England & Ireland, 2017. Revisited. Part 4: Ireland

The last part of our 2017 trip, re-edited nine years later. Dublin, two long bus days, and the slow ending we planned on purpose.

Ireland

We made Dublin our base. The first afternoon went to the Guinness Storehouse and two pints in the Gravity Bar over the city, then a walk through Phoenix Park and sunset on the Liffey.

Then came two long days on a big tour bus with a big group. The first went west: a stop at Barack Obama Plaza in Moneygall, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Dunguaire Castle on the water at Kinvara, and an afternoon in Galway that ended at O'Connell's on Eyre Square.

The second day went south: the Rock of Cashel first thing in the morning, a short walk through Cork, and Blarney Castle. We skipped kissing the Blarney Stone. The line was long and we didn't have the time.

Castle Leslie

The ending was on purpose. After almost two weeks of trains, buses and early mornings, we wanted somewhere slow. I went looking for castles in Ireland you could actually stay in and found Castle Leslie in County Monaghan.

We had afternoon tea, wandered the castle's rooms and library, and walked the grounds that evening until the light went: the long drive, an ivy-covered lodge, a pony looking out of its stable. The next morning we walked down to the lake and through the woods, where the wild garlic and bluebells were out. Nothing was scheduled. That was the point.

Looking back

The last photo from the trip is the breakfast buffet on our final morning at Castle Leslie. It's an ordinary picture, and it's the end of a very good trip.