Reginald's Tower - Waterford City

Although better known for its Waterford crystal stemware and chandeliers, Waterford city is nevertheless a town of significant historic importance.

Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city and it is also one of the oldest cities in the northern European capitals with the exception of London and Paris.  In 914, the great Viking adventurer and pirate, Regnall, a grandson of Ivor the Boneless, established a base here and built a ships’ haven, which would in time become a modern city.

The name Waterford is derived from its Viking name Vedrarfjord which has a couple of possible meanings: ‘haven from the windswept sea’ or ‘fjord of the rams’, a place where the sheep or rams could be loaded for export.

In 918, Regnall left Waterford and with a fleet of ships he sailed for York in England. York or Jorvick as it came to be known then, was controlled by the Danish Vikings.  It was perhaps the most important city in the Viking world.  After some fierce fighting, Regnall and his fleet captured York and he became the first Norse ruler of that City and held the title ‘King of Waterford and York’.

Waterford city was captured by the Anglo-Normans in 1170 and the Vikings were expelled bringing about a dramatic change for the city.  Within a few years of being captured, Waterford was escalated to the status of Royal City which owed allegiance to the Anglo-Norman King of England, Henry II.

In Waterford today there are still six towers and long stretches of town walls which remind of Waterford’s Viking and Anglo-Norman past.  They also represent the largest collection of medieval defensive towers and walls in Ireland.  Visitors to Waterford city can trace the Viking and Medieval walls by following the self-guided walking trails marked on the Waterford city map.  Most hotel receptions would have a copy of this map freely available.

There is also a Blue-plaque trail that takes you past various locations in the city commemorating either a famous person or event in the city’s history.  The blue plaques provide an explanation of the significance of the monuments and buildings.

Our stop in Waterford city was on a Sunday evening and the City Square Shopping Centre was quite empty and most of the shops were shut.  During our walk around the city we noticed a fair number of businesses had shut, including a hotel that looked like the one we stayed in some eight years ago.  With the closure of the original Waterford Crystal factory, some 3,000 people lost their jobs and the many closed businesses in town must also be the flow-on effects of the GFC.  Hopefully, the new Waterford Crystal factory will bring back some wealth back to this city.

Adare Village Cottages, Co. Limerick

Adare is one of Ireland’s prettiest villages and a major tourist destination on many sightseeing tours of Ireland’s south-west.

Situated on the Maigue river, a tributary of the Shannon river, Adare’s existence dates back at least to the early 13th century.  Its Gaelic name ‘Ath Dara’ means the ‘ford of the oak’ – from the combination of water and woodland.

Our first visit to Adare some nine years ago was very brief and we distinctly remember the Adare village cottages and a quick stop at the visitor centre.  But there is a little more to see in this town as we discover on this trip.

If you only have a brief stop in the town, here are some of Adare’s sightseeing attractions.  They are all clustered along the Main Street and close to the visitor centre:

• most visitors come to Adare to see the pretty thatched cottages along the main road
• Adare’s parish church is one of the oldest monastic churches. Previously, there were three monasteries and one of them is now being used as the parish church. The church is next to the visitor centre and it is well worth going in to have a look
• Adare Manor was once the home of the Earl of Dunraven, a shrewd man who sold his house and estate to be developed into a luxury resort and golf course. He sold it for a large sum of money, but part of the deal was that he be allowed to keep a suit on the top for himself. So, on top of the large amount of money he received for the estate, he was able to keep a nice residence for himself

A Lunch Stop in Adare

If you’re stopping here for lunch, Adare has four public houses in the village: Bill Chawke’s, Collins’, Seán Collins’ and Auntie Lena’s, many of the which also serve food. Additionally, each of the three hotels and the two golf courses has bars and restaurants.

There are a couple of cafes at the Adare cottages, one of which, the Blue Door, has been there for a while.

The visitor centre has a cafeteria that serves soups, salads, sandwiches and freshly made quiches and pies. We had a very nice fetta cheese and sundried tomato sandwich which was delicious and fellow travellers enjoyed their quiches and pies.

From Limerick city, Adare is only 16 km by road.

Ring of Kerry Tour

The Ring of Kerry, in County Kerry, is one of Ireland’s most scenic drives. This 180 km well-established tourist trail around the Iveragh Peninsula takes visitors through dramatic coastal and mountain scenery, quaint little towns and past slate-roofed fishing villages.

