Ashford Castle and Learning to Fly Falcons

Our Ireland trip started in Dublin, moved south to Cork and the Blarney Castle, headed off the beaten path to the southwestern corner of Ireland to Kinsale, then moved north above Galway.  Since we had visited Galway during our last trip to Ireland, Greg (our trip researcher) decided on Cong as our next overnight stay (well, two nights, that is). I could have stayed much, much longer!

Cong was the sight of The Quiet Man, the 1952 film starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara as well as being home to the 5-star, luxury resort, the Ashford Castle.  We enjoyed Ashford Castle's "servant's quarters" as our hotel at the Lisloughrey Lodge.  This may have been one of the most enjoyable and beautiful places I've stayed during our travels.  With the short walking distance to the town, the amenities, and beautiful morning view, I highly recommend the Lisloughrey Lodge.  The grounds of the Ashford Castle and Lisloughrey Lodge are joined by a path, which we enjoyed walking to find our Falconry lesson. Yes, falconry lesson.  We felt so "Harry Potter" and wondered if Hedwig would be sending us an owl post!

Ashford Castle. This picture is so postcard perfect that it's hard to believe it was taken with our iPhone.

We came across a couple, who offered to take our picture.  As we chatted with them, we found out that the wife went to Ohio State and her brother-in-law was from our town.  Small world! What I also love about this picture is that Bridget, Meg and me are wearing our new Hunter wellies. Love B's pink ones!

Can you tell how intimidated she was to have a hawk sitting on her arm? She was so brave and eventually started enjoying herself. Her smile in this picture kind of says, "I don't know about this..."

After a few minutes with the hawks, this "bird lady" couldn't get enough.  In this picture, both birds decided to land on Meg's arm at the same time.  She was so excited - just look at her smile!

The view outside our hotel, the Lisloughrey Lodge, that we woke up to every morning.

Kinsale, Ireland - A Great Little Coastal Town

While wandering the Irish countryside, we stumbled upon the most amazing little coastal town of Kinsale, Ireland.  We had been traveling for several hours from our little adventure at the Blarney Castle.  It was pouring rain and we were tired, exhausted, wet and hungry.  Greg had read somewhere that Kinsale was known as a foodie kind of town so we were set of finding it.  And so glad we did!

We arrived late and caught a nice dinner.  Meg offered to watch B so Greg and I could join his parents in a local bar known for not being touristy and having locals gather for spontaneous music. Our B&B owner recommended Dalton's Bar and what a wonderful place this was!  Maybe later I'll upload the song I recorded - it just makes me smile from ear to ear thinking about how much we enjoyed this little pub - the atmosphere, the people, pints and, most of all, the music.

The next morning, we joined up with Greg's parents and took a one hour tour of the town. Our guide had the best blend of sarcasm spun with history.  The town is ruch in stories and beautiful to see.  Might have been one of my favorite moments on this trip.

On our walking tour of Kinsale - such a quaint, coastal town.

I loved how the houses looked like they were stacked on top of each other from a distance, yet up close they were spacious. Beautiful pastel, seaside colors.

How could you not fall in love with this country - the warmth and love that one feels makes you want to come back and visit again and again. The bar was maybe 30 feet long by 10-15 feet wide.  So small and cozy that you could stay all evening and feel like you were visiting family.

Greg snapped this colorful picture of Bridget and I think it's one of my favorite pictures from this trip.  She loves pink and it shows!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Greg, Megan and I had previously visited the Blarney Castle in 2003.  On that trip, Meg was a little too frightened to kiss the Blarney Stone.  Since this was Bridget's first trip to the Blarney Castle, Meg decided to join her and together they would kiss the stone.

We were able to snag some incredible pictures during our day trip to Blarney, thanks to Greg's good camera skills.

On our walk along the castle grounds.

Such a brave little 6-year-old as she kissed the Blarney Stone!

Redemption 10 years later as Meg kissed the Blarney Stone!

Absolutely love the spiraling of the stairs and the way Greg captured the girls in this picture.  Just look at those beautiful smiles!

Me and my guy :)

Ireland in 7 Days in June

Ireland was such a wonderful whirlwind of a trip that it's hard to describe in print or pictures. And I've been quite delinquent in uploading photos.  Over the next few days, I'll post different days/themes.  We had so much fun visting Dublin, taking in our first pint at the famed Brazen Head Pub, playing in the park with the kids (and the bigger kids), sightseeing around the town, and enjoying a tour of both the Jameson Distillery and Guinness.

Great little park outside our hotel in Dublin (we stayed at the Clontarf Castle). Greg and I were caught playing around while Meg was laughing hysterically (probably at how ridiculous we must have looked!).

At the Guinness Brewery, we learned how to pour the PERFECT Guinness.  What a great experience - even Meg learned how!

When you entered the Jameson Distillery Visitors Center, this amazing chandelier greeted you.  It must have been about 10 feet in height hanging high over our heads.  Wonderful entry piece.

Love this picture and love this girl! Just spending some mother-daughter time in one of the oldest pubs in Dublin on our first day.

Travel Thursday: Ireland

This summer, my extended family will be spending a wonderful week in the beautiful, bucolic setting of Ireland.  We spent a couple weeks visiting Ireland, England and Scotland over the holidays in 2002-2003 and it was an amazing experience.  Meg even rode the Hogwarts Express (or what the Hogwarts Express was modeled on).  This year, B will get to experience Dublin, Cork, Galway and anywhere else we stumble upon.

As you can see from these pictures, Ireland really is breathtaking to behold.