The flight from Exeter to Dublin was an unexpected pleasure. Flybe usually use a Dash 8 Q400 (a turbo-propeller aircraft for non-aviation people) on this route but our flight was an Embraer 195 (a jet) and therefore smoother, quieter and more comfortable. Ironically the "Q" in Q400 is supposed to stand for "Quiet" but the drone of the propellers has always been audibly apparent whenever I've used them before and the condition of Flybe's Q400 fleet in the cabin from a passenger perspective is less than impressive. Perhaps I'm being harsh as all I have to compare is the brand new Qantas A380? By contrast, the slightly newer E195 was comfortable, peaceful and an enjoyable experience. The in-flight safety recordings somehow still sound like the speakers were taken off a 1990's cassette player which was bad enough on the older Q400 fleet, but in a state of the art modern jet airliner? Indicative of a "low-cost" airline in times of recession. The inverted commas were intentional. I have always liked the E195 ever since Flybe received them in 2006 and when I worked for Flybe I did the familiarisation course on the type, and appreciated the technology involved even more. ANYTHING is better than Ryanair, though.
This blog entry isn't supposed to be about aviation though, so back to Ireland. Upon arrival at Dublin and picking up our AVIS hire-car, we learnt that Debit Cards have to have Full Insurance, at a notable extra cost. On the plus side it meant we didn't have to give two hoots if we scratched it, not that I would intentionally have done so! A brand new Toyota Yaris would be our chariot during the week and the first destination was the Ardmore Hotel in Finglas. The hotel was very nice and not overly priced, very comfortable and with easy access to the City of Dublin and any motorway out of there! Five minutes from the airport but away from the flightpath meant hardly any noise at all.
We headed into Dublin, parked up and went for a walk around Temple Bar and along the River Liffey, before heading to any bar we could find that had some live music on the go. We found a place with a group of lads just playing instruments and singing inside the front door, seemingly just a group of mates jamming while enjoying a drink! Renditions of all sorts of classic numbers had us tapping along, especially an Irish jig version of KC and the Sunshine Band's "Give It Up". Unfortunately, as we left the pub and walked further along we were unaware this would be the only time during the week that the weather was decent while we were in the city centre!
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| The beautiful Cliffs of Moher |
Our itinerary for the week was decided when we got back to the hotel that night and after waking up early on Monday we headed West towards the Cliffs Of Moher through some stunning scenery, the winding hairpin turns near Gregan's East supplied a view over the Burren that was truly beautiful. Recommended by Dillon Mullins, our intrepid Australian overseas player at Bovey Tracey Cricket Club, the cliffs were natural beauty exemplified. Jess had wanted to visit and go on the boat tour which would take us along the Cliffs and allow us to get up close. The weather relented and we had blue skies for the boat trip, and the presence of a Dolphin at the launch site in Doolin was an unexpected bonus! In the distance were the Isles of Aran and all through the tour all I could think of was a) keeping my balance! and b) the theme tune from Father Ted!
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| Dolphin in Doolin |
We made way for Limerick and on the way briefly stopped to explore Shannon Airport, which was disappointingly quiet so we left fairly quickly. We parked up at St John's Castle and went inside to explore, experiencing great views over the city and the Shannon River. We were pretty much the last people to enter and so the visit wasn't as thorough as it may have been but after a fairly long first day, the only thought was to get back to Dublin and sleep!
Day 2 saw the decision to stay away from the car, therefore leaving us to enjoy the attractions of our host city. First up, the Guinness Storehouse, an absolute must for any tourist in Dublin. The process of making the drink is fascinating enough, but I always wonder how, when, and why people came to think of or discover the methods for making drinks. Hops, Barley and water? Fermentation? How did they think of these things being put together all those centuries ago? How did the production reach the scales it has today? The answers all lie in the Guinness Storehouse and there can't be any drink as synonymous with Ireland as Guinness. The story of Arthur Guinness and his rise to legendary status is all there, as is the opportunity for you to claim your free Guiness sample to taste, and the opportunity to be taught how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, complete with certificate. I am proud to say I attained that level! Those few months behind the bar at Teign Valley Golf Club clearly taught me something!
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| In the process of pulling my perfect pint of Guinness! |
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| Victorian Wing at Kilmainham Gaol |
We alighted at Kilmainham Gaol, a site that is most famous for being the location where political prisoners were held and in some cases executed. Perhaps the most famous were Robert Emmet, Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford for their roles in rebelling against British Rule and the Easter Rising. In a rather basic reason for the visit, the photographs we had seen of the Victorian Wing of the gaol reminded Jess and I of the Shawshank Redemption! The prison had been abandoned in 1929 and plans to demolish it were afoot when a group of volunteers stepped in and formed a Restoration Society in the 1960's that oversaw efforts to bring the gaol up to a standard fit for the museum that you see today.
