Trip Index
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On Thursday, we enjoyed an Irish breakfast at the guesthouse before we checked out. Hot breakfast was served at specific hours of the morning; self-serve cereal, milk and juice were available all morning.
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| a hearty plate, accompanied by lots of toast |
Today was the start of our overnight trip to western Ireland. It was
nice of Celtic Lodge to store our large luggage while we were away for
the overnight, as we were returning for another two nights' stay. I found the tour through
Railtours Ireland, as I was searching for a castle banquet experience. I had attended something similar in the past, and thought that everyone would enjoy the festivities, plus be inside a real castle! The tour offered a visit to Galway City, Bunratty Castle and Medieval Banquet, and the Cliffs of Moher. The pictures of the cliffs in the tour advertisement looked so stunning; I hoped that the weather would cooperate, as I had read reviews of people not being able to see the view due to fog.
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| our journey westward (courtesy Railtours Ireland) |
Our tour pick-up point was at
Dublin Heuston train station, which was a short light rail (
LUAS) ride away from near our hotel (or a 30 minute walk). LUAS tickets could be purchased from a machine next to the stop, which took coins, bills, and credit cards. It only cost a couple of Euro per person one way. There were no conductors to take tickets or gates to go through; you just hopped on and off the train. When we asked about the light rail at the front desk, they seemed concerned about us using it, but we didn't feel at all unsafe during our journey. I had taken light rail before by myself during the day in major cities, so there was no mystery.
We arrived at Heuston station and located the yellow Railtours Ireland meeting point sign easily. There didn't seem to be any other tour participants, nor the tour guide, who was supposed to wear a bright yellow jacket. We waited for a little while but still no one, and even walked around the station searching for yellow jackets. I went to the station information booth to ask about the tour; the gentleman I spoke to said to keep waiting, so we did. Eventually, our train to Galway City was called for boarding, so in desperation, I went back to the information booth and asked a different person about the tour. She opened her eyes in shock and asked if I was Kong and I said yes. Apparently, our tour guide had phoned the information booth earlier to tell them he would be late, and for them to escort us onto the train with our tickets and documentation and relay the message that he would meet up with us on the next train. Yikes! How come the other guy didn't know about this? And when they got the message, shouldn't they have looked for us right nearby? Or perhaps she gave the task to someone in the office but it wasn't done? She hurriedly escorted us to the platform entrance, overrode the entrance gates to allow us through, and got us onto one of the train cars just in time before departure. Whew! The key take-away here is that when in doubt, keep asking; don't give up or assume that things are going to be taken care of!
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| Heuston railway station |
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| tour meeting point |
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We found two pairs of empty seats in different cabins and sat down despite an LCD display above them showing named reservations. The people never showed up so we were okay. Based on the documentation, we had some reserved seats somewhere, but we had no idea where they were and probably already occupied.
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| Sinead Flannery didn't claim her seat |
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| our documentation (with free tea coupons for the guide) |
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| refreshment menu |
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| page 1 of our itinerary |
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| page 2 |
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| page 3 |
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| page 4 |
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I was happy to see Dublin HOHO bus tickets included in the packet. At the time when I signed up for the tour, there was a special for free HOHO tickets for tours taken by a certain date, and our departure was past the cutoff. But it seemed that the terms changed since then, and our tour qualified. (I've checked the site recently and our tour purchase would now fulfill the requirement for the special.) A great bonus, as we were going to tour the city anyway when we returned from the tour!
There was no "soundtrack" for the journey like the Gatwick Express, but there was certainly a lot of beautiful emerald scenery outside.
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| lots of ruins sprinkled throughout the countryside |
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| many river crossings |
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| no wonder Ireland is called the "Emerald Isle"...green everywhere |
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| thatched roof has a unique signature |
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Kaleb got up to check on Sue and Gerry and found that our tour guide had made it onto the train after all! Apparently he was going up and down all the cars looking for us when the train was pulling away from the station but I didn't notice, but somehow he was able to find Sue and Gerry and sit with them to discuss the tour.
After about two hours, the train arrived into Galway City and we walked from the station to the main part of town with many shops, pubs and restaurants along a pedestrian-only street. The tour guide left us to explore the city for a few hours. The weather was spectacular! We had lunch at Lynch's Cafe, shopped for souvenirs, enjoyed some gelato, and listened to street bands.
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| more fish and chips |
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| quiche |
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| "Smurf"-flavored gelato? |
12 second video of street music below:
We continued walking towards the Spanish Arch and the river. Lots of people were hanging out on the grass and strolling riverside...very relaxed place to be.
