Our Wonderful Irish Celebration. Part 1 (long!)
Apr 6th, 2006, 05:56 AM
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Our Wonderful Irish Celebration. Part 1 (long!)
As many of you know, this was a trip that came very close to not happening. It was just a week before departure that we made our final decision. And, even then, I wasn�t 100% comfortable with that decision. Oh, I knew how badly I wanted to go. And I truly believed that it would be the break we all so desperately needed. But I also knew that my husband wasn�t at all sure of that. I think a large part of him would have been very happy if the kids and I had said that we really didn�t want to go!
I promised myself that I was going to leave all our �baggage� at home and just concentrate on the trip. I struggled a bit during the cab ride to the airport, worrying about whether the door, with which we�d just started having trouble, had caught properly. I worried that we�d come home to a wide-open front door. (Which, of course, didn�t happen!). And then I worried that I�d forgotten the camera. (I hadn�t!) But as soon as I got to the airport, I was truly able to just forget everything except what was happening right then. And I managed to keep it that way throughout the trip. No easy feat for someone as neurotic as I am!
Unfortunately, I don�t think my husband was able to leave everything behind as completely as I did. And that�s perfectly understandable. After all, he was the one who�d gone through the illness. And he had a lot of work concerns. But I do think that going out of the country helped him to let go much more so than he would have had he been somewhere that he was hearing local and national news.
As wonderful as this trip was, it was exhausting for all of us. So I know it was probably even more so for my husband. And I still feel a little guilty about that. I know that going back to work on Monday wasn�t easy!.
But, having said all of that, I really do think he enjoyed the trip. And that it helped him to start walking away from these past months. Whatever minor reservations I still have, I�m so very, very glad we went! As I said on Freaky Friday Rants and Raves, it was a wonderful, magical week out of time!
Again as many of you know, this was my first time on an airplane in over 23 years! And I admit to being very nervous during that first take-off! But, for the most part, it wasn�t nearly as bad as I�d feared. My major complaint is how cramped the planes were! Even on the trip from Boston to Ireland. I really don�t remember it being that bad when we flew Aer Lingus to Ireland 24 years ago.
Day One
We arrived at Shannon around 8:45 AM Irish Summer Time. The time had changed the night before. Which, of course, was wonderful for us as it gave us an extra hour of light in the evenings.
Things got off to a bit of a rocky start. My husband went straight to the Dan Dooley counter while I went straight to the ATM. My card didn�t work! The message said that they were temporarily unable to process my request. I freaked out somewhat at that point. But my daughter called our bank and found that the automated system was down. We began to hope that that was the problem and that it would, indeed, be temporary!
Meanwhile, the line for Dan Dooley was quite long. Much longer than any of the other car rental desks. Exactly what this says, I�m not sure. After waiting quite a while to get the car, we wound up being just behind the last group who were able to squeeze in the shuttle. So, of course, we had to wait for the next one.
We finally got over to Dan Dooley and got our automatic Ford Focus. There was road construction at the airport making it necessary to drive all the way around in order to get out. We were just about to leave the airport grounds when we realized that someone was trying to flag us down. It was someone from Dan Dooley! Turns out we had a tire that was nearly flat. So back to Dan Dooley we went! They wanted to just put air in the tire. But my husband was afraid it might be a slow leak and persuaded them to change the tire.
I�m not quite sure why this wasn�t caught before we drove off their lot. But I�m awfully glad they were able to catch us! Also, as my husband got out of the car to see why we were being flagged down, he noticed a big scratch on his side of the car. We realized we�d forgotten to check for damage (stupid, I know!). So my husband and the guy who flagged us down walked around the car and took note of scratches.
Finally, we were on the road headed for Galway. At least after a quick stop in Ennis. My brother had arrived in Ireland a few days before the rest of us. He�d rented a car the day before and drove to the airport to pick up the other brother, his girlfriend and a family friend. They went on to Ennis when we went to pick up our car and had told us to meet them at the Texaco Station. Fortunately, we didn�t have any trouble finding it!
We followed my brother in to Galway. He�d map-quested the B&B. But still we managed to get lost and had to stop for directions!
We got to the B&B a little early, I think around 1:00. When I made the reservation (by e-mail) I�d asked how early we could check in. But they hadn�t answered that question. We had reserved a total of three rooms; a family room for myself, my husband and our two kids, one room with a double bed and one with two single beds. Two of the rooms were ready. Ours wasn�t. So we decided to go look for some lunch.
We walked into the town centre (in the rain), a reasonably short walk of about 10 minutes, and wound up at An Pucan on Foster Street. There was a pleasant dining room behind the bar room. Three of the four of us had fish and chips, our son had a grilled onion and roast beef sandwich and chips. The portions were a bit much for lunch. But the food was very good.
Unfortunately, yesterday morning I realized that we were double charged for that lunch! Our Capital One statement shows one charge for $75.15 and another for $60.06. My receipt shows the bill, in Euro, was 43.45. So, with the addition of tip and currency conversion, I�m guessing that the lower amount is the correct one.
I spoke with Capital One yesterday and was advised to send them a letter with a copy of the receipt, etc. So I�m hoping they�ll be able to resolve it. Watch those credit card statements!
As long as we were out and about, we decided to walk around a bit after lunch. We went up to Eyre Square where we found a bank with an ATM. My card worked! Hooray! Obviously, the problem had been that our bank�s ATM system was down when we tried at the airport. We walked on a bit farther, checking out some of the shops, etc.
After returning to the B&B, settling in and getting cleaned up a bit, we went out again with the rest of our group. We followed the same route into town, walked through the area of shops and pubs down to the river and the Spanish Arch. It was pouring rain at this point. So we decided it was time to find a pub!
Purely by chance, we wandered into Tigh Neachtain. I�d read very good things about this pub. We weren�t actually looking for it at the time. But we sure were glad we found it! It was crowded, but people were coming and going. By the time we�d been there a while, we managed to find seats together. Our first pints of Guinness were pure heaven! The atmosphere was great. And there was very good music! A majority of the people there seemed to be locals.
