1995 Ireland Part I Shannon, Dingle, Ring of Kerry & Blarney

IRELAND — MEET THE PEOPLE TOUR W/B&Bs – Brendan Travel Tours

            Map above shows our general itinerary. We began and ended in Limerick.

June 25, Sunday

Annette and Fred Wulff  left Minneapolis at 1:15 p.m. Our Delta flight arrived in Atlanta, Georgia at 6:16 p.m. We left Atlanta 7:45 p.m. on Delta to Shannon, Ireland. Overnight flight took about 8 hours. We arrived in Shannon at 10:20 a.m. after a brief stop in Dublin (no change of planes). From the air we could see the “forty shades of green” of the Emerald Island, an island only a little bit larger than the state of West Virginia.

Practical information:

The temperatures of Ireland for June range from a minimum 50 degrees to a maximum 60 degrees plus. The average afternoon high in June for Killarney is 62 degrees; Dublin 65 degrees; and Galway 62 degrees. We brought warm sweaters and an umbrella. Actually the weather was uncommonly warm and even reached a record 90 degrees.

Daylight lasted until about 10 PM in late June, so we enjoyed long days.





The unit of currency was the pound or punt (pronounced punt). It is divided into 100 pence (100p). Visa there is called Carte Bleue. We asked for tax-free vouchers whenever we shopped.

English is the everyday language of the majority of the population. Most road signs are in both English and Irish. Irish words that we will need to know are outside of toilets: Fir for men and Mna for women.

Most rooms during our stay were twin-bedded and all had private bathrooms.

Price for the tour included all breakfasts and dinners at guesthouses (breakfast at all hotels), taxes, hotel tips, and baggage handling.

The classic Irish breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, toast and tea that set you up for the day. See the article “Irish Homes” by Everett Potter or “Table Talk” by Betty Fussell (Ireland, 1994), pp. 10-14. See also Robin Krause, Ireland, pp. 31-32.

All of our meals were ample, delicious and very Irish. The hostesses of every B&B were extremely friendly and helpful. The rooms were usually quaint and tastefully decorated.


All of the B&Bs had yards with beautiful flowers, mostly roses in full bloom.

June 26, Monday

At the Shannon Airport, a small airport with only one terminal building, we were met by our Irish guide Tommy Barnes and transferred (driving on the left hand side of the road) to our hotel in Limerick, the Limerick Inn. From the hotel we could see the ruins from the nearby Cratloe Castle. Our guide informed us that there were hundreds of these square Norman-type castle ruins in the area.

Most of them had been defensive works of the O’Brien clan to ward off the rival MacNameras. On the road from the Limerick Inn to Bunratty I took another video of Cratloe Castle through the bus window.

The sign for the 15th century Bunratty Castle was written in two languages —English and Gaelic (or Celtic). The Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland.

Bunratty Castle overlooks the River Shannon. The castle is in excellent condition and was well worth the visit. Bunratty Castle is one of the finest surviving examples of an Irish tower house. Although it is hard to believe the castle has had a bloody and violent history.




Its strategic position on the river Shannon made it the centre of many a battle, and it has it has been destroyed and re-built on at least eight occasions. Originally, the Vikings built a fortified settlement at this spot, a former island surrounded by a moat. Then the Normans came: Thomas de Clare built the first stone structure on the site in the 1270s.

During the afternoon Fred took a stroll around the castle and the nearby Folk Park while Annette recovered from jet lag. Within the grounds of Bunratty Castle is Bunratty Folk Park where 19th century life is vividly recreated. Set on 26 acres, the impressive park features over 30 buildings in a ‘living’ village and rural setting. Visitors meet and chat with the Bean an Ti (Woman of the House) and various street characters including the Policeman and Schoolteacher who give the site its sparkle.

Stroll from house to house or around the charming village complete with school, post office, doctors house, hardware shop, printers and of course the pub! Bunratty Walled Garden Another very interesting feature is the formal Bunratty Walled Garden, modeled on the original Regency period garden which supplied fruit, vegetables, and flowers to Bunratty House built in 1804 and now refurbished in typical Victorian style.

Bunratty was originally the chief seat of the O’Briens of Thomond. The keep has four angle-towers, the north and south of which are linked by high level arches. The whole castle and its interior were restored in 1956-8.

Later, after viewing the castle from the outside, Annette and I approached the entrance and were met by costumed greeters. Inside we saw: Slot openings in the walls that revealed the thickness of the walls, a large banquet hall with vaulted ceiling and medieval furnishings.