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| Jess kisses the Blarney Stone |
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| Kissing the Blarney Stone |
Day 3 was a busy day and the first stop was Kilkenny for breakfast. I can't help but think about South Park when I hear that name, but it is the polar opposite to a fictional cartoon Colorado mountain town! Kilkenny Castle was another historic experience but, to be fair, any castle is! Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photographs inside and any place where that is the rule dampens the experience for me, as photography is of course a hobby! From Kilkenny we headed for Cork, or Corcaigh as the Celtic signs that are obligatory in the Rebuplic of Ireland told us. Cork wasn't our actual destination, Blarney Castle was as we had a date with the Blarney Stone, laid in 1446. Legend has it that by kissing the Blarney Stone you will be given the "gift of the gab". Judging by the length of this blog and the fact Jess didn't stop talking on the next leg of the journey, it worked! In a seemingly blonde moment, I hadn't realised the stone was at the top of a 100ft tower with nothing but two iron bars to stop you falling as you hang upside down to kiss the stone. We did it after the hairy ascent up the ever narrowing spiral staircase and although not a sufferer of vertigo, I was glad to be back down on Terra Firma!
The coastal route between Cork and Waterford was as picturesque in places as anywhere on the British Isles. I had previously been to Waterford in 2006 on a Flyout with Aviation South West, only staying for 3 hours. This occasion gave us a little more time than that but in reality I don't think we ended up staying for 2 hours! We went to the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre and viewed the stunning craftsmanship of world-renowned glass-blowers, Jess ended up buying a beautiful glass rose. We can now say that we own a piece of Waterford Crystal, I'm sure it will take pride of place when we get our own house and at least it won't need as much maintenance as a real rose!
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| A professional at work! |
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| Aer Lingus A330 arriving in Dublin |
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| Giant's Causeway |
We headed up to Belfast, bound for the brand new Titanic Quarter, opened in March/April 2012 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the White Star Line ship, RMS Titanic. If you don't know the story by now, Google it. You need the education! Unfortunately the place was fully booked until later that day and this forced our hand into heading up to the Giant's Causeway earlier than planned and cutting our visit there short in order to make it back in time for Titanic. Giant's Causeway is made up of about 40,000 hexagonal shaped columns of basaltic rock, each differing in height. It looks like a gigantic arrangement of church organ pipes, but it is a sight that has to be seen to be believed, and is found at the base of yet more stunning cliffs.
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| Titanic Belfast |
Back to Titanic and making it JUST in time for our slot, the new exhibition told the story of how Titanic was built, the sea trials, the maiden departure from Southampton, the call into Queenstown (now Cobh), the disaster, the passengers and their fate, the survivors, and the wreck. All intertwined very cleverly on the site where Titanic was built. The sheer scale of the Olympic class liners (Olympic, Titanic and Britannic) is something that can only really be appreciated up close. Titanic is at the bottom of the Atlantic, Britannic at the bottom of the Meditteranean and Olympic was scrapped in 1937 and so your imagination has to be powerful to complete the experience.
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| In front of the last photograph of Titanic with Jess |
Day 5 was our last in Ireland and we decided to go into the city centre for one last time and see a few more tourist attractions, and first up was the Book of Kells at Trinity College. I wasn't particularly fussed and again the rule of no photography kind of nullified the experience for me. However, that being said it was good to say we have seen something of such historical importance to Ireland, and it certainly is unique and the ability to write and draw in that style all those centuries ago without mistakes or typo's is certainly impressive, to say the least. We also visited St Patrick's Cathedral where we were greeted by the sounds of William Tennent High School Choral Group, an American choir from the state of Pennsylvania. There were a lot of emotional people with them watching and listening to them perform, and I came to learn from one of the adults that they had won a competition out of thousands of American choirs to not only come to Ireland, but to then go on and perform in London at a Cathedral as part of the London Olympics 2012. It was the culmination of a dream for all those involved and the emotion and pride they had in succeeding was inspirational. They wanted it and they got it because they wanted it badly enough. Best of luck to them.
Later that day it was back to the airport, unfortunately no E195 for the trip home to Exeter but a Q400. The flight passed without incident and here we are, back on English soil... A weekend of cricket where we lost to Sidmouth on the Saturday then watched it rain on Sunday dampened the mood a little, but now it's back into the swing of normal life. Back to work for me, while Jess begins the countdown to going home to Australia. The next month sees my last games for Bovey Tracey Cricket Club too. It's all go.
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| Pride The Lion aka "Lionel" on holiday in Ireland. |
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