Sunday we got together with everyone at a function room where we played games and ate food. Aoife came with 4 of her 5 kids, Ayesha was not feeling well and stayed home. I met Catrine’s husband John and her youngest son Daniel. And it was nice to meet Aoife’s kids. Kaya, Ruben, Jude and Bay

Catrine & Aoife in 1987 Glencolumbkille

Aoife, my sister Katie and Catrine 1994 Dublin

Colleen & Jakobi, Aoife & Ayesha and Catrine & Anthony in 2010

I headed alone to the pub for my fourth and final Guinness of the trip

On Monday we took the #16 to the airport and flew to Iceland where we caught our flight to Boston. Mark and Ollie Laxer who spent the break in Iceland were on our flight home!

We flew into the sunset for 5 hours landing in Boston at 5pm. We caught the T to Porter and I hand delivered John Farrington his Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey as a thanks for allowing us to park in his lot and then we made the 3 hour trip home into Wintery Vermont!

On the way back into Dublin we passed the Guinness Brewery!!!!

Thanksgiving at Chuck’s

We caught the #16 bus to Chuck’s house where we spent the next two nights in Senan’s room. Chuck had a Thanksgiving Dinner for us and then we watched football while the others worked on a puzzle. After dinner Chuck and I went to the pub where I had Guinness #3.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Dublin

An Outing with the Cousins

On Friday we took Senan and Saoirse; Anthony and Malachi met us at the hospital bus stop where we all rode the #6 bus to the fun center for bowling!

After bowling we went and saw WICKED!

Staying at Uncle Tony’s

On Saturday Adrienne came and collected us and took us to her house for the next two nights! It was nice to see and stay with my Uncle Tony and Auntie Adrienne.

An Outing with Auntie Adrienne

Adrienne had planned a fun day for us and we headed into Dublin

The Spire

The Post Office scene of the Easter Rising in 1916

There was an election while we were in Ireland and posters like this were all over the country. Was really intrigued by their system which seems so much better than our winner take all scenario. In Ireland there is ranked choice voting and you vote for your representative and if no party gets a majority then they are forced to form coalitions to form a government. I like the idea of a party named “People Before Profits”

The National Portrait Gallery

The gallery was nice with some beautiful paintings.

We really liked the watercolors by Mildred Anne Butler painted in the 1920’s

Dublin Castle

After the gallery we took a tour of another museum that featured lots of art for Asia and then wandered the Christmas at the Castle. Back home we had burritos for dinner than Antony came over and we played cards and scrabble before going to bed.

I hadn’t seen Juniper Smith in probably 20 years when we both left Girdwood for other places but it felt like just yesterday. She was so gracious picking us up at the cliffs, making shepard’s pie for dinner and welcoming us into her home,

She also has a daughter, Bebe who is six and super adorable.

And her man Ritchie is super nice and a very interesting man with many interests. We hope to be spending more time with all of them.

Juniper drove us to the bus in the morning. It was a very different day than yesterday with non stop rain. We made the bus on time and made it to Galway with 4 minutes to catch our Dublin bus so it was running from one bus station to the other.

Our original plan was to visit a National Park after Galway but Chuck wanted to do Thanksgiving on Thursday so I connected with Juniper from Girdwood who lives in Ireland and found she was only 15 minutes from the Cliffs of Moher and she invited us to stay with her family so we cancelled the National Park accommodation and decided to stay with her a night before returning to Dublin on Thursday.

Wednesday was super socked in and the bus drove through fog until we reached the coast and turned south where it drove out of the mist into the beautiful blue of sea and sky and stone!

The Rock of the Burren

It was a beautiful day to be at the cliffs where more often than not it is rainy. It was cold but the views were stunning. I was amazed by all the infrastructure built up around the cliffs. Last time I was here in 1994 (30 years ago!!!) there was just a small car park and the cliffs. Tony and I sat right on the edge!

1994

Colleen, Ambiana and Jakobi were here 14 years ago when they came over a week before me for Chuck’s wedding.

Ambiana 2024

Ambiana 2010

Colleen & Jakobi 2010

Ambiana, Jakobi & Colleen 2010

Jakobi 2010

The visitor center had a green screen picture machine and while making some fun postcards discovered that my green hat made my head disappear!

On Monday we took the bus to Galway where we had a more spacious accommodation on St Brendan Street.

After we settled in we followed Ambiana and Jakobi who were here in June to the Latin Quarter where we walked along the scenic streets and among the shops all decked out with Christmas decorations and cheer.

We caught a beautiful sunset over Galway Bay then walked a causeway before heading to the supermarket where we bought food. Then we came back to our flat. Ambiana made Lasgnambiana for dinner, super yum!, and then we watched “Argyle” on the tele!