The grounds outside the castle were well kept. Returning to the out buildings one again meets various farm animals, such as chickens, goats, a horse, peacock, pigs, and ducks. The thatched roof cottages had yards adorned with colorful flowers.

Just outside the Dunratty Park, I took a video of the bridge over the Ratty River (tributary of the River Shannon) with the Durey Tavern (built in 1620) in the foreground and the Dunratty Castle in the background.

This evening we were guests at a traditional Irish Ceili — wine and dance in the village barn (Corn Barn)

...With local folk to entertain us with country-dances, singing and music. My home video includes: lively Irish girls dancing...

... Served meals of Irish potatoes, Irish stew (with mutton) and berry dessert with cream...

...Musicians playing violin, tin whistle, bag pipe and accordion; singing, ballads; and of course, audience participation. Fodor’s 94 Guide rightfully states: “Hospitality in Ireland is counted among the greatest virtues.”










Evening lodging at the Limerick Inn. This modern, comfortable motel had 133 rooms, a commendable Continental restaurant, and above average service. Amenities included a new leisure center with a swimming pool and a gym. Birnbaum recommends it. Birnbaum, Europe, 1990, p. 127-80

June 27, Tuesday 

In the morning we drove through the city of Limerick. The city dates from at least the Viking settlement in 812. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral.









During the civil wars of the 17th century the city played a pivotal role, besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651 and twice by the Williamites in the 1690s. In 1691, the Irish retreated to the walled city of Limerick after the Battle of the Boyne. Wm of Orange, who made three unsuccessful attempts to storm the city before marching away, besieged them. A year later, another of ß armies overtook the City.

The drive through Limerick took us along the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland.

Across the river, on the other side of a massive arched bridge, stood King John’s Castle (#4, very top of map). At this end of the bridge is a national monument marking a Treaty Site.

In 1210 King John ordered a bridge and castle to be built here. During the 17th century it was several times besieged and captured. The last year was in 1691, the year of the broken treaty, when after a valiant defense, 10,000 Irish troops were granted the right, under a treaty signed by William of Orange himself, to march out with full military honors.


The Irish nobility were granted free passage, but the English Parliament rejected the religious freedom granted in the treaty, refused to ratify it The Irish troops thereupon went to France and took service in the army of Louis XIV. Baedeker’s Ireland, p. 224

The city’s most acclaimed literary association is as the home of the limerick, that famous five-line rhyme derived from a round game in which an individual extemporized a nonsense verse. The rhyme scheme (devised by Edward Lear) is aabba. A typical limerick goes like this:

There once was a fair Irish city.
That lent its good name to a ditty;
Though of dubious worth
The verse caused great mirth,
Now the limerick outshines Limerick City. Birnbaum Ireland 95, p. 192.



Tommy Barnes, our guide, said the Limerick developed when soldiers stationed here to combat the forces of Oliver Cromwell used their time by constructing little poems. Most of them were naughty and unprintable. According to Tommy, one of the milder ones went like this.

There once was a monk from Siberia
Whose morals were rather inferior
He did to a nun
What he should not have done
Now she’s a mother superior

However, the origin of the limerick verse is uncertain. Baedeker’s Ireland, p. 224, states that in all probability it originated in England.

We left Limerick for a morning drive along the shores of the Shannon River and through the country dotted with castles of Norman origin.

We took a break to look around the city of Listowel. Right off the central square (or triangle) was this beautiful castle of Listowel (1303).

Across the street were the quaint neighborhood pubs. The town is sometimes described as the "Literary Capital of Ireland," and a number of internationally known playwrights and authors have lived there, including Bryan MacMahon and John B. Keane. Of Listowel, the latter wrote:
"Beautiful Listowel, serenaded night and day by the gentle waters of the River Feale. Listowel where it is easier to write than not to write, Where first love never dies, and the tall streets hide the loveliness, the heartbreak and the moods, great and small, of all the gentle souls of a great and good community. Sweet, incomparable hometown that shaped and made me."

As we continued on our journey toward the Dingle Peninsula we came across “an Irish traffic jam,” sheep being herded down the highway. Note the sheep dogs on the video at work.

After going through the valley of Tralee (Tralee as in the song “Rose of Tralee”), we proceeded to the city of Dingle. (Tralee is on right side of map #75; Dingle is #62 on the peninsula.)

Dingle is the key city of the Dingle peninsula. Here we stopped at Murphy’s Pub for fish, chips, and Guinness beer. Video of the main street and harbor of Dingle. Leaving Dingle we went on to the dramatic Dingle Peninsula formed by rugged mountains, glacial valleys, and rich in antiquities, especially prehistoric and Christian ruins.

