One problem we ran into in Galway is that all or most of the restaurants, pubs, etc. seem to stop serving food by 8:00. We all tend to be late eaters, especially when we�re traveling. We left the pub and went over to The Front Door with not a lot of time to spare before they stopped serving food.
We all had a very pleasant meal there. My son and I split an order of excellent potato skins that came with a garlic mayo sauce. And then split one of the entrees on their specials. It was minute steak that was good, but a bit �chewy�. Our daughter had a very good seafood chowder. And my brother�s girlfriend had an herb roasted chicken that she said was the best chicken she�d ever had!
By that time it was late and we were all feeling the very long day we�d had! But on the way back to the B&B, one of my brothers, our family friend and I decided to stop back into An Pucan for one more Guinness. There had been a session in there earlier in the evening. Just as we sat down, another band finished setting up and began to play. It�s hard to know exactly how to describe their style of music. At one point, my brother called it a Lawrence Welk version of traditional Irish! But, the more they played, the more we began to enjoy them. They did some very nice ballads, including a version of The Rare Old Times that I really enjoyed. Just before we left, one of them sang either Ring of Fire or Walk the Line (terrible, I know, but I can�t remember which!) that sounded just like Johnny Cash.
I promised myself that I was going to leave all our �baggage� at home and just concentrate on the trip. I struggled a bit during the cab ride to the airport, worrying about whether the door, with which we�d just started having trouble, had caught properly. I worried that we�d come home to a wide-open front door. (Which, of course, didn�t happen!). And then I worried that I�d forgotten the camera. (I hadn�t!) But as soon as I got to the airport, I was truly able to just forget everything except what was happening right then. And I managed to keep it that way throughout the trip. No easy feat for someone as neurotic as I am!
Unfortunately, I don�t think my husband was able to leave everything behind as completely as I did. And that�s perfectly understandable. After all, he was the one who�d gone through the illness. And he had a lot of work concerns. But I do think that going out of the country helped him to let go much more so than he would have had he been somewhere that he was hearing local and national news.
As wonderful as this trip was, it was exhausting for all of us. So I know it was probably even more so for my husband. And I still feel a little guilty about that. I know that going back to work on Monday wasn�t easy!.
But, having said all of that, I really do think he enjoyed the trip. And that it helped him to start walking away from these past months. Whatever minor reservations I still have, I�m so very, very glad we went! As I said on Freaky Friday Rants and Raves, it was a wonderful, magical week out of time!
Again as many of you know, this was my first time on an airplane in over 23 years! And I admit to being very nervous during that first take-off! But, for the most part, it wasn�t nearly as bad as I�d feared. My major complaint is how cramped the planes were! Even on the trip from Boston to Ireland. I really don�t remember it being that bad when we flew Aer Lingus to Ireland 24 years ago.
Day One
We arrived at Shannon around 8:45 AM Irish Summer Time. The time had changed the night before. Which, of course, was wonderful for us as it gave us an extra hour of light in the evenings.
Things got off to a bit of a rocky start. My husband went straight to the Dan Dooley counter while I went straight to the ATM. My card didn�t work! The message said that they were temporarily unable to process my request. I freaked out somewhat at that point. But my daughter called our bank and found that the automated system was down. We began to hope that that was the problem and that it would, indeed, be temporary!
Meanwhile, the line for Dan Dooley was quite long. Much longer than any of the other car rental desks. Exactly what this says, I�m not sure. After waiting quite a while to get the car, we wound up being just behind the last group who were able to squeeze in the shuttle. So, of course, we had to wait for the next one.
We finally got over to Dan Dooley and got our automatic Ford Focus. There was road construction at the airport making it necessary to drive all the way around in order to get out. We were just about to leave the airport grounds when we realized that someone was trying to flag us down. It was someone from Dan Dooley! Turns out we had a tire that was nearly flat. So back to Dan Dooley we went! They wanted to just put air in the tire. But my husband was afraid it might be a slow leak and persuaded them to change the tire.
I�m not quite sure why this wasn�t caught before we drove off their lot. But I�m awfully glad they were able to catch us! Also, as my husband got out of the car to see why we were being flagged down, he noticed a big scratch on his side of the car. We realized we�d forgotten to check for damage (stupid, I know!). So my husband and the guy who flagged us down walked around the car and took note of scratches.
Finally, we were on the road headed for Galway. At least after a quick stop in Ennis. My brother had arrived in Ireland a few days before the rest of us. He�d rented a car the day before and drove to the airport to pick up the other brother, his girlfriend and a family friend. They went on to Ennis when we went to pick up our car and had told us to meet them at the Texaco Station. Fortunately, we didn�t have any trouble finding it!
We followed my brother in to Galway. He�d map-quested the B&B. But still we managed to get lost and had to stop for directions!
We got to the B&B a little early, I think around 1:00. When I made the reservation (by e-mail) I�d asked how early we could check in. But they hadn�t answered that question. We had reserved a total of three rooms; a family room for myself, my husband and our two kids, one room with a double bed and one with two single beds. Two of the rooms were ready. Ours wasn�t. So we decided to go look for some lunch.
We walked into the town centre (in the rain), a reasonably short walk of about 10 minutes, and wound up at An Pucan on Foster Street. There was a pleasant dining room behind the bar room. Three of the four of us had fish and chips, our son had a grilled onion and roast beef sandwich and chips. The portions were a bit much for lunch. But the food was very good.
Unfortunately, yesterday morning I realized that we were double charged for that lunch! Our Capital One statement shows one charge for $75.15 and another for $60.06. My receipt shows the bill, in Euro, was 43.45. So, with the addition of tip and currency conversion, I�m guessing that the lower amount is the correct one.
I spoke with Capital One yesterday and was advised to send them a letter with a copy of the receipt, etc. So I�m hoping they�ll be able to resolve it. Watch those credit card statements!
