Johnstown Castle Jan 8

We had a long visit today at the Johnstown Castle.  It was built in 1810 for the Morgan family. It possesses three lakes and many, many levels of terraced gardens.  The three of us walked the entire grounds this morning.  The air around the castle is filled with the sounds of waterfalls, birds calling out to one another and the rustle of of the wind as it approaches through the trees.  It is truly a magical place.   The shot above is from the lake.  The water was so still that is appears to be a mirror reflecting the trees above it. The sight was almost like looking out of the earth at the trees and sky above.  The water was so clear that we could see the clouds moving in its reflection.

Knights of Templar Jan 8

On the way to the Hook Lighthouse we also passed the church in Templeton where several knights of the Templar are buried. 
"Templetown has received its name from the Kinights Templar, a brotherhood of monastic warriors originating during the crusades in the Holy Land. When the Anglo-Normans under Strongbow added Ireland to their property portfolio the military orders soon followed. Henry II of England swore to provide for 200 Templars after the murder of St. Thomas a Beckett - and in 1172 gave away wide stretches of Ireland to fulfil this promise. The Manor of Kilcloggan, basically the whole southern end of the Hook Peninsula, fell to the order.

Today only few remains of their church in Templetown are visible (the impressive tower is a later construction, the church even from the 19th century). But the churchyard holds a graveslab with a cross and the agnus dei (Lamb of God), typical for a Templar grave."

Tintern Abbey County Wexford Jan 8

In the On the way to the light house we stopped at the Tintern Abbey.  The last family member to live at the Abbey did so during the time of Henry VIII.  The grounds were lovely, and there were many locals walking in the sunshine, yes sunshine, with their dogs. The river running through the grounds was overflowing its banks with the recent, torrential rains. "The Abbey – which is today in ruins, some of which have been restored – was founded in c1200 by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, as the result of a vow he had made when his boat was caught in a storm nearby. Once established, the abbey was colonised by monks from the Cistercian abbey at Tintern in Monmouthshire, Wales, of which Marshall was also patron.
After the Dissolution of the Monasteries the abbey and its grounds were granted to Anthony Colclough of Staffordshire, a soldier of Henry VIII. The final member of the Colclough family to reside at Tintern was Lucey Marie Biddulph Colclough who donated the abbey to the nation"

New Ross Ireland Jan 7th opps forgot this from yesterday

New Ross Ireland was on mom's list of to do while here. New Ross is the town JF Kennedy's grandfather came from during the potato famine in 1846. There is a large statue commemorating his visit back to the island in 1963.

Hook Head Light House Sunday Jan 8th County Wexford

Today was a very busy day.  We woke up and had breakfast at the organic, free range farm, The Oleary's Farmhouse, then we were off to see a light house, a tomb of one of the knights of Templar at an Abbey, and an very old castle.  Whew, I'm tired with only the itinerary. Lighthouse


"Hook Head is the oldest lighthouse in Ireland, and one of the oldest in Europe still operating. In the 5th century St Dubhán set up a fire beacon on the headland as a warning to mariners. After his death his monks kept the beacon going for another 600 years. Between 1170 and 1184 the Normans built the present lighthouse. It was built from local limestone and burned lime mixed with ox’s blood. Even today traces of the blood-lime mix can be seen coming through the paintwork. The walls are 9 to 13 feet thick and 80 feet above the ground. In 1665 King Charles II granted letters patent to Sir Robert Reading to erect six lighthouses on the coast of Ireland, one of which was at Hook Head on the site of the older lighthouse, the others being at Howth, one to mark the land, the other to lead over the bar; the Old Head of Kinsale, Barry Oge's castle (now Charlesfort, near Kinsale), and the Isle of Magee."

There were fishing boats dragging a net between them in the small bay near the light house.   The birds were delighted with the fish.  They were diving and soaring together in perfect harmony as if to a song only they were privileged to hear.

We ate lunch at the light house restauraunt overlooking the ocean.  I  had a yummy bowl of seafood chowder.

famous bacon and cabbage meal

Random cool fact from ireland

Tater tots in Ireland are called potato cubes.