The Ring of Kerry is a circular route, so if you’re driving, you can start your tour from any of the towns and villages along the route. We were on a coach tour and as the roads are narrow, all tour buses know to travel in an anti-clockwise direction. In fact, the Ring of Kerry tourism people do advise motorists to drive in the counter-clockwise direction.

We started from Killarney and travelled along the banks of the River Laune towards the picturesque village of Glenbeigh, a popular holiday destination for families. Glenbeigh is famous for its Kerry Bog Village with re-created 18th century thatched cottages, but on our tour, the company thought that we would enjoy a traditional Irish Coffee more. So, at 10.00 in the morning we pulled into the Red Fox Inn, a popular and quaint little village pub, well-known for its Irish coffee. Maybe there’s logic to this madness and the Irish Coffee is intended to improve the day for those who are a little grumpy from the early morning start.

The next town is Caherciveen, the main town on the peninsula and home to the Old Barracks Heritage Centre, located in the former Royal Irish Constabulary Barracks. From here on the cliff section of the road provides spectacular views of the Blasket Islands and the Dingle Peninsula.

Ring of Kerry

We stayed on the N70 to Waterville, home to Ireland’s world famous golf links. If you are travelling by car, you can go off onto the smaller road to the tip of the peninsula. Skirting Ballinskelligs Bay, our next photo opportunity shoot was at Coomakista Pass.  The views over the Kenmare River, Scariff and Deenish Islands are spectacular but we only get to enjoy it from the coach. The skies were grey, but it added an air of mystery to the place.

Points of interest around the lower south-western tip of the peninsula include Derrynane House, the home of Daniel O’Connell and Derrynane National Park. There are some nature trails here and, we are told, one of Ireland’s most outstanding beaches. Given the grey skies and rather cold summer temperature, we’ll take their word for it!

Staigue Fort at Castlecove, the next sightseeing attraction, is one of the largest and finest examples of a circular stone fort in Ireland, but by now we were racing for Sneem as an early lunch was awaiting at the Bank House for those who wanted to enjoy some local hospitality. Sneem is a pretty little village that relies on tourism for its economy. It was raining when we visited, but what Sneem lacked in sunshine on that day, it more than made up with the colourful houses and buildings.

After lunch, we continued east past the heritage town of Kenmare. From Kenmare, the road takes a northbound direction to Killarney via Moll’s Gap and Ladies View and then to the Lakes of Killarney to enjoy the spectacular views.

Certainly a better way to explore the Ring of Kerry is by car as you’ll get to stop and visit the towns and villages, explore Ireland’s ancient heritage and have time to soak in the magnificent views.  But beggars can’t be choosers and our escorted tour of the Ring of Kerry gave us a good perspective of this scenic route.

See our somewhat grey photos of the Ring of Kerry here.

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Colourful hotels and pubs in Killarney

Situated in the south-western corner of Ireland, Killarney is the tourist capital of Kerry, and the second most popular tourist destination in Ireland.

Killarney National Park is world famous and its three lakes and surrounding mountains and woods are a great attraction for visitors who come to enjoy the mesmerizing scenery, fish on the lakes, enjoy boat trips, mountain-climb or walk the trails.  In spite of its popularity, the area remains pretty unspoilt.

Killarney is also rich in stately homes, historical castles and monuments. Some of its attractions include Muckross House, Ross Castle, Muckross Abbey and Inisfallen Island with its monastic ruins.

Killarney Village

Killarney village has a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from excellent hotels to cosy guesthouses and farmhouses.

This bright and cheerful village is a hub of activities, with many colourful restaurants, shops and pubs. What stood out most for us when we explored this quaint town was the number of pubs in this little place.  No one goes thirsty in Killarney as pubs abound.

Food is also easy to find in Killarney as most pubs and hotels usually serve food at the bar during the day. Cafes and restaurants can be found on virtually every street in the village and the smell of freshly baked breads wafting from the bread shop makes you want to stop for food.

Gaby's Restaurant

We searched out Gaby’s Restaurant as we had read that it is the best seafood restaurant in town. Its interior incorporates seafaring memorabilia and the menu is interesting, but a touch pricey.

The Flesk Restaurant also specializes in seafood and is apparently very popular with American visitors. Its drawcard – hearty meals at reasonable prices.

Killarney is pleasant village to be in and an ideal base for touring West Cork, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Tralee. We thoroughly enjoyed our stop here.

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