Mulchman's Blog

Day 14 started like the rest with breakfast and us getting in the car and driving somewhere. We were headed back to the Republic of Ireland to return to the first B&B we stayed at and were very eager to get back to something familiar. Along the way all we had planned was stopping a Newgrange – a 5000 year old (older than the pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge in Britain) burial site/passage tomb/passage grave. I wasn’t quite sure what it was or what to expect.

The drive out of Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland was easy and went by fairly quickly – I was eager to get back to the high speeds (as they’re kilometers per hour) in the Republic and the awesome move-left-into-the-shoulder passing mechanism that I’ve come to love so much.

Newgrange is accessible by bus only so you have to go to the visitor center and get a specific tour time to access the site. Luckily, our tour time was about 15 minutes from when we arrived so we didn’t have to wait long. The bus ride to the site is quick and once there you have a guided tour of the site with a few minutes at the end to wander by yourself before having to catch the bus back. The entire trip is about an hour.

At the site they tell you a bit of history about the structure and what they think it was used for – it’s 5000 years old so no one really knows for sure what it is or how/when it was used – and then you get to go inside. It’s quite cramped and the 25 or so of us in the tour group barely fit. The passageway into the single dome shaped tomb area is quite small forcing just about everyone to duck and/or squeeze in between the rocks when passing through. Once inside they explain that only on certain days near the winter solstice does sunlight ever make it into the tomb. It is thought that on these days the ashes of those placed inside the tomb would go to the next dimension/world/whatever. The whole thing was quite incredible and somber.

After Newgrange we got lunch and headed to Malahide where the B&B was. Once there we got the same rooms we used before and had some tea and scones – the scones were awesome! A little bit later Amber and I went into town and I had a couple of beers and then we picked up pizza and brought it back for us all to eat. After that it was bed.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 28

Day 9 started off a tad earlier than the previous day as we all woke up kind of early and were ready to get on the road to our next destination.

We left Dingle and headed up the road to Conner Pass. There was a heavy fog and it still lingered when we got to the top of the pass and the lookout parking lot so we didn’t see much. On our way down we stopped at a waterfall which has a hidden glacial lake if you’re adventurous and want to climb some rocks. Amber and I were both feeling adventurous and climbed the rocks up to the lake but the fog prevented us from getting the awesome views that were allegedly there. Once we had climbed down we were back on our way.

We drove for a bit and stopped in Tralee for a bathroom and coffee break and then were once again on our way.

The next stop was Limerick where we had lunch at Luigi Malone’s and briefly walked around before heading out once again.

We then stopped at Bunratty Castle where Amber and I toured the castle while Carol and Kathy walked around outside (they didn’t want to pay the high admission cost). The castle was pretty cool and it was a self-guided tour so we got to walk up and down and all around without any hassle.

After that we headed to the B&B where we unpacked and then decided on pizza delivery for dinner. We split the delivery cost with 2 other women who were staying there and we also made sure we got enough to have leftovers while we drove the next day. After that was bed – no pints today.

Ireland Guinness pint count: 20