On to the Bunratty Castle and location of Ballykiss what?

Before leaving Connemara we attempted several photos of the grandparents and grandchildren. Hmm… The first and last attempt:

Leaving Connemara

The remaining got a bit silly!

You can’t be in Ireland without seeing a castle. There are loads; and of course you can find them in various conditions-some are no more than ruins where the viewer must use old photographs or drawings and the knowledge of someone else to describe and a paint a picture of what the castle once was, while others have been maintained over the years or restored to their splendor and architectural grandeur. With only small amounts of  planning or efforts you can tour one or even attend a Medieval Banquet.  We heard positive things from both Irish friends and the King clan about the t experience and thought we’d save it for the McDonald Hurd Family visit.

Bunratty Castle

We had a fantastic time being entertained as one of many  “Earl of Thomond’s guests” starting with a sampling of honey Mead; a history lesson about the castle, listening to period music  and delightful singing as well as feasting  on a four course meal with our hands of course! (Hats off, by the way to Seamus, the Juilliard trained violinist and our server for the night!)

Harp music, and our man, Seamus who grace us with his musical talent!

Emmie and one of the Bunratty singers after the banquet.

In the courtyard.

Emmie & the boys found a hill. In fairness each of them (minus Grace) took a turn.

We wish we had more photographs! Perhaps family has a few to share.

Fortunately we had time to check-in to our B & B before the start of the banquet. Not only was it to nice to be able to freshen up after the drive from Connemara, but it’s always fun to explore and poke around a new place.  Erica and Brian also recommended the historic New Park House B & B.  We certainly got a kick out of seeing their names in the registration book.

The New Park House

On the back deck- Pat, Scott, Marti, and Griff!

Chicks entertained the kids as well as the dogs.

New chicks!

The next morning in semi shifts we enjoyed breakfast and left for the location of Ballykissangel. Griff and Pat are big fans of the late 90’s BBC show set in Avoca, County Wicklow.

Pat, Emmie and Spencer at breakfast at the New Park House.

In front of Fitzgerald’s Pub

Pat & Griff on location o f Ballykissangel

Family Weekend in Connemarra

Only a few days in Dublin with the visiting McDonalds’ when it’s time to take to the open road, or the wee roads, to Connemara!

With ten of us in tow, we need to rent two cars. Fortunately, I practiced the weekend prior driving to Arklow. Yes, I had not driven in Ireland up until then, only in Spain when we were on holiday. Griff was a fantastic and a very calm co-pilot.

First though, we stop in Galway for lunch and a wander! No pictures for the moment!

A lovely drive up toward a Loch near Connemara to find yet another terrific Airbnb accommodation !

One end of the loch.  Look what was waiting….

Emmie named the swan Rebecca! Its wing is injured, so we imagined she was a permanent resident.

We loved the house and wished we could have spent more time there!

Creative juices were flowing as the kids wrote acrostic poetry about each other over dinner. Quite entertaining!

The restaurant owner’s dog worked hard to get our attention and play with him. So cute!

A Grandma sandwich after dinner.

~ Next Day – Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle- Incredible gardens! Griff, Pat, Emmie and Christine are first to arrive and explore.

Emmie checks out a turret, one of which line the perimeter of the garden. A fun play area; too bad we don’t have one in our backyard at home.

A perfect tree for play & posing!

Griff and Pat with the vibrant rhododendron plants which was quite plentiful around the grounds!

Emmie finds a friend!

On site was the School of falconry. What a sight to spy a falcon fly from on tree to another. They had a bell attached to one of their talons, so we could also hear them coming.

We read about the private Hawk Walks they offered.

Falcon spotting

Naturally we had to show Spenser, Tristyn and Grace the amazing climbing tree!

All four cousins on the tree – indulging their parents and grandparents for a photo.

Ashford Castle Garden.

Kyle Moore Abby was  one of the inspirations for our trip to Connemara. We had a nice lunch and then took in the views of the Abby and former school.

