Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life-and travel-leaves marks on you.
----Anthony Bourdain

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Ireland 2024: The Great Southern Tour Part 4

As the Great Southern Tour neared the end, we still had a few things to take in. Our first stop was New Ross where we shook hands with JFK at the JFK Memorial (his family was from there) and visited the Dunbrody Famine Ship. The actors were excellent and quick on their feet with responses to questions asked of them and questions they asked. 

Shaking hands with JFK
The Dunbrody Famine Ship
The Eternal Emigrant Flame is from the flame at JFK's grave in Arlington, VA.
The wooden statues around the country were incredible.
Jerpoint Park was an interesting stop. The couple who purchased the property were surprised when they were called to a meeting with the historical society. They were told at this meeting that there is a "lost city" on the property and they would not be able to farm most of it as they had originally planned. On the property were not only the remains of a church but also (what is believed to be) relics of St. Nicholas buried there. They were asked if they would be willing to open the property to the public, and Maeve embraced the history of the property. 
A view of the Lost City

The church was covered in ivy when the couple purchased the property. They had no idea what they bought!
Buried under the stone are what are believed to be St. Nicholas's relics.
We had the rest of the day to explore Kilkenny. This is another place you don't want to miss when you're in Ireland! This was my first visit to Kilkenny but it is definitely a place I'd love to revisit. Before we arrived in Ireland, I did a little bit of research and Kyteler's Inn popped up as an interesting place so I knew right away where I had to go in Kilkenny. Alice Kyteler was accused and convicted of being a witch after her 4th husband became ill and mysteriously died after changing his will so Alice and her son would be beneficiaries. Her first 3 husbands, who were wealthy, all mysteriously died. Her former brother-in-law helped her escape to England; no further information on Alice is available. She was the first owner of Kyteler's Inn, which is now a pub. We had lunch there, and the atmosphere and food was fantastic. The upstairs bar is said to be haunted by Alice Kyteler.
3 of my sisters & I with "Alice"
The inside has been renovated to appear authentic.
Kytelers Inn, Kilkenny
We opted to skip going into Kilkenny Castle, but 2 of the ladies went in and said it was incredible. We took some time and visited The Castle Yard; shops with some local artists in what used to be the stables. We didn't see any of the tradesmen at work but apparently, at certain times this is available. 
Kilkenny Castle: Alice Kyteler was held in the dungeon during her trial
The Castle Yard used to be the stables but is now a place for artisans to showcase their products.
Our guide told us about St. Canice's Cathedral...the best view of Kilkenny is from the top of the Round Tower. The kicker is that you have to climb a ladder to the very top after walking a ton of steps. That didn't sound very appealing to the 4 of us, but one of the other ladies accepted the challenge. She said the ladder wasn't really a "ladder" like we were thinking. As far as the views of Kilkenny, I can't confirm or deny, but she gave us the impression that it was worth it. 

Since I didn't go to St. Canice's, 1 of my sisters & I found St. Mary's Cathedral. This was after talking with a group of school girls who were walking home from school. We asked them about another group of girls who were wearing different uniforms and were treated with a brief lesson on the schools. After a walk slightly out of the center of town and up a hill, we arrived. 
St. Mary's Cathedral is a relatively "new" church (dedicated in 1857)
Looking down into the Baptismal Font
Beautiful stained glass
I loved the shamrocks in the stairrail
Our last hotel on the tour was the Pembroke Hotel, but I honestly can't say anything about it so it must have been just okay. Our last day started at Rathgall: a rock fortress that had 4 walls: the outer wall was for animals, it is believed that the next wall had water, similar to a moat.
Activity from the Bronze Age has been proven at this site.
https://visitwicklow.ie/listing/rathgall-hillfort/
The Sheepdog Demo is a must when touring Ireland. Had I known about it on a previous trip, I would have made sure to see one. It was so interesting to watch the dog in action. But before we watched the dog work, I got to do this:

It was fascinating to watch the dog in action
Before we stopped for lunch, we stopped at a car park in the Wicklow Mountains. It took me a minute, but then I realized that I knew this place. I knew it because this was where Robert & I spent the last night with our rented campervan. Our guide had no way of knowing, it was sheer coincidence (or as I say, a "Godwink").
The view from the carpark, very near where Robert & I spent the night.
Lunch was seafood chowder & brown bread at Wicklow Heather
Our last stop was Glendalough. Robert & I stopped there in 2022 and we had plenty of time to walk down to the lake and just take our time. This time, I wandered through the monastic settlement and enjoyed just being there. Last time I missed the Gateway that was the boundary of the sanctuary. I made sure I found it this time.
I still couldn't lock my fingers around St. Kevin's Cross, so no wishes were granted this time!
The double arch of the Gateway
The plaque explaining the Gateway
A stone with a cross etched in it (as described in the picture above)
The grounds are so beautiful; I can't get enough of this place. If you're looking for a quiet place to reflect, this is definitely the place. 
That was it for the Great Southern 6-day Tour with Vagabond Tours. The time went way too quickly. Denise, our "Vagaguide" was just amazing. Her knowledge and ability to tell history while keeping our interest is definitely a talent. The food was great, the Guinness & Jameson was outstanding, and the hotels where we stayed were better than I expected. 
We were dropped off at our starting place to catch a cab to a hotel near the airport since my sisters were leaving the next day. Our time together came to an end. We couldn't have asked for a better time or a better group to travel with. It was almost as if we had the whole tour to ourselves; midway through the tour, the other 2 ladies were honorary sisters!

So...what's next? I still had 1 more week in Ireland! Keep watching the blog for more updates.