Here we saw Pre-historic Beehive Huts used by hermit monks. Beehive huts are structures made of piled stones that get their name from their oblong shape. Krause, Ireland, p. 122.

As the bus drove through the winding roads I videoed the rocky countryside where Far and Away was filmed.

The peninsula has long sandy beaches and rocky cliffs pounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Although the Dingle Peninsula is notorious for rain and ocean mist, we had beautiful sunshine.











One of the first of Ireland’s bloody religious uprisings broke out against Henry VIII’s daughter, Elizabeth I, in Munster in 1579 The Irish leader, Sir James Fitzsmaurice, was killed, and a force of some 700 Spanish and Italian soldiers sent by the Catholic Philip II of Spain and Pope Gregory XIII, was ruthlessly massacred near Dingle by Elizabeth’s troops headed by Lord Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh. Elizabeth then confiscated 200,000 acres of Catholic-owned land and turned the land over to Englishmen. One tract was given to Raleigh, and it was here that he planted the first Irish potato, destined to bring the country more suffering. Ireland, (Time/Life, 1964) p. 46

The Kerry Examiner of 8th February 1847 records “The State of the people in Dingle is horrifying. Fever, famine and dysentery are daily increasing, deaths from hunger daily occurring…From all parts of the country they crowd into the town for relief and not a pound of meal is to be had in the wretched town for any price”.

It seemed as if walls were everywhere. Of Ireland’s walls Richard Conniff once wrote: ”The walls look as though they were there forever: mottled with lichen and bearded with moss; woven together with vines, hedges, and trees; running, in more than one place, straight across a shallow stream bed, as if the wall were there before the water; emerging, in other places, from the low tide mark, as if the walls splashed ashore with the first settlers in Ireland, 8,000 years ago.”



(Walls had many uses: defense, wall in farms, confine cattle, mark boundaries...) Most walls went up no earlier than the agricultural revolution, beginning about 1750 —enclosure of common land. And of course, they were a place to put stones when the fields were picked clean. Richard Conniff, Irish Walls (NY, 1986)

Our scenic bus stop on the peninsula allowed us to see the most western part of Ireland and Europe, Here at Slea Head we took in the beautiful scenery of mountains, beaches and islands. It was in this area that some wreckage of the Spanish Armada washed ashore in 1588.

A little further along we came to the beach (Inch Strand) where Sarah Miles walked in the movie Ryan’s Daughter. The film "Ryan's Daughter" takes place at a village on the Dingle Peninsula in the immediate aftermath of the 1916 Easter Uprising, and was shot on location.

Later we meet our hosts for a relaxing two-night stay in their Killarney home. The flowers (especially the roses) here at the Reels (mountain) View B&B were gorgeous. The Irish dinner at our home-stay was up to par. That evening we watched Gaelic football (a combination of volleyball, basketball, and football). Our B&B overlooked the field where a competition was taking place.

June 28, Wednesday (Fred’s Birthday) 

After a full B&B breakfast, we put in an exciting day as we took one of the “most scenic drives in all of Europe” — around the famous Ring of Kerry. Poets, painters, writers, and musicians have all tried to convey the beauty of its mountains and lakes.

The trip covers 110 miles if you start and finish in Killarney. The Ring includes Staigue Fort (2500 years old), Little Skellig, Cahirciveen (main market town), Glenbeigh — many cities associated with the “Liberator” Daniel O’Connor who campaigned for “Catholic Emancipation”.







We traversed “The Ring” counterclockwise. Our first stop was at the Lower Lake at a spot known as Aghadoe View. There was a charming old 12th century church ruin, round tower, and cemetery nearby, so I videoed them first. Then I took shots at the Lower Lake.

A little further around the Ring we stopped at a woolen shop. Here Tommy served us cups of Irish coffee. This warm and comforting drink is made of Irish whiskey, a little sugar, and hot black coffee. After it had been stirred well and the mixture settled, it was topped off with a spoonful of whipped cream. Quite tasty. Annette liked it! This rest stop provided an opportunity to view more flowers.

Our next stop was at the Caragh Lake region (near Killorglin on green map above). Here we had a chance to see donkeys and side baskets that were used extensively in western Ireland. We also learned what offspring of foxes and dogs look like. An old abandoned railroad bridge gave evidence that there was once a railroad extension out into the peninsula. A little further we stopped to see Dingle Bay and the Dingle Peninsula that we had been on the day before. Not far from our highway were railroad tunnels — more evidence of the past railroad line.


