I have no idea how many posts this will be, how much I will share, or how long it will take me to share. I took roughly 1,000 pictures and recorded ~90 videos during my two week trip to Ireland. I haven’t watched most of the videos and managed to narrow the pictures down to more than 400. Still, too much to share. I’ll figure it out along the way. 🙂
After my weekend full of adventures, I needed a few days of no extracuricular activities to recover. A couple of nights later, my coworker took me to a local pub called the Locke Bar.
We listened to live music….
http://youtu.be/TFR3e1h7RW8
http://youtu.be/NRi8wsQRmW4
….I had my first (and only) Guinness….
…and I was amused by the teeny chicken wings (which tasted very good).
Not pictured: We also tried not to stare at some super obnoxious American tourists that were dancing at the bar. LOL
The next evening, I came back to my room to find a bottle of wine and a note from the hotel manager. I popped that bad boy open and wished I had gotten it earlier in my trip. LOL
Sunset
Room tour:
http://youtu.be/UChaSJ6MjHU
Film of some tv shows, including a news broadcast in Irish:
http://youtu.be/xZQ2e69C81A
http://youtu.be/zAoWXvURFNo
http://youtu.be/mEYD2_Idoc0
Irish cartoon:
http://youtu.be/o9XRXJYd89E
http://youtu.be/zi1NFPcFZNc
On my last full day in town, my coworker and I took my car back to the airport then went to explore Bunratty Castle and Folk Park (where I had gone to Traditional Irish Night). The Castle and Folk Park were super cool – all the buildings were replicas of real buildings and the people working inside work period costumes, etc. It was a wonderful way to show off Irish history. I just wish we had gotten there earlier so that we would have more time to explore before closing time.
One of the many ruins I saw during my two weeks in Ireland. This was McNamara Castle – it was also right beside the highway between Limerick and the Shannon Airport. Just to give you an idea of size, I’m on the highway and between me and the castle are a large field of grass and the highway lanes for the other direction.
Bunratty Castle and Durty Nelly’s.
Yes, I took pictures while driving. There were no other cars on the road and I took these blindly (clicking to snap the pic without looking at my phone).
When we got to Bunratty, the Castle was closing for their medieval banquet so we hurried right to the Castle.
Banquet preparations….
Chainmail hanging on the wall of a bedroom:
Durty Nelly’s from the top of the castle:
The highway I drove to/from the airport
Another tower – do you see the staircases?
A lane in the Folk Park – I felt like I had stepped back in time.
When we walked past on our way to the castle, there was a man on the roof thatching this cottage.
A stow-away bed that was in a dining room:
There were a lot of religious symbols (statues, paintings, crucifixes, etc) in all of the buildings in the Folk Park.
A school building:
The village in the Folk Park:
The drawing room in a wealthy family’s house:
Their gardens:
There were a lot of animals grazing in the fields in the Folk Park (just like the rest of Ireland). I thought this guy was pretty cute. 🙂
Water mill:
One of the many tree-covered lanes we walked down as we visited the various buildings:
Ardcroney Church – an original Church of Ireland building that was moved from County Tipperary and rebuilt in the Folk Park.
A post office box – my coworker told me that when Ireland was under British rule, all of the post office boxes were painted red like they were in England. Once Ireland gained it’s independence, the Irish painted all their boxes green. When we walked out of the Folk Park, there was a green box right beside the parking lot. 🙂
After a quick stop for shopping, my coworker and I stopped for dinner at Durty Nelly’s. When we left, the castle was all lit up.
I went back to the hotel to pack and get settled to return home.
Getting checked through to my gate at the Shannon Airport was pretty uneventful. I browsed the gift shop and took some pictures. I was worried about getting in trouble for taking pictures so many of these cell phone snaps aren’t in focus. Sorry!
There was so much Irish-made crystal in the various shops I went to during my trip. So, so, so gorgeous. I wish I could have afforded to buy some!
I loved this china pattern…
My plane was already at the gate once I got there….
The Shannon Airport had a very industrial, warehouse, unfinished building feel to it.
The perfect ending to my trip. As they were boarding my flight, we saw a rainbow out the window.
I had an aisle seat for the flight from Shannon to JFK. It was a super roomy row for some reason so I had a TON of space but unfortunately, it was the last row before the bathrooms so there were CONSTANTLY people standing next to me waiting for their turn. I had extra leg room but routinely had people standing or leaning into my personal space to make room in the aisle. Just can’t win! LOL
Finally in the States!!!
My flight out of JFK was delayed about an hour for various reasons. I was so, so, so tired and desperately just wanted to get home.
Thankfully, the flight was pretty smooth and I was reunited with the family. It was a great trip but I had missed everyone so much!
THE END! 🙂