My mother’s family comes from Scotland, England and Ireland. I have never been to Ireland so I decided to go this summer. I selected a two week bus excursion from SmarTours. This was a test of the value of a slightly cheaper tour with a slightly larger group and less elegant accommodations than my earlier African splurge on Road Scholar. The trip was a rollicking success.
The group met in New York and flew into Dublin to be met by our tour guide for a quick overview of the city and country. Of the few days in the city, the highlights were seeing Christ Church Cathedral and the Trinity College Library Book of Kells, but authorities allow no pictures of the book itself to preserve it. I felt like a traitor when we visited the Guinness factory because I really don’t like the stuff. I discovered we were a very congenial group with a good guide and comfortable accommodations.
Northern Ireland
We bussed north to Belfast, without noticing the border with Northern Ireland. I can certainly understand the border problems that will arise here if Britain leaves the EU.
Northern Ireland exudes growth and enthusiasm after the peace treaty between Protestant loyalist to the UK and Catholic loyalist to the Republic of Ireland. However, evidence of the conflict is everywhere. In Belfast, graffiti-covered walls demonstrate neighborhood loyalties. City and tour guides explained how to safely navigate the complex politics, easy for tourists, but still a difficulty for residents. I valued the visit to the Titanic museum and CS Lewis Square especially for the perspective of the Catholic workers and the botanical gardens for quiet contemplation. I ate my first fish and chips here.
On the trip across Northern Ireland to Derry (Londonderry to UK Loyalists) we stopped at the Giant’s Causeway, a UN Heritage site of geological marvel. I stared in amazement at the tall, naturally occurring hexagonal rock columns. We also spent an afternoon at the Castle Ward house and gardens to learn more about the Scottish colonial Protestant elite life. In Derry I walked across the Calatrava Peace bridge and enjoyed the trip along the old city walls.
The Wild Atlantic Coast of the Republic of Ireland
As we traveled South along the Western coast, back into the Republic of Ireland we missed the view of the Cliffs of Moher because they were completely fogged in. I loved hearing about the President John F. Kennedy visit when we stopped in Galway. Close by, I marveled at the herding skill of the sheep dogs at the sheep farm and learned more about the importance of peat in Irish culture. All through the trip I saw how to harvest peat from bogs, dry it and burn it.
Along the Wild Atlantic coastline, walking in Sligo made me want to read more Yeats. Visiting the Carrowmore megalithic ruins gave me a respect for the earliest settlers.
The bus mastered very narrow roads around the Ring of Kerry and Dingle peninsula. I understand the potato famine better after seeing the many deserted stone houses. All along we took pictures of the wild flowers and cultivated flower boxes on every house, hotel, roadway circle and bridge. The flowers thrive in frequent gentle showers sprinkled between sunny afternoons. I can’t imagine a more picturesque bus ride among gently rolling hills. Aboard a catamaran we sailed around a spectacular Atlantic fjord full of salmon and mussel farming in the water and sheep farming on land.
We spent an afternoon at Kylemore Abbey learning about the influence of the Catholic Church and enjoying their wonderful gardens. I had my first real tea and scones in the shop there. This was the one place we visited where I felt too crowded by other tourists buses but the gardens were so extensive that this feeling soon fled.
After Killarney we enjoyed a traditional Irish pub and also visited an Irish dancing and folk music performance. When we visited the Blarney Castle, I walked through the gardens but declined to hang out and kiss the stone. The crocheted tree trunk covers made me laugh. The trip concluded with a Medieval Castle Banquet complete with Irish harp solos.
We reluctantly flew back to the US from Shannon airport, just North of Limerick. This airport proved a real boon because we went through US immigration in Ireland so we breezed through the landing process in NYC. I think I’ll try to fly through that airport again anytime I go to Europe it was such a breeze.