Christine & Marti

Griff & Scott

Pat & Marti- Mother & daughter

We also had the chance to spend time in Connemara National Park. We learned about the various types of bogs and the Parks and areas’ commitment to preserving them.

Foggy boggy Connemara

Various Irish words for bogs

A good stroll

Cousines-Emmie & Spencer – Foggy hill hike!

More driving and found a beach to explore.

We pulled over to look around this beach.

Beautiful rocks

One more together

Mussels

Found a fantastic place for dinner!

Birthdays, exams, parties, school-endings, school tours, and family arrival!

Much ado in May…

~ A trip to Arklow for Dean’s 21st Birthday Celebration…

Zoe and Dean!

Siblings: Lisa, Dean, the birthday boy & Robert

~Emmie’s piano teacher encouraged and helped prepare her for the Royal Irish Music Academy piano exam; so proud of her. Afterwards, she feasted at Jo’ Burger, restaurant of choice !

We waited outside and silently rooted her on!!

Right after Em’s exam

Grace endured 2 weeks of exams followed by several parties.  She’s made some very good friends this year!

Grace’s class 1S

One of several treats at Grace’s party ! (Homemade by friends)

Grace and Laura S. (Maryfield frineds)

Close friends and neighbors, Grace & Laura K’s last walk to school

~Emmie’s class along with the other 4th class, ventured to a County Meath farm to learn all about bogs on their spring school tour. (Field-trip). It was not a natural bog, but a man made one.

Emmie isn’t’ as enthusiastic about Mom taking the photo as some of her friends are about having the photo taken.
School tour also means no uniforms.

Emmie and her classmates make their way to the bus.

Traveling in style

Emmie and her friend Sianna take the plunge into the homemade bog. My friend, Denise one of the chaperone’s on the trip sent me this shot.

Family arrival:  Pat, Griff, Marti, Greg, Spencer, and Tristyn arrive for two weeks visit!

Pat with the grandkids in Stephen’s Green. Emmie cleaned up well after the bog visit.

Time for one more castle and cake

Getting to know people takes time… but it is certainly worth it.  Grateful for Meghan and Tanner’s commitment and work ethic to save money to visit us in Ireland.

Wedding pictures in progress!

We took advantage of  having the rental car from the weekend and visited Trim Castle with Meghan and Tanner. Grace and Emmie had school and in fairness they had been to the castle in the fall.  We also found a cute place in Trim for lunch. The following day Meghan & Tanner ventured to the Cliffs of Moher and two more castles on a local day tour.

Inside Trim Castle

At the top of the castle- listening to guide.

Cousins- time for some early birthday cake!

One last shot in the airport- Bon Voyage!

Belfast & Giant’s Causeway- Meghan, Tanner & the McCormacks

A weekend in Belfast & Giant’s Causeway 

First Stop the W5–   Time for some science play and discovery!  A little later the McCormack Clan arrived for a weekend of adventure.

A tug of war challenge

Blocks at the W5 Discovery Center (Belfast)

William Simpson exhibit at the W5

The Titanic Experience

A fantastic exhibition describing the Titanic story from multiple perspectives. Learned quite a bit!

The view of the Titanic Experience from the W5

Hours later….

Located hotel & found food- the young ones enjoyed a fun pizza place while Sharon, Vincent, Scott and Christine managed an adult dinner!

~Next Day

On to the Giant’s Causeway….

A GPS wrong direction led us down a road and a chance meeting with an old college friend which proved the world can seem quite small.

“Scott, pull over that’s Lydia Wise?! Who would have thought on a  wee road in Ireland!

Breathtaking!

Gorse more than dots the landscape

Columns of basalt

Delicate flowers share their color

Found Finn McCool’s Boot

Scott, Emmie & Tanner

The shapes of the rocks made it seem like we were on another planet!

Love!

Happy explorers!

The honeycomb pattern of the basalt columns catches your attention!

Thrilled Meghan and Tanner decided to visit!