Galway Day #2

Day two in Galway and Ambiana and Colleen went to Salt Hill Beach to dip in the ocean while Jakobi and I went to check out the remnant of ancient wall that once encircled the city and then visited the museum.

We then walked the riverway to the Cathedral!

It was super beautiful inside and Jacobi was moved to pray!

It is the newest stone cathedral in Europe completed in 1965!

In the afternoon the ladies went shopping and I headed out on a solo adventure to Sliding Rock Park.

The rock in question is the snout of a 450 million year old Ordovician granite created as the Tethys Ocean closed and the seafloor subducted melting the crust and creating a granitic pluton some of which is poking up through the ground here.

I met a local who told me of sliding off this rock 60 years ago when it was all fields around and down to the bay. He remembers when they blasted it in two to make room for a street as the neighborhood grew up around it and it was enclosed as a park.

He also told me of Daniel O’Connell who advocating for Catholic Emancipation in the 1800’s gave a speech from the rock to over 300,000 people.

It is a beautiful piece of stone; as holy a place as the cathedral that looms to the West.

I walked the Canalway back to the bridge where I met the ladies and roamed the town with them.

Ambiana and I stayed in after dinner while Jakobi and Colleen went out and found some live music and dancing.

On Sunday we took the train to Howth to Meet Catrine, Anthony and Malachi for a walk along the cliffs.

We met at the market near the harbor and then proceeded to walk out of town and up on the cliffs.

Malachi, Jakobi, Anthony and Ambiana

Jakob and Anthony

Ambiana, Catrine and Colleen

Malachi & Ambiana

It was a beautiful walk, lots of people, dramatic light, a slight wind and beautiful ocean views. Afterwards we headed back to town for some take away fish and chips

Day 2 in Dublin was warmer and we figured out how to rent bikes and headed out to the sea.

In the late afternoon Ambiana and Jakobi headed out to Catrine’s to see the cousins and go on a Ghost Tour with them while Colleen and I walked into Dublin, crossed the Liffy, found a place to eat dinner (and Guinness #2) watch rugby and then made the short walk to the Glass Mask Theater to see Cousin Neal in “The Dole Wide World”.

It was a bit dark, only and hour long and Neal was very good. After we joined Neal and two of his mates from his days as a bike courier in Dublin for some drinks and conversation. The Ghost Tour was way longer than the play and when it was done Catrine, Anthony, Malachi, Ambiana and Jakobi met us at the theater. We then took the bus back to our flat and called it a night.

We left for Ireland via Iceland on Thursday November 21st. Ambiana took the bus in from UVM and met us at the Coop and then we picked Jakobi up at school and drove to John Farrington’s house in Cambridge, parked and took the T to the airport. The Red Line was being repaired so we had to exit the train at Harvard and find a shuttle bus in the rain which crawled through rush hour Boston to South Station. I was sure we would miss our flight but once we got on I-90 we moved right along and made it to the airport in plenty of time.

Our flight was through Iceland and the volcano erupted again on Wednesday so we got awesome views of the flowing lava which is right next to the airport. Ambiana took these photos as I was on the opposite side of the plane.

Dublin

We arrived in Dublin at 9AM. Flying over Western Ireland was surreal as there was a big storm and the whole Western part of Ireland was covered in snow. It was beautiful. I wish I had took a picture but was too dumbfounded and enthralled by the winter wonderland below me.

Ambiana and Jakobi were thrilled to be back in Ireland. Ambiana guided us the the #16 bus which took us into Dublin. She pointed out where Catrine, Chuck and Uncle Tony lived as the bus proceeded on its route.

We were a bit early to check into our accommodation so we stopped and got breakfast first before walking over to our flat.

The pace was small; a kitchen/sitting room, bathroom and bedroom. I slept in the kitchen! We settled in then went out on the town. Ambiana took us to the Botanical Gardens and to a cemetery next door to it.

We then caught a bus into the heart of Dublin, crossed the River Liffy, bought some postcards and walked around the Temple Bar area.

We ate dinner next to the famous Temple Bar watching everyone take selfies in front of it. Our dinner was excellent and our host and waitress were super nice and fun.

I drank the 1st of 4 Guinness I would consume on this trip!

We also had yummy desserts and Colleen got an extra helping of mushy peas because the waitress said it was the first time in her 6 years of working there that someone ate the mushy peas!

After dinner we joined the hordes and took our pictures in front of the Temple Bar.

Then we walked the streets and bridges crossing the River Liffy.

FTY customer Dana Chrisfield of Acton recommended the Winding Stair for dinner. They also are a bookstore so we went in and I found Uncle Tony’s latest book and bought it!