Ireland 2023
We were originally due to visit in September 2020. The flights & accommodation were all booked & the arrangements to meet up with my newly-found cousins under way. Then, as you know COVID-19 struck & all our plans had to be cancelled. So three years later in August 2023 Ann & I embarked on our re-scheduled holiday. We had in fact both visited Dublin for a weekend with a couple of other friends some 50 years earlier. So time for a proper visit. The holiday was also driven partly by my family history research & wanting to meet my newly found Irish relatives. As luck would have it the three bases for the holiday, Dublin, Cork City (where my grandfather was born) and Limerick (my grandmother was born in Kilmallock, Limerick) made the perfect set of destinations for us.
We spent five days at each of the three centres. Georgian Dublin is a gem of a city with a great buzz in many of the areas we saw. We took a (long) day trip from Dublin to see the archaeological sights of the 5,000 year old Newgrange & Knowth & the slightly younger – but mythologically just as important, Hill of Tara. This was a fascinating experience. Don’t miss this if you have the chance. We did the trip through Newgrange Tours & would certainly recommend them.
We took the train from Dublin to Cork. Though we enjoyed the stay here, I was slightly disappointed with city – more because of my romantic expectations of seeing more evidence of the 19th century seafaring life of my ancestors not matching up with 21st century reality. For instance the main large new shopping centre could have been anywhere in the world. I felt the city has been developed without too much sympathy for its history particularly its maritime history. That said the nearby Cobh & Spike Island were more of what I was expecting. Maybe the city has a vibrant night-life, but Ann & I aren’t into that lifestyle (anymore)! The food was good. Many of the photos I tool were of were of homes & places associated with my ancestors & are in the Family Photos section of the website as are those of my cousins. From Cork we hired a car for the rest of the holiday and inevitably visited Blarney Castle.
On the way to Limerick we stopped off at Kilmallock where my Grandmother grew up before emigrating to Wales – the only grandparent I remember; I was 8 at the time. She had fond memories of this small rural town, which time has forlornly left behind. Walking round the centre, I didn’t notice any prominent buildings or houses built after the Victorian era. Nevertheless a quaint country town with some scenic walks in the surrounding area. We both liked Limerick. Maybe helped by our charming guides Joyce & John! The Cliffs of Moher were bracing. The Burren was an amazing landscape: rocky, barren & breathtaking. My photos hardly do it justice. The Rock of Cashel was the one attraction that stood out over all the other ones we visited. You couldn’t imagine a more romantic ruin in such a commanding position with such a rich history.