One last shot…

For time’s sake the group chose to split up: Scott, Vincent, Tanner, & Mikey dropped us at Dunluce Castlte and returned to meet us after a tour and tasting for some, at the Old Bushmills Distillery.

Dunluce Castle

We learned that The McQuillan Clan were the Lords of the area from the late 13th century until they were displaced by the MacDonalds!   Interesting history…

Results of climbing!

Meghan looking for a shot!

Meghan, Lisa, & Grace- Amazing young women!

Emmie and Katie exploring the ruins of Dunluce Castle

Closer view!

Views from the castle

Quite picturesque

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Unfortunately for some, despite arriving with enough time to see the Carrick- a- Rede Rope bridge; it was not enough time to be able to cross it!  Darn- Ah, well! A lovely walk though.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Fisherman used the bridge to access the island of Carrickarede for great fishing!

Emmie might have been the most disappointed that the bridge was closed! Still smiling though.

A fantastic weekend!

Meghan & Tanner’s visit part 1

Meghan & Tanner’s visit

We were thrilled to have our niece & Grace and Emmie’s cousin Meghan, and her boyfriend, Tanner visit.

Walking around Dublin: The Ha’penny Bridge is a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the Liffey!

We talked, played cards; shared meals; home cooked and dined out, tasted scones, fish & chips, and Guinness to name a few; walked many places in & outside of Dublin, toured castles, jails, laughed, enjoyed the sunshine, and of course getting to know each other…

Kilmainham Gaol certainly played an important role in Irish history.

Grace Evelyn Gifford Plunkett an artist and activist in the Republican movement married Joseph Plunkett in Kilmainham Gaol a few hours before his was executed for his role in the 916 Easter Rising.

After the tour

Walked home through the grounds of the IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art)

Off to Howth for a climb and lunch

Along the seaside…

The View from Howth Summit

Photo prep can be tricky and even painful.

What a lucky aunt I am!

Cliffs of Moher and more with Janet & pre-wedding Erin

Janet and Erin’s visit!

We got to enjoy a few days with Aunt Janet and Erin in April.  Short, sweet and loads of fun.  It was especially nice since it was so close to Erin’s wedding day.

We toured Dublin a bit, shared some pints and vitals, drove to Galway, and county Clare where we explored the the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and more, heard trad music, took in more incredible sights even some posing cows, savored banoffee pie with carmel sauce and of course had plenty of laughter!

Janet and Erin at Trinity College!

Checking out the sparkly lights at Powerscourt Centre

Love this shot! Browsing around before heading to dinner at our favorite gastropub, L. Mulligan Grocer!

Off to the west… Rain…well, of course!

First stop Galway, a quick meander around and a stop for food. Erin even found something special for Kevin, her kitty.

Erin finds a souvenir for Kevin

Roaming around Galway

Namesake music store in Galway

En route we pass a castle; we  stop and take a closer look…

The castle

Since our hotel was on the way, we decided to check-in and drop our bags off before visiting the Cliffs Moher and Doolin.

Cliffs of Moher- (southwestern edge of the Burren region, County Clare)

Feeling the wind & loving the views-

Family shot at the Cliffs

As usual we love the Irish signage; Erin got a kick out of them as well.

Taking in the view… trying

Emmie testing out the wind.

We drive through Doolin-and consider returning later for drinks and music at Gus O’Conners… though wanting to avoid driving we asked our hotel owner, and she recommended a pub down the hill to hear some trad music.  We liked this idea, so Scott would not have to drive. After a lovely dinner at our hotel,  we took her advice and strolled down the hill.  Fantastic!

The Roadside Tavern

Roadside Tavern

~~ Next day

Guinness- it’s everywhere.

Searching for some Celtic Crosses

Celtic Crosses

On our way to the Portal Tomb, Poulnabrone, which we referred to as the Table we spot more ruins and a field of cows who seemed to be accustomed to passer-byes almost posing for us and anyone else interested.

Posing cows- We wondered what they were thinking.

