Our last full day on the Great Southern Tour was jam-packed. We started at New Ross where we shook hands with JFK at the JFK Memorial (his family was from there) and visited the Dunbrody Famine Ship. I was indifferent about visiting the ship but it was well worth the visit. The actors were excellent and quick on their feet with responses to questions asked of them and questions we answered.
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 very interesting. One of the things we wanted to see was the grave of St. Nicholas. Well, that's not exactly what it was but I'll get to that in a minute. 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.
Then, it was on to Kilkenny where we had the rest of the day to explore. This town blew me away and is a place I definitely want to go back to when I get the chance. Before the trip, I did a little bit of research on what to see/do in Kilkenny, and Kyteler's Inn popped up as an interesting place so I knew right away where I had to go. Alice Kyteler was accused and convicted of being a witch after her 4th husband became mysteriously ill and died after changing his will so Alice and her son would be beneficiaries. By the way...the other 3 husbands were wealthy and left all of their money to Alice so she was very well off by this time. Her former brother-in-law helped her escape to England; no further information is available on her...she just seemed to disappear. Alice was the first owner of Kyteler's Inn, which is now a pub. We had lunch there (as well as an Irish Coffee), and the atmosphere and food were fantastic. Alice is said to haunt the upstairs bar.
3 of my sisters & I with "Alice"
The inside has been renovated to appear authentic.
Kytelers Inn, Kilkenny
Kilkenny Castle is a prominent landmark. In fact, it is where Alice Kyteler was kept during her incarceration. We opted to skip going in. We visited The Castle Yard, shops with local artists' studios. This area used to be the stables and was really pretty. We didn't see the artists at work but apparently there are times when you are able to watch them.
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.
St. Canice's is a famous Cathedral that is said to have the best view from the top. There's one catch: You have to walk up hundreds of steps and then a "ladder" to get to the top. The 4 of us decided not to go but one lady braved it and said that the ladder wasn't a ladder like we thought it was.
1 of my sisters & I found St. Mary's Cathedral. While we were looking for it, we ran into a couple of groups of school girls walking home from school. We asked for directions and one of the girls was able to give it to us. We walked slightly out of the center of town and up a hill to get there.
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. We found this on a bathroom break before walking back to town.
Then came our last day. Rathgall is a rock fortress that had 4 walls with the outer wall being for animals. It's believed that the next wall had water, similar to a moat. There's evidence that this fortress dates back to the Bronze Age.
Activity from the Bronze Age has been proven at this site.
The Sheepdog Demo is a must when touring Ireland. If I had known about it on a previous trip, I would have made sure to go. It was so interesting to watch the dog in action and to see the sheep's response. But before we watched Maggie do her thing, I got to do this:
It was fascinating to watch the dog in action
And then something amazing happened on the way to our lunch spot. Denise (our guide) stopped in a carpark in the Wicklow Mountains for a gorgeous view. It just happened to be the same carpark where CH &I spent our last night with the van! There was no way she could have known; it was so surprising.
The view from the carpark, very near where CH & I spent the night.
The van in almost the same spot as the picture above!
Our last stop was another place CH & I stopped at in 2022: Glendalough. We had plenty of time then to walk down to the lake and just take our time. This time, I didn't have as much time but I was able to meander through the monastic settlement and enjoy just being there. The last time I missed the Gateway that was the boundary so my mission this time was to find it.
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 amazing. Her knowledge and ability to tell history while keeping our interest is definitely a talent. The food was great, the Guinness/Jameson/Irish Coffee 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.
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