| Many thanks to those of you
who accompanied us on our third tour of Ireland back in April.
What a fantastic week we all had. Ireland is currently
experiencing an unprecedented economic boom. Besides the
steady increase in tourism, many companies such as
pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and computer outfit Apple have
relocated to Ireland, bringing with them thousands of jobs and
barrels of money, thereby creating a new, revitalized Irish
economy. This new Irish economy or "Celtic Tiger" as
it is being referred to in the press, has brought about an
influx of immigrants and a tremendous strain on Ireland's
infrastructure. For the first time ever, young Irish don't
have to emigrate to find work. The biggest problem seems to be
finding a place to live that's a reasonable distance from your
new job. Everything seems to be under construction.
Contractors are scrambling to build new highways, widen
existing roads, enlarge airports, create housing and increase
sewer and water system capacity.
Despite this growth, Ireland has managed
to retain it's old world charm. We were all a little excited
to be finally seeing it for ourselves. The Aer Lingus jets
touched down in Dublin on Easter Sunday. We were divided into
four busses: blue, green, yellow and red (so named for the
color of our assigned luggage tags). Some friendly competition
developed between the four motor coaches with the green coach
definitely emerging as the loudest. Each of the four busses
was piloted by a friendly, knowledgeable driver/guide who,
with the help of a microphone on a goose-neck stand, described
what it was we were passing by or stopping to inspect. The
driver/guides also gave us a bit of Irish history to better
put into perspective what it was we were experiencing.
After many attended Mass, there was
plenty of time to visit the Guinness factory and watch the
large gathering in front of the GPO (General Post Office),
site of the 1916 Easter Uprising. It was quite a moving 85th
anniversary of the bloody confrontation which was re-enacted
at that very spot in the opening scene of the fine motion
picture Michael Collins. For many of us, lunch was at
Supermac's, an Irish fast food chain with a very wide variety
of fare. After a short nap we were ready to emerge from our
four star hotel rooms for the evening. There were, of course,
many fine restaurants and pubs to visit, many of which are
situated in the trendy Temple Bar section of Dublin. Most of
us didn't stay out too late that first night, although the
hotel bars do stay open all night.
Monday morning, after a hearty
traditional Irish breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, grilled
tomatoes, rashers (Irish bacon), bangers (Irish breakfast
sausages), cereal, juice and aspirin (most of us avoided the
sinister black pudding) it was on to Killarney with many
breathtaking sights en route (including a Kildare hillside,
used for location filming of Mel Gibson's epic Braveheart and
The Blarney Castle Complex, home of the famed Blarney Stone
and the huge Blarney Woolen Mills gift mecca). Killarney is a
beautiful town, situated below three lakes and well known for
it's tourist friendly atmosphere. The area has inspired many
authors and artists.
Tuesday morning the coaches drove many
of us around the famed "Ring Of Kerry", the long
established route around the Iveragh Peninsula. The area is
world famous for it's captivating mountain and coastal
scenery. A Tuesday evening Hair Of The Dog concert at The
Killarney Avenue Hotel brought all four coaches and many
locals together for a fine night of Celtic pub fare with a
special appearance by the Irish rockers The Cloaks.
Wednesday morning, it was on to the
bustling west coast city of Galway. Galway is both the center
for the Irish-speaking regions in the West and a lively
university city. It is also the fastest growing city in all of
Europe! The center of the city lies on the banks of the River
Corrib which widens out as it reaches Galway Bay. We found
many great antique shops, clothing boutiques and music stores.
Not to be missed was Conlon's, a seafood restaurant just
around the corner from The Imperial Hotel. Coastal Companion
and I wandered in around half one (1:30), believing that we
might avoid the lunch crowd. We had to wait almost 15 minutes
for a table but the time went quickly as we chatted with
several members from our group who were already seated.
Conlon's features about two dozen varieties of catch of the
day seafood that can be broiled or fried, sandwiches, salads,
soups and a great seafood chowder at reasonable prices in a
very relaxed atmosphere. Served with fresh crusty French style
bread, our chowders were rich and creamy and contained large
chunks of sea scallops, shrimp, whitefish, clams, mussels,
potatoes, onions and celery. Perhaps a bit too salty, but
tasty and filling just the same. The fish specials were
accompanied by a choice of baked or mashed potatoes or chips
(we both went with the chips, or fries, as we Americans like
to call them) a lemon wedge and in-house made tartar sauce.
Coastal Companion's and my fried cod was golden and crispy on
the outside and moist and flaky on the inside as a good fish
fry should be. The tartar sauce was just tangy enough to give
the fish a bit of a zing and the lemon was plump and
succulent; quite good considering the time of year and the
fact that they obviously have to be imported. The chips were
also prepared perfectly and served piping hot. We enjoyed the
chips with salt only. Stay away from Irish ketchup; it tends
to be way too sweet. Judging by the amount of people waiting
for a table, this is not only a popular eatery for tourists
but for Sally Student and Johnny Punch-clock as well. The
bill, including tax, tip and four Cokes was a mere 28 pounds,
a real bargain. We will definitely be back.
More sight seeing Thursday morning for
those that were able to make the 10am departure. The
magnificent Connemara region is both scenic and notable in
that Gaelic is it's only spoken language.
Our Thursday evening concert was quite
memorable. John (who's parents and aunt and uncle came with
us) had contacted his cousins (whom he had never met) to tell
them that we were going to be in Ireland. They drove over from
Mayo for the concert, bringing with them family keepsakes and
photographs of The Haggerty great-grand parents. Quite moving
indeed. Then there was a little girl named Maxine, the niece
of a local couple that Rick met the night before. It turned
out that Maxine was a world class step dancer and she got up
and just ignited the crowd with her footwork. Definitely the
highlight of the trip for many of us.
Friday morning after some sight seeing
it was on to Shannon Airport for some final duty-free shopping
and the flight back to America. It was a shame the tour had to
end. We can't wait to go back to Ireland.
--R.B.
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