Irish Breakfast:  No we are not eating it.

The Pond House B and B in Blarney Town - Jan 6

We spent the better part of the day driving to Blarney Castle so mom could kiss the infamous Blarney Stone. We climbed the steep, narrow steps to the castle's highest point and mom kissed the stone. (See the photos). It is a narrow round staircase that is almost a ladder it is so verticle. It was a lot of work to get to the top of the castle to the stone - she did a good job.

http://www.bandbireland.com/accommodation/3246/cork/pond-house-bed-and-breakfast.html

We stayed in Blarney town last night at the Pond House (above).   Steven and I went into the local pub to hang with the locals and listen to some music.  There is a great tradition here on the 6th of January every year. The women all go out without the men.  It is a celebration of sorts after the work of the holidays.  The scene in the pub was grand.   The women of all ages were dressed as uf they were going to a night club: sequins, glitter, cleavage and lots of make-up.  They were all singing, drinking, and having a great time.  There were woman 18 to 80.  It was a hoot to see.  Steven and I sat at the bar, and there was a football match on (Soccer to you and me), one half of the bar was screaming for Liverpool, the other half for the Irish boys.  Our bartenders told us stories of local lore and filled us in on the local boys.   There was a man of about 70 who, "took a fancy to me."  Everytime I walked past him, he would grab my hand and and say, "you are lovely now."  He was sweet and funny and no doubt had more than a few pints in him.  hahahha.  A local group named "The Voodoos" played very American music.  (See pub above)

Steven and I stopped at a fish-n-chips and bought two orders of "chips."  Chips are french fries that are doused in salt and vineger and then wrapped in a giant piece of parchment paper.  They are truly a beautiful thing.  I have to say, one of our better nights on the town.

We had a long travel day today: Blarney to Wexford. The town we are in now has a harbor and our B and B is right on the beach. We can see the lighthouse in the harbor twinkling in the distance. It is a working farm and we will have free range eggs for breakfast. Tomorrow we travel to the Hook Lighthouse and much more.......

Pub in Blarney

Hello All
Just returned from the pub in Blarney Village and it is too late for the blog.   I have so much to share; tomorrow two days worth I promise.
:-)

January 4th and 5th in County Clare

Steven and I are sitting in the “common room” of the Orchard House B&B with the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy watching talking about all things Irish. http://www.guideireland.com/showdetails.php?id=1152.  One of the best aspects of staying in people’s homes is the contact with the local population.  Staying in a hotel I often only meet other travelers.  We spent yesterday in the town of Galway. It is right on the Atlantic Ocean and the B&B we stayed at faced the harbor.  It has a medieval street running through it with old stone streets and buildings they have been there for hundreds of years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway.  We stopped at a castle on the way out of town, when we opened the car door and little dog ran out to us and we became fast friends.  He loved Steven and even jumped into the car with us to get warm.  We have met so many great animals here.  We now carry a bag of apples to fee the donkeys and horses we meet along the road.  Although we no longer try to feed the sheep (see video).  hahaha We headed out early to the Burren County Park an area with many Mesolithic monuments and then made our way to the Cliffs of Moher.   We drove up to the cliffs and opened the car doors.  It was like being in a wind tunnel. The three of us made our way out on the stairs leading up to the cliff’s edge.   The wind blew through the car and actually blew one of Steven’s lenses out the door and down the walkway. I actually threw myself into the wind and it held me in the air.   The earth is truly powerful.  We covered a lot of ground today in the car.   Steven is being a great driver and I am the navigator.  I am most excited about the next few days.  I have booked a literary pub crawl in Dublin and the Writer’s Museum is beckoning me.  We ate lunch in a little pub in the town of Adaire.  I had bacon and cabbage it was amazing, although there was enough food on the plate for an entire family.

Tomorrow we head out to Blarney for mom to kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle.  The photos for tomorrow’s blog should be great!

The Cliffs of Moher January 5th

The Burren January 5th

County Claire Continued

January 4th and 5th in County Clare

Cong