At the small town of Kells we had a rest stop. I took a shot of Tommy and Annette by the bus. At the end of the peninsula we had a panoramic view of the landscape and the Atlantic Ocean and Kenmare Bay. Old Spanish ship ruins from the Spanish Armada have been found here. Some say there is some treasure out there too. A monument to Mary had been erected here; reminding us that 94% of the Republic of Ireland is Catholic. Music from a musician can be heard in the background.

As we moved on along the Ring, I took a video from the bus of Fort Staigue. This is one of the finest examples of an Iron Age stone fort in Ireland. Approximately 2,500 years old, this structure, made from local stone, is almost circular and about 75 feet in diameter, with only one entrance, on the south side. Between the Iron Age and the early Christian times (500 BC to the 5th century), such forts were in fact fortified homesteads within which several families of one clan and their cattle lived. It is located on private land. Fodor, Ireland, p. 256.


During the next stretch of meandering road, I took a video from my seat out the front windshield. In the background Irish music is  playing (such as “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”) from one of Tommy’s tape.

The bus stopped at Ladies View so we could take pictures of the Middle and Upper Lakes. This is said to have been named Ladies View after the Queen Victoria’s Ladies-in-waiting, who, during the Queen’s visit to Killarney in 1861, decided this was the ”finest view in the land.”









And then back to Killarney:Killarney is a sheltered Camelot-like town, surrounded by 23 square miles of idyllic lakes, mountains, castles, waterfalls, and parkland. However, the rains and mists come often to Killarney. The natives say the moisture is what keeps it such a naturally verdant paradise. The scenery made Victorians the most enthusiastic travelers to Killarney.

From downtown Killarney we took a horse drawn jaunting car ride along the lake to see Muckross Abbey and Muckross House. That’s us in the back seat.

The Franciscan friars founded Muckross Abbey in the 1440s. It flourished more than 300 years, until the Penal Laws suppressed it. The present well-preserved remains include a church with a wide belfry tower and beautifully vaulted cloisters, with an arched arcade surrounding a square courtyard. Birnbaum, Ireland 95, p. 176.

Although it was completely wrecked by Cromwell’s British troops in 1652, the Muckross Abbey is amazingly complete, although roofless. Fodor, Ireland, p. 254


Muckross House, a splendid Elizabethan-style house, built in 1843, is a showcase of 19th century architecture, adorned with mullioned and stepped windows and 62 chimneys. It is also a folk museum.




There are workshops in the basement where visitors can watch artisans practicing the crafts of earlier days. Outside is a manicured garden and nature trails. All of this is part of the Killarney National Park. Birnbaum, Ireland 95, p. 176.

Our guided tour of the Muckross House acquainted us with various furnished rooms. One of the bedrooms was used by Queen Victorian when she visited Ireland. Our guide explained the kitchen operations. Once outside we toured the beautiful gardens.

That evening we returned to the Reek’s View B&B in Killarney. After refreshing ourselves with a fine Irish meal, we headed to the Killarney Manor House for an evening of cultural activities.

“Lord and Lady “Killarney” greeted us in the 1860 castellated manor house. A See also Fodor, Ireland, p. 293.) The performance in the banquet hall included Irish singing and dancing. Naturally, they served Guinness Stout Beer. A nice way to celebrate O’Fred’s birthday.



June 29, Thursday

After a full B&B breakfast, we made a morning visit to Blarney Castle, only a ten-minute drive from Cork.

The castle is a mid 15th century ruin with its famous magical stone of eloquence (smooth talk, gift of gab, flattering talk or blarney). This was the stronghold of the MacCarthy clan and it was the efforts of Cormae Mac Carthy to smooth talk Elizabeth I of England that gave the English language the term “blarney” to describe flattering Conversation.



The Blarney Castle has a massive square keep, or tower, with a battlemented parapet, which has survived centuries of sieges by such attackers as Oliver Cromwell and William III.

Video shots on the exterior included the main portions of the castle, the round tower, and musicians performing Irish songs by the entrance. Inside I videoed the main floor, the banquet hall, and the chapel.

Locating the spiral staircase we climbed the 120 stone steps and dangled upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone. It was good fun and not at all dangerous, and it made for a good video.


We had time to visit the Blarney Woolen Mills. And to see a spinning demonstration. They had a nice collection of dolls and Waterford crystal, too tempting to pass up.




