Ireland: Newcastle, County Tipperary

September 1, 2015

After attempting to find Claisavougha with Google Maps, we ended up in a little village called Clogheen, where we stopped to call Anne Nolan to get exact directions. Anne and Patrick (Paddy) Nolan are the parents of Eugene Nolan, who, along with his wife Alex, owns the home where we will be staying. Paddy decided to meet us in Clogheen so we could follow him rather than him trying to guide us over the phone. Keeping up with Paddy in his little red Hyundai flying around the curves of the narrow roads was a challenge for Gary, although he chalked it up to Paddy being much more familiar with the terrain than himself!

September 1, 2015 (Continued)

Upon arriving at Claisavougha, we met Paddy's better half, Anne, who greeted us, literally, with open arms. They showed us around the place and we all sat down to a dinner put together by Paddy of smoked salmon, salad, wonderful Irish brown bread, and wine. It was a completely unexpected but delightful surprise to be greeted with such warmth and friendliness; but that, in a nutshell, is Ireland!

September 2, 2015

We woke up this morning to this stunning view from our back door:

September 5, 2015

The end of the work week for Gary brought the start of his second vacation of the trip. We spent Friday evening having dinner at a pub in Clonmel, and on Saturday we drove into Kilkenny, having lunch not at Tim Horton's (see picture on the next page: we were astounded to see a Tim Horton's here-who would believe that you can buy Timbits in Ireland?), but at the Café Sol. We had visited Kilkenny Castle on our honeymoon in 2003, so we decided not to repeat the tour. However, we did revisit the Kilkenny Design Centre, which we remembered from our previous trip, and, after all these years, I finally got my bodhrán (traditional Irish frame drum resembling an oversized tambourine, but without the jingles)! Now I can drive Gary crazy teaching myself how to play it (once I become proficient, maybe I can join the Friday night drum circle in Asheville???)!

September 6, 2015

On Sunday we decided to drive to Fermoy, a town about 30 minutes from Newcastle. The family of Michael MacCauley, one of my actor friends, hails from this town and Michael suggested that I visit if I were anywhere near. On the way to Fermoy, we drove through the beautiful Knockmealdown Mountains, which can be seen from Claisavougha. On Paddy's recommendation, we stopped at a small wooded area with a pond called "The Duck Pond", which is a beautiful place-quiet, peaceful and serene-and developed by none other than the local gun club! We were a bit disappointed when we got to Fermoy-not much there, but I took a few pictures and we had a surprisingly good buffet lunch at a restaurant called "The Forge".

September 7, 2015

We take off for a two-day trip to Kinsale and the Dingle Peninsula. Kinsale is only about an hour's drive from Newcastle. We check into the Blindgate House, a lovely B&B on a hill overlooking Kinsale, then go into town for a leisurely lunch at the well-known and excellent Fishy Fishy Restaurant. After some time spent walking around this lively seaside city (in 1958 Ireland started the "Tidy Towns" competition, which has given way to the colorful decorations sported by many of the business establishments in Irish towns), we ate dinner at The White House Restaurant, then made our way to Dalton's Pub, where we made our acquaintance with Teresa and Donal, who were part of the group of musicians playing some excellent traditional Irish music.

September 8, 2015

We leave Kinsale and head for Dingle, but on our way we stop for lunch at Anascaul, which is on the peninsula about 12 miles east of Dingle. The most interesting thing in this tiny village is an unassuming pub called "The South Pole Inn", which is an odd name for a pub in this part of the world. The key to the mystery lies in a small grey plaque above the doorway which reads:

Tom Crean
Antartic Explorer
1877-1938

This Inn was the home of Thomas Crean, a Kerry man who was one of the very few men to serve on expeditions led by both Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton.

September 8, 2015 (Continued)

Gary and I were familiar with and fascinated by the story of Shackleton's ill-fated voyage to the South Pole in the ship "Endurance", which was crushed by ice, marooning the crew on Elephant Island. Crean was was one five crew members who, with Shackleton, sailed 800 miles in a lifeboat to South Georgia Island where they were forced to hike across the mountains in the snow to reach the whaling station on the other side. The South Pole Inn, which Crean opened in 1927, contains many artifacts and memorabilia which commemorate the incredible life of this humble man, who died in 1938 of a burst appendix. After lunch, we continue our journey to Dingle Town, where we check into Bambury's Guesthouse. We then begin the drive around the Peninsula along the Slea Head Drive, stopping to explore the Slea Head Famine Cottages, which were built in the 1840s and inhabited through the Irish Potato Famine from 1845 to 1850.

September 9, 2015

We checked out of the B&B to begin the drive along the scenic Conor Pass back to the mainland and on home to Claisavougha. This drive is considered one of the most beautiful in Ireland, and it was lovely, although at points it was very steep. It is said to be inadvisable to drive this pass in bad weather, but luckily the weather cooperated for our trip!

September 9, 2015 (Continued)

We stopped on the way at the Blennerville Windmill in Tralee. Restoration on this 19th-century windmill was completed in 1990, and it is now the largest working mill in Ireland and Britain. Blennerville was the home port of the "Jeanie Johnston", which was built in Québec in 1847, and performed a heroic function between 1848 and 1855, ferrying Irish emigrants across the Atlantic to a "land of promise" against a backdrop of great despair. The ship made 16 "famine voyages" to North America, sailing to Québec, Baltimore and New York from Blennerville. She carried over 2,500 Irish emigrants on those voyages. Unlike many of the 19th century emigrant ships, no crew or passenger lives were ever lost on board the Jeanie Johnston, which is a remarkable record. The ship is commemorated in the museum not only by a wooden miniature, but by an extraordinary quilt which includes the coat of arms of the province of Québec, as well as the province's official motto, "je me souviens" (I remember), which is today included on all Québec license plates.

