Honorary degree......

Wednesday was pretty much a travel day so I'm skipping the details, except to say once we arrived in Dublin the first stop was to see an old friend and by old friend I mean pub - McDaids pub.  When Kevin and I were last here several years ago we saw Charlize Theron - no lie.  We were half in the bag, but we really did see her and she was a looker.

Thursday we spent the morning with Lorcan Collins who is the tour guide for the 1916 Rebellion Walking tour.  Although I could only understand one of every four words he said he was so entertaining and comical.  Kevin is a huge fan of Irish history and thoroughly enjoyed the tour.  Our tour concluded at Dublin Castle.

Next stop - the Jameson distillery tour were my dad discovered the next chandelier to hang in the family room.

After an enthralling tour of how Jameson is made - triple distilled - we moved onto the best part....the tasting.  Kevin was selected from a large group of VERY eager people who wanted to be official testers for our group.  After sampling a few whiskeys he officially graduated from Jameson U.

We are all quite proud of him.

Up tomorrow we visit St. Patricks Cathedral and the one true church of Ireland - the Guinness factory....

Pucker up big boy....

Tuesday we started our adventures at Blarney Castle.  According to Irish legend - whoever kisses the blarney stone is gifted with eloquence and persuasiveness.  We've decided that my dad speaks a variation of bologna and blarney (balogna).

After making our way through the gorgeous grounds and narrow stairways of the castle we puckered up for the Blarney stone.

While my mom is taking to the drink my dad cannot get enough of the sweets in this country....

Next stop was Cobh (pronounced Cove) to the heritage museum where we learned about Irish emigration, the Titanic and the Lusitania.

Then after a brief stop at a fort in Kinsale and me trying to close the boot of the car on my mom's head - sorry about that again mom.....we made our way to what has been our favorite pub thus far...The Bulman.  Technically located in Scilly which if you didn't know better you would think was Kinsale.  We ducked in here to escape the wind and stayed for a couple pints while we waited out a huge rainstorm.

The fire was a welcomed relief to our chilled bones.

Our night ended with some dinner and a few more pints.  Tomorrow it's off to the big city of Dublin.  I fear Michael at the Desmond has spoiled us for the rest of the trip.  His big Irish breakfast and witty remarks have made our bellys both full and jolly.  I'm sure Dublin will be a wonderful new adventure.  More to come as we search for the perfect pint in Ireland.

more of the same....

(by the way - my mom is going to kill me for posting this.....)

céad míle fáilte and then some....

Céad míle fáilte which in Irish means "a hundred thousand welcomes" is how you immediately feel when you walk into The Desmond House in Kinsale. Located literally just steps from the city center, the owner Micheal is not only welcoming, but incredibly knowledgeable about history. He's full of Irish wit and makes a mean Irish breakfast that will easily carry you into dinner time. If you ever come to Kinsale you must stay at this B&B.

My father said he'd rather than walk around town he wanted to hang out with Micheal all day so he could hear all his stories. We couldn't be happier with our choice in accomodations.

Our first day in Kinsale proved to be the soft Irish day we were promised. In the morning we took a quick tour around the city using a local tour guide who was excellent. As to keep this blog from being too promotional if you're interested in the tour I can give you the details. The remainder of the day was drizzle on and off which made it an ideal day to fancy a few pints. First stop on the tour was The White House, which in my opinion is nicer than the one located in D.C.

After a few pints and a bit to eat we wandered over to the Greyhound which was full of small snugs to make our break feel quite cozy.

We then put our tourist hats back on and visited the Desmond Castle where we learned a lot about Irish wine makers and we came across the following....

I know the label is hard to read but it says "Cullen". Kevin and I have actually had this wine before and we both agreed the Cullens should stick to drinking wine and not making it...

We ended our night listening to a traditional Irish session at the Dalton House which was grand.

All in all it was a great start to the Kinsale leg of our trip. Tomorrow we conquer Cove and pucker up for the Blarney Stone. Stay tuned....

We put a ring on it....

Sunday was another beautiful April day in Ireland. We conquered the Ring of Kerry and had a great time doing so. Here are a few of the scenes we soaked up...

(Yes that is dad in the 3rd picture at the top of the castle remains taking a picture of us....)

In addition we made the move from Killarney to Kinsale (which is a stunning port town located in the south of Ireland). You must visit here when you come as the city is just as charming as the people who inhabit it.

One surprising detail is that Diane has taken to the drink more than we had expected…

Have no fears – Dick is close behind with his Irish coffees…

So far the trip has been a smashing success! The weather over the next couple days is what the Irish would consider "soft", meaning drizzle on and off throughout the day. This will not stop us from making our mark on this small sleepy town! More to come from our adventures abroad...

A mingle in dingle….

Saturday was filled with wonderful sights. We had a go at the Dingle peninsula and it was outstanding and a must do on your next trip to Ireland. Here are some of the sights we took in…



We even met a new friend...

Although the sights were breathtaking I must warn you that the drive does bet a bit hairy at times…

And last but not least we can now say that my father has left a bit of himself in Ireland. This
is what happens when you’re in the countryside and can’t find a public bathroom.


Here’s to a good day.

Great news – we’ve landed and were ready to take on Ireland

or are we….

My parents have good reason to be tired. We had a jam packed day. Here’s a sampling of our adventures…

First stop the Cliffs of Moher

Then ferried across the River Shannon and stopped by a castle
older than my dad – I know it’s hard to believe....

Had some lunch and ended at our bed and breakfast in Killarney.

Time for some sleep!