Wicklow County

Wicklow County is Beautiful!  We took The Grand Wicklow Tour when we were in Dublin which is a wonderful way to see some of the more historic sites. First of all we stopped at the Russborough House. It’s often called the most beautiful house in Ireland. Only two families lived there over a period of two centuries. While everyone on the tour was taking pictures of the table settings, the furniture and the light fixtures, I didn’t get excited until we got to the library.

 Onto Glendalough, where the grounds and cemetery are hauntingly beautiful. There was a wedding reception going on if you can imagine. The dinner was inside the hotel and the bar was set up under a gazebo in the midst of the cemetery. Imagine after dark, standing alongside the tombstones drinking a glass of wine.

 Third stop was Avoca, where the oldest working woollen mill and the world’s oldest surviving business resides.

We drove through the area where Braveheart and Becoming Jane were filmed, also the movie Michael Collins and the series Ballykiss Angel. Fitzgerald’s is the pub where most of the Ballykiss Angel series took place.

 

 

Murphy's Of Killarney

Warm~ Wonderful and Welcoming

Murphy’s is a family owned pub and accommodation since 1955. I stay here every time I come. Its charm is due partly to the lovely surroundings that rise up to greet you at the front door but mostly because of Sean Murphy and his staff.
 
It’s located in Town Centre, making it convenient to walk to the shops, pubs, restaurants and most sites about town. Jaunty Cars, shuttles and taxis are also available.

Here’s a couple shots of the lobby and a few of the girls who are here on a Sunday morning. The last picture is the cozy room at the top of the stairs where I'm sitting right now.

I highly recommend Murphy’s for your stay in Killarney.  

 

 

Poetry Reading.. I Read And They Clapped

What a thrill it was to be invited to a Poetry Reading while here in Killarney. Eileen and her friend John W. Sexton picked me up at Murphy’s this morning and we headed over to hear Noel King, Irish Publisher, Editor and Poet read from his two books. It was a casual venue at the Killorglin Library. You can read more about Noel at www.salmonpoetry.com

 

Eileen told me yesterday to bring a poem or two of mine as there would most likely be an “Open Mic” session after the program. There was an audience of about 22 people there. After Noel finished his reading, there were several others who had brought a poem to read. 
 

One of them was Louis Mulcahy, from Dingle. Louis read two poems, one in Gaelic and the other in English. Louis is not only a Poet but a Potter as well. Have a look at his website, www.louismulcahy.com where you can read his story and see pictures of his art. He is quite something.

 

Eileen read a poem and so did John W. along with maybe eight others. It was so nice to be in a room filled with such wonderful Irish poets.

I read my poem called “Who Are You Now?” and they clapped.
Happy in Killarney.

Noel King, Eileen Sheehan, John W. Sexton and Meself..

 

Couldn't Help But Take It Personally

My friend Emily, who has an apartment here in Killarney for three months and I went to Kenmare this morning. Kenmare is just a pleasant 45 minute bus ride from Killarney Town. We were on a mission to find the Stone Circle just outside of Kenmare ~and we did.

 

There are no words for this wonderful site. There are 16 stones from Kerry and Cork, dating back to 2,200-500 BC which were used for ritual and ceremonial purposes.

 

I know.. Hard to believe stones could be emotional in any way but the sacred energy that rose up to meet me was remarkable~ palpable as it engulfed me. Someone’s spirit was definitely living throughout those grounds.

Take a day to see for yourself. I hope your experience is as enchanting as mine.

 

 

 

 

 

Cockles and Mussels Alive, Alive - O!

You don’t want to miss the Musical Pub Crawl when you come to Dublin.  It was a night of great fun put on by two local musicians, Stephen Fagan and Larry Shaw.

Everyone gathered at about 7:30 and we walked over to The Ha' Penny Bridge Pub in Temple Bar. We spent about an hour there listening to them play their guitar, fiddle, tin whistle, and Bodhran. 

 It was especially nice because they let us in on the history of the pub, the origins of the songs they sang, some of them written by themselves and the history of the Irish instruments.

 The second pub was Branigan’s on O’Connell Street where they had us all singing along.  You can’t go wrong on a cool drizzly night, sipping a pint of Guinness listening to the sounds of “The Irish Washer Woman,” and singing along to Molly Malone.

 Speaking of Molly Malone, she’s been uprooted from her corner spot that she’s had since 1988 on Grafton Street and has been renovated, polished and shined.  She now stands in front of the Tourist office on Suffolk Street.

Don't Miss Grafton Street.

It’s always a lot of fun and definitely entertaining walking along Grafton Street. 

 

There was a young man playing Leonard Cohen’s hallelujah on his violin and a little farther down was a boy about three or four years old positioning his head in one of those cardboard displays. Yep. He really did look like a Leprechaun. He was so happy when his dad showed him the picture. 

 

On the next corner there were two beautiful Irish girls singing Panis Angelicus and next to them was a man with the greatest bandana practicing his juggling. He was good.  

I always take a walk through St. Stephen’s Green, the beautiful park just off Grafton. The sun was shining, no rain as of yet, so the park had lots of folks around.  

There were children feeding the ducks, moms running after toddlers and young guys and gals lying on the grass reading or napping.

 

 It’s a great place to take pictures or just sit on a bench with a cup of coffee and watch the people.  

 

On my way back to O’Connell Street I stopped to listen to the girls. They were singing the Ave. Maria. Loads of folks stood around in amazement at their beautiful voices and the juggler was helping a little girl practice her skills.