September 10, 2015

Back home in Claisavougha, we plan a day trip and head to County Cork. One of the places that Gary especially wanted to visit was the Jameson Distillery in Midleton, which is about a 1 1/2-hour drive. We take the guided tour (the "Jameson Experience") of the restored distillery, which is no longer in operation, having been replaced by the new distillery a few hundred yards away. Some of the buildings comprising the restored facility date back to 1795. The best part of the tour, in Gary's opinion, was his taking part in a tutored whiskey tasting (for volunteers only), which qualified him as a "certified Irish Whiskey Taster!" I fell in love with the beautiful chandelier in the lobby which was made with Jameson whiskey bottles. Very clever-maybe we could do something like this with our left-over wine bottles! As you can see, Gary was concentrating very intently during the whiskey-tasting tutorial. It's hard work, but someone's gotta do it! After purchasing a bottle of the Distillery Reserve, we take our leave for Cobh and the "Titanic Experience".

September 10, 2015 (Continued)

Cobh is a port city, and was the last stop for the Titanic on its first and final voyage. Eight passengers disembarked and 123 boarded the ship in Queenstown, as Cobh was called in 1912 (Cobh was renamed Queenstown from the period of 1849-1921 in honor of Queen Victoria). The "Titanic Experience" exhibit is housed in the original White Star Line ticket office, which dates back to the early 19th century and was the departure point for thousands of White Star Line passengers. When we purchase our ticket, we are issued two "boarding cards" which are images of third-class Titanic tickets for actual passengers. I am Bridget Mary O'Sullivan and Gary is Thomas O'Brien. At the end of the tour, we will be able to look up the fate of our alter egos. We aren't holding out much hope, considering the fact that only 44 of those passengers boarding in Cobh survived! This is one of the reasons that the original pier is also known as "Heartbreak Pier". We finish the tour and discover that, just as we suspected, along with 1501 other souls, we did not survive the maiden voyage of this "unsinkable" ship.

September 12, 2015

The Harvest Festival is underway in Waterford, where Paddy and Anne live, and they have graciously invited us to stay with them tonight so we don't have to make the hour-long drive back to Claisavougha after the wine-tasting event for which we have bought tickets (The World of Organic Wine). We make the drive on this beautiful sunny Saturday, and arrive at the Nolans in the early afernoon, to be greeted by Paddy, who serves us tea before we set out for the festival. Anne is already at the festival. She is helping to sell knit caps for the local hospice at a booth set up in the center of town. After being shown some of the historical sights by Paddy, we stop to pick up Anne and we treat them to lunch at O'Leary's Restaurant, located on the quay in the Viking Triangle. Waterford is the oldest established city in Ireland and this year is celebrating 1100 years since its founding by the Danes in 915.

September 12, 2015 (Continued)

The Viking Triangle is part of the cultural and heritage area in Waterford City. It is so called because of the 1000 year old Viking walls which once surrounded it. Perhaps the most famous building in the triangle is Reginald's Tower (which contains the Viking Museum), but the Triangle is also the site of the Medieval Museum and the Bishop's Palace Museum, collectively known as Waterford Museum of Treasures. We purchase tickets for the tour of the Medieval Museum, which houses the cloth-of-gold vestments, the only full set of medieval vestments to survive in northern Europe. They are truly stunning, made from Italian silk woven in Florence with exquisite craftsmanship.

September 12, 2015 (Continued)

The wine-tasting begins at 7:30 in the Medieval Museum with a presentation by Eamonn McEneaney, the Director of the Waterford Treasures Museum. His talk chronicles the history and importance of wine-making in Waterford. Waterford came to be the single most important port for wine importation into Ireland in the Middle Ages. Now on to the fun part of the evening-tasting six different wines supplied by Worldwide Wines! After the event, we take a cab back to Paddy and Anne's, who greet us once more with smoked salmon and brown bread, for which we are most grateful (not having eaten dinner because we thought that food might be served at the wine-tasting!). We sit up for a couple of hours, talking and laughing with the Nolans. I must stop here to add a bit about Paddy. He is a motorcycle enthusiast, and the picture on the previous page is of a figurine that Anne bought him because she thought it captured his unique personality, and it does! He is the quintessential Irishman who loves to laugh and tell stories. When he first introduced himself to me via email, he wrote: "this is Paddy, Anne's adorable, unique spouse, light of her life, and father to her wonderful children, taking the opportunity to say hello and to bid you both welcome. I may, unfortunately, miss your visit, as the timing coincides with my motorcycle trip to The Picos d'Europa and the Douro Valley in Spain in September". Fortunately for us, his motorcycle trip didn't work out, and we instead were able to enjoy his delightful hospitality!

September 13, 2015

We all sleep in a bit this morning, and when we get up, Paddy makes us scrambled eggs. We visit a bit more, and after a while, say our goodbyes and Gary and I leave for our drive back to Claisavougha.

September 15, 2015

Today we head out for our last destination, Ballyvaughan, but here are some final images of Claisavougha and the beautiful landscape: