Glendalough | 50 Happens

My parents have traveled a lot. They’ve been to many countries and seen many things. And one thing I’ve noticed is that they’ve forgotten quite a few specifics of late. I’m not blaming them (they’re pretty darn old), but I’d like to not forget as much as possible.

Typically, I take photos of signs or menus to remember where I was, but now our phones tell us exactly where each pic was taken (which is handy).

In any case, this post is mostly for me, like a diary. And possibly for my kids or grandkids who may someday wonder where exactly we went in Ireland on that trip we took back in 2025.

Barry’s Tea in our room at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. I thought this was a good sign because “Barry” was my great grandmother’s last name! Barry’s is one of 2 major tea brands popular in Ireland. The other one is Lyons. We were told people are fiercely loyal to one brand or the other. Nobody ever switches brands.

This document is the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, one of the most important texts in Irish history. We saw it everywhere. This one is in Ennis.

Here’s the sign at the Cliffs of Moher. Everything is written in both English and Irish (aka Irish Gaelic)—it’s *not* a dead language. People still speak it and kids are required to learn it in a school.

My dessert at Henry’s Bistro & Wine Bar, Ennis

We took the The Killimer–Tarbert Ferry across the Shannon River in western Ireland. It connects Killimer, in County Clare to Tarbert, in County Kerry

This is the pub in Listowel (County Kerry) owned by Billy Keane, son of beloved Irish playwright John B. Keane. Billy told us many great stories and (because it was my birthday) I was selected to play the part of a drunk patron being shooed from the bar with a push broom. I nailed it. 🤣

This is The South Pole Pub in Annascaul, County Kerry, where we stopped for a drink on a rainy day. It was owned and run by Tom Crean, one of Ireland’s greatest polar explorers.

Tom Crean (1877-1938) played a major role in Ernest Shackleton’s *Endurance* expedition, one of the greatest survival stories in exploration history.
Handsome, right?

In Dingle, we were lucky to get in to see the exceptional Harry Clarke stained‑glass windows in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, part of the former Presentation Sisters’ convent on Green Street, now known as An Díseart – Institute of Irish Spirituality and Culture.

A close-up of “The Three Kings”
in one of the Harry Clarke windows (the faces, wow)

This is where we saw a crystal cutting demo and I bought a cute little bud vase with Irish beehive design. It’s signed by the founder and master cutter Sean Daly.

I managed to get it home unbroken in my carry-on, even though Irish airport security insisted on unpacking it!

Slea Head Drive, The Blasket Centre and Gallarus Oratory in the Dingle Peninsula was the most spectacular day of the trip.

I had my first Guinness at Curran’s Pub in Dingle and it was good. Not all pubs in Ireland serve Guinness correctly. You have to ask the locals.

This is the lobby of the Milltown House in Dingle where we stayed for two nights. This horse—I mean dog—lives in the hotel. He’s a huge Irish Wolfhound named Seamus.

We had a truly delicious dinner at Doyle’s Seafood in Dingle.

I heard a great guitarist/singer at this pub in Dingle. He had the whole place singing along.

The sign from the Monastery in Adare explains that the many pigeons you see nesting in the walls of ancient buildings in Ireland were actually a major food source for the monks. 🤢

The choir logo (for lack of a better word) from the choir quarters at the Rock of Cashel. As a choir lady myself, I had to get a photo of it. Apparently they treated those 15th century choristers very well around town! Free food, etc (if they flashed the logo)

We had a nice cocktail party and group dinner here at “The Left Bank” in Kilkenny. We stayed nearby at the Pembroke.

Explanation of another fascinating, ancient spiral 🌀 carving in the Glendalough Visitor Center, County Wicklow.

This one has a cross in the middle of the spiral so they think it’s from a later period than the ones at Newgrange.

Delicious lunch at Avoca Fern House, about 35 minutes south of Dublin in Kilmacanogue, County Wicklow

Artist and activist Grace Gifford Plunkett’s cell at Kilmainham jail (subject of Rod Stewart’s song Grace, she married her husband just before his execution)

This is a huge sign on a building in the main courtyard of Trinity College near the Book of Kells entrance.

An interactive display at the EPIC Museum in Dublin told me I’m part of the large Irish diaspora with the Barry name

We stayed at the Iveagh Garden Hotel in Dublin, which is in a fantastic location.

The ancient Gleninsheen Gold Collar at the National Museum of Archaeology in Dublin. In addition to the magnificent gold collection, the preserved human “bog bodies” are a highlight of this major FREE museum.

The International is a centrally located bar with stand-up comedy shows upstairs AND in the cellar. Rosie O’Donnell (who left the US for Ireland due to Trump) has been honing her set here over the past few months.

We pinned a dollar on the wall at The Hairy Lemon in Dublin.

I finally got my Fish and Chips there. It was good! They served it with pea mash—unclear if the mash was for dipping the fish or fries—or just eating plain.

A small sign in the exterior of the Unitarian Church of Dublin, which was very close to our hotel (Iveagh Garden)

Pride and Diversity flags were flying all over Dublin.

Ireland is a successful, progressive country in 2025. It has great public schools, free healthcare, free college, legal abortion, same sex marriage, and is the second wealthiest country in Europe, believe it or not! We were told on multiple occasions that the Catholic Church is used mainly to “match, hatch and dispatch” and that young people rarely attend mass. Multiculturalism is a goal there.

Ireland Planning

Greetings from Ireland

More Ireland

I’m a Dubliner

Last Stop in Ireland

Thursday Doors—Dublin Unitarian Church

I got back Monday night from Ireland and it was a really great trip, though I did end up testing positive for Covid on Tuesday. I don’t feel too bad…just a slight sore throat and some coughing (no fever). (I am fully vaccinated.) I will be wearing a mask when out until next week and I’ve moved into the guest room, so my husband hopefully doesn’t get it.

I have too many pictures! After leaving the stunning Dingle Peninsula, we went to Kilkenny by way of the adorable thatched roof village of Adare and the iconic Rock of Cashel:

Our tour group only allowed us to bring one carry-on sized bag, so this was my look almost every day: layers. I brought about 8 Eddie Bauer T-shirts, an Eddie Bauer long sleeved travel shirt & capris & my Land’s End raincoat. My ASICS sneakers are very comfy. And of course an umbrella— you gotta have a “brelly” in Ireland!

The iconic Rock of Cashel is a major attraction

Check out how my husband’s Google Pixel phone will remove all the people from his pics. (I kinda think that’s cheating.)

The round tower at Cashel. Round towers are unique to Ireland and its medieval monastic ruins. Cashel is where St. Patrick supposedly converted the King Aengus to Christianity in the 5th century AD.

The Rock of Cashel from the street below

Our tour guide Joe getting ready to lead us into Kilkenny castle

The “Moorish staircase” in Kilkenny Castle

After leaving Kilkenny, we went to Glendalough—a monastic site in County Wicklow, founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin. The weather was very misty/rainy that day, but I thought it added to the ancient mystique of the place.

Glendalough