To Dublin for the Trip Home

It wasn’t a long drive to Dublin even though we took the back roads.  Keep in mind that the entire island of Ireland is about the size of Indiana and the Republic of Ireland is just slightly larger than West Virginia.  In any case as we headed south from the town of Roscommon we started thinking about stopping along the way for a break and a bit to eat.

Then we spotted this big yellow hotel, restaurant and bar along N61 just south of town.  What happened to the “H” on the sign over the door?  We noted that this 30 room hotel and restaurant was very busy…obviously a popular place. 

We were lucky to get a table.  The bar and restaurant area at Hannon’s was packed!  We also noted a large wedding party forming up in the lobby area.

For once, we didn’t drink any beer!  It was all about coffee, lattes and hot chocolate… Coffee (2.30E/$2.75 US); Latte (2.50E/$3.00 US); Hot Chocolate (2.95E/$3.55 US)

We stuck to appetizers and ‘light’ dining items from Hannon’s menu.  This was the fried calamari with little salad on the side. (6.95E/$8.35 US) It was very tasty indeed…

Another option on our table was this nice offering of spicy Chili Prawns, once again accompanied by a bit of salad. (7.95E/$9.55)

Not everyone wanted protein and lite went out the window after we looked at the dessert menu!  This slice of Gluten Free Carrot Cake was well received. (5.95E/$7.15 US)

Another sweet to grace our table was this nice slice of Lemon Tart. (5.95E/$7.15 US)

This is one of my favorite sweet treats.  This was Hannon’s satisfying version of Apple Crumble! (5.95E/$7.15 US)

Hannon’s was a nice stop for us along the way and the food was pretty good too.  FYI…Hannon’s Hotel, Bar and Restaurant can be found on the Internet at http://www.hannonshotel.com/.

Then we were off down the road headed southeast toward Dublin…

This is something that you don’t see every day..at least in the USA.  We found ourselves following this handsome old-time horse drawn hearse for a bit.  We managed to capture this photo as we passed this old time final conveyance.

 

Apparently this is one of the services offered through RIP.ie, whose catch phrase is “End of Life Matters”.  Horse drawn hearses must be fairly common in Ireland.  Check out the numerous photos (current and past) at https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=horse+drawn+hearse+roscommon+ireland&qpvt=Horse+drawn+hearse+Roscommon+Ireland&FORM=IGRE.  Only a portion of these photos are of hearses. 

Moving south along N61, I suddenly stopped and did a U-turn!  I was sure that this home had once been a railroad depot… It had all the architectural ‘earmarks’ and it was adjacent to railroad tracks so I had to take a closer look.

This is a view of the track headed north toward Roscommon.  It turned out that this building was the old Knockcroghery Railroad Depot.  It was built back in 1860 on the Mayo Branch of the Midlands and Great Western Railroad.  The last rail service to any Midlands and Great Western Railroad depot was in 1985.

Notes: 

·         In the 1600s, a siege was laid to a nearby castle.  The O’Kelly chief and clan resisted and for their defiance they were taken to “Creggan” (a nearby stony hill) and hanged.  To mark this event, the name of the village was changed to ‘Cnoc na Crocaire’, the Hill of the Hangings.  It’s been Anglicized to read Knockcroghery. 

·         This little village has seen some history!  In the early hours of a June morning in 1921, the Black and Tans set the village on fire.  It was an act of vengeance for the killing of a British general 2 days earlier.  British intelligence agents mistakenly believed that the killers had come from Knockcroghery.

·         FYI…the Black and Tans were a force of Temporary Constables recruited to assist the Royal Irish Constabulary during the Irish War of Independence.  This force, which was infamous for its attacks on civilians and their property, was the brainchild of Winston Churchill.

As we approached the Dublin metropolitan area, the storm clouds built up and it was really a downpour for quite a while.

From all nasty things, some positives often appear.  Laurie captured a photo of this double rainbow as we neared our hotel and Dublin’s International Airport. 

This is a look at our hotel’s bar and restaurant.

 

I’d booked our rooms in the Dublin Airport Hilton Hotel.  It was close to the airport, I could drop off our rental car the night before and there was shuttle service available for our flight the next morning. (I also picked up points for a future stay at a Hilton property)  

We did indulge in a couple of pints, plus we really enjoyed this big bread board with with olives, fennel infused Irish rapeseed oil, hummus, almond and tomato dip and whipped butter. (7.00E/$8.40 US) I’m hungry just looking at it again! 