I could hear someone off in the distance singing Adele’s Someone like You. 

 

Dublin is a must~ see if you come to Ireland.
There’s an energy that just sets your heart free! 

I was almost to Trinity College when I thought, you know what?

I’m going to do it!

I’m going to go back and ask him where he got that bandana.

 

Don’t miss Grafton Street! Or St. Stephen's Green.

 

 

 

A Real Irish Day.

Newgrange~ Built more than 5000 years ago in 3200 BC,  even before Stonehedge and the Egyptian Pyramids. Do you remember me writing that Daria said “Oh My God your head is going to pop off!” when I told her I was going to Newgrange? Well it certainly was beautiful with its green rolling hills, stones and crosses, but not sure now if it was the beauty of it all that she was talking about. 

There is a tomb called the Passage tomb where they kept the remains of the dead who were usually cremated. You can see from the picture how low the entrance to the tomb is. When the guide was telling us that we would break up into two groups and then go in, he said, “Just be sure to be very careful entering, we don’t want anyone’s head to pop off.” I was the only one who laughed out loud, not their fault, they didn’t get it.

 It is a nice site to see and the Mary Gibbons Bus Tour is the way to go if you’re thinking of coming to Dublin.

The second two pictures are of The Hill of Tara. You see that cloud up there in the sky? Well it burst into the hardest Irish rain that I've been in, in a long time and that wind, oh that wind was a blowin, sideways.. in your face.. at your back.. coldest windy rain ever.. So I'll have to come back again sometime to appreciate The Hill of Tara. The amazing thing is how well the Irish know their weather, just before it started, the guide said, "everyone move in a little closer, we're about to get a real lashing." Seeing is believing.

Simple Beauties.

What a treasure I found today! 

This is the beautiful Seaport of Howth,  Just a 20 minute ride from Dublin on the Dart.  As planned, I met a friend Daria Walsh at Jamie’s Café just across the street from the Howth Station.

 Daria is a lovely Irish Storyteller. We first met on Facebook where we exchanged info about ourselves, she told me about her writing, her storytelling and her life there on Howth. She told me her husband Paul had just written a children’s book and illustrated it himself.  I told her about my book Sweet Tomatoes, we were instant friends.

  I have to say, I knew we would have a good time today and we would “get on well” as the Irish say, but little did I know what a treasure I would find in my new friend.  Daria is the happiest, most positive, lovely person with stories that made me laugh, cry,  yes there were times when we were both dabbing our eyes.

 

  She said she has been a storyteller all of her life, as she comes from a family of great stories and tellers of them. She now has about 200 of her own that include family, legends and Myth and her own original stories that she wrote and created herself.

  She was born and raised in Pennsylvania and with both parents being of Irish descent fell in love with Ireland as a lot of us do. She moved to Ireland about 11 years ago, and is now living in Howth.

 We started with coffee this morning, and then we walked over to where she entertains the locals and tourists with her storytelling. We had lunch, then dessert. When the waitress was leaving, we realized we had been there a long time. She told us it was 7PM. We had been there since about 12:30. Neither of us skipped a beat as we sat for about another hour and then we walked back to the Dart.

 As we hugged and parted, Daria asked me what I had planned the rest of the week. I told her on Thursday I was going to take the tour to Newgrange. Her response was:

 “Oh My God. Your head is going to pop off!”

So, if you don’t hear from me after Thursday, you’ll know what happened.

Feeling blessed by the beauty of Howth and my new friend Daria.

Local Author

Last year when I was here, I met Louise Phillips. Louise is a writer and introduced me to the Irish Writer’s Center. It was wonderful getting to know her and having the opportunity to meet a few other local authors.  

Since the launch of her latest book was the week before I got here, she left a signed copy for me at Eason’s Bookstore at St. Stephen’s Green. So after lunch I walked up and got it.

 

Looks good Louise, thanks a million, I’m looking forward to digging in.

 

 

Glad To Be In Dublin Again

One of the most beautiful sites I’ve ever seen,

is the landing in Ireland

with its forty shades of green.

 

I love the feeling as I get off the plane and go through customs. I get my suitcase and then hustle out front for the Shuttle. I arrived about 3PM and was at the hotel by 4:30. As always, the reception at the Arlington Hotel was very welcoming. 

 

The room is nice, small but just what I need. After I unpack a few things and set up my computer, I do what I always do on that first day. I go to lunch downstairs at the restaurant and as you can see I have the fish and chips. I like sitting on the terrace, there’s a big window that’s left open to the air. It’s cool, I needed a light sweater and it’s just a great place to eat and watch the people walk by. 

The Arlington is a great place to stay if you're thinking of spending a few days in Dublin.

I think I’ll go downstairs and listen to the music. I can hear the fiddles and flutes all the way up here. 
 

 Glad to be in Dublin again.

It's a Great Day To Be Going To Ireland!

With the Las Vegas weather calling for 105 degrees, I would say it's a great day to be going to Ireland. I'll be leaving this afternoon, arriving in Dublin tomorrow in time for afternoon tea.  I'm looking forward to some cool, misty, cloudy days filled with morning mass, walks along O'Connell and Grafton Streets, St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College and so much more.

The highlight of this trip will be reuniting with all of the dear friends I have made over the  years. After a week in Dublin, I'll be taking the train to Killarney, where I'll spend two weeks.  Last year I even found a Yoga and Zumba class to go to so I'm starting to feel like a local.

I'm hoping you'll travel right along with me as I let you in on the Ireland I know.