GO ON TO 1995 IRELAND PART II

1995 Ireland Part II Cobh, Waterford, Wexford, Glenalough & Dublin

We continued on to Cobh in Cork Harbor, departure point for many Irish emigrants. Here we visited the multi-media exhibition “The Queenstown Story” at the Victorian railway station. Just outside the building was this impressive monument to Annie Moore and her two brothers. Annie left Cobh in 1891 for New York and had the distinction of being the first immigrant to be processed through Ellis Island.

Inside the old railroad depot we saw many exhibits to the Irish immigrants (there they were emigrants): sketches of the downtrodden, Irish boarding the
“coffin ships” and portrayals of the perilous journey.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, America’s first Irish-Catholic president, was the offspring of two families whose roots stretched back to Ireland. In photo right, JFK returned “home” in 1963. He remarked on that trip: “When my great grandfather left here to become a cooper in East Boston, he carried nothing with him except two things: a strong religious faith and a strong desire for liberty.”

We saw a museum exhibit and monument dedicated to the Lusitania (below) that was sunk by a German submarine off this coast with a lost of 1,198 lives. The victims were brought here to Cobh.

The Lusitania sank in only 18 minutes. Over 100 of those killed in the sinking of the Lusitania ocean liner were Americans, and many think this event helped push the USA into World War I. Many of the dead are buried in Cobh, and the sinking of the Lusitania is often considered the second worst ocean liner maritime tragedy, next to the Titanic.

Interestingly, Cobh was the Titanic's last port of call on her maiden voyage, and many Irish emigrants were onboard in the steerage class, making it a special tragedy for the country.










The last museum exhibit explained the name of the city. The port was originally called Cove, but its name was changed to Queenstown when Queen Victoria visited here in 1849. However, in 1920 the name was changed from that of a British queen to Cobh, a Celtic word for Cove. Just outside the city of Cork we saw this ruin from a Norman castle, one of many in the region.

Our B&B in Waterford provided excellent accommodations, as was true for all our B&Bs, but this one moved me to take out my camcorder. From the quaint bedroom of our quarters we could see a beautiful flower garden with numerous statues. The dinning area was also elegant. We had an excellent Irish dinner at our St. Anthony B&B in Waterford.



June 30, Friday

After a full B&B breakfast at our guesthouse, we visited the Waterford Crystal Factory and Showrooms. Here the ancient skill of making fine crystal by hand is passed on from generation to generation. See Birnbaum, Ireland 95, p. 240.

We saw the huge glowing furnaces and the skillful glassblowers. Further down the line, the glass was cut and polished and inspected. After being marked with ink the glassware was carved one nick at a time. On display was the Herrods’ Fountain, worth a king’s ransom. The tour ended in the display showroom. I taped the vase and candlesticks that we purchased.

Our bus passed just north of Waterford by the John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest Park. We did not stop but I used my camcorder from the bus. The cottage where the President’s great-grandfather was born may be found in nearby Dunganstown. Kennedy’s relatives are still living in the house.





We continued on to the Viking seaport of Wexford, named by the Vikings after the consort of their one-eyed god Odin. Here we had a local walking tour guide to make the history come alive. The gentleman was 85 years old, but was very alert, knowledgeable, and easy to follow. Although the day was quite warm he was dressed in a wool suit. Our tour began with the Westgate. This early 13th century gate tower forms part of the Norman and Viking walls of Wexford, and has been sensitively restored.

Just behind us (pictured) was a ruin of the 12th century Selskar Abbey, where the first treaty between the Irish and the Normans was signed in 1169. We then went over to the front of the abbey.














The Thomas Moore House, now the Thomas Moore Tavern, was the home of the famous Irish 19th century poet. Our walk took us down to the beautiful Church of the Immaculate Conception on Rowe Street. The stone, quarried locally, has a pinkish hue. Robert Pierce designed this elegant example of 19th century Gothic architecture. The guide then pointed to the city wall again and noted the difference between the square-like Norman towers (1200s) and roundish Crusade towers (1300s).

On Rowe Street was also situated the Methodist church of Wexford which had been dedicated in 1835. Close by was the Wexford Theatre Royal. For more than thirty years professional operatic productions by famous artists from around the world have been held here every October.

Some of the streets of Wexford are the same narrow Danish streets of old. Our guide demonstrated how one might shake hands with a person on the other side of the street. The loud singing you hear in the background was from a nude woman in an apartment window trying to draw our attention.

The J. C.  Penny store of Wexford (29 Main Street south) had been the site of the headquarters of Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

In the center of the Crescent Quay is a large bronze statue of Commodore John Barry, the father of the American navy. Barry was born in Wexford County in 1745.