As long as we were out and about, we decided to walk around a bit after lunch. We went up to Eyre Square where we found a bank with an ATM. My card worked! Hooray! Obviously, the problem had been that our bank�s ATM system was down when we tried at the airport. We walked on a bit farther, checking out some of the shops, etc.
After returning to the B&B, settling in and getting cleaned up a bit, we went out again with the rest of our group. We followed the same route into town, walked through the area of shops and pubs down to the river and the Spanish Arch. It was pouring rain at this point. So we decided it was time to find a pub!
Purely by chance, we wandered into Tigh Neachtain. I�d read very good things about this pub. We weren�t actually looking for it at the time. But we sure were glad we found it! It was crowded, but people were coming and going. By the time we�d been there a while, we managed to find seats together. Our first pints of Guinness were pure heaven! The atmosphere was great. And there was very good music! A majority of the people there seemed to be locals.
One problem we ran into in Galway is that all or most of the restaurants, pubs, etc. seem to stop serving food by 8:00. We all tend to be late eaters, especially when we�re traveling. We left the pub and went over to The Front Door with not a lot of time to spare before they stopped serving food.
We all had a very pleasant meal there. My son and I split an order of excellent potato skins that came with a garlic mayo sauce. And then split one of the entrees on their specials. It was minute steak that was good, but a bit �chewy�. Our daughter had a very good seafood chowder. And my brother�s girlfriend had an herb roasted chicken that she said was the best chicken she�d ever had!
By that time it was late and we were all feeling the very long day we�d had! But on the way back to the B&B, one of my brothers, our family friend and I decided to stop back into An Pucan for one more Guinness. There had been a session in there earlier in the evening. Just as we sat down, another band finished setting up and began to play. It�s hard to know exactly how to describe their style of music. At one point, my brother called it a Lawrence Welk version of traditional Irish! But, the more they played, the more we began to enjoy them. They did some very nice ballads, including a version of The Rare Old Times that I really enjoyed. Just before we left, one of them sang either Ring of Fire or Walk the Line (terrible, I know, but I can�t remember which!) that sounded just like Johnny Cash.
Apr 7th, 2006, 09:36 AM
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I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip, and I can't wait to read more! My cousin and I are leaving in a few weeks for our first trip to Ireland. We're also flying into Shannon and renting from Dan Dooley, so thanks for the heads up on the construction. Did you rent with a mastercard? Any problems?
Apr 7th, 2006, 10:17 AM
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Prariegal, we did use a MC but I chickened out! I went ahead and paid for the CDW and the extra insurance. We hadn't had any trouble the first time we went. But we had a teeny tiny car. This time there were four of us so had to get a larger car. I was so worried we'd have scratches, side mirror damage, etc. And I didn't want to have to deal with claims through our credit card. I also didn't want the 1500Euro hold on our card. Our only platinum MC is our Capital One. As they are also the card with the best currency conversion fees, we wanted to be able to use it for the trip. As it turns out, we had plenty of leeway. Could have had the hold and still plenty of room for our purchases. But I just didn't want to have to worry about it.
We wound up returning the car without any damage! Which, of course, is good in that we didn't have to pay the Euro100 deductable. But also makes me second guess my decision about the insurance. You know though, it was a wonderful trip, what's done is done. I'm not going to waste time and effort worrying about what I could have done differently. So I'll just store away what I learned in case we're ever lucky enough to make the trip again!
Having said all of that, I wouldn't begin to try to advise someone else on insurance. I think you have to read everything you can and then decide what makes you comfortable.
Have a wonderful trip! There's so much there to enjoy!
We wound up returning the car without any damage! Which, of course, is good in that we didn't have to pay the Euro100 deductable. But also makes me second guess my decision about the insurance. You know though, it was a wonderful trip, what's done is done. I'm not going to waste time and effort worrying about what I could have done differently. So I'll just store away what I learned in case we're ever lucky enough to make the trip again!
Having said all of that, I wouldn't begin to try to advise someone else on insurance. I think you have to read everything you can and then decide what makes you comfortable.
Have a wonderful trip! There's so much there to enjoy!
Apr 7th, 2006, 12:21 PM
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Caph! I found your report! 
Glad the tire was caught. Smart move on the part of your husband, getting a replacement tire!
I can't wait to read more -- I'm loving every detail. You must have taken copious notes, lol. Must have been a little difficult with all of that Guinness.
Glad the tire was caught. Smart move on the part of your husband, getting a replacement tire!
I can't wait to read more -- I'm loving every detail. You must have taken copious notes, lol. Must have been a little difficult with all of that Guinness.
Apr 7th, 2006, 01:02 PM
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Thanks for the info, CAPH! I've read a ghastly number of threads here on the car rental issue. We've booked an automatic with our gold mastercard, and we're planning on going ahead with that and declining the insurance. We've talked to mastercard and they assure us that all will be well, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Apr 7th, 2006, 02:51 PM
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Started a new post for this but have been advised to add it to this one.
Day Two
We all slept in a bit the next morning. By the time we’d finished breakfast, it was 10:00 or so. My brothers had decided ahead of time that, if the weather was reasonably good , they wanted to drive up into Connemara that day. My husband and I wanted to take that route on our way to Westport. My brother’s girlfriend wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay behind. But the other three headed off on their drive. We headed back in to town.
Our first stop was the church of St. Nicholas of Myra which dates from 1320. It was less ornate than I’d expected. But it was very interesting and well worth a stop. According to Fodor’s Ireland 2006, legend has it that Columbus stopped there to pray on his way to the New World. I didn’t see any mention of that in the church. But there is a crusader buried there. And Cromwell’s troops used the church to stable their horses.
After that, we decided it was time to start seriously checking out the stores! We found lots of good, interesting ones and took care of most of the gifts we needed to bring home. Thomas Dillon, where we bought a claddagh necklace for my MIL, had a little side room they’d made into a “museum”. There was a button to push to hear a recording about the history of the claddagh ring. My kids thought it was boring. I thought it was very interesting! But probably the best shop we found was the one in the Tourist Board office! They had lots of nice, reasonably priced things for all those “small” gifts everyone seems to have on their list.
