Ireland

Trip Date: November 2016

From Northern Ireland we made our way into Ireland proper. The transition was seamless, without so much as a border, a check-point, or even a sign. The only indication we had left Northern Ireland was the speed limit signs were no longer in miles-per-hour, instead they were now in the Metric kilometres-per-hour. With all the violence in Northern Ireland in the recent past I had expected a patrolled border between the two nations, but that was not the case.

Ireland's Flag

Ireland, officially known as the Republic of Ireland, covers five-sixths of the island of Ireland; the remaining sixth is occupied by Northern Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin and the country's population is just over 4.7 million people. The official languages are Irish and English.

Ireland (dark green) as part of the European Union (light green)

Driving in the Irish countryside is quite the adventure. Not only do you need to get used to sitting on the opposite side of the car and driving on the opposite side of the road, but there are numerous traffic circles and the roads are very narrow. Passing vehicles going in the other direction is a heart-stopping experience to say the least!

After a long, stressful day in the car we were more than happy to see the lights of Kilronan Castle glowing in the dark of night. Kilronan is a historic castle that was originally built in 1820 and is now a luxurious hotel and spa. The castle underwent numerous renovations and you can see the difference between the original castle and the new additions just by looking at the exterior of the building.

It was neat walking around the castle as there were old suits of armor and swords hanging on the walls. The room was spacious and comfortable, except for the telephone. Just as we were going to bed the telephone rang. When I answered it there was a sound like children laughing on the other end, but nobody answered when I said "Hello". I hung up and didn't think too much about it, potentially just a wrong number, however the telephone continued to ring throughout the night. Every time I answered the phone the line went dead. This happened several times before I unplugged the phone from the wall. You can imagine the look on my face when the phone rang again and still nobody was there. At that point I called the front desk and inquired about the mysterious ringing in our room. I was told to just unplug the telephone and they'd look into it in the morning. The phone never rang again that night. We only spent one night at Kilronan and when we checked out the next day we asked the front desk staff about the odd occurrences in our room. They were blown away by our story as that had never happened before and Kilronan isn't supposed to be haunted. I have a feeling their opinion on ghosts might have changed after our stay!

Kilronan Castle

Before leaving we went for a short hike around the castle grounds. The fall colours were still clinging to the trees and the sun was shining, making it a beautiful morning outside.

The beautiful grounds of Kilronan Castle

Kilronan Castle sits on Lough Meelagh, a picturesque lake

Unfortunately we couldn't stay long as we had another decent day of driving and site-seeing ahead of us. Our first stop of the day was Lough Key Forest Park, which is home to Castle Island. We went on a short walk through the park and encountered some friendly waterfowl that were looking for handouts.

There is references to Castle Island as far back as 1184. The area was originally known as Moylurg and the castle was the official residence of the McDermott's who were the Kings of Moylurg. The McDermott's ruled this entire area until the 17th century when land ownership was transferred to the King family.

Close-up of a Mute Swan who was looking for treats

Castle Island

Ireland is a very rocky place and as such the stones unearthed from the land became the principal building material. The fields needed to be cleared of stones for livestock to graze, so landowners built stone walls. The walls outlined property lines and contained livestock within. They are still in use today, but due to their instability (the walls are nothing more than piles of boulders with no mortar) they require constant maintenance.

Typical stone wall in Ireland

The country is known for its sheep population

Our final stop for the day was Galway, a coastal city on the western edge of the island. We only spent one night in Galway and had fun exploring the town centre and the pedestrian streets that surround Eyre Square.

Morning reflections in Galway

We were up early again the next day as the Cliffs of Moher were waiting! We were really excited to see the cliffs in person and wanted to spend enough time there to really soak it all in. The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland's most visited natural attraction with over one million visitors each year. The cliffs run for 8km (5 mi) as the crow flies along the Atlantic coastline. They reach a maximum height of 214m (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower. In the ancient Gaelic language, the word 'Mothar' means "ruined fort" and a 1st century fort once stood where Moher tower now stands. Although any trace of the original fort has long since disappeared the Cliffs of Moher still carry the name proudly.

The cliffs were one of my favourite stops in Ireland and we were lucky to have bright sunshine for most of the experience. The winds were strong and they blew in a massive rainstorm just as we were finishing our visit. We were completely soaked by the time we finished running back to the car, but it was all worth it in the end!

Country viewpoint along the road to the cliffs

The Cliffs of Moher

Cliff Selfie!

The area immediately north of O'Brien's Tower

O'Brien's Tower standing on the edge of the cliffs

We spent the rest of the day making our way to Dublin where we would meet Christine's sister, Sarah, who would be spending the final week of our vacation with us. As previously mentioned Dublin is the capital and largest city in Ireland and sits at the mouth of the River Liffey. All three of us were looking forward to getting out and exploring the city.

Trinity College is Ireland's oldest university and was founded in 1592

A few of the buildings on campus were covered in these colourful vines

The Spire of Dublin, also known as the Monument of Light, stands 120m (390 ft) above O'Connell Street. Construction of the tower was completed in 2003.

The Spire

A statue of the famed Irish novelist and poet James Joyce

Dublin Castle officially opened in 1204 and has served various roles throughout its history, including a defensive fortification, a royal residence, parliamentary offices, and a military garrison before eventually becoming a major Irish government complex.

The Record Tower (right) and Chapel Royal (left) make-up a portion of Dublin Castle

Dublin City Hall was built between 1767 and 1779

It's rare to have two cathedrals in the same city, but Dublin is an exception. St. Patrick's Cathedral is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland while Christ Church Cathedral is designated as the local cathedral of the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough.

Christ Church Cathedral was founded in 1030 and is the elder of the city's two medieval cathedrals

St. Patrick's Cathedral was founded 1191 and is the tallest and largest church in Ireland

A quick selfie with St. Patrick's Cathedral from St. Patrick's Park

St. Stephen's Green is a popular park in Dublin and was still showing off its fall colours!

The sisters standing on a stone bridge in the park

A statue of Molly Malone, the fictional character from the song of the same name that has become the unofficial anthem for Dublin

A Grey Heron hunting for breakfast along one of Dublin's canals

This canal was right next to our hotel

We really enjoyed our time in Dublin and were sad to see it come to an end so quickly, but we were already looking ahead to the final leg of our journey through the English countryside. The next morning we hopped on a plane and flew into Birmingham for the trip's final chapter.