Kinsale
We boarded the bus for the first time, and it became our second home for the next ten days. We had one more stop in Dublin, then to Rock of Cashel, and finally Kinsale.
Day 3: Kilhomain Gael, Rock of Cashel, Kinsale
After boarding our bus for the very first time, we rode just a short way, to Kilhomain Gaol (still in Dublin). Not surprisingly, the jail was very dark and damp. The most impressive part is the large common area, which has been featured in many films and tv shows, most notably (for me, anyway) “In the Name of the Father.”
After leaving Dublin it was not a long way to Tipperary, stopping at the Rock of Cashel, a fortress/church, where St. Patrick was converted. The ruins are a work of art, looking like they were set designed.
We arrived in Kinsale around 5. Kinsale is a small town with brightly painted buildings and a star fort overlooking the harbor. At first I wasn’t sure why Rick Steves stops here, other than it’s about halfway between Dublin and Dingle. There’s not all that much to see or do here, but it’s very charming, and we loved it.
The bus can’t get through the narrow streets so we had to walk the quarter mile or so to the hotel, the Friars Lodge. After dinner we walked around with our new friends, and then went to Blue Haven for trad music. Two musicians again, and the place was packed. We had to sit in a spillover room, though, so we could hear them but only see them when we stood up and looked around the corner. My tip for this is: If you’re going to a pub for a show that starts at a specific time, get there early to get a seat. (I had read that somewhere before the trip, but I figured this was a small town and it didn’t apply. Wrong.)
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Day 4: Kinsale
At breakfast, Lolly convinced Debbie to try Bailey’s in her porridge. How do people start the day with alcohol for breakfast? Debbie did not like it.
We met in the parking lot behind the hotel for our local guide, Barry Moloney, to give us an official walking tour of Kinsale. Barry, an author and former Rick Steves guide, is not only knowledgeable but very entertaining. I suspect the tour stops in Kinsale in part because of Barry! One of the first stops was the most interesting: a church just across from the hotel that had a cemetery next to it, with the graves of 3 victims of the Lusitania sinking. The day we were there was the 110th anniversary of the sinking, and they had remade two headstones for the occasion. While Kinsale is very colorful, the paint is recent and not historic. Barry was a tremendous story teller, and we all laughed a lot. He told a great story about overhearing two Irish gossipers: One person told a long story to the other, who said “tell me more,” and the story teller said, “I can’t. I’ve already told you more than I heard.” Best quote of the trip. (Sorry for revealing it here, Barry, but I’m trying to remember the highlights of the trip, and this was one.)
The walking tour ended back at the bus parking lot, where we boarded our bus and rode to Charles Fort, an old “star fort” built in that shape to make it more difficult to attack. If assailants tried to climb the walls, they could easily be shot at from the opposite star point.
Afterwards, we had the choice to walk back to town or take the bus. About half the group walked, including us. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was gorgeous so we took our time, enjoying sailboats in the harbor, sea birds, brightly painted buildings, and a few million dollar summer homes.
After lunch and a bit of shopping, Debbie went back to the hotel to rest while I made the mistake of walking to the Kinsale Mead Company without getting good directions. I figured the town is so small, how far off could I get? A lot. Eventually I found it, and the associate there laughed when I explained how far I walked to get there. He told me the shortcut to get back, which took about a third the time. I loved the mead tasting, so much better than the mead I’ve tasted at Renaissance Fairs.
That night was the silliness highlight of the Ireland trip: a ghost tour of Kinsale. This was not part of the Rick Steves tour itself, but we made up a huge portion of attendees. The tour was lead by an actor who played the part of an old timer, with a thick Irish accent, stooped over, with tremendous body control, and you easily felt you were talking to someone who had lived here 200 years ago - though he made plenty of references to current events. While the tour started with the somber Lusitania graves, it quickly became a “gotcha” ghost tour with the actor’s sidekick popping out unexpectedly in different spooky locations. Debbie seemed to be the first to scream at each stop, and everyone screamed and laughed for the whole tour. We all felt like twelve year olds again. It was more great craic. And of course afterwards, the actor walked upright and had almost no trace of an accent. (Sorry, no photos of this.)