**This is a re-post from Flyin' the Coop; however, a few personal notes have been added.
In apost from a previous visit to Ireland, I urged readers not to take a tour. My tune has changed. Vagabond Tours of Ireland is definitely the way to go. That is if you're looking for a stress-free time where all of the details are taken care of. You get a taste of Irish culture and history from the "Vagaguides" and plenty of time to meander around on your own and discover some off-the-beaten-path places. The small group is an added plus, and the value for the money is bar-none.
I wouldn't call myself a "seasoned traveler" at this point, but I'm learning things as I go. I'm a light packer; I wear pants a couple of times before washing and I make sure what I wear dries quickly. On this trip, I wore leggings and tunics that were made out of quick-drying material. I washed once when we were at the same hotel for 2 nights. The laundry sheets are fantastic for quick washing in the hotel sink/bathtub. Rolling the clothes in a towel to remove the excess water helps, too. And, those lovely heated towel racks helped speed the drying process along!
The Best Packing Arrangement
This was all the luggage I took with me on this trip for 2 weeks: A carry-on and a smallish (14") backpack. How did I do it?
These compression packing cubes helped organize and fit everything in my carry-on. First I purchased the set, and then I bought a couple additional cubes. They are so much easier than the initial bags I had (that were like giant ziplock bags): you put clothes in the cube, zip to compress it, and then zip the 2nd zipper to close. The set comes with a "laundry bag" so you can separate out your dirty clothes...compressing them as you close the bag.
I used these see-through bags for my medications and liquids; they fit perfectly into my backpack.
Inside the liquids bag, I had several silicone jars for things like my facial cleanser, moisturizer, etc. They were the perfect size for 2 weeks of travel.
For shampoo, lotion, and hair gel, these tubes were fantastic. Although I didn't need the shampoo (or really the lotion either), those won't be brought along for the next trip.
The Best
Best Hotel: While we stayed in some hotels that were much larger than I expected, I would have to say the nicest one we stayed in was in Derry. But the room with the best view was in Kinsale.
Best Pub: This one is tough because we went to some fantastic pubs, but I'd have to say there were 2 in Waterford that take the cake.
Off the main road, Katty Barrys was a find for Trad Music and supposedly the best Guinness in town (according to the barman).
J&K Walsh is the oldest pub in operation in Waterford (or it was when I was there). It was quite the find!
Best Town: This is another hard one because there were so many places we went that were absolutely wonderful, but if I had to pick just one, I would pick Donegal as my overall favorite. This is definitely someplace I'd like to return and spend more time. Kilkenny would have to be a close second.
Donegal
Kilkenny
Best Cliffs: Without a doubt, Slieve League is it! We're just thankful we didn't end up at the bottom because of the heavy winds!
Photo courtesy of Tomás
Best Irish Coffee: I drank a lot of Irish Coffee this trip since the weather was cold, damp, and windy. There's nothing like a good Irish Coffee to warm you up! Undoubtedly, the best one I had was at Jameson Distillery in Midleton.
Best Monument: I was able to see several monuments, but my favorite was Kindred Spirits in Midleton, County Cork. This monument was to commemorate the money the Choctaw Indians in the USA sent to Ireland during the famine. While $170 may not seem like much, in today's money (as opposed to 1847) it would be equivalent to thousands of dollars. It is a beautiful monument and definitely worth a stop.
Best Natural Phenomena: Again, this is a tough one. The bog protecting Corlea Trackway was definitely amazing, along with Giant's Causeway, Benvoy Beach, and Mahon Falls (with the Magic Road as a plus), but I'm going to have to go with the backward waterfall we experienced while at Slieve League. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to experience that again.
Best Music: This is going to come as a surprise because it actually did to me. When I started thinking about this category, I was thinking about live trad music in the pubs. But actually, the best music was when Tomás turned on his playlist as we were driving around Northern Ireland. He shared some music from Irish bands (mostly although we also heard "The Boss" and maybe some Johnny Cash!) and was able to provide the background from the song that turned out to perfectly summarize my trip and how different it was from the last one. To top it off, the musician is a friend of his so that made it extra personal.
Marcus Magee was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer; he knew something was wrong but didn't bother going to the doctor. When a friend who had recently passed away from cancer appeared in his dream and told him to be mindful of his health problems, he not only went to the doctor but wrote this song following treatment. The chorus reminds me of what a great time we had in 2022; we were able to forget the cancer and the treatment for a couple of weeks and enjoy the Irish countryside and backroads. We met some wonderful people in pubs and campgrounds. We were definitely able to run away from the illness, even if it was for a short while. The chorus:
And we run
Yes we run
From this dream
Finding me
Best Cemetery: This may seem a little morbid, but you have to visit cemeteries to see High Crosses. Even so, while Monasterboice had the most amazing High Crosses, my favorite cemetery was at St. Columbas in Drumcliffe. Yeats' grave was so peaceful, with the beautiful Benbulben in the background.
Best revisited place: I had a difficult time deciding between the Hook Peninsula or Glendalough. I have emotional ties to both places from my last visit. Tintern Abbey on the Hook Peninsula was Robert's favorite place, and the memories of walking around Glendalough unhurried are huge. But...I'm going to have to say it's actually a car park! Denise just happened to stop at the same car park where Robert & I spent our last night with the campervan in the Wicklow Mountains. The views are beautiful and I was able to take a few minutes to think about him and our trip together.