Just as we’d decided that it was time to find a place for lunch, we bumped into my brother’s GF. The five of us wound up at Murty Rabbitt’s. This pub dates from 1872 and has a very nice, dark wood, comfortable, “pubby” atmosphere. We had a light lunch of soup and my husband and I split a sandwich. The soup was cream of potato and leek. It was all very good, if a bit pricey.
We spent another couple of hours in the shops and then went back to the B&B to rest a bit.
By the time we got back out, we were cutting it close for finding a place to eat. We went in two or three places that had already stopped serving and a fish and chips place with a horrendous line to order and no open tables. All the while wandering around in a fairly heavy rain again. We were starting to get worried, but finally noticed a pub that appeared to still be serving. We sat down in a quiet, pleasant room with a wonderfully fragrant peat fire going. Imagine our surprise when we realized that we were in a different section of the Front Door, the place we’d eaten the night before! But again the food and service were great. And, if anything, we enjoyed it even more than the previous night! ( I forgot to mention that we split two very yummy desserts the first night. One was apple pie, the other a chocolate and ice cream concoction.)
I think the pub we went to afterwards was Tigh Cioli. It was right across from Taafe’s. It was quite crowded when we got there. Although we did manage to find seats for all of us, they weren’t together. We started out in the very back where, unfortunately, we couldn’t hear the music. But, as the night wore on, we were able to make our way up toward the front. The music that night was fine. But nothing outstanding. And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to hear that, besides the bartenders and musicians, there wasn’t a single Irish person in the place! There was a large table of European tourists near us in the back. And a large group of New York City policeman near us when we got to the front! A lot of people seemed to be wandering back and forth to Taafe’s. But it was just as crowded and the music didn’t seem to be any better.
Day Three
I had intended to address the B&B at this point. But I saw Cristi’s report on just the B&Bs and really liked it. So I’m going to steal her idea! I’ll do a separate post on the three B&Bs we stayed in during our trip.
That morning after breakfast, the two parts of our group set out in different directions. My brothers headed straight for Cong. We meandered our way along the coastal route through Connemara. Fortuanately, the weather had taken a definite turn for the better. We had a very nice day for our drive.
We left Galway by way of Salthill. The promenade looked really nice. And I can see that as being an area I’d enjoy staying in on another trip. But, as I’ll get into more in the B&B post, I think College Road was the right choice for this trip.
During the morning, we pulled off the road in various places for photo ops. But we didn’t stop in any of the towns along the way. As we pulled into Roundstone, we decided it was time to stop for lunch. What a pretty little town! We ate at a nice little seafood place called O’Dowd’s Bar and Restaurant. It had a very warm, comfortable feel, dark wood paneling and floors. We were seated in a small room at the very end. We were the only ones in that room and had a gorgeous view out the window. The food was wonderful! We shared two appetizers; a half dozen raw oysters and a half dozen poached with a lemon dill sauce. The raw ones were wonderfully fresh (although my son missed the cocktail sauce served with them at home!). But we were especially taken with the poached ones. Fantastic! We each had a bowl of very good seafood chowder. Between the atmosphere, the view and the food, that was a lunch we’ll remember for a long, long time!
After lunch we went in a little grocery store with a post office at the back. The kids picked up candy and potato chips (I should say crisps!). My husband bought stamps for post cards. The kids loved the candy bars they got in Ireland. Especially the Flake bars. We all enjoyed the unusual flavors of potato chips. One of my brothers fell in love with the Walkers Sensations Roasted Onion and Balsamic Vinegar. Yum!
Then we were back on our way toward Westport. We made two stops that afternoon, one at Kylemore Abbey and one at Croagh Patrick. It really was a nice day’s drive. We especially enjoyed the scenery around Killary Harbour. I was so glad that we had good weather and had a chance to really see Connemara. When my husband and I were in Ireland in 1982, the one bad weather day we had was the day we drove through Connemara!
One very minor regret. I kind of wish we’d taken the Sky Road near Clifden. I saw the sign as we were passing through. But it wasn’t until we’d gotten a ways past it that I looked at the map and saw just what it was. However, as it turns out, we probably really didn’t have the time anyway. Had we taken that road, we might have felt we needed to cut out either Kylemore Abbey or Croagh Patrick. And I enjoyed both. Even though we only stopped in the parking lot to take pictures from the bottom of Croagh Patrick!
I’d forgotten to get directions to our B&B in Westport. So we had to stop to ask and it took us a while to find it, even though it wound up being in a very convenient spot. It must have been 6:00 or so by the time we finally got there. My brothers had beaten us by an hour or so.
We chatted with the owner for a little bit, relaxed in the guest lounge (with a really nice view) for a while with my brother and our family friend. And then we got ready and headed out for dinner. Margaret, the B&B owner, had recommended the bar at the Wyatt Hotel. What a great suggestion! First of all, they served until 9:00! We sat in a small front room with the bar. It only had 3 or 4 tables and a cheery fire. Very nice! We enjoyed the food too. My shepherds pie wasn’t anything special. But it was served with a dish of excellent steamed veggies – carrots and something else that I think may have been parsnips. Really good! My husband had a salmon cake that he really enjoyed. Our daughter had soup and a wrap. Our son had a burger with emmenthaler cheese and I think either mushrooms and/or bacon. He said it was very good. The kids shared a piece of strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Instead of the plain cheesecake with strawberry topping that we most often see here, this cheesecake had strawberries all through it. They really liked it.
After dinner we headed over to Matt Molloy’s. We got there a good half an hour, forty-five minutes before the music started. Six of the eight of us were able to get seats in the back room where the musicians were going to be. There was a very interesting older gentleman, probably late sixties, sitting at the table next to us. Nearly anything anyone said would cause him to burst into song! I was totally amazed that anyone could know the lyrics to so many songs! Once the music began, he sang a couple of songs with the musicians. He was a real treat!
