The day after Blarney Castle, we headed to Kilkenny Castle for a different kind of experience. Kilkenny Castle is in the middle of the city of Kilkenny. It was a Norman castle built by King John in 1260 to control a ford in the River Nore. It was a symbol of Norman occupation with its …
Blarney Castle in County Cork
The big thing on our tour for this day was Blarney Castle. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Blarney Stone. It is located at the castle. Supposedly if you kiss it, you will get the gift of the gab. Either great eloquence or the ability to flatter, depending on how you look at it. Blarney …
Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park
The next morning we climbed back on the bus for the Ring of Kerry. I thought the Ring of Kerry would be like the Ring of Brodgar or Stonehenge. Instead, it was a loop tour of the peninsula that surrounds Killarney National Park. Every tour bus seems to do it and the scenery was beautiful. …
Killarney in County Cork, Ireland
Today was a Killarney day. It has been hard to find time to work on my blog during this whirlwind trip of the UK. We are often occupied from 6 in the morning until 9:30 at night, at which point I am too tired to do any writing. It is one of the reasons I …
Birthday, Galway and a Medieval Banquet
The next day of our tour was Tom’s birthday. I didn’t get him anything, but he had a special day anyway. It started when we got on the bus. Everyone had signed a card provided by Insight Vacations. When Nigel gave him the card, the whole bus sang “Happy birthday.” At the end of it, …
Londonderry in Northern Ireland
The next morning we started our day with a tour of Londonderry, one of the most contentious places in Northern Ireland. I’m sure most of you have heard of “The Troubles” and the IRA, but do you know where all those bad Protestant versus Catholic feelings began? I’ll try to give you the simple version …
Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland
Getting to Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland was a long travel day. Heading out from Glasgow, we headed southwest toward the coast. When Nigel mentioned Prestwick Airport, it tickled a memory nerve. When I was 17 I toured Europe with the American Youth Symphony. We flew from New York City to Prestwick Airport in Scotland. …
Loch Lomond – The Bonnie, Bonnie Banks
Have you heard about the “Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond?” It is just one of the many Scottish songs that we sing and know in the United States. Well, now I can say I have seen the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. They are, indeed, bonnie. We started our trip to Loch Lomond …
Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands
The Isle of Skye was the next place on our itinerary, but we took a round-about way to get there. Our tour manager, Nigel, tries to accommodate people, and there are a lot of us with Scots heritage. Whenever possible, he will point out a clan center or mention the name of a place and …
Neolithic Tour of Orkney Mainland
Our next destination was a neolithic tour of Orkney Mainland. Tom and I had already been to Orkney on our cruise. Knowing we would be back, Tom and I had stayed in Kirkwall instead of venturing out into the island. This return was our chance to see the Neolithic heritage of the islands. Our bus …