UK/Ireland Adventure May 2026

Thursday May 14 - Friday May 15, 2026

Bailey, Jeff, and I had an uneventful flight to Atlanta, where we spent five hours in the Delta Club waiting for our flight to Manchester. We passed the time eating, playing Spicy Farkle and Gin Rummy, and eventually enjoying gin and tonics with popcorn. JT entertained himself by tossing our empty popcorn bags across the room into the trash.

Our flight to Manchester left on schedule. Although we had booked through Delta, Virgin Atlantic operated it, so the experience felt a little different from Delta and our more recent experience with Air France. It took us a bit to figure out how everything worked. After takeoff, we were served dinner and wine, and by the time I finished my cheese course, I was ready to make up the bed for a long nap. I watched the movie “Send Help” during dinner. I thought it would be more like “Castaway,” but it turned out to be darker than expected. The warnings before the movie suddenly made sense; watching a plane crash scene while flying through turbulence was unsettling!

I woke before breakfast when the flight attendant tapped my leg, and I immediately regretted asking her to wake me because I had been sleeping so well. She tried to wake JT too, without success, but he woke up on his own about 15 minutes later. We landed just before 8:30 a.m., cleared immigration, and collected our bags. It was a long walk to the train station, and construction made the signs confusing. We arrived just before 9:30 a.m., too late to buy tickets and catch the 9:35 train, so we bought tickets for the 10:32 instead.

The morning was sunny but cool, around 52 degrees. We took the train to the Liverpool Lime Street Station without needing to transfer, though it stopped so often it felt like every few minutes. I still managed a few short naps during the longer stretches.

Just before we arrived around 11:30 a.m., I checked my email and saw that our VRBO apartment had been canceled and refunded because of “environmental issues.” Time to pivot. Fortunately, there was a Marriott property across from the station, so we headed there. They had a decent-sized room with a queen bed and a sofa bed. It cost less than the apartment, though it will be cozier than the two-bedroom space I had imagined, especially since we would be sharing accommodations with Bailey for 12 nights in Ireland. Once we saw the room, we decided it would work just fine. It could have felt like a crisis, but we chalked it up to adventure.

We settled in and, by 1 p.m., went out in search of lunch. Around the corner from the hotel, we spent the equivalent of $65 at Five Guys on three burgers, small shakes, and a small order of fries. It was expensive, but good and quick. After lunch, we walked through the shopping area toward Albert Dock, hoping to catch a double-decker tour bus and get an overview of the city. It was sunny but still cool, about 50 degrees, and felt even colder near the docks. We wandered around, taking in the contrast between the old and new architecture. Catching the tour bus became another misadventure, but we took it in stride. Two buses were there when we arrived. One was for the Beatles tour, which we were doing privately the next day, so we bought tickets for the other one. By then, that bus was full, and we were told we would have to wait 45 minutes for the next. No problem—there was a sunny bus shelter with seats.

Once we boarded, the bus stopped at a cruise ship terminal, where the driver announced a mechanical issue. Ten minutes later, a mechanic arrived in another bus and took ours away. We got the front seats on the top level of the replacement bus, but for reasons I never understood, we had to return to the starting point and wait another 15 minutes. The new bus had a “live” guide named Jimmy, who was funny and informative, though his microphone cut out for part of the ride, so I missed some of what he said. I like doing these bus tours on the first day because they help us get the lay of the land—and because they offer a chance for little jet-lag naps.

Here is what I learned from our Liverpool overview: Albert Dock, where the tour began, was the world’s first “non-combustible” warehouse system, which is why its beautiful brick buildings remain in such good condition. It was renovated in 1991 into shops, bars, and cafés and would be a wonderful place to spend time on a warm day. Sailboats and canal boats filled the harbor, and we learned that the Leeds and Liverpool Canal begins and ends here. The city’s iconic mercantile buildings are known as the Three Graces: the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building. The Liver Building was built in 1911, and Jimmy said it was based on the Wrigley Building in Cincinnati, though I think he meant Chicago. Two Liver birds, fictional creatures said to be a cross between cormorants and white-tipped eagles, sit on top. The Liver bird is named for the city.

Liverpool was founded in 1207 as a fishing village where the River Mersey meets the Irish Sea. Its port has a complicated and painful history, including involvement in the slave trade and transporting labor for Manchester’s factories during the Industrial Revolution. Cotton was also imported here, and Liverpool became a major departure point for English and Irish emigrants to North America. Cunard and White Star, the company connected to the Titanic, both had headquarters here at one time. The docklands stretch about 10 kilometers and include 60 docks. We passed beautiful St. George’s Hall, just across from our hotel. It is said to be one of the finest examples of Neoclassical architecture and was built between 1841 and 1854. Today it serves as a concert hall and event center. It is surrounded by St. John’s Garden, which looks like a lovely green space with monuments, though Jimmy said 87,000 people are buried there, most of them victims of cholera epidemics.