The musicians sort of drifted in one by one. When they started playing, there were three or four. By the time we left, there must have been six or eight of them! It was very good, very traditional instrumental music. Except, of course, for the couple of songs sung by the aforementioned gentleman.
Fairly early on, my brothers went next door to the Porterhouse to check out the situation there. They wound up coming back and urging us to join them there. The music there wasn’t necessarily any better. It was only three musicians, very good ones as were the ones at Matt Molloy’s.. But the ones at the Porterhouse were much more entertaining, talking to the audience and getting us involved. I’m very glad we went to Matt Molloy’s. It was very interesting and the music was good. But the craic was much better at the Porterhouse! Because of the tone of the musicians, the crowd was much livelier. What a fun evening!
Day Two
We all slept in a bit the next morning. By the time we’d finished breakfast, it was 10:00 or so. My brothers had decided ahead of time that, if the weather was reasonably good , they wanted to drive up into Connemara that day. My husband and I wanted to take that route on our way to Westport. My brother’s girlfriend wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay behind. But the other three headed off on their drive. We headed back in to town.
Our first stop was the church of St. Nicholas of Myra which dates from 1320. It was less ornate than I’d expected. But it was very interesting and well worth a stop. According to Fodor’s Ireland 2006, legend has it that Columbus stopped there to pray on his way to the New World. I didn’t see any mention of that in the church. But there is a crusader buried there. And Cromwell’s troops used the church to stable their horses.
After that, we decided it was time to start seriously checking out the stores! We found lots of good, interesting ones and took care of most of the gifts we needed to bring home. Thomas Dillon, where we bought a claddagh necklace for my MIL, had a little side room they’d made into a “museum”. There was a button to push to hear a recording about the history of the claddagh ring. My kids thought it was boring. I thought it was very interesting! But probably the best shop we found was the one in the Tourist Board office! They had lots of nice, reasonably priced things for all those “small” gifts everyone seems to have on their list.
Just as we’d decided that it was time to find a place for lunch, we bumped into my brother’s GF. The five of us wound up at Murty Rabbitt’s. This pub dates from 1872 and has a very nice, dark wood, comfortable, “pubby” atmosphere. We had a light lunch of soup and my husband and I split a sandwich. The soup was cream of potato and leek. It was all very good, if a bit pricey.
We spent another couple of hours in the shops and then went back to the B&B to rest a bit.
By the time we got back out, we were cutting it close for finding a place to eat. We went in two or three places that had already stopped serving and a fish and chips place with a horrendous line to order and no open tables. All the while wandering around in a fairly heavy rain again. We were starting to get worried, but finally noticed a pub that appeared to still be serving. We sat down in a quiet, pleasant room with a wonderfully fragrant peat fire going. Imagine our surprise when we realized that we were in a different section of the Front Door, the place we’d eaten the night before! But again the food and service were great. And, if anything, we enjoyed it even more than the previous night! ( I forgot to mention that we split two very yummy desserts the first night. One was apple pie, the other a chocolate and ice cream concoction.)
I think the pub we went to afterwards was Tigh Cioli. It was right across from Taafe’s. It was quite crowded when we got there. Although we did manage to find seats for all of us, they weren’t together. We started out in the very back where, unfortunately, we couldn’t hear the music. But, as the night wore on, we were able to make our way up toward the front. The music that night was fine. But nothing outstanding. And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to hear that, besides the bartenders and musicians, there wasn’t a single Irish person in the place! There was a large table of European tourists near us in the back. And a large group of New York City policeman near us when we got to the front! A lot of people seemed to be wandering back and forth to Taafe’s. But it was just as crowded and the music didn’t seem to be any better.
Day Three
I had intended to address the B&B at this point. But I saw Cristi’s report on just the B&Bs and really liked it. So I’m going to steal her idea! I’ll do a separate post on the three B&Bs we stayed in during our trip.
That morning after breakfast, the two parts of our group set out in different directions. My brothers headed straight for Cong. We meandered our way along the coastal route through Connemara. Fortuanately, the weather had taken a definite turn for the better. We had a very nice day for our drive.
We left Galway by way of Salthill. The promenade looked really nice. And I can see that as being an area I’d enjoy staying in on another trip. But, as I’ll get into more in the B&B post, I think College Road was the right choice for this trip.
During the morning, we pulled off the road in various places for photo ops. But we didn’t stop in any of the towns along the way. As we pulled into Roundstone, we decided it was time to stop for lunch. What a pretty little town! We ate at a nice little seafood place called O’Dowd’s Bar and Restaurant. It had a very warm, comfortable feel, dark wood paneling and floors. We were seated in a small room at the very end. We were the only ones in that room and had a gorgeous view out the window. The food was wonderful! We shared two appetizers; a half dozen raw oysters and a half dozen poached with a lemon dill sauce. The raw ones were wonderfully fresh (although my son missed the cocktail sauce served with them at home!). But we were especially taken with the poached ones. Fantastic! We each had a bowl of very good seafood chowder. Between the atmosphere, the view and the food, that was a lunch we’ll remember for a long, long time!
After lunch we went in a little grocery store with a post office at the back. The kids picked up candy and potato chips (I should say crisps!). My husband bought stamps for post cards. The kids loved the candy bars they got in Ireland. Especially the Flake bars. We all enjoyed the unusual flavors of potato chips. One of my brothers fell in love with the Walkers Sensations Roasted Onion and Balsamic Vinegar. Yum!
Then we were back on our way toward Westport. We made two stops that afternoon, one at Kylemore Abbey and one at Croagh Patrick. It really was a nice day’s drive. We especially enjoyed the scenery around Killary Harbour. I was so glad that we had good weather and had a chance to really see Connemara. When my husband and I were in Ireland in 1982, the one bad weather day we had was the day we drove through Connemara!
One very minor regret. I kind of wish we’d taken the Sky Road near Clifden. I saw the sign as we were passing through. But it wasn’t until we’d gotten a ways past it that I looked at the map and saw just what it was. However, as it turns out, we probably really didn’t have the time anyway. Had we taken that road, we might have felt we needed to cut out either Kylemore Abbey or Croagh Patrick. And I enjoyed both. Even though we only stopped in the parking lot to take pictures from the bottom of Croagh Patrick!