We imagined the cows were laughing at us as we snapped their photos!

The cows seemed to line up for a photo so naturally.

ruins beside the field of cows

On to the moon…

Burial sight and tomb from almost 6000 years ago…The rocks surrounding the Portal Tomb made us feel like we were on the moon.

Poulnabrone, The Portal Tomb

Fast… view…due to the crazy wind

What next… dinner in Limerick and back to Dublin.

We had the top floor to ourselves… more room for silliness!

Fan of the banoffee pie and carmel sauce- all of us were, actually!

Gorgeous last day in Dublin!  A fantastic visit.

St. Stephen’s Green

Kerry: More hikes, pints, views, & Fungi

Kerry

Mom, Emmie and I attended Easter mass in town. Then after a pancake breakfast, we were ready for the day and most importantly Grace felt better!

St. Mary’s Church-

In Dingle, some part of the group enjoyed Fungi, the dolphin cruise, with an actual sighting of Fungi while others shopped.

Getting ready for the dolphin cruise

Up close shot of Fungi- this dolphin has been in Dingle Bay since 1983

Grace & Lisa trying to stay warm

Fungi Sighting

Love this one of Lisa & Grace

Views from the ferry- Ruins and cows on the coast

How quickly the weather can change

Stops along the coast of Dingle

Blaskett Islands- Locals call the far island  “the sleeping bishop” or “Dead man”

Mammy sheep helping her little lamb on the side of the road

Sharon’s Lake -a gift from Vincent

Hike to Pedler Lake on the Conner Pass. Mom opted out of the hike and stayed in the car.

Made it to the top

Sharon & Vincent – I see a smile!

McCormack Clan minus 2

Not sure what Emmie’s expression means – I think she’d rather be exploring

Ok, Emmie- Don’t go to far….

Easter dinner at Spillane’s where Mom sampled her first Guinness.  Robert, Dean, and Zoe arrived. Back at the house Robert got Emmie involved in some shenanigans and Scott and I were introduced to the game, Kings…

Thanks, Lisa!

Mom’s first Guinness

Yes, Emmie figured out the trick.

The next day…Grace and Emmie stayed with the McCormacks another day while Mom, Scott and I headed back to Dublin! A spectacular few days, thanks, Sharon, Vincent, and gang!

Such a special time with Mom/Grandma/Audrey – wonderful memories!

Castlegregory, Kerry…w/ Mom & the McCormacks

Not a lot of time in between trips… home from Italy Thursday and the next day it was off to Castlegregory, Kerry, for a few days with the McCormack clan.

Quite a special trip-

~Mom got to meet and spend time with the McCormacks!

~We rented the same house the McCormacks know and love; it’s really like a second home to the them!

First arrival- Castlegregory beach

Emmie-running on the beach

~Celebrating Sharon’s (21st) Birthday. Chocolate Birthday Cake!

Birthday Girl

~ Chess: Emmie learned to play Chess! Many games entertained or simply passed the time. In fact, Emmie suggested a game almost every time we set foot in the house!

Intense chess sessions

~Visiting the  one of the mountain lakes with the boardwalk.  (name?) With the comfort of Scott and Vincent’s presence just in case, Mom managed the narrow boardwalk fabulously. Grace was not feeling well, so she and I missed this outing, so she could rest.

On the way to the lake

Vincent, Audrey, Mikey,& Sharon

Grazing sheep

Large bird perched on a rock in the lake (Not sure on the species)

~ Chatting, appreciating the sunshine & fresh sea air and walking along the beach right across the street.

Mom spotted this smiling rock right as we walked on the beach

Beautiful beach in Castlegregory

~ Poking around the pier and having a pint at the local pub, Nora Murphy’s in Brandon’s Bay.

The weather changes so quickly

Scott on the pier at Brandon’s Bay

Thanks, Vincent- for putting up with all the photos!

Penny for your thoughts, Lisa.