On a park bench facing the statue were some local drinkers under the influence.



From this park-like setting one could get a nice view of the Wexford Harbor. Understandably, the biggest single employer here is the fishing business.

Leaving Wexford, we headed north to the lovely Vale of Avoca (not on the tape because the bus did not stop) made famous by the melodies of Thomas Moore. At this deeply peaceful setting, beneath a riverside tree, the famous Irish poet Thomas Moore composed his 1807 poem “The Meeting of the Waters.”

And, on to Glendalough, “Valley of the Two Lakes,” known for its remarkable early monastic ruins and scenic setting. The gateway (unfortunately, I did not video it) is the only surviving entrance to an ancient monastic site anywhere in Ireland.

Among the gravestones in the cemetery was this large Celtic cross. Made of granite, it is the best preserved such cross on the site. The circle on the cross is said to represent paganism, whereas the cross signifies Christianity replaced it. According to our guide Tommy Barnes, who was leaning on the cross, this is said to be the burial place of St. Kevin.

In the 6th century St. Kevin, seeking solitude, settled in this remote valley as a hermit. His piety and learning, however, soon attracted so many disciples that he founded a monastery. When he died in 618 at a great age Glendalough’s great days were only beginning. His school here is said to have had more than a thousand students. Baedeker, Ireland, p. 190

From the cemetery we had a good view of the Round Tower. It is still in its original condition apart from the roof, which is reconstructed from the old stones. The round tower found in early monastic settlements is a characteristically Irish development, though there ar two examples in Scotland. It is a slender and elegant structure tapering to between 60 feet and 100 feet, with a conical stone roof — the central and most prominent feature of the monastic site. In addition to serving as a bell tower, they also provided a place of safety in case of attack. The entrance was several feet above the ground, and within the tower narrow ladders gave access to the upper stories. The various floors, of which there were usually five, were lit only by narrow windows, all facing in different directions, so that a watch could be kept for the approach of an enemy. Baedeker, Ireland, p. 44

St. Kevin’s Church, an early barrel-vaulted oratory, has a high-pitched stone roof and a round tower belfry (12th century). Close up shot of the belfry.

The Priest’s House is a 12th century building in Irish Romanesque style. In the background is the beautiful Irish countryside.






Before leaving Glendalough, Annette took a video of Fred reaching his arms around St. Kevin’s Celtic Cross and touching his fingers. A legend has it that if you can do this your wish will come true.

Our bus then drove to Dublin. The location of our hotel could not have better. On the map below we were situated near St. Stephen’s Square (lower right).

Our evening stay was at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, the Irish capital. According to Fodor’s (pp. 138,144), our hotel was opened in 1969, and is the first and largest of Dublin’s modern hotels. The staff was quite friendly and attentive. Public rooms were well decorated. The generous-size bedrooms have large picture windows. Irish cabaret in summer, but drink (wine only) prices are really high. Dress is informal.




Before retiring, Annette and I went to a local deli for fish and chips carryout. With our little sack lunches we went into St. Stephen’s Green and found a park bench in front of a beautiful fountain called “The Three Fates.” Pleasant place to eat dinner.

St. Stephen’s Green is a verdant city-center square, with extensive lakeside paths. It was an open common until 1663. Lord Ardiluan (statue on right) , a member of the Guinness brewery family, paid for the space to be laid out as a park in 1880. Among the park’s many statues is aforementioned The Three Fates, a dramatic group of bronze female figures watching over Man’s destiny by a fountain. The German people gave the fountain and sculpture to the Irish after World War II in gratitude for relieving distress after the devastation of war. (Note: Ireland was neutral, unlike Britain, during WWII)

Since it did not become dark until 10 p.m., we walked around the park some more and watched ducks at one of the lakes.




July 1, Saturday

After a full breakfast at the Burlington Hotel, we took a city tour of Dublin, a city of one million residents, about one-third of the population of the whole Irish Republic. Our bus tour included the following, which we saw but did not tape:

We cruised by the Arbor Hill Cemetery, where the leaders of the 1916 Easter Up-rising are buried. A total of 14 Irish were executed by the British, which included Patrick Pearse.



And went through Phoenix Park, Europe’s largest public park. Among the park monuments worth noting is the Phoenix Column erected by Lord Chesterfield in 1747. Another monument worth seeing was the 198-foot obelisk, built in 1817 to commemorate the Duke of Wellington, the Irish general who defeated Napoleon for the British. A much more recent monument marks the visit to Ireland by Pope John Paul II in 1979, when he addressed more than a million people here. Residences within the walls include those of the President of the Republic and the U.S. ambassador. Birnbaum, Ireland 95, p. 112.

