HYPERBOREA / Ireland

**Posted by joseph** 6/13/2014 12:24 pm

Greetings all!

I just returned from 10 days in Ireland, where my wife and I spent our honeymoon. Wondering if anyone else on the forum has visited or lives there. I loved the place, great people and beautiful country. Just don't try driving in Dublin.

Highlights: great Viking & Celtic exhibits at the National Museum, climbed Carrauntoohil (Ireland's highest mountain) on the worst of days, visited various stone circles, ring forts, and tombs, not to mention ruined castles and monasteries, great pub music...

**Posted by Ghul** 6/13/2014 12:26 pm

Fantastic, Joseph! Care to share any photos? Congrats.

**Posted by joseph** 6/13/2014 12:32 pm

Thanks Jeff!
I will definitely get some photos up for you guys, I have nearly 800 to choose from. Lol. Maybe this evening when I am on the desktop.

**Posted by Druvas** 6/13/2014 2:28 pm

Joseph, sounds like you had a great trip! I have been twice and loved every moment. It's a beautiful country. The first time I went I spent vertually the entire time in Dublin (2 nights in the Temple Bar district, 5 nights in a small cottage in the suburb of Rath Farnham, and 1 night in Galway). It was too much time in Dublin, imo.

The second time, I took my soon to be wife and we spent 2 nights in Dublin (I did rent a car and boy was it interesting!), and then we drove south into the Wicklow mountains with no reservations anywhere. We had a B&B guide and just winged it all the way around through Waterford, to Cork, the 'Ring of Kerry', and up to Galway, before flying back out of Shannon. Best way to see Ireland if you ask me. :-) I can't wait to get back.

Look forward to your pictures. Where all did you get to while you were there?

**Posted by joseph** 6/13/2014 3:40 pm

Druvas,
We spent our first night in Dublin, visiting Trinity, the museum and the Temple Bar in the evening. The second day we went south through the Wicklow Mountains (which were just grand), visiting Powerscourt and Glendalough. Like you, we just called ahead for a B&B each day which mostly worked great... one place was a little questionable, good breakfast though. Anyway, briefly visited Waterford before driving to Kenmare, to get prepped for our climb of Carrantouhil which was booked for our fourth day. Spent time on Dingle peninsula before driving to the Cliffs of Mohar and the Burren. We had to drive back to Dublin to catch our flight home, but that wasn't the best plan. I think you did it right flying out of Shannon.

I'd go back in a heartbeat. The place is awesome. I love that they have no fences anywhere android that ancient sites are just there, sitting in some pasture and you can just walk up to them. My wife was bent over peering into a wedge tomb and asked something like "what was in there." I said "a dead man" and she boogied out of there.

**Posted by The_Great_Lestrade** 6/13/2014 6:03 pm

I went to the Burren once. Great landscape and has Father Teds house too.

**Posted by joseph** 6/13/2014 7:17 pm

Here are a few photos...
The Temple Bar .... great music everywhere.. that's my lovely wife standing at the front corner.

Sally Gap in the Gal Hills.. err... the Wicklow Mts.

No dogs .. and stuff.

The "round tower" at Glendalough.

Minard Castle... the bottom corner were blown out by Cromwellian sappers.

and my wife and I at the summit of Carrauntoohil... the rain felt like needles.

**Posted by Handy Haversack** 6/14/2014 2:01 am

Joyce, "The Dead," wrote:
Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly on the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves.

Sounds great, joseph!

We've never been. We have been to Scotland a bunch (he said smugly), and we were thinking about Ireland this year, but tickets to the UK or Ireland were too much. Spain will have to do.

I love going to the ruins in Scotland. That's worth the price of admission right there.

Looks like a fantastic trip.

**Posted by joseph** 6/14/2014 9:58 am

Scotland is another visit on our list, I'd love to explore the Highlands as well as the Orkneys...you'll definitely enjoy Ireland when you get the opportunity, Handy.

**Posted by Ghul** 6/14/2014 10:55 am

Great pictures, Joseph! Including some candid pictures of your wife! "Say no more, say no more!"

**Posted by Chainsaw** 6/14/2014 2:44 pm

Man, that's awesome! I really want to do a trip like that one day.