My photo was too dark- sign above the pub
http://www.docbrown.info/docspics/irishscenes/ispage44.htm

Moms & daughters  (Missing my Grace)

Watching a bit of the match

Katie & Becky

Last photo before we head back to the house- Missing Grace

Pisa…and Arrivederci Italy!

Pisa

Even though it was our last day in Italy, we decided not to the rush off in the morning and instead take our time at breakfast. Cristina and Mario offered a generous breakfast including: fruits, toast, meats and cheeses, yogurt, cereal and a breakfast tea cake in a lovely sitting room/dining room with many beautiful paintings and family photos.

Iacopo, our host, emailed suggestions for our day and we began with the first: a drive to Marina Pisa.

Fisheries in Marino di Pisa

Road closures, time to find an alternate route – no bother!

Construction

Standing and exploring a bit on the rocky beach with the sunshine and blue skies was grand!

Scott & Grace

Discoveries

Roaming girls – Marino di Pisa

Ah… sunshine – Marino di Pisa

We read that Pisa is much more than its Leaning Tower…so, we headed into town to see the Tower and city for ourselves.

Pisa, a Tuscan port city, was prominent until about 1200. Even after a naval defeat and the port filling up with silt, the city maintains its importance with its University and Field of Miracles, where you can find the famous tower.

The impressive lawn with Cathedral & Tower

The Piassa dei Miracoli consists of the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower- which is really the Bell Tower and the Churchyard.

Medici Symbol

We all know Emmie has a bit of an obsession with climbing to the top of towers!! How could she and I resist climbing such a famous object? So, bought tickets to do so.  Our entrance time for the Tower was not for another 45 minutes, time to explore the magnificent cathedral!

Door to the Cathedral

Our favorite cathedral we visited this trip. Stunning!

Time to climb…

Tower Entrance

View of the Cathedral and Baptistry

One of the bells

Our obligatory photo at the top!

Descending- yes, you can feel the lean!

It was amusing to watch tourists of all ages and from various corners of the world attempt to capture the quintessential image of holding up the Tower. Emmie wanted to give it a go while we waited to rendezvous with Scott, Grace and Mom. Perhaps a third try would have helped.

Meandering around Pisa, we noticed the university student atmosphere, which we recognize well from State College. Several students seemed to be on break from class or simply meeting where we grabbed a little lunch.

Graffiti revealed students’ causes and local sentiments on many building sides.

We got a kick out of this note on the river’s edge.

Where is Marti?

The rain seemed to come and go despite the forecasted clear skies and several of the shops were unfortunately closed for the afternoon (like siesta in Spain). We voted to return to Casa Formica for some downtime.

Cristina brought us some well appreciated tea and biscuits in the sitting area outside our rooms while Emmie took a turn on their piano.  We even had a few remaining cookies from our lunch spot, Ricciarelli, and a few other almond, pignoli and chocolate treats. Cristina was delighted to hear Emmie play.  Shortly after our tea, we changed to wine as we needed to finish our opened bottle that would not travel home with us.

Emmie got to know a few of the cats on the premises. I think there were about eight. We love this shot of Emmie talking with the black cat that Emmie named…

Emmie and cute cat at Casa Formica

Only this cat wanted our attention and to get into our rooms.

It was nice to meet Icoco after having all our email correspondence.  He and his parents invited us to share a glass of local wine on the terrace which was lovely; we chatted, managing as best we could with the language. Love times like these!

Spaghetteria ir Tegame was an ideal spot for our last meal in Italy as its focus was Pasta!  We feasted on more pasta than we could possibly eat.  Emmie was thrilled to spy the chefs making fresh pasta, “you can see the pasta drying on racks; they are not just taking it from the package like we do…”

Grace and Emmie- happy pasta eaters!

~And of course trips must come to an end. All that was left after our breakfast at Casa Formica was to head to the airport and head home.  Delays due to weather in Dublin gave us more time at the Pisa airport, and still we were back home by early  afternoon. Fantastic trip and memories with Mom/Grandma!  Arrivederi, noi ti amiamo I’Italia