One of our stops was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland. This is an Anglican cathedral. The original building was dedicated in 1192. Sir Benjamin Guinness, of the brewing family, paid for its renovation in 1860. The Guinness family not only financed the reconstruction of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, they built housing estates, supported welfare agencies and took an interest in the economic well being of the work force. They can also be credited with the sponsoring of the “Guinness Book of Records”. 60% of the beer drunk in Ireland is brewed at their plant in Dublin. By 1870 it had become the largest brewery in the world. The Dublin brewery exports 40% of its total
production. Baedeker, Ireland, p. 159

Inside by the entrance was this stone marker from the traditional site of St. Patrick’s Well. Close by the entrance was also a tribute to Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver’s Travels) who served as a former dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745. The burial place of Swift and “Stella” is marked on the floor and is roped off. There is an epitaph he himself composed: “He lies where furious indignation can no longer rend his heart.”

Next to the stained glass window of St. Patrick was a statue of St. Patrick. According to Tommy Barnes, our guide, this is the reputed burial site of St. Patrick.

From St. Patrick’s we headed past Christ Church Cathedral (will visit later) for the Trinity College Library to see their book collection. This is Ireland’s most valuable collection of ancient volumes and manuscripts, the most famous of these is the Book of Kells, a splendidly illuminated version of the Gospels, which dates back to the 9th century monks.

After seeing the magnificent Book of Kells, Annette and I started our free time by touring the campus of Trinity College (below). Trinity College, the sole college of Dublin University, Ireland’s oldest, dating back to 1592, when it was founded by England’s Queen Elizabeth I on the site of the confiscated Priory of All Hollows. For centuries Trinity was the preserve of the Protestant church, and it is only within the past 30 years that final prohibitions barring Catholics from studying there have been lifted.

Among the distinguished alumni of the college are Jonathan Swift, Thomas Moore, Oscar Wilde, J. M.  Synge, Edmund Burke, Brom Stoker, and Samuel Beckett. No statues of people on horseback remain today, as the IRA has since blown them up. Fodor, Ireland, p. 82

Trinity’s grounds cover 40 acres, and most of its buildings were constructed in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The extensive West Front, with a classical portico in the Corinthian style, faces onto College Green It was built between 1755 and 1759, possibly the work of Theodore Jacobsen. I couldn’t resist taping the statue of orator Edmund Burke positioned close to the front gate. Back home at school I spend considerable class time discussing Edmund Burks philosophy with college students.

Across from the Trinity College West Front, and on College Green, was the large impressive Bank of Ireland. This grand structure, with a facade incorporating Corinthian pillars into its Ionic porticos, was first designed by Sir Edward Lovett Pearce to house the Irish Parliament, which resided here 17 years (until Parliament was abolished in 1803 under the Act of Union). The Bank of Ireland then purchased it. It is regarded as one of the finest examples of the architecture of the period.

Just down the street was Dublin’s Castle. In the Lower Yard I taped the Record Tower (right) and the Chapel. In the Upper Yard I taped the major portion of the castle.

King John began the construction of a castle (completed 1226) of which little survives, and then much altered, in the present building. From the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921, the castle was the seat of the Viceroy and the headquarters of British administration. The Round Drawing Room in Bermingham Tower dates from 1411 and was rebuilt in 1777; a number of Irish leaders have been imprisoned in this tower from the 16th century to the early 20th century

Baedeker, p. 156; Fodor p. 86

Continuing on the same street, we walked up to the exterior of Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral, one of the two Protestant cathedrals (Anglican) in Dublin. The cathedral, originality a stone church built in 1173, was largely reconstructed in 1871-1878 in early Gothic style. Remains of the 12th century church are still quite evident. Vikings converted to Christianity built the original cathedral. The cathedral stood in the center of Viking Dublin and allows us to place the ancient city accurately. We started out by looking at the ruins of the original structure, the chapter House.

Inside views include the nave, the vaulted ceiling, and a Bible stand in the form of an eagle. We were informed that the holes on the stand were there from the Reformation era so that the expensive Bible could be chained to the stand. On the side of the church is the tomb of Richard Longbow, the Norman invader, who replaced the Viking wooden church of 1038 with a new stone church in 1173. We also saw an impressive monument to Robert Earl of Kildare.

