The Un-Luck of the Irish

On July 24, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn IrelandLeave a comment

The one trip that we knew we had to make during our six months in Europe was to Ireland. Both of our families have strong Irish ancestry, so we definitely wanted to visit the land of our heritage. We also flew our mother over from the United States to join us for our trip since she had never been to Ireland. Instead of renting a car, we hired a local tour guide from a company called ToursByLocals and chose the tour that would take us to Kilkenny and the Southeastern coast. We augmented the tour to add the city of Waterford so that we could visit the crystal factory and purchase something special to bring home with us.

Our tour started out perfectly as our driver took us through the countryside where we saw quaint little farms with fields filled with sheep. We even had sheep crossing the road in front of us, it was exactly what we had imagined a trip into the Irish countryside to be. Our first stop was to one of the many historic churches of Ireland, however we weren’t able to enter the church as they were having services at the time. We have seen plenty of churches in Europe, so that was not a big deal for us, but it was a little disappointing. Hoping to make it up to us, our guide took us to a historic monastery where we could walk the grounds. Upon our arrival, the gates were closed and the ticket office was closed and there was no one at the site. Luck was not on our side, but the day was early and we were optimistic that our luck would change.

We then went to Kilkenny Castle, which was absolutely spectacular and was again exactly what we expected to see in Ireland. From there, we traveled to Waterford where we hoped to purchase something special to remember our time in Ireland. Upon our arrival, we found the Waterford Crystal Factory closed. Not only was the factory closed and no tours available, but even the store was closed. Our guide pulled up their website and there was nothing indicating that it should be closed and our guide had never seen the store closed. We visited a viking museum and while we were there, we asked if they knew why the factory was closed and they were just as surprised as us to hear that it was closed.

We were obviously frustrated that we weren’t able to visit the factory or even purchase something in the store, but there wasn’t anything that anyone could do. So we put a smile on our faces and continued on to have lunch at a seaside town. Our tour guide felt extremely bad as now he had taken us to three places that we weren’t able to actually see, but we didn’t blame him. Our last stop was to another historic church that had a tower that you could climb for a couple of Euros that had wonderful views of the countryside. By now you can guess what we found when we arrived. It too was closed for no apparent reason and there was a sign that it would be open to the public an hour later, but that would have gotten us back to Dublin far too late, so we chose not to wait.

Despite all of these things, we truly enjoyed our tour as well as our time in Ireland. We couldn’t help but joke with each other that for once, we didn’t have the luck of the Irish. These things happen sometimes and we certainly could have gotten angry with our guide, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. There was no doubt that he felt bad, but other than perhaps the first church that we visited, there was no way for him to have known that these other places would be closed as their websites all indicated that they were open.

The Pubs of Dublin, Ireland

On March 29, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Ireland, Recipes1 Comment

To say that there are a lot of pubs in Dublin is an extreme understatement. If you are in the mood for a pint, there are options around every corner and down every street and alley. Needless to say, we did not visit anywhere close to all of the options that were available, but the we truly enjoyed the ones that we did visit. Some of them served much more than your typical bar food, while others served exactly what you would expect, fish and chips, bangers and mash, and the iconic Irish breakfast.

We especially enjoyed the pubs that were converted from old buildings such as The Bank on College Green and The Church. The Bank on College Green is obviously a former bank, but the site has been occupied even longer than its conversion to a bank in 1892 by Belfast Bank. Its location near Trinity College makes it a popular location for tourists as well as college students. The ornate decorations and stained glass window are obvious signs of the wealth of the banking industry even during the turn of the century. The Church is a restaurant pub converted from St. Mary’s Church in 1997 after the church closed in 1964 and remained abandoned. One of the interesting things about The Church is that they kept most of the original features of the historic site and there is even a self-guided tour that you can take that features a bust of Arthur Guinness, Baptismal, Gallery, Tower, Burial Crypts, and more.

Stained Glass Ceiling at The Bank on College Green

We were celebrating our mother’s 79th birthday on our visit to Ireland, so we didn’t stay out late, but there are many options for listening to authentic Irish music, dancing, and general nightlife. One of the most famous is The Temple Bar, which is located in the heart of the area also known as Temple Bar. One of the other interesting pubs that we visited was T.P. Smiths, which had a unique spiral staircase made from copper to resemble brewing vats. There is also an interesting mosaic in the main bar that adds to the atmosphere. We have to admit, though, that it was its proximity to our hotel that caused us to visit this friendly pub a couple of times.

Finally, and certainly not least, was The Brazen Head, officially Ireland’s oldest pub. The pub itself has the feel that you would expect from the oldest pub in Ireland, stone walls and a dark atmosphere, but over time the pub has grown into a full restaurant and hotel with many floors of rooms to serve eager guests. We preferred the atmosphere of the old pub, but could certainly see the beer garden being a lively spot during a warmer time of year. No visit to Dublin is complete without visiting this famous spot, especially if you are a fan of historic pubs as we are.

As we mentioned, we could only scratch the surface of all of the pubs that Dublin has to offer. One could probably spend several months in Dublin before visiting even the majority of the offerings. Even with the reputation that the Irish have for their fondness to drink, it seems that the tourists take advantage of a visit to Dublin to drink like a local. We typically don’t need an excuse, but we enjoyed the sampling that we were able to experience during our brief time in the city. What truly makes each place wonderful are the people, everyone of these locations had friendly staff who were quick with a smile and a story if you were willing to listen.

Looking Down at The Bank on College Green

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland

On February 18, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Ireland5 Comments

Christ Church Cathedral (The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) sits in the heart of Dublin in the medieval section of the city. Dublin doesn’t have an old town like many other places in Europe that we have visited, but it does have some historical points of interest, of which this medieval church is one of its gems. Both the interior and exterior of the church are visually stunning, although perhaps not as ornate as some other churches from the period.

Of particular interest is the crypt that lies below the church. It contains the remains of many monuments and historical motifs that are quite fascinating to see. It is the largest crypt in all of Ireland or the UK and definitely worth taking the time to go below the church and checking it out. One of the oddities on display are a cat and rat that were mummified in the pipes of the organ in the 1800’s. Perhaps a little macabre, but still interesting.

Considering that the majority of Dublin is a modern city with only a few historical landmarks remaining, the Christ Church was well worth the visit. We ended up visiting the church on our first day in Dublin, partially just to get out of the rain, but we ended up passing by it a few times before our trip was over. Each time we passed by, we seemed to find another point of interest such as the memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide and a “Homeless Jesus” statue that was gifted to the people of Ireland.

Clearly it is more spectacular on a bright and sunny day, but whatever the weather, we found Christ Church to be very interesting. Obviously the medieval architecture is always interesting, but the artwork is fascinating as well. Since we cannot and wouldn’t use flash photography, there is only so much that we could share, but hopefully you find it as interesting as we did.