for

Bart and Lynn Holaday

Ireland is nothing if not a mix of fact and fancy. The Irish have woven tales forever, creating in the process the myths and martyrs for which its people are so well loved. Stories have poured forth from the Emerald Island as freely and as easily as stout flows from her innumerable pubs. Remember, James Joyce was an Irishman. Ireland is a thing of beauty too, a place where orchids, of all things, grow beside thorny, fragrant pines, and where the furious Atlantic beats up against stony black cliffs with an anger that sends seabirds flying. And Ireland is full of contrasts. Sleepy hamlets lie tucked into velvety valleys where folk live a life unchanged for centuries. Meanwhile, twentysomethings fill the theaters in Galway , and designer wear sells in swank shops along Grafton Street in Dublin .

 

June 1st  Arrive Shannon where your driver guide will be awaiting you.  Depending on time of arrival start by visiting Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

     

Bunratty Castle  was built in 1425 by the MacNamaras and then passed to the O'Briens who were Earls of Thomond. The Castle is furnished with mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings.  Bunratty Folk Park recreates rural and urban life in the 19th century Ireland . Visitors can for example view farmhouses of various economic backgrounds, a watermill, church and village street. The Walled Garden at 19th Bunratty House has been sensitively restored and is a must-see for all garden enthusiasts.

Explore Limerick,  Ireland 's 3rd city. King John's Castle,  built in c.1210, protected the crossing point of the river Shannon . Fine example of mediaval architecture with towers and curtain walls.  Nearby is The Hunt collection,  in the 18th century customs house. The collection includes  a wide collection of Irish antiquities from the Bronze Age, 18th century silver and medieval art, up to the 20th century represented by Picassos.

The Georgian House & Garden is widely regarded as being the best example of late Georgian Architecture in Limerick and also has an exhibiton on the book Angela's Ashes.

Limerick Castle Limerick Foynes


Askeaton Castle ,  the Earls of Desmond's home in the 15th and 16th centuries, also contains the ruined Hell Fire Club - here more about it at Glin tonight.   You can also visit the Franciscan Friary, founded in 1389 but later restored by James, Earl of Desmond in the 15th century.   Foynes was once the centre of trans Atlantic aviation,  and now the treminal building is a museum, sponsored by Maureen O'HHara, celebrating that era when flying boats ruled the skys.

Tour to Glin Castle for the night - the epitome of the grand country house estate, and one of the most picturesque houses in Ireland, with walled gardens, rolling lawns, and specimen trees. Dating from the 13th Century, but mostly built in the 18th century, it is still home to the Fitzgerald family, Knights of Glin, though fine art expert Desmond Fitgerald will be the last of  his line.. 

 

Tarbert House

The Jail at Tarbert

June 2nd

 To Tarbert, to see a Georgian Gaol.  Then a private visit to Tarbert  House, the home of the Leslie family since they built the house in 1701.  In the front hall you will see the weapons of the private militia that they raised during the US War of Indepedance.  Listowel is a the literary centre of the west and  the home of the noted playwright John B Keane.  Maybe an early lunch here, or head on to Killarney.    There is a lot to do around Killarney - everything from  being taken by horse drawn carriage through the mountains,  travelling back up the lakes in a row boat, to climbing the mountains, to just exploring the town and estate of Muckross House - the Rhodendrons will have just come into bloom, so it will be quite stunning.

Scenes around Kerry

June 3 By way of The Blackwater Valley to Mount Juliet, a stunning stately home, once the Earl of Carrick's seat

Leaving Glin the first place of interst is Adare. Snuggled in a wooden and lush countryside setting, Adare is widely regarded as being Ireland’s prettiest and most picturesque village. Situated on the river Maigue, a tributary of the Shannon river, Adare  dates back, at least, to the early 13th century. The bridge by which you leave the village, in the shadow of the ruined Desmond Castle, was built in 1329. Two groups of world famous ornate, thatched cottages line part off the village’s broad main street, punctuated with beautiful stone buildings, medieval monasteries and ruins. Carrying on through Croom and the still partially walled town of Kilmallock the road drops down to the valley of Ireland's finest salmon river, The Blackwater. A light lunch at the mill below Glanworth Castle and then follow the Blackwater to Fermoy for a private visit to Kilshannig House, once home to Princess Diana's ancestors, where the present owners now run one of Ireland's top race horse stud farms. Then by way of Lismore, dominated by the Duke of Devonshire's castle to end the day 