I’d forgotten to get directions to our B&B in Westport. So we had to stop to ask and it took us a while to find it, even though it wound up being in a very convenient spot. It must have been 6:00 or so by the time we finally got there. My brothers had beaten us by an hour or so.
We chatted with the owner for a little bit, relaxed in the guest lounge (with a really nice view) for a while with my brother and our family friend. And then we got ready and headed out for dinner. Margaret, the B&B owner, had recommended the bar at the Wyatt Hotel. What a great suggestion! First of all, they served until 9:00! We sat in a small front room with the bar. It only had 3 or 4 tables and a cheery fire. Very nice! We enjoyed the food too. My shepherds pie wasn’t anything special. But it was served with a dish of excellent steamed veggies – carrots and something else that I think may have been parsnips. Really good! My husband had a salmon cake that he really enjoyed. Our daughter had soup and a wrap. Our son had a burger with emmenthaler cheese and I think either mushrooms and/or bacon. He said it was very good. The kids shared a piece of strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Instead of the plain cheesecake with strawberry topping that we most often see here, this cheesecake had strawberries all through it. They really liked it.
After dinner we headed over to Matt Molloy’s. We got there a good half an hour, forty-five minutes before the music started. Six of the eight of us were able to get seats in the back room where the musicians were going to be. There was a very interesting older gentleman, probably late sixties, sitting at the table next to us. Nearly anything anyone said would cause him to burst into song! I was totally amazed that anyone could know the lyrics to so many songs! Once the music began, he sang a couple of songs with the musicians. He was a real treat!
The musicians sort of drifted in one by one. When they started playing, there were three or four. By the time we left, there must have been six or eight of them! It was very good, very traditional instrumental music. Except, of course, for the couple of songs sung by the aforementioned gentleman.
Fairly early on, my brothers went next door to the Porterhouse to check out the situation there. They wound up coming back and urging us to join them there. The music there wasn’t necessarily any better. It was only three musicians, very good ones as were the ones at Matt Molloy’s.. But the ones at the Porterhouse were much more entertaining, talking to the audience and getting us involved. I’m very glad we went to Matt Molloy’s. It was very interesting and the music was good. But the craic was much better at the Porterhouse! Because of the tone of the musicians, the crowd was much livelier. What a fun evening!
Apr 7th, 2006, 06:44 PM
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CAPH52,
Just had to "chime in" about the Porterhouse in Westport. I was in Westport last June for just one night and had an absolute blast at the Porterhouse. In fact we stayed there so long, we never go over to Matt Molloy's!
Also tasted my first Baby Guinness there...YUMMO!
Can't wait to hear the rest of your report.
Slainte
Just had to "chime in" about the Porterhouse in Westport. I was in Westport last June for just one night and had an absolute blast at the Porterhouse. In fact we stayed there so long, we never go over to Matt Molloy's!
Also tasted my first Baby Guinness there...YUMMO!
Can't wait to hear the rest of your report.
Slainte
Apr 7th, 2006, 07:22 PM
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Oh CAPH, it is so good to read this, remembering the worries that came before and to hear about your riding along in Ireland and having shepherds pie by a fire...I am so glad for you all !
And I like the Trip Report too
And I like the Trip Report too
Apr 7th, 2006, 07:53 PM
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Hello Caph, like dear Scarlett I am so happy to read your trip report! Your problem with the ATM at the airport is why I always like to have some Euros with me when I fly to Italy, even though some think it is not necessary.
Your trip report is wonderful..and as you know I was thrilled when I read that you and your dear husband and your family were going to take this journey to Ireland. Well deserved indeed.
I so look forward to your next installment of your ventures in Ireland. Best wishes!
Your trip report is wonderful..and as you know I was thrilled when I read that you and your dear husband and your family were going to take this journey to Ireland. Well deserved indeed.
I so look forward to your next installment of your ventures in Ireland. Best wishes!
Apr 8th, 2006, 11:59 AM
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Caph, This is my first time back to Fodor's after relocation. Took weeks to get in my Condo and get my computer up and running. What a treat to read your trip report of my favorite place on earth. I'll have to go back to read about the problems before the trip. Glad you and your family enjoyed your trip and you are doing a great job of reporting back to us. Thanks, Joan
Apr 8th, 2006, 07:15 PM
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Day Four
I enjoyed every moment of our trip. Well, at least once we left the airport grounds! But, without a doubt, day four was my favorite! The weather was fantastic. And the scenery that day was some of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced.
After a great breakfast in the wonderful breakfast room at Adare House (more about that in the B&B post), we set out, following my brothers, for Achill Island.
Our first stop was Burrishoole Abbey. We hadn’t really meant to stop there. I’d mentioned to my brother that I wanted to stop at the Grace O’Malley castle three miles farther down the road. But when he saw the sign for the abbey, he thought that must be where I wanted to stop. It was a happy accident! We all really enjoyed walking around the abbey ruins, taking pictures. I was somewhat surprised to see that the abbey is still being used as a cemetery. There was, sadly, a fairly recent grave of a 26 year old man. It caught my eye because of the pint of Guinness and the soccer (football!) player on his tombstone!
We did stop again briefly at the castle. But the abbey had proved to be much more interesting! By the way, Grace O’Malley was a very influential 16th century woman often referred to as the “Pirate Queen”. I picked up a biography of her (called “The Pirate Queen”!) in Galway. Wow! What a woman! She was an almost exact contemporary of Elizabeth 1 and lived quite a life. But I digress...
We basically followed my brother the whole day. So I don’t know the details of exactly which routes we took. But I do know that we turned off the N59 and took a more scenic coastal road before we got to the island. And some of what we saw then was just as stunning as the island itself.
Shortly after we drove onto the island we ran across Patten’s Lounge Bar. Patten is my maiden name and, of course, my brothers’ last name. So, of course, we took several pictures of the three of us sitting on the bench in front! Too bad they weren’t open!
