Ireland in The Springtime Featuring our April 15 - 22, 2007 Group Tour

Along Lough Derg in East Co. Clare

Sat, 5 May 2007 11:33:53 -0400

After over three fun-filled and sun-filled weeks in Ireland, our Spring 2007 trip is coming to an end, and we fly home from Shannon on Monday, May 7. We have ended our itinerary at Lantern House in Ogonnelloe near Killaloe in Co. Clare, overlooking beautiful Lough Derg on the Shannon River. During these two days, we visited nearby towns - Cashel, Cahir and Ennis - always full of new developments and new things to check out. We’ll be adding all of the new information (and photos) to the web site in the coming weeks. In the meantime, thanks for following our progress on this Blog - we look forward to (and enjoy) your comments very much!
Photos above shows (left) the view of Lough Derg from our room at Lantern House near Killaloe; and (right) a scene from the west shore of the “Lough Derg Drive.”
Photos below show Spring flowers and blooming trees today, Sunday, May 6th, at Glenstal Abbey, Murroe, Co. Limerick - a fitting finale to the last day of our Springtime trip. Hope you enjoy seeing them here on this Blog as much as we did at Glenstal this morning!

Galway & Mayo

Sat, 5 May 2007 04:16:40 -0400

Beautiful weather with warm sun and blue skies followed us everywhere in Counties Galway and Mayo. It has become a premature “Irish Summer” now instead of Spring. We have enjoyed our time in Galway and Mayo which included a family wedding at St. Patrick’s Church in Killala, followed by a reception at the new Broadhaven Bay Hotel in Belmullet in the extreme northwest corner of Co. Mayo. This area, known as Bangor-Erris, is one of the last outposts of a truly rural Ireland - vast tracts of boglands, wandering sheep at every turn, pristine mountains and glistening lakes, and rarely a car on the road. Our photos today show scenes from Connemara, Killary Harbour and Bangor-Erris. Photos above are (top row) scenes of Connemara; and (bottom row) views of Killary Harbour. Photos below are (top row, from left) the view of Bunatrahir Bay from Stella Maris Hotel, Ballycastle; the Riverview Gardens at Cong; and Ashleigh Falls near Leenane; and (bottom row) the view from Broadhaven Bay Hotel, Belmullet; Bangor Erris scene; and sheep on the bog near Ceide Fields, Co. Mayo. And our final photos show the groom and bride, Martin and Naimh Gardiner; two American “cousins” who also traveled over from the US for the wedding, Mary Steck and Jean Keating; and John and me all dressed up for the occasion.

Kenmare and the Dingle Peninsula

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:12:33 -0400

Continuing our post-tour itinerary, here are some Spring scenes from County Kerry including Kenmare and the DIngle Peninsula. The top photos show views from the Park Hotel and gardens in Kenmare; and the bottom photos show the various views along the Dingle Peninsula.

After Our Tour - West Cork

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 05:34:07 -0400

After our tour returned from Shannon to the US., John and I continued our travels, driving first to County Wicklow and then on to Waterford, Cork and Kerry. The weather changed to rain after our tour went home, but soon the warm sunshine returned and we had summer-like days driving through West Cork and Kerry - two areas where good weather is a real bonus. We have spent our time walking the streets of major towns and cities, and checking out new hotels, restaurants, shops and more - all of which we’ll be adding to our main web site after our return. For now, we thought you would enjoy a few photos which capture the incomparable beauties of Springtime in Ireland. The photos on this page show scenes of West Cork including Bantry Bay, the Beara Peninsula, the cable car line to Dursey Island and Healy Pass with a sprinkling of gorse, rhododendron and azaleas in bloom.

Off to Shannon & the Finale of our Tour

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Our week of sunshine, blue skies and fun times has come to an end. This morning, we departed The Malton Hotel in Killarney and headed to Shannon Airport via the picturesque village of Adare. Our photo above shows our entire group on the steps of The Malton Hotel. Our driver/guide, Tadhg Murphy, is kneeling in front, along with Pat. John is standing on the top row, extreme right.
We wish everyone a safe and happy trip! John and I will add more to this Blog in a few days... We look forward to your comments!

