Jameson Distillery

For the last weekend in January, we took a trip to Dublin to participate in Tradfest and to hear Irish music and enjoy the great craic!  We drove up on Friday night and stayed at The Shelbourne.  It is a lovely hotel and within easy walking distance of Grafton street and all things downtown Dublin.  This is also where they had the coffee table book, "Luggala Days" in our room.

When we set out, I was driving and Steve was directing.  Steve said he thought he could get me right to the hotel.  I asked couldn't he get the exact directions?  (You know, as a back-up in case he forgot something) and Steve goes, "Do I look like I have a pen and paper?"  To which I wasn't sure how to respond really, given that we both have iphones and navigation apps - so I resorted to calling him Grandpa!  We had a good laugh, Steve only missed one turn and we arrived safely at the hotel.

Upon pulling up front, the valet asked me if I needed help with my bag.  I told him that the rule is, if you pack it, you have to be able to carry it!  (which isn't really the rule if you recall my giant suitcase in Lanzarote...)  Anyway, he thought that was hilarious - and this trip, I was in fact able to carry my suitcase!

On Saturday morning we decided to take the opportunity to tour the Jameson Distillery.

Steve with his hot whiskey for breakfast...

This is what's left of my Irish Coffee after Steve knocked the table...

We learned that what sets Irish whiskey apart is that they distill it three times, making for a smoother beverage.  During the tour, we got to see many things that were original to the distillery, which was interesting.

Yes, this is a stuffed cat and he was the favorite mouser of the distillery back in the day. (or so they say, who knows?!)  They apparently had lots of cats to protect the bags of grain.

An original milling stone - over 200 years old.  To touch it three times means good luck will follow you!

A happy man!

Here was the part I was not sure I could do - the tasting.  In fact, even for my Irish coffee I asked the bartender to cut my shot in half!  So at the end of the tour, they gave us a sample of double-distilled whiskey from Scotland, Jameson, and a sample of single-distilled whiskey from Kentucky - it was Jack Daniels which was obvious right from the first scent - ah yes, the Jack and Coke days of youth!  I did NOT finish off the three shots.  I just sipped to taste.

But I did it - and I have the certificate to prove it!  Cheers!

Mullaghmeen

As you may recall, this is the planted beech tree forest in County Westmeath.  We like to get the dogs out for good walks every Saturday and Sunday, and I walk them at the mall daily during the week.  We decided to go back to the beech forest to see the snow and to hike to the highest point of County Westmeath - and it was a gorgeous day!  These first shots are from the top point.  It's quite a steep hill - but it is the lowest high point of any of Ireland's counties!  I think I read that it is about 258 meters high. 

It is an amazing view.  The rocks are what's left of a cairn.  This one has never been excavated as far as I can tell, and has clearly fallen down.

In the distance you can see Lough Sheelin to the north.

I always dress very attractively for our dog walks....

Didn't realize Stee had taken so many "butt-shots"!  Still, the surrounding forest is so pretty, why not post 'em anyway?!

Snowy Day at Edenmore Bog

After the kids left, we were back to me, Steve, Zach and the pups.  This winter has been colder with more snow than last year.  I know all the midwest friends and family are thinking big deal - but for here, it has been pretty chilly.  Granted, it doesn't stay below freezing all day, and it rarely goes more than 1 or 2 degrees (Celsius) below zero, but still, it's not what we expect here.  the snow doesn't stay all day either, but it can be quite pretty when it falls and it is always good snowball snow - very wet, never dry!

End of the January Visit - Wah!

All too soon, it was time to say good-bye to Connor and Haley.  Connor did want to get back to see Kay and given the weather we had, I am glad she will be able to make a trip here in June instead.  Fortunately, Haley had a few more days with us and that was good.  She had her friends over for dinner and really had some quality time with her Irish pals.

The morning we had to drive Haley to the airport, I got a migraine.  Thus, Steve had to take off work to drive her in.  I slept in the back seat and Haley took this lovely photo of me!  Anyway, it was hard to say good-bye to her knowing it would be several months before I would be with her again.  Still, it has been a really good experience for all of us and I wouldn't change it.

Aughris Head, Dunmoran Strand, and Strandhill in County Sligo

So after our cold, windy, wet touring the day before, we went back to the manor house and used the spa, pool, and sauna to warm up and then enjoyed a  nice dinner and sitting by the fire and we were quite happy with our choice of hotel!

The next day we checked out of the hotel and it was clear and sunny though still quite chilly.  We headed further north into County Sligo and traipsed around seeing what we could see along the coast.  Our first stop was at this beach in Aughris.  The beach is called Dunmoran Strand and is apparently good for surfing.

This is The Beach Bar.  There are places to park campers and there are bed and breakfast places here as well.  There is a lovely 4 mile walk along the coast.  Getting to it is tricky.  We just stumbled upon it, but if we had been searching for it, we may have gotten quite lost!

This is in Strandhill because, well, we love it here!  We ate at a local pub and had a thoroughly enjoyable day!

I leave you with this.  I can't recall where exactly this is, but suffice it to say, the graphic speaks for itself...