We also passed Lime Street Station, where we had arrived earlier. Completed in 1836, it was once the world’s largest arched train shed. Its name comes from Lime Kiln Lane, since lime was used to clean ships’ decks. Liverpool has a very mixed heritage because of its history as a global port city, with large Chinese, Swedish, Irish, Scandinavian, Russian, and other communities. Jimmy said only 10% of residents are “truly British.”

After completing the bus loop, we walked back to the hotel, relaxed, and shared a couple of beers from the hotel bar. After 7 p.m., we were hungry again, so we walked to Doctor Duncan’s, a charming nearby pub in a castle-like building. Unfortunately, its kitchen was closed, so they recommended we go to the Ship & Mitre, another nearby pub, which turned out to be great. We ordered pints of Guinness; Jeff and Bailey had fish and chips, and I had Scouse, a Scandinavian stew we had heard a lot about that day. We walked back through St. John’s Garden and took in the statues and memorials. Most were war memorials, but one large memorial honored the 96 people killed in a soccer stadium stampede in 1989. It was a great day, and I was impressed by how much we managed to do on our arrival day!

Saturday May 16, 2026

I had a great night’s sleep (with ear plugs) - I must have fell asleep about 10pm, and slept until 6am. This is the least jet lagged I have ever felt traveling to Europe … perhaps it is because we were in this time zone just two weeks ago and my brain & body didn’t fully switch back to CST?! I got dressed and went downstairs to the hotel’s amazing gym.

While this is now a Marriott property, it is an old, historic feeling building and the gym was huge - lots of equipment and floor space for matt work. Once again, I found myself happy that our rental apartment didn’t work out!! Jeff joined me after a while, then we went up to the room, and Bailey was just waking up.

We showered / dressed and headed to the hotel’s breakfast buffet. Bailey had connected with David Barlow through her Everton football club fans. He is a fulltime guide, native to Liverpool and an expert on everything Beatles. He had arranged for one of the classic UK black taxis and Kev, the driver, to transport us to all the sites he wanted to show us today. David and Kev picked us up at our hotel at 10am. It was an amazing and personalized way to do a Beatles tour. Many times, when we were out at a site, a jam-packed tour bus would slow down so their passengers could snap photos through the bus windows, and then drive on. The day was cool and drizzly, but I was so much happier being out on the streets and walking in the footsteps of the Fab 4. Having spent our time with David, we learned so much about the upbringing of each of the band members, how that shaped their music and their songwriting.

Ringo and George were from very humble beginnings, and George was the only one with a traditional nuclear family, as the others were raised by single mom’s, or in John’s case, an aunt and in Ringo’s case, by his grandparents. Both John and Paul lost their mother’s when they were teenagers.

We started the tour by heading down to the Liverpool Waterfront to the Beatles statue, and David said it was rare to find it without other tourists! It had been erected in 2015 and is larger than life (we’d only seen it from the bus yesterday). It is based on a photograph of the lads that was taken in that spot in 1963. Dave pointed out the personalized details - Paul is carrying a camera, George is wearing a belt with a Sanskrit inscription which translates to “the Infinite Beyond Conception…,” on the sole of Ringo’s right shoe is an engraving of the postal code “L8” which refers to the Welsh Street neighborhood where he grew up, and in John’s right hand are two acorns cast from an Oak Tree near the Dakota in NYC - a reference to him mailing acorns to world leaders as a message of peace in the 1960’s.

Back in the van, our next stop was Ringo’s boyhood neighborhood. The coolest thing there was a building that had been a pub where his mom worked when he was a boy. It is painted with a mural featuring Ringo, and symbolism from an Octopus’s Garden and Yellow Submarine. It’s now a beauty salon, but they kept the bar and the taps for their historic relevance - we were invited inside and it’s a really cool vibe. We walked to the home where he was born. Apparently his dad ran off with another woman, and he and his mom moved across the street and down the block to live with his grandparents. His dad came around again after Ringo became famous, but they didn’t form a relationship.

