a Pizza Hut and Roger enjoyed a Stella Artois beer with lasagna and a good salad.    

 September 17 – This morning my watch battery was dead and Roger had to take the small alarm clock that we had brought along. We had arranged for a Grayline Bus Tour for the day to go to Rosslyn Chapel (made famous by the movie The Da Vinci Code).  The bus picked us up at our B&B and we made our first stop at Craigmiller Castle which was near the city limits of Edinburgh .  Mary Queen of Scots resided in this castle at one time and her son, James, was conceived there.  We had a great tour guide who made the castle’s history very interesting.  He showed us a room where the enemy’s soldiers were lured and killed.    We continued on to Rosslyn Chapel and he told us stories of Knights Templar and the history of families who owned a nearby castle and worshiped in the Chapel.  The Rosslyn Chapel is a 15^th century structure and is now under a canopy in order to dry out the roof of the building.  The inside is very lovely with many carvings and beautiful columns, which tell stories.  Some of the history has been deciphered from the carvings and is an ongoing project.  Some of the carvings could be of corn and cacti and the theory is that people came to North America long before Columbus ‘discovered’ it.  The Chapel is located seven miles south of Edinburgh and is one of Scotland ’s most historic churches.  We listened to a tour guide inside the church who explained the different columns and architecture of the building of the chapel.  We enjoyed seeing this wonderful building.  The tour bus left us off a few blocks from our B&B. Since Roger was without a watch and my watch had stopped, we found a watch store where Roger purchased a watch and they put a new battery in mine.  We walked to our hotel and packed our bags to be ready for a long train ride the next day to England.

 September 18th -  After a quick early breakfast at the B&B we took a taxi to Waverly station where we caught a Virgin Train from Edinburgh to Northampton , England . There were two quick stops and changes along the way that went very smoothly.  The country along the route was very beautiful and the further south we went the warmer it became.  We were glad to leave the cold, wet weather behind us.  When we arrived in Northampton , we rented a car and after getting lost several times and stopping to buy a map, we finally arrived at our B&B the Arandale Regent Hotel.  We were very tired and were able to have a nice dinner at the B&B and get a good night’s rest.

September 19th – After a good B&B full English breakfast, Roger drove us towards the town of Badby where we were looking for his English ancestor’s home village. His Roote ancestor left this village in 1673.  Badby is a very quaint and beautiful village.  St. Mary The Virgin Church sets on a hill with beautiful green surroundings.  We were able to find the next door neighbor who let us see inside the church.  We took several photographs and bought a small book on the history of the church.  When we told her about Roger’s ancestry being from here, she phoned Mrs. Christine Orr who keeps records of people who come to the area seeking ancestral records.  She invited us to come to her house.  She was very nice to talk with and introduced us to her husband.  It was interesting to find that other people with the last name of Root had also been to see her and she had letters, etc. about the Root family that went back several generations.  She and her husband, David, live in a story-book cottage with a beautiful flower garden for a front yard.  They have lived there for 40 years.  We really liked meeting them.  While we were at the church, a neighbor who was working in his yard told us about a place a couple of miles away to have lunch. It is called Fawsley Hall.  When we left Mrs. Orr, we drove out to find it.  It is located in a very rural area amongst fields and cattle farms.  Fawsley Hall is a very fancy tudor style country hotel. It was a Royal Manor as early as the 7^th century.  We had lunch in the “Old Laundry Bar”.  It was superb.   When we left the area, we drove into Daventry to get some English pounds. We then went to Northampton and found the Northamptonshire Record Office where Roger was able to find a book on the ‘ Village of Newnham ’, but he was unable to copy it.  We decided to return the rental car before going back to our B&B.  After getting lost several times, we finally found the agency and were very thankful to give the car back and have someone else drive us back to the B&B.  We enjoyed dinner again at our hotel.

            September 20th – After breakfast we decided to go downtown Northampton by taxi since there were rain showers.  We had the taxi take us to the Museum of  Shoes , Art, and History of Northampton.  The shoe museum had very interesting displays of old machinery used for manufacture of shoes, shoes from all eras, styles, and colors imaginable, and some historical displays of the area.  When we left the museum, we explored the town and found the post office, used the internet at their very nice library, and did a little shopping for books and pharmacy items. We ate lunch downtown at the Goose restaurant.  The city is very nice, clean, and has beautiful architecture in its buildings.  We visited their fruit market square where every kind of vegetable and fruit was for sale, as well as other goods.  We visited the All Saints Church which was built in the 1700’s.  It has a beautiful interior.  We found a bakery where we indulged in hot chocolate and pastries. It was a very relaxing day and we enjoyed the city.  We walked back to our B&B and stayed in for dinner.

