J&J Circle the British Isles
Places we visited in Ireland
Dublin / Kilkenny, the Rock of Cashel, and Kenmare / The Ring of Kerry and Tralee / Bunratty and Craggaunowen / Kenistimmon, Kilfenora, and the Burren / Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Dysert Archaeology Centre, and Innishere / Kylemore Abbey and Donegal / Giant’s Causeway and Ballygally
Our Visit to Scotland / Our Visit to England
Bunratty and Craggaunowen
Before we started planning for this trip we had never heard of Bunratty, and when Jan Cordell, our travel agent, said she had booked us several nights there, we were puzzled.
As it turns out, we loved it! Be sure to plan a few days here when you visit Ireland.
July 2–Continued
When we left Tralee, we had a long drive to Bunratty. The B&B is on a farm! Away from everything, actually. Strange: there’s no chair at all in the room.
Right now we’re in Bunratty, having checked in at Bunratty Meadows, sitting at a table in front of Durty Nellei’s and the Bunratty castle. The only place to sit down is two miles from our bed. We couldn’t get a table in Durty Nelly’s–12 closed on Sunday. Instead I had a Burger at the Creamery Bar and Grill. Nice place, good food. We were back on the farm and out like a light by 8:30.
7-02-06
Back on the road, headed for Bunratty.
Bunratty Meadows, our B&B for two nights, is indeed in a meadow–pasture really, with a herd of cows beyond the rail fence in the front yard. No crowd noises tonight! The house is new and our room is sparse to say the least. Two beds and night table. Period. No chairs, no vanity–just two beds. A TV with good reception is on the wall. The bath is spotless but small.
After a bath and check of the livestock we headed back out to the main road 1 km away to find the community and supper. We found the Bunratty Castle and Fold Park and 7 million tourists sitting at picnic tables in front of “Durty Kelley’s,” evidently the only game in town. We found seats and this is where I’m writing, since there’s no place in our room.
We’ll come back tomorrow to do the castle, the “winery” where they make mead and any other attractions we can find.
What was Jan thinking?
Monday, July 3
We started out with a full Irish breakfast at 8:30. Talked with a couple from Lancaster, PA–Sent them off to see the Rose garden in Tralee. The guy was real excited, but I think his wife would have preferred visiting the castle.
we het the Castle around 9:15-9:30–ahead of the tour busses. The castle itself is well-restored, with furnishings that were the gift of an English couple. Really impressive. Lots of ancient (well–15th & 16th century) carved pieces. Beautiful work. Thought of Michael and his fantasy books when we were on top looking over the battlements.
The folk park turned out to be one of the more interesting places of that type I’ve ever seen. Reconstructions or relocated or restored Medieval out-buildings, Georgian house ca. 1800, a 19th-century village, a sampling of other styles, etc. The whole thing was laid out so that when you were in one part, you couldn’t see another. Really well done, and interesting enough to keep us on our feet for three hours.
Next we hit the Bunratty Winery, which really wasn’t very interesting, because we could only goo into the store. No tours. They make only two products: mead and polcheen. Polcheen is white corn liquor! Judy like the mead more than I did.
We found out we didn’t need a phone care–the payphones take credit cards, including AmEx, but we didn’t call yet. Too early.
Then we had the “drive of the day.” All the way on “white roads,” a notch below secondary roads. The map key is white, so that’s how we refer to them. Sort of scary at times.
We went to Craggaunowen, another restoration/recreation. Medieval tower castle, well-restored. Murky-looking pond beside it, but no moat. Swallows nesting in the beams of the top floor.
The place also had recreations of a bronze-age crannog (houses on an artificial Island in a pond), a stone circle, iron-age house, etc. Recreated fort even had the sub-floor, etc. The biggest thing there, I suppose, was the Brendan–1970s reconstruction of a boat St. Brendan might have used in his purported trip to North America in the 6th century (7th?). They have it sitting in water with a glass A-frame built around it. This one (reconstruction) actually made the trip! Ireland to Iceland one year and Iceland to Nova Scotia the next. Cool thing to see.
We drove back to Bunratty for lunch at Durty Nelley’s around 4:30. Called the firls first. Stopped for snack food, and now we’re back at “the farm”–6:30 and we’re calling it another beautiful day. No real sunshine, but a beautiful day!
7-03-06
Perspective: Hindsight.
Bunratty Meadows turned out to be very pleasant, in spite of the lack of chairs. We met a nice couple from Penn. and enjoyed chatting with them at breakfast. When we mentioned the roses at Tralee, they were so excited; he has 40 bushes at home, his father more. Off they went and we headed for Bunratty castle and FOlk Park and enjoyed three house of touring the castle, but mostly walking through the “folk park.” actually a walking touor of various homes, farm yards and gardens set up as it would have been in the 1800s.
After lunch we went to Craggaunowen, a bronze age reconstructed village and walking path through a forest primeval. Dark woods with trees and boulders covered with moss. We saw a crannog, an “island” built in the river with a sort of village–huts, etc. surrounded by cut wood–bronze age vintage. Must have walked two hours or so. Also, a replica of Brenday’s boat, which is remored to have sailed from Ireland and crossed to N. America in the 500s.
A very enjoyable day. But–tired feet and legs.
The couple we’d sent to Tralee came back raving about the roses.
Once again, we enjoyed watching the cattle outside the fenced yard, and I met the two dalmations and a mixed breed who had come back from a long walk/run across the pastures down to the river with our hosts, a young couple. Here parents and brother have houses on the land and have farmed there for a long time.
Great sleeping in the peaceful surroundings.
