A Jaunt Through Ireland

We spent a little time in Ireland this month and did the usual; drive around and see the countryside and enjoy the food and drink, always our top priorities when we travel. We also renewed our vows surrounded by more family and loved-ones. Pictures and a few details ensue:

10/20: Morning arrival in London after managing to not sleep much at all on the flight. This set us up nicely for a (mostly) jet-lag free trip.

We met for drinks with some friends from the US who were in London for the rugby and to start a trip of their own. Drinks at The Edition. What a great-looking property. Dinner was at Balthazaar’s – that’s French for “steak.” At least it was that night. ;)

On the 21st my mother arrived from the States. It was her second trip to Europe but the first on her own. She traveled business class, which made all the difference in the world. We took a drive to Spiddal for lunch and to get everyone exposed to a bit of sun (helps to stave off jet-lag). We stopped at Padraicins on the coast.

No pictures that day. Below is a shot I took in 2011, when we took my daughter there. She wasn’t old enough to be impressed.

10/22: Drove towards Connemara via Ashford Castle, hoping to have lunch or tea in the castle but it was closed for a wedding. We had pre-made salads at a giftshop/cantine on the property. I think it was called Mrs. T’s.

10/23: We took it easy on the traveling today because we had a few appointments before the party. We had to stop by the castle and see the layout, visit the florist, but most importantly, choose the wine to be served.

10/24: Partay!

After the party, we all piled into a small bus and wen back to the Browne’s for an after-party party. The sing-songs and festivities continued there until 6a.

10/25 We had a big hangover breakfast and said our goodbyes to those who had to return to reality.

That evening Marie and I took the neices to see the Macnas parade:

10/26: Today we drove to Kilrush. Not a lot to report about Kilrush. Neither of us had been there before so we took a chance. The drive was nice though. By driving through The Burren today, we can head straight to Dingle tomorrow and have more time to spend there.

10/27: Drove to Dingle for an overnight stay at The Lighthouse B&B. After dinner Marie and I ventured into town for a drink and to enjoy some local music. We found a great little pub; O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub with what must have been the lowest ceiling in town and enjoyed some great music. (band name soon to come).

10/28: After a big breakfast at the B&B, we drove out to Slea Head and from there to and around the ring of Kerry. Marrie and I agreed that you can drive a part of the ring and see enough. The drive is beautiful but the scenery can become redundant.

10/29: Today was spent visiting people and saying our good-bye’s. We had a nice dinner with the parental units before last-minute packing and a somewhat early turn-in.

We had a good time on this trip and got to see a little bit more of Ireland that neither of us have seen before and we enjoyed showing my mother some of the places we love. For us traveling is always about the journey and rarely the destination.

More pictures can be found on my Flickr page.