Desmond Castle Adare Lismore Castle


Mount Juliet

June 4th

Follow the valley of the River Nore past  the Cistercian abbey of Jerpoint and childhood home of Bishop Berkley.to Bennetsbridge, with its many craft workers studios, and on to Kilkenny.  . In Kilkenny one should first explore the city, full of medieval laneways, inns with tales of witches, a great castle and of course lots of shop.  Visit the Irish National Stud, home of horse racing,  in Kildare.  Stop at the private home of the Count Matrouschka to see the wonderful ancient stone cross in his estate. Arrive in Dublin in time to enjoy a literary pub crawl of the city centre.

Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Moone Cross

June 5th.

A Tour of Dublin's Fair City

Bank of Ireland , College Green
The prestigious offices of Ireland 's national bank began life as the first purpose-built parliament house in Europe . Completed in 1739 it served as Ireland 's Parliament until the Act Of Union in 1801  
Trinity College
Founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth. Among many famous students to attend the college were playwrights Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Beckett. Trinity's lawns and cobbled quads provide a pleasant haven in the hearth of the city. The major attractions are the Old Library and the Book of Kells, housed in the Treasury. Exit form the front of the Trinity complex and walk from College Green to Dame St and Continue west passing:
The Olympia Theatre - Dating back to the 1800s, this Victorian music hall-style theatre has a capacity of 1,300. It presents an eclectic schedule of variety shows, musicals, operettas, concerts, ballet, comedy, and drama. As a variation, for the late-night crowd, live bands are often featured after regular programs.  A brief diversion here will bring you into the trendy Temple Bar area. Across the Street is  
City Hall 
Erected between 1769 and 1779, and formerly the Royal Exchange. It is a square building in Corinthian style, with three fronts of Portland stone. Since 1852, however it has been the centre of the municipal government. The interior is designed as a circle within a square, with fluted columns supporting a dome shaped roof over the central hall. The building contains many items of interest, including 102 royal charters and the mace and sword of the city. Adjacent to City Hall is:
Dublin Castle
Built between 1208 and 1220, this complex represents some of the oldest surviving architecture in the city, and was the centre of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until it was taken of by the Irish Free State in 1922. Highlights include the 13th-century record tower, the largest visible fragment of the original Norman castle and the State Apartments, once the residence of English viceroys and now the focal point for government ceremonial functions, including the inauguration of Ireland 's presidents. At this point Dame St takes on the name Lord Edward St , and leads to  
St. Patrick's Cathedral
 Ireland 's largest church was founded beside a sacred well where St. Patrick is said to have baptised converts around 450A.D. A stone slab bearing a Celtic cross and covering the well was un-earthed at the turn of the century(20th). It is now preserved in the west end of the cathedral's nave. The original building was just a wooden chapel and remained so until 1192 when Archbishop John Comyn rebuilt the cathedral in stone. Much of the present building dates back to work completed between 1254 and 1270.  Cut back to  
Powerscourt Town House Centre
The townhouse of a famous Georgian family. Today the building houses one of the cities nicest shopping centres. In the 1960's major restoration turned it into a centre of specialist galleries, antique shops, jewellery stalls, cafés and other shop units. Carry on to Grafton Street down the narrow Johnson Court Alley  

 
In the afternoon explore the Great Georgian Squares and Doorways.;  Visit the famous Phoenix Park, Home of our President Mary McAllesse;  See the delights of the city of Roddy Doyle, James Joyce, Brendan Behan, Sean O' Casey, Oscar Wilde and Nobel Prize winners W.B Yeats, George B. Shaw and Samuel Beckett.; See Guinness Brewery, O' Connell Street;  The U2 Wall, The National Museum & Gallery

 

 

 And of course Molly Malone herself

"In Dublins fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheel-barrow, through streets broad and narrow, Crying cockles and mussels,
alive, alive o!"

June 6th
Depart Dublin