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| chilling out |
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| Spanish Arch, built in 1584 |
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We headed back to the train station parking lot to meet up with the bus that would take us to Bunratty Castle. When it arrived, passengers and luggage from a previous tour were unloaded. The driver was surprised that we didn't have any luggage. It was just the four of us on board.
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| no problem if you have lots of luggage! |
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| our own private bus |
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| please keep your eyes on the road mister! |
The hour-long ride to Bunratty was a bit...scary. Either the driver was driving since early morning or just really bad...the bus would cross into the left shoulder every once in a while. I got really concerned when I saw a disabled motorist on the side of the road; fortunately he didn't veer off then! Eventually we made it to the
Bunratty Castle Hotel in one piece.
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| our home for the night |
The hotel was walking distance to Bunratty Castle, convenient in case one had too much to drink at the banquet. It was a nice place...by European standards, the room was huge, with king size bed and a tub in the bathroom! I'm sure a lot of guests use the tub since space is a luxury.
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| pretty much two twin beds pushed together |
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| toilet area alone seemed just as big as the bathroom in Dublin |
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| an actual bathtub and lots of space |
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| toiletries |
We freshened up and rested for a short while until it was time to walk over to Bunratty Castle. The castle was very close by the hotel. It seemed a bit out of place surrounded by asphalt parking lots, cars and modern buildings, but I was glad to be walking on a paved street than mud and horse feces back in the day. :) Once we got onto the castle grounds, it opened up into a small medieval village and lush greenery.
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| walking towards the castle |
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| surrounded by green |
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| pipe player at castle entrance |
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As we approached the castle entrance, we were serenaded by the sound of bagpipes. After climbing a wooden staircase to the front door, we were greeted by hosts in period clothing, and led up a spiral staircase to a large room with live music by a harp and violin duet. There were already a lot of people inside. We were given a glass of
mead to sip on as we enjoyed the music and the surroundings.
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| harp and violin |
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| grand room decorated with giant antlers, period furniture and tapestries |
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| trying to be regal in the big chair |
Once all the guests had arrived, the main servant/butler welcomed everyone and described the history of Bunratty Castle. Then the duet were joined by a group of singers who performed several songs. After the show was over, an elderly couple in the crowd was selected to be the "Earl and Lady" of the castle. We were then all led to the banquet room where long tables and benches afforded community dining. There were burning candles, ceramic dinnerware, and only a knife as a utensil so you had to eat with your hands. There were individual finger bowls in which there was water and a slice of lemon...not for drinking of course, but to rinse your fingers while eating. ;) Bread was already served, along with pitchers of red wine, white wine, and water. Juice was available as an alternative beverage.
3 second clip of the ensemble:
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| being seated in the banquet hall |
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| table setting |
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Dinner was served course by course by our table servant (who was also one of the singers). Soup was doled out of a handheld cauldron. Platters of food were placed on the table for sharing. Dessert was individually plated. There was varied entertainment throughout the meal including more songs by the musicians and singers, an awesome violin solo, and some humorous castle drama which led one guest into the dungeon.
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| enjoying a candlelit dinner |
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| oh-so-good parsnip soup accompanied by Irish bread |
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| delicious honey whiskey spare ribs, could've eaten the entire tray |
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| bowl to throw the bones in |
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| platter of chicken breasts and vegetables |
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| can't have a meal in Ireland without potatoes! |
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| my portion - the chicken and gravy were really good! |
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| "rastin" for dessert - like a mousse |
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3-second clip of the violinist:
3-second clip of the singing:
After the final performance, we went down a spiral stone staircase to what used to be the castle's pantry; tea and coffee were served along with a souvenir certificate of attendance.
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| after-dinner drinks |
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| evidence that we had dined at Bunratty |
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| Bunratty Castle at night |
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I thought the banquet was entertaining, plus the food was tasty! I wanted to learn how to make that parsnip soup. The ribs
were finger-lickin' good; we thought it was the main course, so we
stuffed ourselves full before the chicken arrived. The chicken breasts
were tender and the accompanying gravy was good. The dessert was
decent. Having unlimited wine was a good option for drinking folks.
The benches have had a lot of use, so I found that sitting on the edges
was a better choice than experiencing the bowing in the middle. All in all, it was a fun evening, and you got to be inside a real castle.
We walked back to Bunratty Castle Hotel and stopped by the bar for a beer. There was a pair of guitarists playing in the lounge.
3-second clip of the music:
Tomorrow, we do a more comprehensive tour of Bunratty Castle and grounds, visit the majestic Cliffs of Moher, and return to Dublin.
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