The West of Ireland Trip

In our planning for this voyage, we selected some Semester at Sea trips way back in the summer. One of the trips that especially appealed to me was the "West of Ireland" trip, a three day--two night trip to Galway and the Connemara region of Ireland.  It was reasonably priced at $735 each, but was one of the two big trips in our budget.  I was asked to be a "trip leader" for this one which consisted of 20 people (3 of us grownups and the rest students). As a trip leader, I got half of the cost of my tip refunded.  Trip leader can be easy or hard depending on the students involved, the schedule, the potential for shenanigans or just happenstance. Nancy and I feel an obligation to be trip leader for several trips since they require a trip leader to even happen, and we enjoy getting to know the students closer on venues like this.  We mostly had to help ensure the safety of the students and make sure no one got left behind. We lost one before we even started when she didn't show up at the early meeting.  I called her room, and got a sleepy person who had decided to not make the trip (and forfeit the money).  It was already getting easier.
So, we were off through a traffic jam in the center of Dublin and then on to small roads in small towns where everyone drove on the wrong side of the road.

The first stop on our tour was at the Kilbeggan Distillery, established in 1757.  This distillery discontinued operation in the late 20th century but was revived in recent years as a museum and an artisanal  distillery.  We got to see the equipment of the original distilling along with an explanation of how it all happened.  The tour ended in the tasting room where we all had the opportunity to sample different whiskeys and got a souvenir glass.  It was actually pretty good stuff, and I could see someone foxhunting through the countryside of Ireland with a flask full of Kilbeggan Whiskey.  The adjacent restaurant provided food and coffee and restrooms.

Once we got to Galway, we disembarked from the bus for a walking tour of the city. I really had no idea of what to expect in Galway, and the drive into the city didn't promise much exciting.  It really looked like you were coming into a medium-sized American city.  But once we got walking, it was teeming with history and the ambiance of my imagination of Ireland.  Much of the old city is geared toward tourism with many restaurants and bars and street musicians. Some free time before we checked into our hotel allowed me to buy a nice Irish sweater, and Nancy got a shawl.  We both got coffee and pastries as had become our European tradition

On the next morning, after a good night's sleep in a comfortable hotel with lots of hot water with good water pressure and an Irish breakfast buffet we climbed aboard our bus to see some of the countryside. One thing I should mention about the hotel was that after finally learning to step up the small step in our ship bathroom, I continued to do this at the hotel.  No stubbed toes for me until I got back to the ship and had to re-learn all over again.  Our main stop today was at the Connemara Heritage and History Centre.

Our host, Martin was quite the story teller--one of the skills of most Irish.  He claimed that some of what he said was actually true.  Martin told about the peat that was mined by hand from many years and provided the heat for most of the people in that area.  The peat is stilled cut by locals,but most off the peat is now preserved, and Martin demonstrated how peat is cut and explained the drying process.   In Martin's peat bog, he showed us a big piece of wood that they had found in the bog and had been tested for age.  The one in the picture below is 5800 years old. We also visited an old homestead (with a peat fire in the fireplace) and heard great stories about the old times and how fiercely independent the Irish people are. Martin demonstrated the independence by pulling a board out from the mantle where he reached in and brought out a bottle of Uisce Beatha or "Water of Life" (and actually moonshine).  I was the only one who dared to sample this potent drink.

After a quick visit to the gift shop, a well-satisfied group of people loaded onto the bus for more driving through the countryside where sheep grazed alongside the the road, and some grazed in the road since they actually have the right of way. The path took us along a real fjord--my first, I think.

Needing refreshment in the afternoon, our next stop was at Gaynor's bar for an authentic Irish coffee.  Many of the students would have preferred hot chocolate, but we did enjoy the ambiance and pictures of John Ford who was from the area and had made some movies nearby.  We also stopped for a photo shoot at Kylemore Abbey-- a relatively new castle, finished in 1871.  See Kylemore Castle for more information

A tired group got back to the hotel to rest up before most of us took off to walk about a mile to the same historic district we had visited the previous day.  This time, we wanted to sample some of the night life including the music.  Shepard's pie provided a good dinner along with the requisite beer.  We listened to some music in the restaurant and heard at least as much from street musicians with lots of skill.  This was a busy nightlife, but we soon headed back to the hotel to rest up for the long day that awaited us the next morning.