A ways down the road, we stopped at a cemetery in the yard of a church which had been established by Grace O’Malley. It was a short distance from her castle ( obviously, the second we’d seen that day). We found lots of Pattens in the cemetery. We, of course, knew we were of Irish decent. But that line came to the US so long ago that we’ve never known from what part of Ireland they’d come. And Patten doesn’t seem to be a common name in many parts of Ireland. So we were quite happy to run across the name. We’d previously known that our grandmother’s family was from Westport. (And had, the night before, taken pictures of a business in Westport with her name!)
The next few hours were just magical. The scenery is amazing and there were so few other people around. Of course, the down side of that is that, with most things closed for the season, it wasn’t easy finding a place for lunch. But we did find a perfectly adequate coffee shop in Dooagh. So it was well worth the small inconvenience in return for the solitude!
One of many highlights was walking on the beach at Keem Strand. Although there were people there when we pulled up and others who came as we were leaving, we were alone most of the time. Just incredible!
We would have liked to visit the abandoned village at Slievenmore. But my brother couldn’t figure out how to drive very close to it. And the beautiful weather was starting to deteriorate. We all decided that it was time to head back to Westport in hopes of getting there in time to hit some of the shops. My brother still needed to pick up some things for his kids. And we really hadn’t had much time to check out Westport itself.
It was late afternoon by the time we got back. But we did have time to walk around the stores for an hour or so before they began to close. And we took a walk by the river.
By the time we were ready to head out for dinner that night, it was raining. Because we were slightly closer to the harbour area than the city centre, and because we’d “done” the city centre the night before, we decided to head the other direction. We’d been told that there was at least one place in that area that might have music that night.
We wound up eating at The Towers. It was your basic pub. I thought the food was good, some of the others thought it was just adequate. I had seafood lasagna with chips and a nice little salad. (One of the things we noticed is that everywhere we went small salads were served on the plate with the entrees. I think pretty much every one I had was an exceptionally good salad, not just your basic lettuce, tomato, cucumber mix.) My husband and son had lamb hot pot, which they enjoyed. Our daughter had beef lasagna and chips. The kids split a really decadent slice of chocolate cake served with ice cream. Very good! My brother’s GF and the family friend had Bailey’s cheesecake which they said was very good.
On the way to the pub/restaurant, we’d stopped in the place we’d been told might have music. Turns out we were out of luck. So, when we asked for our check, I asked our waitress if she knew of anywhere else that might have music that night. She thought about it for a moment and then said, “Let me call my uncle. Sometimes he plays at The Quays, just down the street.” Well, he wasn’t playing that night. But he was there and said that, if we came down, he’d play a couple of songs for us!
We lucked into another very special evening! The uncle, Jimmy, was wonderful! He used to be a security cop at Dublin airport. He’d fairly recently retired to Westport to be near his sister’s family. And, apparently, he often plays his guitar at The Quays. We had our own private fantastic little show that evening. As his niece, Maria, had told us, he’s quite an entertainer. He sang several songs for us, giving us commentary with each. We each chipped in money to give him but wound up buying him a few pints instead!
Part way through all of this, another gentleman, who was sitting at the bar, broke out his guitar. So in between Jimmy’s songs, he sang several songs! And he continued to sing after Jimmy left. At some point another gentleman, whom we’d seen the night before at Matt Molloy’s, brought out his banjo and joined in! It was amazing!
My biggest complaint about trying to catch music was the crowds. Oh, I know it was to be expected. But I really don’t like crowds. Well, that night, crowds were definitely not a factor! There were a few people in the other room of the pub. But other than a couple of people sitting at the bar, we had that room to ourselves.
I’m going to digress again here to mention something I’d posted a thread about before we left. I’d been warned that Ireland has a strictly enforced law against anyone under 18 being in the pubs after 9:00. I was very concerned as our son is 16. Well, it turned out to be absolutely no problem! We were out until closing two or three of our five nights, and quite late the others. Never did anyone say a word to us about his being there. The night we were in the Porterhouse, there were other kids around his age also there with their families. And that night at The Quays there were two very young kids in the other room. I believe they were still there when we left.
I don’t think that I even need to say that we loved Westport! I would think that that’s quite clear!
I enjoyed every moment of our trip. Well, at least once we left the airport grounds! But, without a doubt, day four was my favorite! The weather was fantastic. And the scenery that day was some of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced.
After a great breakfast in the wonderful breakfast room at Adare House (more about that in the B&B post), we set out, following my brothers, for Achill Island.
Our first stop was Burrishoole Abbey. We hadn’t really meant to stop there. I’d mentioned to my brother that I wanted to stop at the Grace O’Malley castle three miles farther down the road. But when he saw the sign for the abbey, he thought that must be where I wanted to stop. It was a happy accident! We all really enjoyed walking around the abbey ruins, taking pictures. I was somewhat surprised to see that the abbey is still being used as a cemetery. There was, sadly, a fairly recent grave of a 26 year old man. It caught my eye because of the pint of Guinness and the soccer (football!) player on his tombstone!
We did stop again briefly at the castle. But the abbey had proved to be much more interesting! By the way, Grace O’Malley was a very influential 16th century woman often referred to as the “Pirate Queen”. I picked up a biography of her (called “The Pirate Queen”!) in Galway. Wow! What a woman! She was an almost exact contemporary of Elizabeth 1 and lived quite a life. But I digress...
We basically followed my brother the whole day. So I don’t know the details of exactly which routes we took. But I do know that we turned off the N59 and took a more scenic coastal road before we got to the island. And some of what we saw then was just as stunning as the island itself.
Shortly after we drove onto the island we ran across Patten’s Lounge Bar. Patten is my maiden name and, of course, my brothers’ last name. So, of course, we took several pictures of the three of us sitting on the bench in front! Too bad they weren’t open!
