DRIVING FROM DUBLIN TO WATERFORD

20 MAY 2023 – Waterford
As promised, here are a few highlights from our first couple
of weeks in Ireland. Thanks for your patience!
Dublin was a fascinating town. We’re very glad we used
taxis and buses to get around. It would not have been a
good place to start driving on the LEFT as there were many
crazy intersections, buses, horse carriages and tourists plus
very narrow streets and alleyways. We’re also glad we chose
a quiet hotel away from “City Centre.” We were on the
“Grand Canal” and Gary perked up very quickly when he
discovered a LOCK just a block from our hotel. It reminded
us both of all the locks we went through on our Loop
adventure (153!). On our evening walks, we discovered this
was a favorite place for young people to picnic and drink
their Guinness…and for swans to nest.

We love taking the Hop On-Hop Off buses to become more
familiar with larger cities that are new to us. The narrative
gives us a greater sense of the history as well as places we
might want to go back and visit. We passed by the 64-acre home of
Guinness beer where they produce over 9 million pints a
day! One of our favorite stops in Dublin was at the EPIC
Museum—The History of Irish Emigration. The interactive
exhibits certainly reminded us of the sorrow and sadness of
Ireland’s hard times, but just as important, we became more
aware of the global influence the Irish people, their culture
and music have had in the dozens of countries they migrated
to including the U.S.A.

Trinity College was also a highlight. The Old Library Long
Hall (above) was quite a sight to see as was the famous
Book of Kells there—an artistic masterpiece in Latin of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—an exquisite example of
“written illumination” created by monks as young as 13
around 800 AD. This was part of a 2.5 hour walking tour
where we also enjoyed Dublin Castle built in the 13th Century
(above right). We finished the day at an Irish song & dance
dinner show called “Celtic Nights.” AND, after 5 nights, we
were very ready to get out of the city into the Irish
countryside we’d heard so much about.

Daughter Carolyn spent a wonderful week-long retreat at
Glendalaugh last year, so our first driving experience took us
there. Driving south from the Dublin airport was really quite
easy and, thanks to our GPS, we were able to find our way
there to tour the ruins of a monastery where most of the
buildings date back to the 10 th & 11 th Centuries (below). It felt
very sacred.

We then drove to the very elegant Powerscourt Hotel for one
night. Looking back to that first day on the road, driving from
Glendalaugh to Powerscourt was the most difficult but also a
great training ground for all the days ahead. Some of the
roads were VERY narrow, barely allowing 2 cars to pass,
with very little room to spare and often with stone walls right
at the edge of the road. We learned quickly that you drive
down the middle until you see a curve or a car coming
toward you, then stay LEFT and slow down to pass one
another. We’ve certainly been on more of these narrow
roads, but have been pleasantly surprised at how many
roads are MUCH wider and sometimes even divided (called
“dual carriageways”). Compared to that first day, driving still
requires concentration and teamwork, but for the most part is
a bit easier…and we are getting to be masters of
roundabouts!!!

Before heading to Kilkenny we took time to tour the famous
Powerscourt Estate Gardens. It was a bit cold and rainy, but
we especially enjoyed the exquisite Japanese Gardens there
and some incredible statuary.

In Kilkenny we made a point of having leisurely mornings,
but did take a long walk along High Street and a self-guided
tour of Kilkenny Castle, a Victorian remodel of a 13th century
defensive castle. Portraits and tapestries were especially
interesting.

Then off to Waterford we went, with detours before our 4pm
check-in. First we found the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway
and its narrow-gauge train that took us along the Suir River
(pronounced “sure”) and a beautiful waterway bike path filled
with wildflowers. Then we drove east of Waterford to Hook
Lighthouse very surprised that our GPS took us to a ferry
landing. So off we went on the Park East Ferry to visit “the
oldest lighthouse in the world!” We came across more ruins
of a medieval church built in 1307 that was fascinating. By
the time we got to the Fitzwilton Hotel, we were pretty weary,
but what a fun day!

The Waterford Crystal Factory tour was really fascinating
and something we’d been looking forward to since we first
started planning this trip. We watched master craftsmen take
the molten glass from the 2400-degree fire and then blow
the glass into a mold to create the perfect shape (below, middle). After
cooling and high-end inspections, the pieces were trimmed
and polished. The part that to us required the most skill was
the cutting of the glass to form those famous cut-glass
patterns Waterford is known for. I could have watched this
for hours and was in awe of the precision required and
executed. Etching is also often a part of crystal creations and
there were some exquisite examples of this.

We also enjoyed a walking tour of the “Viking Triangle” and
became more familiar with the Viking raids and invasions as
early as 795 AD until 1014 AD. By establishing trade routes
between Ireland, England and Scandinavia, the Vikings were
responsible for introducing many outside influences (from
Europe and beyond) into society—everything from language,
culture, art and craftsmanship to new goods and raw
materials. Gary posed next to a typical Viking carving.

We head now to the magical west coast Irish town of Doolin
and a visit to the famous Cliffs of Moher. And everywhere we
go, there are lush green fields, dozens of herds of both
sheep and cows, sweet towns filled with colorful buildings
and some of the friendliest, happiest people we’ve ever met.
Everyone seems to have a twinkle in his/her eye that is very
contagious. Here’s to more of all of this, together with
another favorite Irish blessing:
May peace and plenty bless your world
With a joy that long endures
And may all life’s passing seasons
Bring the best to you and yours.

Thanks for traveling along with us!