Kilkenny, Castle, National Craft Gallery and Pub, Kilkenny Ireland

Kilkenny, Ireland is a very tidy traditional town, overseen by the large historical Kilkenny Castle, a U shaped series of buildings, surrounding one end of Green Park land stretching ‘into the future’ it seemed. Across the road in the Kilkenny castle yard, originally the buildings of the stables and coach houses of Kilkenny Castle, is National Craft Gallery, opened on 2000. All the buildings, beautifully restored, feature static and working exhibitions of modern and traditional Irish Art and Craft. The National Craft Gallery is a beautiful area to stroll around, indulge in shopping and appreciate the creativity of Irelands best crafts people.

As one tends to do towards as the end of a busy shopping and touring day, we all visited in interesting looking Irish pub, The Left Bank, situated in the former Bank of Ireland Building. As with several pubs we visited in Ireland, the 4 floors inside the pub as well as outside area, were stunningly and eclectically decorated and we spent much time admiring the different areas of the pub.

Kilkenny, even though we only had a glimpse of the historical houses and buildings looked a very interesting town, ideal for visitors to spend more time there and indulge in a local Irish adventure.

Kildagan Stud Kildare, Ireland - a glimpse into the world of Horse Breeding

I guess we realized we were in for something special when we were greeted by security staff at what looked like an entrance to a country manor estate, for our tour or Kildagan Stud. We drove along an asphalted driveway surrounded by immaculately groomed green borders, passing a very old cemetery and pulled up outside a red brick elegant office building. Formerly the land was known as O’Rielly Farm and covered over 4 and a half thousand acres – today it is a modest 1600 acres of beautifully kept farm and pasturelands bordered by luscious hedgerows, ideal for nesting birds. Since its creation as a stud farm in 1927, Kildagan Stud has bred many famous racing winners around the world. Kildagan Stud has the facilities to hotel 400 horses, and its studs are kept very busy in the specially designed mating buildings during the mating season. Mares may come just for the coupling, or stay until the birth in most luxurious surroundings. We were introduced to some of the most valuable horses at Kildagan Stud, valued at around $20million each.

These are very much in demand and command very high stud fees. Kildagan Stud is very environment conscious and we were very impressed with the recycling and compost plant and machinery which ensures that nothing goes to waste. Tours at Kildagan Stud have become so popular a visitor information, exhibition centre and cafe are to be constructed.

Shopping at Kildaire Shopping Centre Ireland

Mindful that much of our group liked shopping, we visited the white, elegant ‘chic’ luxury factory outlet shopping centre at Kildaire. To prepare ourselves for exciting shopping we dropped in for coffee and the beautifully appointed Italian Restaurant L’Officina then set up It was hard to know where to look first! After picking up some important essentials, we then moved on to another adventure before returning to the old Kildaire Village to visit a large, popular, cabbage smelling pub for a buffet lunch rapidly spooned onto our plates before we could blink an eyelid. Later we strolled through the village of Kildaire- its traditional and a lttle run down main street a complete contrast....

Titanic Exhibitions in Ireland - a one hundred year commemoration

As it is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic there is much interest in the ship and the travellers who sailed on her. In Belfast where the ship was built, a new state of the art exhibition centre (nicknamed “The Iceburg’ by the Befast residents) was erected and opened in March 2012 and by Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Belfast in late June had already received over 250,000 visitors. Everything is ‘Titanic’- the height of the magnificent building is the same height of the bow, an inside wall replicates the cladding on the ship, while outside the exact size of the ship is outlined on the ground. The high technological displays engages all the senses - sights, sounds, vibrations. A strong focus of the exhibition was of the building of the vessel, the people, who and why they were on the Titanic for that partcular trip, and the times. There is also a very touching movie featuring the team led by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and what they initially saw on the sea floor in 1985. The only item that is not on public display is the Grand Staircase. This is s huge bone of contention amongst locals and visitors. Apparantly one has to attend a VIP function in order to view this famous Titanic artefact. Down in Cobh, fromerly known as Queenstown, Cork, another Titanic exihibition was available to visit. Ths town is the headquarters of the White Star Line company, which looked after the embarkation of passengers and mail before Titanic set sail. This exhibition had a different focus on the tradegy of the Titanic, focussing on the footsteps of the passengers and the times in Cobh. While there was some discussion about the high cost ot visit this exhibition, those of our fellow tourists who did visit felt that the exhibition was well worthwhile. In Cobh itself the town has preserved the buildings of the times in respectful memory of the people on Titanic and the subsequent disaster that befell them, three and a half days from setting sail from this pictuesque town, overseas to see the world. We have visited several Titanic exhibitions around the world, and the development of technology has enabled us to understand more about the boat, the times, why the disaster occurred. Many people have become quite emotional at Titanic exhibitions particularly in Ireland as they are descendents of the builders as well as the staff and passengers who had embarked on that fateful voyage. It also makes one humble and most grateful for the maritime safety rules and regulations in place today as a direct result of the inquiry into the Titanic disaster.