One entrée on our table was the Manor Farm Corn-fed 1/2 Chicken, roast carrots, leeks and chicken jus. (18.00E/$21.60 US)

Of course we had to have Fish and Chips one more time!  These were Howth Beer Battered Fish and Chips with mint peas and tartar sauce. (17.00E/$20.40 US)

This luscious looking snack appears to be beef short ribs but I couldn’t identify it from the current menu.  I do know that although this wasn’t the best meal that we had in Ireland, it was very satisfying and well presented.

FYI…Our rooms at the Dublin Airport Hilton were nice but fairly standard.  The cost per room was about 160.60 including a 10% VAT tax. ($192.70 US) This hotel’s website can be found at http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ireland/hilton-dublin-airport-DUBAPHI/index.html.

  

…and the next morning it was a short van ride to the Dublin International Airport.  In 2017, this airport served 29,500,000 passengers, its busiest year on record.  I was a bit surprised to discover that it was ‘only’ the 14^th busiest airport in Europe! 

As you might expect, the airport was busy with early morning departures.  Really, don’t most airports look the same in the passenger areas?

Five of the top 10 passenger destinations from Dublin are in England.  Scotland is #9 on the list and New York City is #8.

…and here was our view of our cabin from our seats on our American Airlines flight back to the USA.

From what I could determine, 5 airlines have direct flights to and from Dublin from the USA.  They are American, United, Delta, Aer Lingus and Ethiopian Airlines.  FYI…the latter airline serves Los Angeles. 

Laurie took this photo of the Irish countryside as we flew west toward our destination in Philadelphia.  From Philadelphia, we took another plane directly to Knoxville.

...and I really liked this photo of the wing with the countryside in the distance.  So long Ireland!

Year around, only New York JFK, Newark, Philadelphia and Los Angles have direct service to Dublin.  I would have thought that Boston and Chicago O’Hare, with their significant Irish immigrant populations, would be on the year around list…but they’re only seasonal destinations.

Well…that’s it for our Scotland and Ireland adventures.  We had a great trip and I hope that you enjoyed my lengthy series of posts about our trip!

Thanks for stopping by and following along…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Last Day in Ireland – Wandering Toward Dublin

We were a little down as this was our last day in Ireland before flying home to the USA.  Still, I was determined to get as much out of the day as possible and that was challenging because it rained hard off and on during our drive.

When we left our bed and breakfast in Cong, I headed north and a little east on R345 and R334 to the village of Ballinrobe.  In Irish Gaelic, it’s Baile an Roba, meaning “town of the (river) Robe”.

Ballinrobe dates back to 1390 and it’s reputed to be the oldest town in County Mayo.  In 1606, King James granted the town a Royal Patent which allowed the town to hold fairs and markets.  Obtaining a market charter was an important step in the economic development of a town.  Today, Ballinrobe has about 3,700 residents.

Every now and then we were rewarded with a burst of sunshine…and we took the opportunity to take this photo of these colorful flowers.

Ireland provided workhouses during the potato famine under the country’s Poor Laws.  Ballinrobe suffered greatly during the Great Famine of 1845 – 1849.  At the height of the famine, the vastly overcrowded workhouse/poorhouse was jammed…with 2,000 inmates!  To quote The Mayo Constitution, “…the workhouse is in the most awfully deplorable state, pestilence attacking paupers, officers and all.  In fact, this building is one horrible charnel house, the unfortunate paupers being nearly all the victims of a fearful fever, the dying and the dead, we might say, huddled together.”  During just 1 week in April of 1849, 96 people died in this workhouse…

If you needed proof that we stayed on the back roads in an effort to see as much of the Irish countryside as possible, this cow ‘roadblock’ should provide enough evidence to support my claim!  Of course, the road wasn’t exactly a superhighway…narrow at best.

After a few minutes of following the cows and the farmer up the road, he directed them into a lush field… The experience for the cows and the people grew a touch more ‘interesting’ when we encountered a truck coming the other way.  The cows squeezed by on one side…and all was well.