The Ring of Kerry

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:12:23 -0400

The last full day of our tour - and the Ring of Kerry provided many enjoyable experiences. The weather was a mix of cloud and sun, but the rain stayed away and the vistas were spectacular. First, we headed for Aghadoe Heights and then on via Killorglin and Glenbeigh to Kells - where we met Brendan Ferris, a Kerry shepherd who explained the varieties of sheep and led his sheep dogs (Bessie and Tina) in demonstrations of rounding up the sheep from the hillsides. Our photos above give a glimpse of our visit with Brendan.
Our drive continued via Cahirciveen; Valentia Island with a stop at the Skellig Heritage Centre; Waterville; Sneem, and back to Killarney over the Moll’s Gap and Killarney National Park. Along the way, we saw hundreds of sheep with baby lambs frolicking in the countryside.
Other photos show (bottom, left, top row):
Michele MacMahon at Carragh with typical Ring of Kerry vistas; Marge & Bill Wallace of Colusa, CA, with a local entrepreneur and his donkey; our “photographers” taking pictures of Dingle Bay; and Alisa Guyotte & Normal Malenfant of Clifton Park, NY. (Bottom row, from left): Joe and Maureen Bubel at the Skellig Heritage Centre with the village of Portmagee in the background; and an “ice cream break” at Sneem for Virginia Cooley and Diana Armstrong of Saratoga Springs, NY, and John and Angela Galish of Lake Luzerne, NY. This evening we’ll celebrate the finale of our tour with dinner, music and dancing at Kate Kearney’s Cottage at the Gap of Dunloe. And, yes, the sun is out again this evening.

Kinsale via West Cork to Kerry

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:16:49 -0400

Although we were sorry to leave beautiful Kinsale and the Trident Hotel, we set out this morning - again with lovely weather. The highlight of the day was arriving in Killarney and seeing the lakes from a lookout point in the Killarney National Park - photo above shows about 30 of our group at this scenic site. We also visited Muckross House and Gardens and boarded a fleet of horse-drawn jaunting cars for our ride into Killarney town and arrival at the Malton Hotel. Before reaching Kerry, we spent the morning exploring West Cork including time to take in the beauty of Bantry Bay and Bantry House. The photos below show: (top row) three views of Bantry House & Gardens; (second row) Jann Hatsell and Karen Lightfoot of Thomasville, GA; and Michele MacMahon of Oceanside, NY, taking a photo of Victor Lancaster of Green Cove Springs, FL; and (third row) Anne Pascale of Latham, NY and Janet Hall of Albany, NY, climbing down the steps of the gardens; Julius Holtzman of Williston Park, NY strolling in the gardens; and Laura Doyle and Maria Theodoseau of Staatsburg,NY in the gardens..

Blarney & Kinsale

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 15:55:01 -0400

Another glorious day - for several outdoor activities in Blarney and Kinsale, Co.Cork. Our photos tell the story of our day - top row, above, from left: a visit to Blarney Castle in full spring bloom; lots of shopping at Blarney Woollen Mills - Virginia Karl of Red Hook, NY, Victor Lancaster of Green Cove Springs, FL, Diana Armstrong and Virginia Cooley of Saratoga Springs, NY, and Maureen & Joe Bubel of LaGrangeville,NY; taking a break for outdoor refreshments are Mary Dittmer of Albany, NY, and John & Angela Galish of Lake Luzerne, NY.
Photos below show: from left, all the shoppers lined up with Blarney Woollen Mills shopping bags; our group setting out on our boat cruise on Kinsale Harbor; and views on board of Charles Fort; and our walking tour of Kinsale with local historian Don Herilihy.

