Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for ireland
Galway’s Prehistoric Fort
By Linda Tancs
The Aran Islands comprise three rocky isles guarding the mouth of Galway Bay in western Ireland. The largest island, Inishmore, is home to the prehistoric fort Dún Aonghasa. Perched on top of a high cliff facing the Atlantic Ocean, it’s lauded as one of western Europe’s most magnificent stone forts. Over 3,000 years old, it has three massive defense walls ringed by a chevaux-de-frise – that is, a dense band of jagged, upright stones numbering in the thousands. Come prepared with boots or good walking shoes to conquer rough, natural rock.
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The Marble City
By Linda Tancs
Kilkenny, Ireland, is dubbed “Marble City” due to its highly polished limestone which resembles marble. Of perhaps equal renown is Kilkenny Castle, boasting one of the longest histories of continuous occupation in the country. Founded soon after the Norman Conquest, today’s edifice is largely a Victorian remodeling of the 13th-century defensive castle. Until 1935 it was the longtime seat of the powerful and wealthy Butler family, whose family paintings, tapestries and objects d’art infuse the grand country house.
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The Irish National Stud
By Linda Tancs
Less than an hour from Dublin, the Irish National Stud in County Kildare is a famed thoroughbred horse breeding facility. Included with admission is a free guided tour of the stud farm as well as an opportunity to explore on your own the prized Japanese Gardens as well as St. Fiachra’s Garden, a place designed to highlight Ireland’s natural assets. For an additional fee, don’t miss the interactive Irish Racehorse Experience, where visitors have the chance to buy, train and ride their own racehorse in a simulated race.
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The Little Museum of Dublin
By Linda Tancs
The Little Museum of Dublin is not your usual museum. In fact, the place is crowdsourced with quirky artifacts from locals. Its contents include an unopened bottle of lemonade from 1918 and a facsimile of author James Joyce’s death mask. You’ll enjoy a 30-minute history lesson delivered by a docent with humor and style. There’s even a room devoted to the iconic Irish rock band, U2. The popular attraction is housed in a Georgian building overlooking Dublin’s Stephen’s Green.
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The Rock of Dunamase
By Linda Tancs
Overlooking the valley of the O’Moores in County Laois, Ireland, the Rock of Dunamase is a Celtic fortification that was once a very important Anglo-Norman stronghold. It was part of the dowry of Aoife, the daughter of the King of Leinster, when she was given in marriage to the Norman conqueror Strongbow in 1170. The top of the rocky outcrop offers spectacular views across the plain, especially at sunrise or sunset.
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The Snotgreen Sea
By Linda Tancs
The Forty Foot is a promontory on the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin, Ireland, from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea (dubbed “the snotgreen sea” by author James Joyce) all year round for some 250 years. It’s a bit of a tradition to take a dip on Christmas Day, if you dare, considering that the temperature may be in the single digits. To get there, jump on the Dart (train) from Dublin city centre, get out at Dún Laoghaire and walk all along the coast to Sandycove beach and the Forty Foot.
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Autumn in Gougane Barra
By Linda Tancs
Gougane Barra is a scenic valley and forest park in the Shehy Mountains of County Cork, Ireland. There’s a tiny island at the edge of the lake at the entrance to the forest park where Saint Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork, founded his early Christian monastery in the 6th century. You’ll find a network of trails that wind through the woods and around the lake, one of many things to enjoy while the foliage undergoes its autumn transition. September 25 is the saint’s feast day; the closest Sunday is known in Cork as Gougane Sunday, when a steady stream of pilgrims gather at the saint’s hermitage.
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A Castle in Clare
By Linda Tancs
Set on 26 acres of countryside in County Clare, Ireland’s Bunratty Castle is one of the country’s most historic castles. Built in 1425, it was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendor and now contains the finest collection of medieval furniture in the country. The castle features prominently as part of a Folk Park, a living museum comprising recreated farmhouses, streets, homes and shops from the 19th century.
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Posh Dublin
By Linda Tancs
Founded as a Viking settlement, Dalkey is a posh suburb of Dublin, Ireland. As such, it’s no surprise that famous locals like Bono call it home. For those who can’t afford the fancy address, it also offers one of Dublin’s best walks as one of its most scenic coastal suburbs. One of the trails weaves through the village down to the coast, following the shoreline on Vico Road until you reach the top of Killiney Hill. The view at the top of the hill reminded 19th-century Dubliners of the Bay of Naples, which is why so many of the roads around there have Italian names.
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Ireland’s Holy Mountain
By Linda Tancs
An important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Croagh Patrick is Ireland’s Holy Mountain. Known locally as “The Reek,” it’s over 2,500 feet high, overlooking the village of Murrisk. According to tradition, in A.D. 441, St. Patrick spent 40 days praying and fasting on the mountaintop as part of his effort to convert Ireland to Christianity. It’s still climbed today, particularly on the last Sunday of July (Reek Sunday), an annual day of pilgrimage.
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