Impressions of Belfast, Ireland

It was most valuable to have a tour guide introduce us to Belfast, Ireland - she quickly gave us a feel of the city and its history. As we travelled around in our bus,admiring and hearing history of the buildings, visiting landmarks such as the Falls Road area, the International wall - spotlessly kept, and the Peace wall - with murals covered in grafitti of quotes and supports of sympathy, it was interestng to note that the tour qiuide referred to the citizens as ‘them’ and ‘us.’ Belfast, as well as being famous for the ‘Troubles,' and the scene of much 'spilled blood,' is also the birthplace of Mother Theresa, Milk of Magnesia and Dunlop Tyres and portable defribulators. The defribulators were invented at the local Hospital which was named after the highly regarded Queen Victoria. Today was the day that Queen Elizabeth was visiting Belfast, and the dubious summer weather kept the rain away for her garden party of 20,000 guests. We always seemed to be about half a mile away from her, and when we visted the new Belfast Titanic exhibition centre she had already been and gone. The iconic Belfast Titanic Centre building (nicknamed 'The Iceberg' by Belfast residents), erected on Titanic's original construction site the Harland and Wolff yards, was opened in March 2012 and by July had received over 250,000 visitors. Everything about the building is relative to Titanic and the sea, for example the height of the building is the same as the bow, and an inside wall is constructed of similar materials to that of Titanic. In Belfast City a memorial has been erected to recognise the people who died in the Titanic disaster. Everyone is named on the memorial. The memorial receives many viistors, including descendents who become quite emotional during their visit. Our Shopping Adventure in Belfast. The English Food Market is an interesting place for travellers to visit - such a variety of beautifully presented fresh seafood, meats, vegetables, oh and chcolate, which we all gorged on! Then it was off to explore the nooks and crannies of the shopping centre. Then we espied a shop selling leather goods owned by an Irishman who immediately had us in fits of laugher with his stories. And yes, we bought....

NewGrange, Slane Castle and Mellifont Abbey, near Slane, Ireland

Today was our historical sites of Ireland adventure. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the NewGrange mount as bookings need to be made months ahead and visits are strictly controlled.The largest of 12 mounds in the area, and only discovered in 1969, until recently people could drive up to it at their leisure. As it’s significance and mystique grew, so did its visitors, so much so that 10 years ago a visitor center, 10 kms away was contstructed, and today visitors are bussed to the site. It was quite awe inspiring to stand inside the perfectly dry, igloo shaped 5000 year old space inside the mound and experience a reconstruction of the sun passing though a slit in the mound as it has always done in the winter solstace. Then it was on though the Battle of Boynes area to visit Slane Castle, built in 1701 and still in use today. Each year it plays host to concerts of up to 80,000 people performed by musicians such as Madonna, Queen and U2, who stayed there for six weeks. Very plain inside by most castle standards, and rebirbished after a fire in 1991, the castle could be best described as ‘shabby chic.’ Today one can hire the whole castle for weddings and stay in tastefully refurbished bedrooms originally occupied by various dukes, rock stars and servants. After invading a restaurant in a quaint village nearby we travelled to the pristine ruins of Mellifont Abbey. Founded in 1142 on the orders of St Malachy, this was the first catholic monastry in Ireland adapted from St Benedicts cisterism in Burgundy. Becuse the austere lifestyle became so popular, many similar abbeys were constructed arount Ireland. However they also became very wealthy, so much so that they were closed down in 1539 by Henry v1111. Today the Abbey is very much alive offering people who prefer the monastic way of life opportunities to work on its extensive land area, on the farm, garden centre, or in the printing press. This site was excavated in 1954 and today all the monasteries are protected.

Visiting Dublin, Ireland

Dublin, Ireland, the city of romantics, poets authors and artists. Oscar Wilde, James Joyce Today a city empty apartments and shops, shoppng mals, negative building values and unemployment. Very old and interesting buildings nestled amongst newer uglier ones. A traveller needs time to explore a new city however with not much ot it available we elected to bipass a visit to the Guinness factory - which, we found out was an excellent historical display culminating in one of the best high views of Dublin, complemented by a glass of Guinness beer in one’s hand. Instead we walked through Dublin City to visit the Book of Kels at Trinity College. Our Trinity College guide was a young graduate student who was saving to study as a lawyer in London later in the year. With typical Irish humour he had us Dublin' in laugher as he described the triumphs and tribulations of the construction f the university buildings - many shortcuts were made, usually as a result of lack of funds. The book of Kels exhibition was very well presented - much information about the book and the beautifully intricate art. What patience and precision those early artists had! The Long Room library at Trinity College with its high arched ceiling and books reaching to it from the floor is the storage place of all old and new published books. It had a fascinating display of publications - opened - going back centuries with details about the artistic and publication techniques. I have to say I am not sure if I would return to Dublin - probaby because we spent so little time there and therefore did not absorb the feel of the city - unlike Belfast, but that is another story.