Wexford via Waterford to Kinsale

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:28:29 -0400

Another sunny and warm day, ideal for driving along the scenic southern coast of Ireland - a collage of green fields, gorse-lined roads, blooming pink and white fruit trees and baby lambs romping on the hillsides, not to mention the deep blue sea on the left as we drove. Departing Wexford, we went first to New Ross, and then on to Waterford City, Dungarvan, Midleton and finally to Kinsale. Our photos (above, from left) show our stop at the Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross; our Waterford Crystal Tour, with our guide Philomena; Jennifer Kappeller of Montgomery Village, MD, holding the Waterford Superbowl trophy; and the Waterford master craftsman, Liam Farrell, explaining his work to our group.
Next we stopped at the Marine Bar in Dungarvan for a pub lunch followed by music played by pub-owner Christy O’Neill. Our photos show Christy entertaining our group; Christy signing copies of his CD; and Helen O’Neill, Christy’s wife, a longtime friend of Pat’s. Lastly, we visited the Old MIdleton Distillery at Midleton, Co. Cork for a tour and tasting. Three of our tour members (from left, Norman Malenfant of Clifton Park, NY, Janet Hall of Albany, NY,and Fred Semmons of Latham, NY, volunteered to be taste testers which led to their certification as “official Irish whiskey tasters.” They all voted for Jameson as the best.
Next we headed on to Kinsale for check-in to the Trident Hotel - the hotel looked magnificent in the sunshine overlooking the harbour. We were greeted by the Managing Director, Hal McElroy, and hosted to a drink by Tourism Ireland, followed by dinner in the restaurant - with all of our tables overlooking the harbour. A glorious finale to our day!

Co. Wicklow - The Garden of Ireland

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:07:16 -0400

If ever there was a glorious spring day, it was today! Bright blue skies and sunshine lined our route as we headed north in County Wicklow - appropriately known as The Garden of Ireland, with an array of green hills, blossoming fruit trees, rhododendron, gorse and multi-colored wild flowers along our way, not forgetting the many fields with sheep and baby lambs frolicking in the sunshine. Our two main stops today were at Glendalough in the Wicklow National Park and Avoca, home of Ireland’s oldest handweaving enterprise and setting for the PBS-TV series, Ballykissangel. Our photos retrace our steps - (top, from left): Marge & Bill Wallace of Colusa, CA, at the Glendalough Round Tower; a gathering of friends at Glendalough Visitor Centre - Maria Theodoseau and Laura Doyle of Staatsburg, NY, Ann Braun of Hyde Park, NY, Angela Galish of Lake Luzerne, NY, and Rudi Braun and John Galish; and Virginia Cooley & Diana Armstrong of Saratoga Springs, NY, follow the ancient steps at Glendalough. Second row, from left: Joe & Maureen Bubel of La Grangeville, NY, inside the cathedral at Glendalough; the Glendalough guide explains the history of the ancient towers, crosses and stones to our group. Photos below show: (top, from left) Anne Pascale and Fred Semmens of Latham, NY, enjoying lunch at the Avoca Cafe; Mary Dittmer & Janet Hall of Albany, NY, shopping at Avoca; Rosanne & Julius Hotlzman of Williston Park, NY, tracing the Ballykissangel landmarks of Avoca including the parish church; and Eileen Savinsky of Tivoli, NY, standing beside a weaver at work at Avoca Handweavers.

