Ireland

I arrived back in Wales on Saturday, Dec. 12...sad to leave London, but very happy to see my girls!! Elsa came with Rowan to pick me up at the train station. Sunday was spent sleeping in (very unusual for me) and lounging around in my pajamas (again, highly irregular).

Kevin and I decided to go to Ireland for a day...we got on a bus at...get this...1:30 in the morning (on Monday night/Tuesday morning). Not surprisingly, there were quite a few characters on the bus. Those of you who know Kevin, can imagine how delighted he was with this. He also complained of a BO smell permeating the bus, which I couldn't smell until one particular person walked by and it hit me like a cast iron frying pan. After the complicated process of trying to figure out which seats were free (since there were already a lot of people on the bus who got out to have a break), we sat at the front thanks to a couple of very kind people who agreed to sit together so that we could sit together.

After a couple hours, the bus arrived at the ferry terminal and we were all shuffled off the bus and into a buliding to have our passports checked. We were instructed to sit down and wait. After 5 minutes or so, we were escorted back to the bus. A few minutes later, an immigration officer gets on the bus and checks a few passports...and that's it...I was confused...Why did we all get off the bus if the guy was going to come on anyways? We drove onto the ferry and then got off to go up to the passenger decks. I slept for a few hours and then it's back on the bus for another couple hours. At 10:00 am, we arrived at the bus terminal in Cork. I woke up with a start and looked at my watch. "Oh good, it's 2:00, right on schedule". Kevin looked at me funny. Clearly, I was still half asleep and disoriented. "Oh ya, it's only 10:00!" First priority: Find a place for breakfast.

After filling our bellies with nice hot food, we headed off to find Sheila's hostel, where, incidentally, both Rowan and Kevin had stayed before (but not together). After walking up a very steep hill (and way too far, as we discovered when the road ended and we realized we had passed the street), we arrived at Sheila's. This hilarious guy at the desk, named Liam, basically told us exactly what we should do and where we should go while we are in town. He put us on a very tight and highly structured schedule, drew a walking route on a map and told us which buses to take and at what time. "Yes Sir!" "Right away, Sir!"

We decided to take the walking tour through the city that Liam suggested, ultimately ending up at the old Cork Gaol (a jail which is now a museum/tourist attraction). The history was fascinating and included information about some of the political prisoners who were held there because of their resistance to British rule. Ten years or so before it closed, the jail became a women's prison. The tour ended with a very moving audio visual presentation, which featured actors depicting some of the real prisoners who were held and/or executed there. I won't get into detail, but if you want to know more about the gaol, here is a link to the website:

http://www.corkcitygaol.com/

Old abandoned building in Cork

Kevin on a bridge
Church with IRA Graffiti

The Old City Gaol

Staff at the Gaol

A cell in the Gaol

After spening a couple hours at the jail, we went off to find food. We walked for a while and eventually ended up at a nice cafe, where we had a late lunch/early supper (a lupper). Then, back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. We went to a pub where local bands were performing as a benefit to raise money for local businesses who were affected by the severe flooding that had happened in Cork a few weeks earlier. We had a great time drinking Guinness and Bulmers, while arguing about politics, sex/relationships, religion...you know the usual things you shouldn't discuss while drinking. Here are a couple self-portraits of us at the pub. Notice how, in the second picture after couple more drinks, our eyes are more glazed over and my face is redder.

The next day, Blarney Castle was on our agenda. We poured ourselves out of bed, about an hour behind (Liam's) schedule. I went downstairs to the reception desk to look at the bus schedule, relieved that Liam wasn't working (cause I had a feeling he would comment on the fact that we were getting a late start). All of a sudden, I hear this voice "You're late!". I looked up to see Liam's head peering over the shelves at the back of the reception area. I stammered something about getting in later (and more intoxicated) than expected last night and quickly added that we had a good time and we attended the benefit concert (which he had suggested). I assured him we would still have plenty of time to do the things he had planned for us, and quickly scurried off.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the grounds of the castle were lovely. I REALLY liked this place a lot! I love old castles, especially when theyt are still intact enough to go inside and walk around. Again, I won't go into too much detail, other than to say that I explored the castle and it's many tunnels and chambers, climbed the 100 steps to the top and kissed the Blarney Stone. Here is the link: http://www.blarneycastle.ie/

Building in the town of Blarney

View of the castle, as I was approaching

Looking out one of the windows
Stairs inside the castle


Me kissing the Blarney Stone

After buying a couple souvenirs in the gift shop, we hurried back to Cork to catch our bus/ferry back to Carmarthen. We eventually arrived back at Kevin's at around 2:00 am and crawled into bed. I loved Ireland and would have liked to have spent more time there. I have since found out from my aunt in Montreal that my great-grandfather on my father's side was born and raised in Cork. Maybe one day I will return there and do some research on the McCormick family. Who knows, maybe one of my ancestors worked (or lived) at the Gaol...