From there, we drove to Penny Lane, with landmarks like the roundabout, the barbershop and the bank that are referred to in the song. I had never much paid attention to the lyrics, but it’s so cool when you’re driving down the lane with the tour guide reciting the lyrics! Take a look at this video of the carpool karaoke with Paul McCartney:    https://share.google/s9SMiJl5crlm3wA3J 

Our next stop was the boyhood home of George Harrison. Like Ringo’s neighborhood, it is a block of row houses, where the neighbors were close and supportive. The name of the street is “Arnold Grove,” and that supposedly was the alias he used to sign into hotels after he became famous. There is a chain across the entrance to the street, and David said that is new, and tourists aren’t allowed to cross it. I bet it is obnoxious living there, but the house next door is currently for sale! Later in the tour, we drove by a house that George bought for his parents after he became famous, and reportedly, they were not happy there, far from their neighbors!

Next, we stopped at St Peter’s Church Hall, where John and Paul first met on July 6, 1957. John was playing a gig there with the band The Quarry Men and Ivan Vaughan invited Paul there to play for John. Paul was just 14 and John (who was 16) thought he was too young, but when Paul turned 16 things began to roll between the two of them and Paul was invited to join the band. The lineup evolved from there, adding George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe, and going through several name changes (Johnny and the Moondogs, the Silver Beetles), and officially became the Beatles in August 1960. Across the street is the actual St Peter’s church with a remarkable old graveyard. David said there are a lot of stories about where the names “Eleanor Rigby” and “Father McKenzie” came from, and John and Paul always denied they came from the headstones in that graveyard, but we saw them there today (“all the lonely people, where do they all come from?”).  

Not too far away was the home where John Lennon was born, 9 Newcastle Road. It is now a rental property, but David said it never appears to have anyone in it. On the front steps, they have laid tiles that say “Peace, Love and Imagine.” John lived from 1945 to 1963 with his Aunt Mimi at 251 Menlove Avenue in Woolton. Dave said John’s dad ran off after he was born and his mom was unstable, so he lived with his aunt. Tragically, John’s mom was hit by a car and died just across the street from the home. In 2002, Yoko Ono purchased the home and its now part of the National Trust and it’s possible to book private tours of it.

Next, we had a stop Strawberry Fields - Located in Wilton, a former Salvation Army children’s home which was “John Lennon’s playground” and the inspiration for “Strawberry Fields Forever.” The home burned down, but the site is well preserved and has a gift shop that is run by Salvation Army employees (and residents of their shelter). Supposedly, Aunt Mimi did not like John climbing the fence to go there, and she told him he’d get arrested and hung. Therefore, the line in the song “there’s nothing to get hung about …”

Our last official tour stop was Paul McCartney’s boyhood home at 20 Forthlin Road. This is also a National Trust property and is furnished just the way the McCartney’s left it (but we didn’t have tickets to go inside).  Both Paul and John grew up in the suburbs, and we could imagine that their lives were very different than that of Ringo and George based on that alone. What is hard to imagine is what life would have really been like for them coming of age in the 1950’s when their WWII surviving parents would have imagined a different life for all of them. While some of them did have parents with musical talent, it sounds like no one believed they would make a living at playing and writing music, let alone become the legends they became.

It was about a 15-minute drive back to the central area of Liverpool, and Kev dropped us off at the top of Mathew Street and the site of the former Cavern Club (the old one was demolished for the subway). We could see that it’s a nighttime party scene, and at 1pm, some of the pubs were already rocking and stag / hen parties were strolling down the sidewalks. David led us into an Irish Pub, Flanagan’s Apple, to have a beer and watch the Scottish Premiership Championship football game between the Celtic and the Hearts. The bar was cheering for the Celts (because they are catholic Dave said), but Dave was secreting cheering for the Hearts as they had not won a championship since 1961 and the Celts have won it the last 40 years straight!

It was an exciting match at the end and tuned me and JT into soccer/football a bit more, practice for understanding the game we’ll see tomorrow. On the way back from the pub, we stopped at a convenience store and bought some snacks, then headed back to the hotel to veg out a bit. JT took a nap, and Bailey was in communication with a friend that she met through her football fan club, and made a plan to go out and meet her for dinner. The drizzle of the day turned to rain, so JT and I ordered room service and stayed in, drinking wine and playing backgammon, and listening to Beatle music of course!

Sunday May 17, 2026

It was 10:15am before I opened my eyes enough to check the time. I guess there IS some jet lag! I got up and did some in-room yoga while JT got up and got ready. We headed out about 11:30a, over to the train station to get Starbucks for our walk to the stadium. The game started at 3pm, but our hospitality suite was open by noon. There were people in Everton blue streaming out of the train station, and a few wearing the red and white stripes of Sunderland, today’s opponent. Bailey was leading us on her phone, but all we really had to do was follow the people in blue. Outside the pubs we walked past, there were groups of men in Everton gear drinking beer and smoking. Not sure if they were on their way to the game or just staking out spots near the tele at the pub?

