The Anderson Clan: Ireland

I only need 2 words to describe our visit to Ireland - cousins and castles. It was so fun to visit Stephen and Afton while they still lived in Ireland. They knew all the best places to take us to including (but not limited to) the following...

Dunguaire Castle

Aillwee Caves

The Burren in County Clare

The Cliffs of Moher

This place was a little scary with kids. Stephen and Ryan hung back to take some additional pictures and walk around some of the areas without a guard rail. Later, when I saw the pictures I was sure glad I wasn't there to witness how close they got.

The Ring of Kerry

This drive was highly recommended by Rick Steves and others...but unfortunately not that visible on the day that we did it. The weather can really make or break your travel plans! It was still pretty, but I would've really like to let the kids out of the car and go explore on one of these beaches. It was just too damp and cold to take full advantage.

We broke up the drive by popping in at this chocolate factory and shop. I didn't know Irish chocolate was a thing until I was there, but hey - it's pretty good. It tastes creamier than the rich Belgian stuff. I didn't really like some of the weird combinations (rose petal and such) and had to avoid plenty of alcohol-flavored options, but definitely worth a taste!

Blarney Castle

I think the kids would've ranked this their favorite castle in Ireland. It was rainy (again), but we really should've given more time for this visit. We were there for 1/2 the day, and I felt like we just saw the tip of the iceberg.

If you kiss the Blarney Stone, you get the gift of gab...not that I have ever needed help with that. I didn't realize, however, that to kiss the stone you have to hang upside down at the tippy top of the castle. Thank you random worker guy for hanging on to me! After seeing me suspended upside down in the air, each of the kids chickened out.

We loved these wishing steps...

We had no trouble finding shelter for each random downpour...

Some castles are really only worth looking at on the outside, but this place really had a lot to see. It is surrounded by acres and acres of beauty...

We also had to make a stop to get some quality Irish wool. This stuff is pretty expensive, but it is the real deal - so I couldn't resist buying a matching cable knit throw and pillow case. It's one of those things I have carefully packed away that I am excited to find a place for when we move back to the states.

Cahir Castle

This was a fun one...we could let the kids loose to explore. We had to be cautious though. Check out this ledge that Ryan is walking on below with no railing. You can see Brooks in the blue coat beneath us - a pretty good drop. I kept thinking to myself - this would never be allowed in the US - too many liabilities.

Rock of Cashel

I think this was Ryan's favorite - it was pretty spectacular. Like many of the castles we visited, this one was in ruins. I found it difficult to piece together which sections of the castle served which purpose - even with a guide book. There are some unsubstantiated claims that Ry had some ancestors who once lived in this area though - so I think that "fact" earned this castle it's favorite status for him.

Bad hair days every day of this trip - I could not live here, I tell you.

Trim Castle

This was my absolute favorite - so let me sell you on it. They filmed Braveheart here - need I say more? It was amazing. We left the kids with Afton to see this one on our own, so we decided to take the guided tour. Usually I find these tours to be pretty boring, but it was actually fascinating to hear the history of the castle and try to figure out what might have taken place in which areas. For example, the guide gave us the whole rundown on one particular staircase - it was a winding spiral staircase that looked pretty ordinary. Only it wasn't ordinary at all - they built the staircase to wind backwards so that the person defending the castle coming from upstairs could easily swing his sword with his right hand, and the person invading the castle coming up the stairs would have to hold his sword with his left hand (which most people were not well trained to do). They also installed the stairs to be "stumble steps" so each step had a little bit different height. Those living in the castle could train themselves to run up and down the steps quickly, having lived there and gone up and down them all the time. But for an invader - one small stumble was all it took for an easy defeat by his opponent. Neat, right?

Some views from the top...

Dublin

First off we headed to Trinity College Library to see what is widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure (according to wikipedia anyway)....The Book of Kells. The Book of Kells dates back to 800 AD - it is a manuscript of the 4 gospels of the New Testament in Latin with amazing calligraphy and drawings. No photographs were allowed, of course, but here is a peak at what some of the more colorful pages look like -