Michael learned more about an ancestor generations ago that lived in Cork. We learned he operated a toll house and the location of this toll house. We went to that spot.
Roy learned more about an ancestor from Galway who at 9 years old, during the potato famine, was jailed and sentenced to a week of hard labor for asking for handouts. That hard labor may have been smashing large stones with a hammer to make building materials.
Our first Irish dinner
The Portal to New York City. We could see them, they could see us.
Crossing the River Liffey
We came across this formal garden in an area of Dublin that was under British rule for many years.
This is more of the formal garden, the Royal Hospital Kilmainham Formal Gardens
Evening on the River Liffey
At Christ Church Cathedral
Inside Christ Church Cathedral
With John at Trinity College
In the Long Hall, the library at Trinity College
A copy of the Book of Kells at Trinity Library
On the streets of Dublin
Inside the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) Museum
Through the gate was the children's exercise area. Kids sentenced to hard labor here smashed rocks with a hammer.
In the library of Oscar Wilde's house
An Oscar Wilde statue across from his house
Housing for people of better means. Note the upper windows are smaller giving an illusion of height. The door of each unit is usually a different color.
This is housing for the less fortunate
Me on the Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey. They used to charge a ha'penny (half penny) to cross.
The Molly Malone statue.
Here is part of a song about her:
The Brazen Head Pub. Dublin's oldest pub. It has been open for 800 years.
At one of the bars in the Brazen Head
Another view in the Brazen Head
Part of the old city walls of Dublin
Dublin Castle
Having dessert. Irish coffee, Bailey's Irish cream cheesecake, ice cream, and a custard with strawberry.
St. Catherine's Cathedral
Inside St. Catherine's
St. Steven's Green (a park) is busy on weekends
There are many horse & carriages on the streets of Dublin
Enjoying Irish music in a pub. Here is a sample.
We went to Celtic Nights music and dancing. Here is a sample.
Around Ireland
The Cliffs of Moher
O'Brien's Tower sits on top of the distant cliffs
Looking down from O'Brien's Tower. The cave to the right of center was used in a Harry Potter film.
The Cliffs of Moher are the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the movie The Princess Bride
The cliffs from below during our Aran Islands venture
The Burren (Burren National Park)
The limestone landscape of the Burren
Looking back to the limestone hills of the Burren
The City of Galway
Busy streets of Galway
More of Galway. One of my ancestors (the girl that went to prison for a week at 9 years old) was from here.
Guinness
About to begin our tour
They illustrated all the various steps of the brewing process
Water is one ingredient of the beer. Here is how they illustrated this ingredient.
Barley, another ingredient
Michael at a display about barrel making
Barrels were hand hewn without measurement tools
Displays of Guinness advertising through the years
More ads
The view from the Gravity Bar on top of the distillery. At various points they explain something about what you see.
We had our picture printed on the head of our Guinness
The Ring of Kerry
We took a train from Dublin to meet a bus (coach) in Western Ireland which took us around the ring.
Along the Ring of Kerry
A statue of Charlie Chaplin in the town of Waterville
A beach along the way
Part of the Ladies View in Killarney National Park
Entering the town of Sneem
A castle along the way. Apparently there are 30,000 castles in Ireland.
A Black Taxi political tour in Belfast
The Black Taxis or Cabs for our tour. The drivers lived through the "Troubles" and share personal stories.
A tribute to someone involved in one of the uprisings against British rule
Part of the "Peace Wall" built to try and stop violence of the "Troubles" between the Catholics & Protestants or the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
A memorial at the Peace Wall remembering those who died in the conflicts
Neighbors along the "Peace Wall" have protective screens over their porches to stop molitov cocktails and other things thrown over the wall. Some conflicts continue today.
Signing the "Peace Wall"on the side opposite the memorial above.
Dunluce Castle
Dunluce Castle is on a cliff. At the end of its use a banquet was happening and part of the kitchen and a couple staff fell into the sea when part of the cliff broke away.
Exploring the grounds of the castle
A bridge joins 2 portions of the castle
It's us!
Flowers on the wall by the bridge
Hello Michael!
The Giant's Causeway
Cool formations of basalt (Lava) columns
We took the hiking trail overlooking the causeway and then hiked down. The causeway is on the point just above the yellow gorse flowers.
The trail down to the causeway. It is popular!
Basalt columns along the trail
Me on the rocks
Here is a broader view of the causeway
Michael on the steps of the Giant's Causeway
The Rock of Cashel and Blarney Castle
The Rock of Cashel did have a castle on it. That was replaced with a cathedral. It is now a ruins. We couldn't go in because the "President" of Italy decided to stop by.
Michael and Blarney Castle
Walls along one of the gardens of the castle. There are extensive gardens here. One is a garden of poisonous plants.
The Blarney Stone people kiss is at the top along the right side of the picture. You lay on your back, someone holds you in place as your head & shoulders hang over the edge of the castle & you kiss the stone to get the gift of gab. We chose not to pay and stand in line for an hour to do that.
Gardens around the castle
There is art throughout the gardens. Here a goose has its landing gear down for landing
City of Cork
It was on this spot that an ancestor of Michael's (several generations back) operated a toll booth
The wall across from where the toll house would have been. This may be the original wall. It has a memorial plaque on it to people who died in the famine.
We stopped in Gino's for ice cream
Streets of Cork
We stopped for a half pint while in Cork
The River Lee flows through Cork
Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains and Glenalough Sheep Dogs
Kilkenny Castle
Within the walls of the castle
Gardens of the Kilkenny Castle
Along the way to the Wicklow Mountains. Sheep in the pasture.
The view at Wicklow Gap
A sheep dog
Me and a lamb
Michael with a lamb
A sheep dog rounds up the sheep and corrals them.
The Aran Islands
Inis Oirr
We took this ferry out to the island
You could take carriage tours of the Inis Oirr
There was a curious bee hive structure near the road
We walked to the house and castle ruins on the top of the hill
The castle ruins
Rock walls and houses of Inis Oirr
Along the beach of the island
We had lunch at a little pub
I enjoyed fish & chips several times on our adventure
On the trip I got to try Bangers and Mash. Pretty good. I had heard of them, but never tried them.
