Drayke's Travels

Photo taken at: O’Riordans Bar Abbeyfeale On our way back from Killarney and the Gap of Dunloe, we stopped in a little town called Abbeyfeale. It was known to me by name from the previously mentioned Irish Lion restaurant in Bloomington, IN. I just had to stop here and get some Mutton Pie. Well they didn’t have mutton, so I was going to get Beef and Guinness, which they were also out of. We ended... read more.

After walking through the National Park, we decided we had time for one more stop on our way back to our airbnb. We drove up to the Gap of Dunloe and had lunch at Kate Kearney’s Cottage.  The weather was typical Ireland we have come to know, windy and drizzling rain. They have horse and traps to take people up the gap, but they were all covered with tarps and looked like they weren’t running.... read more.

On Thursday of week 2, we drove down to Killarney to walk the National Park. We saw another site of ruins and a cool forest. Later in the day we drove to the Gap of Dunloe, I’ll have those photos soon. read more.

Before climbing the Blarney Castle, we walked around the grounds and saw the exterior of the Blarney House. The house is an active residence so they charge another fee to see the inside, so we decided to skip it. After the Castle, we walked through the Rock Close, and got a few last photos there. read more.

After Mallow Castle, we continued on to Cork and saw Blarney Castle. I’ll have a post after this one with the things we saw besides the castle. It was especially interesting to me that this castle has been a tourist attraction for longer than most buildings in the US have been standing. We climbed to the top in a long queue to kiss the Blarney Stone, stopping along the way to photograph the chambers and... read more.

On Wednesday of week 2 we found Mallow Castle, both the original castle that was burned out and the new one built in the 1690s. read more.

On Wednesday we made our way south from Limerick to see the Blarney Castle outside Cork. On our way we stopped to look at the ruins of the Ballybeg Priory. We just got a few pictures before it started to rain again. The weather changes quickly in Ireland. read more.

After seeing St Patrick’s Rock we drove west toward Mallow, looking for some lesser-known historic sites. We didn’t find Mallow Castle until the following day, but we did find the ruins of the Bridgetown Priory. A single sign that we passed and had to turn around for was our only indication of the site. Then a single one-lane drive up to a steep turn off and slope down to the site, it’s down in quite... read more.

The Airbnb we stayed during week 2 was excellent except that the internet was a little slow for both of us to work, especially if our hosts were home and also using it. I found however that, having my laptop setup on a tray in front of the window, I could see a herd of cattle grazing in a flowery field whenever I looked up from my screen waiting for something to load or save.... read more.

On Tuesday of the second week, we drove down to County Tipperary to see The Rock of Cashel. This set of churches and tower sit atop a rock and are visible from quite a ways off, making it a popular tourist stop. We heard more than a few non-Irish voices, and at least one of the other tours was in English and French. Article about the Queen’s visit. Nearby are the ruins of Hore Abbey.... read more.

Photo taken at: Copper & Spice These are the dishes from an Indian restaurant we found outside Limerick. I kind of want some at home, though I’m sure I could never justify the expense. read more.

Photo taken at: The Hunt Museum, Limerick We drove into Limerick on Sunday the 16th to see the Milk Market and the Hunt Museum. The Market was winding down and I didn’t take any photos there, but I only had my phone so what I did get in the museum isn’t very good. Before the museum we stopped at a pub called Cobblestone Joe’s for lunch, and I got a quick photo of the bar.... read more.

I’ve mostly described our experience in Kilcullen in previous posts, particularly the first day, the Bridge Community, and various remarks about the adventures of relying on public transportation. Next we’re renting a car for the remainder of the trip, which will prove to be its own adventure. read more.

          I snapped this photo with my phone while hurrying to catch a bus in Dublin. I found it interesting (and somehow heart-warming) to see a traffic light designed specifically for cyclists. Very considerate of them.  read more.

Unlike in the states, where everything except Guinness (and sometimes even that) is served in random identically-shaped 12oz glasses, here they seem to keep a stock of glasses for each specific brand of beer. Photo taken at: The Flowing Tide read more.

…or rather, riding. I have only been a passenger up to this point, because it is Dennis who has prior experience driving a car with manual transmission. Before we picked up the car, we talked about the pros and cons of someone with said experience versus someone without. For example, where Dennis’ muscle memory might hinder his reaction time, I would learn and be comfortable with shifting gears left-handed because I would know no difference. On the other hand, Dennis’ prior experience means he’s... read more.

Our last stop of the day Wednesday was the Old Jameson Distillery. It proved to be not quite as photo-friendly as the Guinness Storehouse, not having the advertising and pint-pouring section, but being a guided tour it was more interactive. And of course the taste-testing and free Jameson + Ginger at the end of the tour made it all worthwhile. The hardest part was deciding which gift shop items just weren’t worth hauling around for... read more.

On our way from Trinity College to the Jameson Distillery, we passed by an old Church, and I got a few random photos of the city. read more.

Wednesday Morning on the first week, we caught the bus into Dublin again and went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. This is apparently a popular tourist spot as we had to wait in line quite awhile. The main exhibit had no photography, but I got a few of the college courtyard and the “long room” library above the Kells exhibit. read more.

  On one of our first ventures into the village of Kilcullen, we took a stroll along the paths of Manna Farms, part of the Bridge Camphill Community. You can find a more extensive collection of (superior quality) photos that Dennis took here. read more.

Photo taken at: Guiness Brewery- Dublin, Ireland Just a note here, I’m going to leave and set the post dates on these when they happened. Although they’ll actually appear on the blog some time later, when I get time to write about our adventures or get photos uploaded. On Monday the 10th we got up around 6:45am to catch the 7:10 bus from Kilcullen to Dublin, and toured the Guinness Storehouse. We had to catch... read more.

Photo taken at: Kilcullen Town The village of Kilcullen is divided by the River Liffey, which runs through Dublin. Historically Kilcullenbridge was the town on the east side of the Liffey, connected by this beautiful old bridge. On Google maps the town is actually marked as Kilcullen and Kilcullenbridge, though the addresses say Kilcullen everywhere as far as I can tell. On Sunday the 8th we walked down to the village again and walked through... read more.

We’ve made loose plans to stay in one place for about a week while we’re in the Land of Éirinn. Our first stop is a little village called Kilcullen, where we found a nice place on Airbnb. It’s part of a duplex in a little housing development about 5-10 min walk from the village. I’ve already posted about our first meal in the village. We had a bit of an adventure upon landing. We made... read more.

On the recommendation of our Airbnb host, we had our first meal in Ireland at Bardons in Kilcullen. My fish came with a side called “Mash and Veg” which was carrots and broccoli perfectly cooked, and this fist-sized chunk of mashed potato with scallions, lightly fried. As I said on instagram, it was reminiscent of an appetizer served at the Irish Lion in Bloomington called “Blarney Puffballs.” The materials are similar but puffballs are nearer... read more.

Our United flight from O’hare to Dublin had video screens in the seat backs with preloaded media. They also had this flight information display that showed us maps, altitude, ground speed, and time to destination. http://travel.drogers.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/11803316_578477288957648_615368994_n.mp4 Flight Photos read more.