Yesterday, the Longest Name in England, and Today Names You Can't Pronounce

Wednesday greeted us early in Dublin and off we went at 9:00 a.m. for what turned out to be a full day of stops and lots of time in the bus.  Our first stop was the Irish National Stud (official name: Comhlacht Groí Náisiúnta na hÉireann Teo), a thoroughbred horse breeding facility in Tully, Kildare, County Kildare, Ireland.   Horse racing is a big deal in Ireland, so this place is sort of the Mecca for horse lovers and is owned by the Irish government. We saw lots of studs with big fees for breeding, and a few foals - one born this morning at 5 a.m. was sequestered from the public but exemplified that this is a working place, and one where a lot of money is involved.

The National Stud was built in the 1940s around the Japanese Gardens which were created in the early 1900s, and would've gotten a longer look from all of us except for the biting wind and "Irish mist" - rain.  Per Wikipedia, they are  planned to symbolise the 'Life of Man', are now of international renown and are acclaimed as the finest Japanese Gardens in Europe.  Blossoms from some beautiful ornamental trees proved great entertainment for Chloe and Mims (Cheryl) who chased each other around, throwing them up in the air and running under them.



Kilkenny Castle

From here, it was a short ride to Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh, meaning "church of  Cainnech) which is well known for its castle.  It began in the early 6th. century as a monastic settlement, and beside the ancient buildings like the castle, you could easily tell it was a medieval town by the size and narrowness of its streets.   Good thing traffic was crawling because it would have been harrowing otherwise. 

Again, with a light rain coming down, we skipped the tour of the castle and settled for a lovely lunch and, yes, the very Irish gift shop.  Cheryl was tempted by many items and Mary Lee gave in and bought herself a beautiful wool sweater and scarf.  

Back in the bus with Tom our capable driver and off to our third stop in Waterford - yes, you guessed it - the Waterford Crystal factory.  Waterford is actually the oldest city in Ireland and one of its most populous, and its natural claim to fame is, of course, crystal.  Begun by the Vikings, they were driven from the area in about 902 AD, and was the site of many great battles between the English and the Irish.

While much of the actual production of crystal has moved to Europe to former communist countries (for cheaper labor!), this site still produces the special items like NBA trophies, NCAA football trophies, and the like.  The amount of craftmanship was awesome as they took us on a tour of the factory and we could see step-by-step the production of perhaps the world's finest crystal.

Upon leaving Waterford, we set out for our final stop of the day - Cork - a distance of about 90 miles, most of which was covered by two or occasionally three-lane roads.  At one point the going got tough, but for a good cause - Ciara's Ride for Suicide Prevention. 

Apparently, cyberbullied Ciara was 15 when she took her own life in September, 2012, and a now annual ride turns out tens of thousands in her honor to raise money for suicide prevention.   We certainly didn't mind going slowly for this section of the journey, and got a bit misty-eyed to see the many hundreds of villagers turned out to clap and wave and lend their support.  It reminded me of the Southern Ohio tour that late, dear friend Marsha Zurmehly Tootle took many times, may God rest her wonderful soul.

We finally made it to Cork and checked into one of the most fabulous hotels I've ever stayed in - The Hayfield Manor.   With a 150-year old cedar tree gracing the entrance, the place looked like it was easily two or three hundred years old.  Turns out it is only 25 years old!  The estate, in the heart of Cork was originally owned by famous Cork merchants, and purchased from them to become the first 5-star hotel in the city.

A lovely dinner - a nice fillet with a glass of one of Kentucky's finest bourbons (Jim Beam) and we're off to our spacious and well appointed room for finishing the evening relaxing.  Tomorrow we're off to Cobh (pronounced Cobe), the last departure point for the Titanic and where the Irish departed for America, as well as the Blarney Castle.  I'm warming up my lips even now so I can kiss that darned stone and be granted the gift of gab for the rest of my life! 

I'll catch up with you tomorrow night (and the next) from Kilarney.   Hope all is well in the great old USA!