From Ballinrobe, I’d followed a series of country roads almost due east.  After a bit we came to the village of Ballindine.  The Irish post offices in these small towns and villages are quaint and the green really stands out.

In Irish Gaelic, Baile an Daighim, means “Town of the Fortress.  The remains of a possible fort are located in a field next to the school.  Folklore states that the town got its name from this ancient fort. 

…yet another burst of sunshine showing off the Irish countryside.  In this part of west central Ireland, mountains and major hills give way to a pastoral look, pleasant but not dramatic.

We just had to take a photo of these ruins.  I wonder about the stories that these old stone walls could tell!  I’m not sure if it was a home or some kind of business back in the day…

Shortly after passing the ruins shown in the previous photo, we noted this dilapidated tower castle near the town of Dunmore.  

Located on a small hillock, the first castle on this site was built by the Anglo-Norman de-Birmingham family so they could defend themselves (not always successfully) from area native Irish forces.  After a last assault in 1315, the castle was largely rebuilt.  Much of the current structure dates from the early 1300s.  It is accessible to the general public. 

Then we found ourselves driving though Dunmore itself.  This street was a tad bit narrow, don’t you think!?

The area around Dunmore came under the rule of Ui Conchobair in the 1100s.  For a period of time, it was the capital of the King of Connacht, Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair who died here in 1156.  Tairrdelbach, (Anglicized O’Conor or O’Connor), was King for 50 years!  He dominated Irish politics and led armies and navies all over the island subjugating entire kingdoms.  At the battle of Moin Mor in 1151 his forces inflicted 7,000 enemy casualties…  

Laurie took this photo just to show a picture of a nice little home in the Irish countryside…

This is a nice partially sunny view along our backroad route toward Dublin.  The countryside was still very appealing if not as dramatic as in the west of Ireland.

We continued on passing through the villages of Glennamaddy, Creggs and Athleague along the way.  Some of the small villages were obviously in decline…something we didn’t see in the tourist focused areas.  Farming is tough everywhere…

Creggs is also known as Costa Brava.  Even though it only has a population of around 100, it has 3 public houses/bars.  It used to have 7!

This is the Old Church of Ireland in Athleague County Roscommon.  This old stone church is surrounded by stone walls.  It was built in 1841 but from what I’ve read, these days the handsome old church is the home of the River Suck Athleague Angling Center.   

The sunshine stayed with us…and then we entered the big town of Roscommon.  

At the time, if I’d spotted Molloy’s Bakery and Fine Food Emporium, (orange building), we would have come to a screeching halt!  We love a good bakery…a little too much.  They bake 21 different types of bread and rolls and they serve food too!   Molloy’s has been in business for 96 years as of this year!  Check out their website at http://molloysbakery.ie/.

We spotted a big church or cathedral in the distance so we circled the area in an effort to gain access.  Like most towns in Ireland or Scotland, the streets wander in all direction…straightforward street grids just don’t occur! 

My efforts to locate the church paid off…for Laurie.  She was out of the car with our camera and talking to these horses ASAP.  She got an instant ‘horse fix’!

Some of the horses were a bit standoffish but she did make a friend with this one.  If only she had some sugar cubes in her pocket!

This very large and impressive house of worship is the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the town of Roscommon.  This parish has 1,500 families, 5 priests and 2 deacons!   This parish church was built in 1903 with the tower being added in 1916. 

The architectural design of this church is referred to as being ‘flamboyant’.  I’d never heard of ‘flamboyant’ as a design style so I had to look it up.  It was the name given to a florid style of late Gothic architecture that was popular in France from about 1350 until it was superseded by Renaissance architecture in the early 1500s. 

To match the flamboyant style of the rest of the exterior of this church, the freeze over the front doors of Sacred Heart is both impressive and beautiful.  The interior of this big church is pretty stunning too.  If you’re interested in seeing more, you can check out some terrific photos at http://www.sacredheartroscommon.com/gallery/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit… FYI, my next post from Ireland will be the last. 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

John J. Burke and Sons Restaurant - Clonbur, County Galway

After returning from our wet and soggy tour of the Connemara Peninsula, we returned to our bed and breakfast at Ryan’s River Lodge in the village of Cong.  Unfortunately, Laurie was not feeling well on this…our last evening before heading to Dublin and the airport.

