Dates: March 14-19, 2015
"Until further notice, celebrate everything". This was a quote I found written on a board near the end of our last adventures, and it seemed to fit this whole trip perfectly! We have just returned from a fabulous trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland. Since we had very different adventures in the East, North, West and South, we decided to split the posts this way.
We left home on Friday, March 13, taking an overnight flight from Calgary to Heathrow, and then on to Dublin. Without too much of a hassle we were able to find Natasha’s mom, who met us in Dublin. We enjoyed our first dinner and beer in Ireland before the day ended. On Sunday, Mom rented a vehicle, challenging herself to driving on the opposite side of the road, changing gears with the opposite hand, and keeping within a very skinny side to the road. Although we had a few scares throughout the trip, she did incredibly well- much better than I would ever be able to do!
We took the car up to Bru na Boinne to see Newgrange. The tomb and it’s chambers were very impressive. We were amazed by the effort and time building this tomb would have required. We then visited the Hills of Tara, which were a lot of fun to explore. We also explored the beach and town of Balbriggan. We enjoyed dinner in Skerries before heading back to return the car.
On Monday, we moved ourselves downtown Dublin. What better way to start a tour of Dublin than with Guinness? We started the day with a Guinness Storehouse tour, exploring the many exhibits and floors. We then were able to enjoy a pint at the top of the building, looking out over Dublin. We then went off to St. Stephen’s green and took part in our first ever Ceili. We danced and listened to the music, and watched some amazing dancers. When we left there, we wandered the streets and then found a place to eat before heading back for the night.
Tuesday was spectacular, since we had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Ireland! We went out to find a spot to see the parade at 9:30, with the parade starting at 12pm. The crowds joined us quickly, and we were treated with an amazing show. The parade was great, with wonderful performers and floats. It was amazing to be part of the energy flowing in the streets that day. Working our way through the crowds after the parade, we headed off for Trinity College library and the Book of Kells. Since it was St. Patrick’s Day, the museums were free! We then explored Henry St. and George St. before ended up at Dublin’s oldest fish and chips joint, Leo Burdock’s. By this time, the streets were filled with people who had been celebrating for many hours already. We then headed to the oldest pub in Dublin, the Brazen Head. The pub was packed. We spent many hours there listening to a great band called The Hussies. They ended up pulling me up to dance, and then sing, and then ended it off with the banjo player playing with his head on my shoulder. A hilarious way to end a great day!
Wednesday had us starting off the day with a big walk through Phoenix Park, checking out the polo grounds, flowers and monuments. We explored more of the streets downtown before a picnic and visit to Chester Beatty Library. We enjoyed a really leisurely dinner at Mulligan’s Pub before a few hours at the Cobblestone. This pub had amazing live music and a real variety of musicians and funny poets.
On Thursday morning, we said goodbye to Dublin and rented our next vehicle, Trotsky. We headed up the east coast on some very tiny country roads, stopping for a picnic at Dundrum Castle. It was Will’s first castle experience, and made for a great place to explore. The weather had been cool, windy and a bit rainy off and on while we were in Dublin, but the sun really came out this day! Once we were finished in Dundrum, we continued up the coast and into Northern Ireland!
The Burgess Duo
Haha did you really karaoke with randoms?!
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