Dublin then County Wicklow

Monday morning brought us a beautiful scene. The Boyne valley was filled with fog and when the sun rose, it was visible in a gap between the fog and clouds as a bright red. As the fog burned off, we had about an hour of wispy tendrils that was almost magical, especially as we could see Newgrange through it. The drive to Dublin was in bright sunlight and the countryside was beautiful, but encountering the tour buses on narrow roads was a bit unnerving. As we approached Dublin, the sky became overcast.

Our hostess at Rossnaree said that "nobody in Dublin is Irish". It sometimes seems that way; lots of foreigners, either tourists or immigrant workers.

We started our last day in Dublin with a short walk and Bill met Molly Malone (who was not alive, alive-o). We then tried a tour of the city on the hop-on/off bus which was disappointing; either the commentary was recorded or less than inspired.








We got off the bus at the Guinness Storehouse which is what they call the site of the original brewery. While the Guinness corporation has been sold off to a worldwide conglomerate, the family still holds this original site, which at one time was the largest brewery in the world. It is a large facility that still makes stout to the original recipe. Arthur Guinness founded it 250 years ago and they have been making a high quality brew ever since. It is only 2.4% alcohol (even less that the 3.2% junk we used to drink in college), which shows you can have a quality drink without getting a buzz on. He obtained the land on a 9000 year lease at 45 pounds a year--this is for around 100 acres! The tour was excellent, showing the history of beer-making and the process currently used. At the top of the facility (shaped like a huge pint glass) in the Gravity Bar, you get a free pint and an excellent view of all of Dublin. We had a decent lunch and then played tourist and overbought in the shop.

Then it was back on the bus for a short ride to the Killmainham Gaol. Over 200 years old, it was built during the French Revolution because officials expected (rightfully so) that the unrest would reach Ireland. It was intended to be a model prison, encompassing all the latest ideas for humane incarceration. It almost immediately became overcrowded and the good intentions vanished. A number of the cells have a name over the door indicating a famous person who resided there. These include Theobald Wolfe Tone, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Collins and Eamon De Valera (who went on to serve several terms as Prime Minister and President). The facility closed in 1923 upon the release of the last prisoner, De Valera. It was also the site of the execution of the members of the 1916 Easter Monday rising. Several movies have been filmed here, including Michael Collins and In The Name Of The Father (Daniel Day Lewis).












From here, we took the bus back into central Dublin, retrieved our car and attempted the drive south. Driving in Dublin is not for the faint of heart and we don't recommend it. It was during rush hour and our GPS didn't understand the meaning of one-way streets.

We got off the main highway at Ashford in County Wicklow and made our way to our hotel outside Glenealy, the Ballyknocken House and Cookery School. It's a very nice B&B with large comfortable beds. Our hostess, Catherine, is a lively, personable young woman who also gives cooking classes on the site. We had dinner in a pub in Ashford.