My Wild Irish Jo

We were sorry to go, although we missed home. It was an amazing trip, even with the stuff that went wrong. We are already planning to come back to Dublin, which is now one of our favorite places…but we will be glad to see the kitties and sleep in our own bed. And THE BATHTUB. … Continue reading Au revoir to Ireland…

We saw these on the cliffs when we did the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge…they’re razorbills, and are related to penguins. Awww!

This part of the coast of Northern Ireland is volcanic, and the Giant’s Causeway is made of six-sided basalt columns, and is amazing. It was raining, and some of the pics have raindrops on the lens, sorry!

Has been owned by the MacDonnell family since the late 1500s. The owners lived here until the kitchen FELL INTO THE OCEAN, then left, and abandoned it. Cromwell’s men burned the nearby village, and the castle has fallen into gorgeous ruins, and is now a tourist site. Still owned by the same family, who live … Continue reading Dunluce Castle

Is a local craft brewery, and I drank various kinds of this all over town. This, their 60, and their 26 were what I tried. Delicious!

Two of the ships sunk near Derry, and a group of locals figured out where one was and went down to salvage it…they have a big section in the Tower Mueum in Derry dedicated to it.

One of my goals in coming here was to hear as much music as I could….which, in 24 days, was 7 evenings at pubs. Only one of which sessions included a concertina. This is the bar in Derry that I loved, I went there twice….but their music doesn’t even start til 10:30 pm (or 22:30, … Continue reading Music in Ireland

Derry (and DON’T call it Londonderry!) has been around since the late 1500s, and has the only remaining intact city walls in Ireland. Of course the city has outgrown them, so they enclose the old part of town, and you get to see things like this: You can also make a complete circuit on top … Continue reading Derry

We ended up in Belfast because reasons, and did manage to amuse ourselves. We went to see the HMS Caroline, an excellent floating museum. And what did I see on board? No fewer than FIVE BATHTUBS. Which seem to be nowhere else in Ireland…! Then we did the Titanic Experience…the picture speaks for itself.

We did so much! Here’s a quick overview: Of course we went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, but one may not take pictures of it. Here is the Long Room instead, which was also awesome. We went to Dublinia, the Viking and medieval museum, which was quite good. Then the Chester … Continue reading Two Days in Dublin