             September 21st – We had a taxi pick us up at 6:30 a.m. to take us to the Northampton train station for our train to Fishguard, Wales .  We changed trains four times enroute with good connections. On the last leg, a large group of golfers boarded the train and were a lively group, drinking beer that they brought aboard as we went along. They were joking and having fun, apparently headed for the ferry at Fishguard.   We arrived in Fishguard Harbor about 1:30 p.m. and it was raining lightly.  There were no taxis in sight, so we spotted a city bus that took us within a block of our hotel, the Cartref Hotel, run by Kristina Bjorkqvist, on High Street.  She showed us to our room and after a rest, she recommended that we walk to the City Information Center and Library and view “The Last Invasion Tapestry”.  It is a beautifully embroidered tapestry which depicts the story of the last invasion of Wales by the French in 1797.  It took four years for the citizens of the area to finish the tapestry for the bicentennial which took place in 1997. There is an interesting film which shows how the tapestry was designed and finished.  Fishguard is a lovely village on a large cliff overlooking the sea with narrow streets and charming stores and restaurants. We enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner at an Italian restaurant with a view of the sea.  We had a good night’s rest in our very quiet and nice B&B.

             September 22nd – After a very good breakfast at the B&B, we took a taxi to the village of Newport, Wales .  The purpose was to view the Newport Castle , the ancestral home of one branch of my family. Christina had done some local phone research that morning and found the phone number of a gentleman who might know of my family in Newport; however, I was unable to make contact. I truly appreciated her efforts.  The taxi left us off at the base of the castle, which is now occupied by private owners, and we took photographs.  We then walked to the church just down from the castle and found some tombstones with my family’s names.  Afterwards, we went to the Visitor Information Center and found books and postcards on the history of the area.  I was excited to purchase a book with many references to the history of my family in the area in ancient times.  We then went to the Newport Castle Hotel Pub for lunch. It was the most quaint and authentic old pub on our trip and Roger enjoyed a glass of ‘Real Ale’.  ‘Real’ means it was on draft. We then took the Poppit Rocket bus which travels along the coastal road back to Fishguard.  We were able to take some interesting photos of the area and the coast.  When we returned to Fishguard, we went back to see the film about the Last Invasion Tapestry.  After a rest, we had dinner at the Royal Oaks Inn and Pub where the French surrender occurred in 1797.   The table where the signing took place is still there in the lower dining area.  We had a good meal and returned to our B&B for a good rest.

            September 23rd – After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and a last visit with our hostess, Christina, a taxi took us to Fishguard Harbor to catch the Stena Line Express ferry to Rosslare , Ireland .  It was time to cash in English Pounds for Euros! Roger was up and about and took photographs as we sailed away.  We enjoyed a hot chocolate prior to sailing.  The ferry crossing was very turbulent, but I was able to avoid seasickness by sitting perfectly still.  We arrived at Rosslare at 1:30 p.m. right on time.  At 2:40 p.m. we boarded Bus Eireann for our trip to New Ross, Ireland , one of the oldest towns in County Wexford .  The bus stopped just across the street from our hotel, the very nice Riverview Hotel.  Our hotel was just a block away from the Dunbrody Famine Ship, so we walked to see it.  This ship is a replica of the original Dunbrody which was a three-masted barque built in Quebec , Canada , for the Graves family of  New Ross, County Wexford in 1846.  She carried many emigrants to the new world from 1845 to 1870.  The Dunbrody Project involved the construction of a full scale sea-going replica and was finished in 2001.   This was financed by the John F. Kennedy Trust Fund, and there is a film of   John F. Kennedy’s visit to Ireland showing in their visitor center.  His sister, Jean Kennedy dedicated the ship.  There was a good tour and presentation by the tour guide of the ship. Actresses presented impersonations of passengers, both first class and steerage, about the conditions on-board during the crossings. There was also a database of Irish Immigrants which we viewed at the visitor center.  We found some family names, but will have to verify if they were our actual relatives.  We had a good dinner at our hotel and turned in for the night.

             September 24th – After we had breakfast at the hotel, we packed our bags and caught Bus Eireann across the street at 10:05 a.m. for our last trip across Ireland to Limerick .  We changed buses at Waterford and noticed that the weather was getting colder.  We arrived in Limerick at 1:15 p.m. and took a taxi back to the Patrick Punches Hotel.  When we checked in, they had our same room waiting for us – it was a pleasure to return to familiar surroundings and be wrapped in the warmth, as the wind and rain were very strong outside.  We stayed in and had our last good Irish dinner in the hotel’s pub that evening.  We phoned our favorite taxi driver, Gary , and he arranged for our pick up for the next morning back to Shannon airport.  We had a good night’s rest.

             September 25th – We enjoyed the great buffet breakfast at Patrick Punches Hotel, and then it was time for the taxi to Shannon airport to set out for home.  Our US Air flight left Shannon on time for Philadelphia . We changed planes for Charlotte, NC, and then Phoenix and finally, after a delay in Phoenix , arrived in Tucson at about 12:15 a.m.   We were very glad to be home at about 1:00 a.m.   It had been a GREAT TRIP!