We walked down to the docks, then headed north. We saw lots of development, hotels and apartments, and then as we got closer to the stadium, gated off dock areas that are about to be renovated. Across from the stadium there are gorgeous old brick buildings - a former tobacco import business. David said it is where much of the “House of Guinness” show on Netflix had been filmed (JT and I just started watching it).

We entered the stadium, which is brand new this year. It was fun to see how excited (and confident) Bailey was. There was a sidewalk brick display, and she knew all the players - even one that died of a heart attack in 1938! Everton has been a football club since 1878. Apparently in Liverpool, you are for the red (Liverpool FC) or for the blue (Everton FC). One or the other, not both. David, our guide yesterday, said he was born into a mixed house, but ended up “going red” like his dad - his mom is blue. It was fun to see the comments etched into the blocks: “Born Blue,” “Bleed Blue,” “True Blue,” “Always a Blue,”  “Forever Blue,” “Born to be Blue,” etc.  We came to a mural comprised of photos and I was surprised to learn that Bailey had a photo up there too. She walked right to the area and said it was on that player’s chin, but she still had to find the picture of it on her phone before we could locate the little square on the guy’s chin! In the photo, she’s with another American Toffee fan at one of their festivals. She has built this community of fans and was communicating with a few of them this morning. One of them, Tony (TC), met us and brought her two flags from the stadium’s Opening Day earlier this year, and pins and toffee candies for all of us.

We entered the stadium and went up to the third deck to the “Village Street” area. Our tickets included one food item and unlimited drink. To get a seat, it appeared you had to get there at noon. We got our food and beers, but had to rest our beers on the trash cans while we ate. We tried to go into the stadium to sit in our seats, but learned there is a “no alcohol in the stands” policy - probably for good reason!

We got to our seats about 45 minutes before the game started, watched the warmup and the people. Fans of the opposing team are relegated to the seats in the corner of the stands, yet they seemed more vocal and organized with their songs and chants. We had been told we were forbidden from wearing opposing team colors in our seats, which I thought was odd (but I also think like the no-alcohol policy, is a rule based on years of having fights in the stands). The Everton fans seemed loudest only when they disagreed with a call from the referee! The stadium was filled to near capacity with 52,590 fans attending today.

The forecast had called for rain, but it didn’t rain.  However, it was a cool 52 degrees - especially out of the sun, in the stadium. We stayed bundled up most of the game. It took me a while to get into the rhythm of the game, but I liked it. Compared to our professional or college level sports, the game was fast paced and not interrupted with time outs or commercial breaks! The only time the game paused was when a played flopped to the ground and writhed in pain (even though we saw no injuries where the guy wasn’t able to get up and keep playing!). The clock does not even stop then - somehow, they keep track of that time and add it on at the end as “extra time.” Everton scored first at about 40 min into the game, and the crowd was happy. At 45 minutes, we reached halftime, but they added on 3 minutes of “extra time.” Bailey went down to the concourse during halftime, and I saw someone with a Toffee Donut, so I texted her and said “bring me back a donut and water,” and she brought back three donuts - it was so yummy, but afterwards it sat like a rock in my stomach!  Neither Bailey or JT were interested in donuts (smart).

Sunderland scored in the 58th minute. After the halftime break, they seemed much more fired up than Everton. They scored again in the 80th minute. We reached the end of the game, 90 minutes, and they added on another 6 “extra.” Sunderland scored a third goal at 91 minutes and about half of the Everton crowd left at that point. The Sunderland fans stayed and kept singing their songs and yelling their chants (which were indecipherable to us).

We stayed, as the team comes out and walks around the track with their families as a way to “thank” their fans. Their captain had just announced he was leaving after 17 years, so there was an extra big deal made over him and his family. It was fun to see the players with their kids - most of the kids were quite small and had to be carried as their parents walked the lap around the stadium. We headed out, with a stop at the team store. By then the crowd had thinned and we had an easy 2 mile walk back to our hotel. We vegged out for a bit, then headed to a nearby Italian restaurant for a quiet dinner. Back to the room, JT beat me in backgammon again. We shouldn’t be as tired as we are, but it was a great day with lots of fresh air, and that will take the energy from you!

