Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

Today was nothing but travel.  Last night we had a final music session with the FLTT.  Rick, the tenor of the group had lost his voice, and had no chance of joining the session as a participant, though he did come down and enjoy the music as a listener, like Sandy and me.  This left the professional singers down to Jerry of the trio and Carroll who was already subbing in for George.  That's not a problem with this group as so many talented singers and pickers were on the tour.  It was a farewell concert as the tour has ended and almost everyone was headed back to the U.S.  Sandy and I, after having breakfast with our friends, Tom and Pat, picked up our rental car and headed cross country (cross island) to the Dingle Peninsula.

Rick and Jerry and a gentleman who came down from Scotland just to play with them.  By this time Rick could only whisper and as always, Jerry appears to be the happiest person in the room

Our friend Tom Jones is one of the talented travelers.  A good musician, and a good man.

Carroll, who was the tour organizer, is a musician who plays gigs up and down the coast from the Carolinas to Florida.  He has a standing Wednesday night gig at Tommy Condon's in Charleston, South Carolina

I have to admit that I have enjoyed the challenge of driving these cars on the left side of the road, operating the stick shift with my left hand and dealing with the steering wheel being in the wrong place.  Sadly, more than once, I have gotten in the car, ready to take off,  and found there was no steering wheel in front of me.  Driving like this has led to some good stories and lots of fun.  Today, however, driving with all the challenges above, in Dublin Traffic and a pelting rain all day long. ... So where did the fun go.

But, the drive was worth it, as the AirBnB we have rented exceeds our expectations.

Note the fresh flowers and fresh bread the owners provided 

Lots of closets in the bedroom

It's good to be settled in a place for the next five days

Dublin, Ireland

 As a group, and with reservations we went to Trinity College to see the magnificent library and the Book of Kells.  The Book of Kells (c. 800 CE) is an illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament. The work is the most famous of the medieval illuminated manuscripts for the intricacy, detail, and majesty of the illustrations. It is thought the book was created as a showpiece for the altar, not for daily use, because more attention was obviously given to the artwork than the text.  Probably originally created on Iona (a Scottish Island) by Irish monks it was later moved to the monastery at Kells in Ireland after Viking raids made Iona untenable.  Being near the book that "Saved Civilization" was quite moving.  The museum does a great job of controlling the crowds so that the book and the library can comfortably be seen.  No pictures of the book were allowed!

The Long Room

Staircase in the Long Room

Hundreds of Thousands of actual books 

Brian Boru Harp, a High King of Ireland kill in 1014

After the Trinity Library, Sandy and I, joined by our friend from the tour, Mary Lemmons, walked around the city viewing the sights, watching the people and grabbing a crumpet along the way.  

Statue representing Yeats in St. Stephens Green    

Arch to St. Stephens green

Bullet marks on the side of the Arch from one of the rebellions

The Mansion House, the official residence of Dublin's Lord Mayor

The Church of St. Anne, Oscar Wilde was baptized here, 

Bram Stoker got married here

Ireland's famous Rock and Roller, Phil Lynott

He died decades ago and fans still leave picks in the strings of his guitar

Bewley's Café, the facade

Bewley's Café, carrot cake

Bewley's Café, the stained glass windows

Bewley's Café, the sculptures

St. Teresa's hidden church

Flower stalls on Grafton Street

Trinity College, Parliament Square

Trinity College, Parliament Square

Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle

Christ Church

Christ Church gold lectern 

Statue of Homeless person

The identity of the homeless person,  note the nail marks in his feet.

The Ha-penney (Half-penney, pronounced Hey-Penney) Bridge

Dublin, Ireland: Powerscourt Gardens: Guiness Brewery

National Geographic voted the Powerscourt Gardens 3rd best in the world right behind Château deVersailles, in France and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, in England.  The gardens and grand Palladian villa at Powerscourt, just south of Dublin, were designed in the 18th century and accentuate 1947 acres of formal walled gardens and shaded ponds. The grounds, waterfalls, parks, garden pavilions, and fine tree-lined arbors were suggested by the Italian Renaissance and the great estates and gardens of France and Germany. Cascading terraces and formal landscapes are planned with carefully designed walks that are framed by the gentle beauty of the Wicklow Mountains.  The FLTT stopped there this morning.  The gardens are deserving of the National Geographic's praise.  Sandy and I wandered through the formal gardens of the estate and neither of us expected to see something like this in Ireland.

You drink Guinness because it's good for you.  That's what they say.  Today we went to the birthplace of Guinness and Irish production center.  The Storehouse, on the Guinness Dublin campus, is now the Visitor Center, sort of a beer museum, where one can learn much about the brewing of their "black" stout.  Of course, none of us are there for the learning but rather the drinking.  We all reached the 7th floor Gravity Bar quickly and enjoyed a cold glass their beer.  Why?  Because it is good for us. 

Kilkenny, Ireland: Blarney Castle: Rock of Cashel

 The Blarney Stone can be found built into the battlements of Blarney Castle which is just a few miles from Cork.  First thing in the morning the FLTT headed there.  Had I been traveling independently I would have bypassed this place as being nothing but a tourist magnet.  I would have made a mistake.  It is touristy ... way touristy ... but with reason.  Kissing the stone is pretty stupid, so, of course, I did it.  Sandy maintained her dignity, took my picture and abstained.  But climbing the 120 steps to the top of the castle where the stone is, led us to platforms overviewing the charming countryside of County Cork.  Well worth the climb.  What is best about the site however is the 60 acres of lawn and gardens.  We spent the better part of an hour and a half walking the grounds and admiring both the natural and the manicured settings.

From Blarney we went to the religious ruins of the Rock of Cashel.  This is a huge ruins of a church that was at times the seat of the ancient kings of Munster, where St. Patrick wrestled with the devil and then baptized King Aengus.  And where the local clans fought over the Church for hundreds of years.  Now it is the final resting place of the archbishop Miler MacGrath, the scoundrel of Cashel, who lived to be 100 years old.  We can only imagine how humbled the average worshiper must have felt when approaching the great building in the 1300s

We ended the day's travels in the town of Kilkenny where there is yet another imposing castle along with a love of the sport of hurling.  

We finished the night having another session with the Folk Legacy Trio and a roomful of perfectly harmonizing amateurs.  I moved my lips to the tunes that I knew, but did my best not to let a sound escape from me.

Carroll

Rick and Jerry

Trad music after the FLT