Best Historical City: The visited city with the most fascinating history to me was Waterford. This is another place that I would love to go back to and spend more time. Plus, there is a museum that wasn't open the day we were there that I want to see. Strongbow & Aoife's marriage was so instrumental in the history of Ireland. Denise did a wonderful job telling us their story and how they shaped Ireland.
Best Castle: I hesitated to use this category because I chose not to go into some of the castles. But, this one was incredible: Dunluce. Right on the edge of a cliff, the ruins show off just how massive it was. It just takes a little bit of imagination to see how glorious it was in its heyday.
So there you have it. My "best of" for the Great Southern Tour and the Northern Island Tour by Vagabond. I have nothing bad to say about this tour group. I didn't feel like there was any wasted time. I know with many tour groups you "hurry up and wait", but not with Vagabond. As long as everyone is respectful of the other passengers' time, it's not a problem. We were all on the bus at the given time, ready to go. We weren't rushed when we went to points of interest; we had just the right amount of time at each place. I've already booked another tour with them so stay tuned for a recap.
The tours I chose were a perfect blend of old and new: old memories in the Great Southern Tour and new ones in the Northern Island Tour. A way to pay homage to the trip CH & I took 2 years before and to look forward to the traveling he wants me to do. That was why Mac Dee is so meaningful to me.
Day 2 of being in Northern Ireland was jam-packed. So, not so different than the previous days! Although we fit so much in a day, I never felt rushed or that I wish I had more time in a place. The pace was excellent; we had just the right amount of time before moving on.
Giant's Causeway is what I would call the jewel of Northern Ireland. We arrived relatively early; the parking lot wasn't very busy but by the time we left it was filling up. Remember Finn McCool from Part 1 of the Northern Island Tour? He plays a big role in Giant's Causeway. The story Tomás told us was that there were 2 giants: Finn and Benandonner, a much larger Scottish giant. Benandonner threatened Ireland, so Finn tore up the Irish coastline to make a path to Scotland to confront Benandonner. When he got there, he found the Scottish giant fast asleep. He was amazed at how big he was, so he quickly went back to Ireland and told his wife what he saw. They came up with a plan: Finn's wife dressed him like a baby so that when Benandonner came looking for Finn, he would find a baby. That happened, and when Benandonner saw the baby, he thought if the baby was that big, how big the father must be! He hastily made his way back to Scotland, tearing away at the path Finn made, creating Giant's Causeway. In reality, volcanic lava cooled and made these hexagonal columns over 60 million years ago. The result is breathtaking.
Finn McCool's Organ
The Chimney Stack
What a way to start the day! We had a lovely drive on the Causeway Coast Road to Portaneevey.
From Portaneevey we were able to see several islands as well as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.
The famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge connects to the small island.
The ruins of Dunseverick Castle were only a couple of stones but the scenery was beautiful. The original castle is believed to have been constructed in the 5th century, or earlier. St. Patrick is said to have visited here and baptized a future Bishop. The site is reported to have been attacked by the Vikings a couple of times; the final blow came from Cromwell in the 1650's. We didn't stay here long, just long enough to admire the beautiful scenery and take a couple of pictures.
The next place made up for Dunsverick. If you watched Game of Thrones, you may remember seeing this castle as the Seat of the House of Greyjoy. Dunluce was a 1600's town originally built in the 1300's. Walking through the remains, you can imagine how grand it must have been.
Our stop for the night was a town on the coast of the Irish Sea. Ballygally Castle Hotel is the most interesting place I've ever stayed. There is a lot of history associated with the hotel, including a resident ghost. The opening page to the hotel states that it is a 17th-century castle "overlooking the golden sands of Ballygally Bay with uninterrupted views of the Irish Sea." One site indicates that in discussions about the most haunted places in the north, Ballygally is quite often mentioned. Here's the story as I heard it: Lady Isabella Shaw gave birth to a girl; however, her husband was not happy that the baby wasn't a boy, so he banished her to the tower...without the baby. Distraught, Isabella heard the baby's cries and tried to escape to get her. The end result was that she fell to her death. Supposedly, she wanders through the hotel, knocking on doors to find the baby.
On the lighter side, Ballygally is the site of one of the ten Game of Thrones Doors. It has the crest of the Houses of Stark and Bolton, as well as Winterfell Castle.
Game of Thrones door. There are 10 in the area.
Before dinner, M & I had a chance to walk along the seashore, as well as take a stroll around the beautiful grounds and explore the old part of the castle.
Ballygally
The door to the original part of the castle.
After supper, we had the opportunity to go up to the "Ghost Room". When I went up the family that was in the group was in there, but they left me! I didn't linger...I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up so I hightailed it down the stairs.
M didn't care to venture up the stairs, and when I showed her the next picture and what I thought I saw, it spooked both of us! But, I told her that Isabella knew how ticked off we were at her husband and would leave us alone.
Maybe I have a great imagination, but I think if you look in the circle just above the rail you can make out a face.
At breakfast the next morning, this sign made me smile. I did just as it suggested, and had the most wonderful porridge I've ever had! How could this not have been mentioned before?