A ways down the road, we stopped at a cemetery in the yard of a church which had been established by Grace O’Malley. It was a short distance from her castle ( obviously, the second we’d seen that day). We found lots of Pattens in the cemetery. We, of course, knew we were of Irish decent. But that line came to the US so long ago that we’ve never known from what part of Ireland they’d come. And Patten doesn’t seem to be a common name in many parts of Ireland. So we were quite happy to run across the name. We’d previously known that our grandmother’s family was from Westport. (And had, the night before, taken pictures of a business in Westport with her name!)
The next few hours were just magical. The scenery is amazing and there were so few other people around. Of course, the down side of that is that, with most things closed for the season, it wasn’t easy finding a place for lunch. But we did find a perfectly adequate coffee shop in Dooagh. So it was well worth the small inconvenience in return for the solitude!
One of many highlights was walking on the beach at Keem Strand. Although there were people there when we pulled up and others who came as we were leaving, we were alone most of the time. Just incredible!
We would have liked to visit the abandoned village at Slievenmore. But my brother couldn’t figure out how to drive very close to it. And the beautiful weather was starting to deteriorate. We all decided that it was time to head back to Westport in hopes of getting there in time to hit some of the shops. My brother still needed to pick up some things for his kids. And we really hadn’t had much time to check out Westport itself.
It was late afternoon by the time we got back. But we did have time to walk around the stores for an hour or so before they began to close. And we took a walk by the river.
By the time we were ready to head out for dinner that night, it was raining. Because we were slightly closer to the harbour area than the city centre, and because we’d “done” the city centre the night before, we decided to head the other direction. We’d been told that there was at least one place in that area that might have music that night.
We wound up eating at The Towers. It was your basic pub. I thought the food was good, some of the others thought it was just adequate. I had seafood lasagna with chips and a nice little salad. (One of the things we noticed is that everywhere we went small salads were served on the plate with the entrees. I think pretty much every one I had was an exceptionally good salad, not just your basic lettuce, tomato, cucumber mix.) My husband and son had lamb hot pot, which they enjoyed. Our daughter had beef lasagna and chips. The kids split a really decadent slice of chocolate cake served with ice cream. Very good! My brother’s GF and the family friend had Bailey’s cheesecake which they said was very good.
On the way to the pub/restaurant, we’d stopped in the place we’d been told might have music. Turns out we were out of luck. So, when we asked for our check, I asked our waitress if she knew of anywhere else that might have music that night. She thought about it for a moment and then said, “Let me call my uncle. Sometimes he plays at The Quays, just down the street.” Well, he wasn’t playing that night. But he was there and said that, if we came down, he’d play a couple of songs for us!
We lucked into another very special evening! The uncle, Jimmy, was wonderful! He used to be a security cop at Dublin airport. He’d fairly recently retired to Westport to be near his sister’s family. And, apparently, he often plays his guitar at The Quays. We had our own private fantastic little show that evening. As his niece, Maria, had told us, he’s quite an entertainer. He sang several songs for us, giving us commentary with each. We each chipped in money to give him but wound up buying him a few pints instead!
Part way through all of this, another gentleman, who was sitting at the bar, broke out his guitar. So in between Jimmy’s songs, he sang several songs! And he continued to sing after Jimmy left. At some point another gentleman, whom we’d seen the night before at Matt Molloy’s, brought out his banjo and joined in! It was amazing!
My biggest complaint about trying to catch music was the crowds. Oh, I know it was to be expected. But I really don’t like crowds. Well, that night, crowds were definitely not a factor! There were a few people in the other room of the pub. But other than a couple of people sitting at the bar, we had that room to ourselves.
I’m going to digress again here to mention something I’d posted a thread about before we left. I’d been warned that Ireland has a strictly enforced law against anyone under 18 being in the pubs after 9:00. I was very concerned as our son is 16. Well, it turned out to be absolutely no problem! We were out until closing two or three of our five nights, and quite late the others. Never did anyone say a word to us about his being there. The night we were in the Porterhouse, there were other kids around his age also there with their families. And that night at The Quays there were two very young kids in the other room. I believe they were still there when we left.
I don’t think that I even need to say that we loved Westport! I would think that that’s quite clear!
Apr 9th, 2006, 12:11 PM
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Sounds like we were in Ireland at the same time! Glad you got to go in spite of difficulties. We so enjoyed our time together traveling as a family. Wasn't it such a pleasant surprise on those days when the sun showed its face! Enjoying reading about your experiences.
Cristi
Enjoying reading about your experiences.Cristi
Apr 10th, 2006, 12:14 AM
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CAPH52-
Great report! I popped on for a few minutes after another few months MIA (job overload!) and was really happy to see your report. I had wondered what you had decided on the CDW, I felt the same way, better safe than sorry!
I can't wait to hear where you stayed and will now take a bit longer here (who needs sleep!) just so I can read up on some of what I've been missing lately!
You (and Cristi too!) have written such interesting reports it has made me vow to finish up mine! Thank you for bringing back the sweet memories of my trip as I read through yours!
Dawn
Great report! I popped on for a few minutes after another few months MIA (job overload!) and was really happy to see your report. I had wondered what you had decided on the CDW, I felt the same way, better safe than sorry!
I can't wait to hear where you stayed and will now take a bit longer here (who needs sleep!)
just so I can read up on some of what I've been missing lately!You (and Cristi too!) have written such interesting reports it has made me vow to finish up mine! Thank you for bringing back the sweet memories of my trip as I read through yours!
Dawn
Apr 10th, 2006, 06:26 AM
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I'm glad you enjoyed it, Dawn! I'm just about finished with day 5 and will then do the B&Bs.
Hope you were able to catch at least a few ZZZ's before you had to greet the day! But, long as my report is, if that didn't put you to sleep you must not have been very tired!
I enjoyed your report very much too, Dawn. And am looking forward to the rest of it!
Hope you were able to catch at least a few ZZZ's before you had to greet the day! But, long as my report is, if that didn't put you to sleep you must not have been very tired!
I enjoyed your report very much too, Dawn. And am looking forward to the rest of it!