The dusty crypt contains numerous architectural fragments of different periods and 17th century statues of Charles II and James II (the royal arms of the Stuarts between them). Behind security bars are the tabernacles and candlesticks brought here in 1689 by James I fleeing England. There is also on display a cat and a rat, which were trapped in an organ pipe and became mummified.

Back out on the street again we watched a street artist in front of the monument to Molly Malone. Molly Malone statue in Grafton Street, was unveiled by then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alderman Ben Briscoe during 1988 the Dublin Millennium celebrations, declaring June 13 as Molly Malone Day. Molly Malone is a popular song, set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the unofficial anthem of Dublin City. It has also in Ireland acquired the status of an Irish anthem. The song is sung by supporters of Dublin GAA, Leinster Rugby teams, Doncaster Rovers F. C. , The King's Hospital and the Irish international rugby team. It was also featured in the film, A Clockwork Orange.








The song tells the tale of a beautiful fishmonger who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin, but who died young, of a fever. Recently a legend has grown up that there was a historical Molly, who lived in the 17th century. Day and part-time prostitute typically represent her as a hawker by night. In contrast she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street-hawkers of her day. However, there is no evidence that the song is based on a real woman, of the 17th century or at any other time. The name "Molly" originated as a familiar version of the names Mary and Margaret. While many such "Molly" Malones were born in Dublin over the centuries, no evidence connects any of them to the events in the song.[1][2] Nevertheless, in 1988 the Dublin Millennium Commission endorsed claims concerning a Molly Malone who died on 13 June 1699, and proclaimed 13 June to be "Molly Malone day". In fact the song is not recorded earlier than 1883, when it was published in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Francis Brothers and Day also published it in London 1884 as a work written and composed by James Yorkston, of Edinburgh, with music arranged by Edmund Forman. The song is in a familiar tragic-comic mode popular in this period, probably influenced by earlier songs with a similar theme, such as Percy Montrose's "My Darling Clementine," which was written circa 1880.

One of the real highlights of our visit to Ireland Was the National Gallery of Ireland. Francis Fowke, who was also responsible for London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, designed the building. The National Gallery contains more than 2,000 paintings, with a large number representing the Irish School. We started in the Shaw Room, named after George Bernard Shaw who generously donated financial support to the Gallery. Fittingly, there is a bust of the great author as we entered the room. We saw one painting of a young Irish girl (below) that so impressed us we purchased a copy from the gift shop. When we returned home to New Ulm, we hung it up in our living room.







The following art works in the Gallery are on the Wulff videotape:

Princess of Leinster with the Norman Richard (Strongbow) by Daniel Maclise
The Annunciation by Peter Paul Reubens
Harvesters at Rest (French School) by Leon Lhermitte
Still Life with a Mandolin by Pablo Picasso
Julie Bonaparte, Queen of Naples, with her Daughters by Baron Gerard
Portrait of a Young Woman by Rembrandt
The Rest on the Flight Into Egypt by Rembrandt
Saint Francis of Assisi by Peter Paul Reubens
A Peasant Wedding by Peter Brueghel the Younger
The Volunteers in College Green (Irish School) by Francis Wheatley
Girl in Connemara (Irish School) by Augustus Burke
Irish Family, artist unknown
Immigrant Ship: Sunset in Dublin Harbor by Edwin Hayes

After leaving the Gallery we walked over to Stephen’s Green. On the way we saw this fine example of Georgian architecture, of which Dublin is famous. Built along side it is an example of the later more embellished Victorian architecture. The brick fronts of these Georgian houses with their tall windows are beautifully proportioned; their only form of ornament, in endless variation, lies in their painted doors. Dublin’s terraces of Georgian houses remained almost intact until well into this century. Since then they have fallen victim to the demolition man to make room for development. It is only in recent years and at the cost of great effort that it has been possible to save and restore properly some of the city’s finest streets and squares. Baedeker, Ireland, p. 50

Once back in Stephen’s Green we looked for a monument (bust) to James Joyce. James Joyce (1882-1941), one of Ireland’s greatest 20th century writers, set his major achievements (Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses, and Finnegan’s Wake) in Dublin; he never wrote about another place.








He was, however, unsentimental about his native city, and at one time referred to it as the Center of Paralysis. Joyce spent the first 22 years of his life in Dublin and the last 36 in self-imposed exile.
Yet he knew and remembered Dublin in such incredible detail that he used to claim that if the city were destroyed, it could be rebuilt in its entirety from his written works, particularly Ulysses. Fodor, Ireland, p. 98

Evening stay at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin.


GO ON TO 1995 IRELAND PART III