Many thanks again to our hosts Martha and David, especially for that assistance rendered due to Laurie’s short but challenging bout of illness.  For more information on Ryan’s River Lodge and their related guided hunting and fishing adventures, you can go to http://www.ryansriverlodge.com/welcome.html.

In any case, when dinner time came along, Laurie was unable to join Bonnie, Bill and me for one more dining adventure.  She was perfectly happy to bundle up in our room and take a nap!

Based on our desire to eat somewhere nearby but outside of Cong, we followed our host’s recommendation and drove to the nearby village of Clonbur in County Galway, about 10 minutes from our bed and breakfast.  John J. Burke and Sons was our dining destination.

While you couldn’t tell from the outside, the inside of Burkes was beyond spacious!  The dining areas were multifaceted…with different looks in different parts of the restaurant.  It was all very warm and comfortable with plenty of objects of interest scattered throughout.

FYI… Clonbur contains the ruins of Petersburgh Estate, seat of the Lynch family.  One member of that family, Thomas Lynch, was a signer of the American Declaration of Independence from South Carolina.  Like a good deal of the surrounding area around Clonbur and Cong, at one time or another, this estate became part of the Guinness family’s properties.  

It was a weekday…it was rainy…and it was the very end of September.  Burkes was very quiet.  Other than one other table and these 2 gentlemen at a small segment of the bar, we had the place to ourselves. 

The building that houses John J. Burkes and Sons is the Ti Bhurca or Mount Gable House.  The premises were built by John A. Joyce, grand-uncle of Charlotte Burke.  It changed hands a couple of times but then it was sold to John J. Burke (aka. ‘Old J.J’) in 1922 while he was home from Chicago Illinois on an extended holiday.  He’d been visiting his daughter when he passed through Clonbur and saw the Mount Gable Hotel up for sale.

This room at the front of the restaurant holds many pieces from the past that reflect the various roles that the building has served.  It appears to have been what is termed a General Store in the USA.  They sold a bit of hardware, groceries, beverages, household necessities…and it also served as the local post office. 

On to the food… Somehow we first consumed 5 pints of local craft beer.  (5.70E/$6.85 US each) Then Bill had a nice bowl of Seafood Chowder to start out his evening meal. (7.50E/$9.00 US)

I’d love to tell you more about the dining options at Burkes but they haven’t posted an on-line menu and I’d just assumed it would be there so I didn’t take a photo or two for blogging purposes…

I do have a cryptic receipt so I’m guessing that this is a Fried Mushrooms appetizer with a bit of salad. (6.95E/8.35 US) In any case, it was well received by Bonnie and Bill!

FYI…Burkes can seat around 140 patrons. From what I could determine, they are packed in season and reservations are needed.  They even have dining on an outside deck overlooking the countryside.  Also in season, this is an important local venue for traditional Irish music on the weekends. 

This was my dinner!  It was our last night in Ireland, (other than the final stay at the Dublin Hilton Airport Hotel), and it was my last chance to order something that I’d rarely find in the USA.  So I ordered the Leg of Lamb Dinner which came with vegetables, potatoes and lots of luscious lamb. (15.95E/$19.15 US) It was very good…as a matter of fact it was the best lamb I’d eaten during our trip!

For their dinners, Bonnie and Bill went for a pair of personal pizzas.  I’m fairly sure that Bonnie’s was the one in the first photo as she prefers ‘more basic’ pizzas and Bill likes his ‘loaded’!  One was called the ‘Amore Pizza’ and the other was the ‘Caprice Pizza’.  These were huge for personal pizzas but at 10.95E/$13.15 US each, the cost was more than reasonable.  They were judged to be very good…  A lot of pizza was left over but rather than letting it go to waste, we took it back to Ryan's River Lodge and gave it to our host's family.   

John J. Burke and Sons Restaurant (Burkes) was a great place for us to close out the local restaurant scene portion of our Irish adventure.  We’d recommend it to anyone traveling in this area of Ireland.  Check out their website at http://burkes-clonbur.com/.  FYI, a quick check of TripAdvisor reveals that Burkes received 97% excellent or very good ratings based on a total of 203 reviews!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

The last posting from Ireland is coming up next time.  Thanks for stopping by for the latest on our travel adventures!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave