&: Thanksgiving in Ireland

My first real weekend in England happened to coincide with Thanksgiving, so J, Kiddo, and I headed to Ireland for the long (American) holiday weekend. Ireland has been on our "to do" list for ages, and it proved to be the perfect trip for a four day getaway. We decided to drive and take the ferry out of Holyhead in Wales rather than train to Heathrow and fly to Dublin, as we wanted to drive to the Cliffs of Moher and through the countryside but didn't want to shell out extra for a car rental in addition to dealing with the hassle of airports. The ferry turned out to be an extremely affordable and pleasant way to get a family of three plus our car across the Irish Sea. We reserved our own private cabin, which even had a full-sized bed (and shower!) if we wanted to nap.

Sailing across the Irish Sea

Arriving in Dublin

After disembarking in Dublin, we spent the first day driving across the Irish countryside toward the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast. For people who have seen Nebraska's grasslands wither into a desiccated, brown landscape during the winter months, Ireland's still verdant pastures were such a refreshing sight. What a place to raise livestock, never having to worry about droughts or rainfall or feeding hay due to a lack of grass. And such wonderfully constructed stone walls! No barbed wire or fence posts crisscrossing the landscape. Then again, stone walls may be sufficient to keep sheep from wandering but not cows. They'd push through the stones in a matter of days.

"Thanksgiving lunch" of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, and LOTS of potatoes at the Gannon Inn

We spent a night in the town of Ennis, stopping at the Old Poets' Corner pub in the Old Ground Hotel for dinner. Old Poets' Corner is an Ennis institution popular with the locals -- with its dark wood paneling, low-key ambiance, and stunningly beautiful mahogany bar, it was all exactly what we had hoped for for our first night in Ireland. In addition to eating an amazing dinner of traditional Irish fare, we were lucky enough to catch a night of live traditional Irish music. Kiddo loved the music and danced up a storm, twirling and bobbing in circles. We may have let her stay up until 9:30pm that night.

The next morning, we drove half an hour to the Cliffs of Moher. The weather was bone chillingly cold and the sky overcast, but we braved the bitter wind and took in stunning views of the cliffs shrouded in fog until the sun came out and warmed us up a bit. I discovered that I am much slower walking uphill as a pregnant woman and that my Hunter wellies (rain boots) were heavy.

Cliffs of Moher

We stayed as long as our frozen fingers could bear before taking the scenic route back to the east coast through the Burren. The Burren is a region in County Clare comprised of rolling hills covered in limestone pavements. It was a landscape not like anything we'd ever seen in of our travels, beautiful and alien in its starkness. Kiddo appreciated the scenery by jumping from rock to rock like a champ. In the middle of the Burren, we visited the Poulnabrone dolmen, a Celtic portal tomb dating from between 4200 and 2900 BC. It was blessedly deserted due to the winter offseason.

The Burren

Poulnabrone dolmen

I randomly selected the town of Trim, about 40 minutes outside of Dublin, as our next overnight stop. We chanced upon a beautiful B&B (that luckily had an available room!), dropped off our bags, and ate another delicious dinner at The Stockhouse before calling it a night. I don't think we've had anything less than a fantastic meal in Ireland.

The next morning, after an abundant Irish breakfast complete with tea and fresh squeezed orange juice, we toured the ruins of Trim Castle, a Norman castle built in the 12th century and conveniently located across the street from the B&B. J and I do love our history, but it was also the chance for Kiddo to run around and burn off some energy.

Trim Castle

Before heading to Dublin for the night, we visited Newgrange, a 5,200 year old Neolithic passage tomb located in the Boyne Valley.

It may look huge from the outside but Newgrange (and the other tombs) is literally a giant mound of dirt. The internal chamber barely holds ten people. Photos of the interior weren't allowed, sadly.

Newgrange took a bit longer than we anticipated -- we needed to board a shuttle to the actual mound and wait for a guided tour -- but we slipped into the Battle of the Boyne museum just before closing time. For those unfamiliar, the Battle of the Boyne (1609) was the most significant battle of the conflict between Protestant and Catholic forces in which the forces of William of Orange were victorious over the forces of the deposed King James II of England, ensuring that Protestant rule continued throughout Ireland. These days, the battlefield is just a large green field surrounded by walking paths, but the museum was highly informative. Baby was remarkably well behaved, despite it being late in the day.

J and I have been amazed repeatedly by the depth and variety of history that Ireland (and the United Kingdom in general) has to offer. I do wish we had more time to explore Ireland, but we are more than blessed to have traversed the country and experienced so much during the past few days.

Next up: Germany for one week. J will be at a training while I attempt to navigate Stuttgart with Kiddo and keep her entertained. Stay tuned.