Tour Arrival at Shannon & Drive to Wexford

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:20:43 -0400

Severe storms along the East coast of the US delayed all three flights bringing members of our group, but only by about an hour. To the amazement of our tour members, the skies were blue, calm and sunny at Shannon Airport as they stepped out of the arrivals terminal and into our CIE Tours bus. Our driver/guide, Tadhg Murphy, welcomed everyone - and then we were off on the “long ride” across the street for an Irish Welcome Breakfast at the “new” Park Inn (former Great Southern Hotel). After breakfast, we re-boarded our bus for the trip via Limerick City, through Tipperary with a stop at Cahir Castle, and into Wexford.
Our photos recap the highlights of the day - top row, from left, Norman Malenfant & Alisa Guyotte of Clifton Park, NY with Virginia & Kevan Karl of Red Hook, NY, at the Treaty Stone in Limerick CIty; Jann Hatsell and Karen Lightfoot of Thomasville, GA, at Cahir Castle; and Victor Lancaster of Green Cove Springs, FL, picking out postcards in Cahir; and Rita & Dennis Collins of Dracut, MA, after touring Cahir Castle; and John Preston with Tadhg Murphy, our CIE Tours driver/guide standing beside spring flowers blooming in Cahir. After arrival at the Talbot Hotel in Wexford and rest time, most of our group took a walking tour of the town with John Bailey, local historian and walking tour guide, followed by a welcome reception and dinner at the hotel. At the reception, our group was greeted by the Lord Mayor of Wexford and other local dignitaries. Our photo below shows (second row, from left), Declan Moriarty and Philip Gavin of the Talbot Hotel; Tadhg Murphy, CIE tour guide; Pat Collins, Wexford Town Clerk; and (front row, from left) Philomena Keeling, Wexford Tourism; Kathleen Kappeller, Red Hook, NY; Jennifer Kappeller, Montgomery Village, MD; Lord Mayor of Wexford, Philomena Roche, with her mayoral chain; Michele MacMahon, Oceanside, NY; and Pat Preston.

Co. Limerick into Co. Clare

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:11:22 -0400

Today was a day of relative rest, starting with a visit to Glenstal Abbey at Murroe, Co. Limerick. Glenstal is a feast of spring personified with rhododendrons and fruit trees in bloom. The photos above show a sampling of the colorful vistas at the abbey. Enjoying another sunny and warm (summer-like) day, we then drove around Limerick City - Sunday is an ideal time to drive around Irish cities because they are relatively quiet with little traffic. We reviewed what we had seen on foot, including the facade of the new Hilton Hotel. Standing on the site of the former Jurys Hotel, the Hilton Limerick (pictured below) -- which is slated to open on April 30, overlooks the Shannon River and Limerick City. We then went to Bunratty and on to Shannon Airport, to check into the new Park Inn (former Great Southern) to await our group’s arrival early Monday morning. We’ll have all the details for you tomorrow.....

A Day in Limerick City

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:14:07 -0400

After breakfast overlooking the Abbey River, Grove Island nature reserve, and swans gliding by beside the Absolute Hotel, we set out for the Limerick’s weekly open-air market - in a mid-city area known traditionally as Milk Market (8 a.m. till 2:30 p.m. every Saturday), just two blocks from the main thoroughfare of Patrick Street. There is a lot more than milk on offer in these days - the photos above show the “Milk Market” sign (center) and stands for homemade jams, and free range eggs. The photos below show the stands for chutneys and dressings, baked goods and cheese, and fruits and vegetables. Visitors and locals alike gather for shopping and browsing - other goods for sale include plants, flowers, music CDs, books, clothing, jewelry, toys and tools. Buskers play music adding to the festive atmosphere. I spent the rest of the day walking all the streets, noting what is new and what has changed. More tomorrow!

Landing at Shannon & Beginning Our Trip

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Welcome to our Spring 2007 Blog from Ireland!
John and I will arrived at Shannon on time at 6:55 a.m., via Continental Airlines, after a swift and smooth flight from Newark, the first time we had used CO’s Irish service. The first thing we noticed was warm temperatures, more like summer than spring - there were patches of fog and cloudy conditions, but it did not take long for the sun to appear and burn off the fog. We headed to the new Absolute Hotel (see photo below) on Sir Harry’s Mall, Limerick City - a brand new hotel (one month old) overlooking the Abbey River, an off-shoot of the Shannon. We parked our car in the underground garage and proceeded to the reception desk. Much to our delight, our room was ready for an early check-in so we had some rest. In the afternoon, we strolled the city and found some lovely scenes of flowers along the Shannon River (see photo above left) and people lunching out alfresco-style. Here are a few photos (center and right) which convey the ambiance of Springtime in Limerick. Since we are a bit jet-lagged today, we will save most of our foot-touring till tomorrow.
As you can see by the “Add a Comment” option below, you can also be in touch with us as we travel. We look forward to hearing from you, and we’ll pass on your comments/news to the members of our tour who will arrive on Monday. Many thanks for joining us for Springtime in Ireland....