Monday May 18, 2026

With no plans for the day, we declared it “Cathedral and Pub Day,” and set out on foot about 11am. Our first stop was the Metropolitan Cathedral, England’s Largest Catholic Church (I’ve noticed they’re big on superlatives here!!). It had been a protracted process to plan and fundraise for the construction. The Catholic Diocese of Liverpool was established in 1850, and the land was purchased in 1930. The foundation stone was laid in 1933, but the process was interrupted by WWII. They restarted in 1960, changing to a modern design, and the Cathedral finally opened on 14 May 1967. The design is so unique; the circular space seats 2300 people with a central sanctuary. We walked in and someone was practicing the organ, and the sound made our experience all the more spiritual. We sat and took in the striking ceiling and let the feeling soak in for a bit. We walked the parameter where there were smaller chapels and works of devotional art by contemporary artists. There were many embroidered hangings that were spectacular. The concrete buttresses were adorned with 14 Stations of the Cross. It was such a contrast to the old Catholic Churches we have visited around the world, and even in the states. How different to find such a modern expression of the Catholic religion in a city filled with such ancient history!

Hope Street starts at the Catholic Cathedral and ends at the Liverpool Cathedral - to me, religion and faith are brought to life via hope. We proceeded down Hope Street to our next destination, The Philharmonic Dining Rooms (Pub). Our guide from the other day, David, suggested we stop there. If you’ve seen the Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke, this is where they staged what looked like impromptu concert, but had actually been quite planned. It was a pub with all kinds of quiet and comfortable nooks. JT and I had tomato-basil soup, we split a loaded fries, and Bailey had fish and chips.

After lunch, we detoured off Hope Street and walked past St Luke’s Bombed Out Church. A former Anglican parish church, built between 1811 and 1832. The church was badly damaged by bombs during the Liverpool Blitz in 1941 and has been roofless ever since. It now stands as a memorial to those who died in the war and also is a venue for exhibitions and events. We could not get inside the gates as it was locked up today, but it’s interesting to see the trees growing in what was the sanctuary, and the raw brick of the inside of the building. In the courtyard, there is a Christmas truce sculpture known as “All Together Now,” depicting a British and German soldier commencing a football game on Christmas in 1914.

Next, we strolled through China Town which was very quiet - looks like most of the restaurants are open only for dinner. We walked back up the hill to tour Liverpool Cathedral, Britain’s Largest Cathedral and the 5th largest in the world (see what I mean?). This one also had a long drawn out construction period with the foundation stone laid in 1904. It was gradually built and expanded over the years and through the wars, changing design and architect through the decades. 1910 – The Lady Chapel (originally intended to be called the Morning Chapel), the first part of the building to be completed, was consecrated in 1910 by Chavasse in the presence of two Archbishops and 24 other Bishops 1924 – Cathedral Consecration 1934 – Vestey brothers donate £226,450 for the building of the Tower – Work commenced on the tower, using a 6th revision of the design.  1939 – The Second World War started and slowed down the construction of the Cathedral. The central section was complete by July 1941. No further major works were undertaken during the rest of the war. The bomb damage, particularly to the Lady Chapel, was not fully repaired until 1955.  Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visited in October 1978, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, there was a great service of thanksgiving to mark the completion of the Cathedral, “a triumphant proclamation of hope”. The inside of the Cathedral was not that spectacular - there are a lot of pretty stained-glass windows, but the detail was too small to appreciate from a distance. There was a nice gift shop and a cafe, which we found unusual, but both of these large cathedrals said they need £3.4-4M a year to maintain the buildings (!) so they do what they can to earn money.

We paid £8 each to go up into the tower, and that was a cool experience - the 360 degree view was awe-inspiring on such a perfect weather day! As we headed out, we saw a trail that led down to a “garden,” which looked like an excavated area around the church (I thought a moat at first) that contained ancient tombs build into the walls. There were many ancient tombstones and burial plots, where the writing was from the 1800s; we could barely make out the words and dates! I’ll just say, I didn’t feel the peace and serenity that I typically feel in a garden, it had a bit of a creep factor to me!

Back down Hope Street, we took a left on Rice Street and made our way to “Ye Cracke,” the pub where John Lennon liked to hang out with his artsy friends from the nearby art school. There was a plaque commemorating the “Undesirables,” who had been a group of 4 lads that “never performed there.” John and Stuart Sutcliffe, both musicians, an artist friend, and a writer friend (who inspired the song Paperback Writer). We had pints of Guinness and enjoyed thinking about the history of such an inviting neighborhood pub. There were several groups of older guys, popping for a pint and conversation, then going on their merry way.

We walked back to the hotel, arriving about 4:30pm. Jeff went up to the room to rest, while Bailey and I headed to Doctor Duncan’s for another pint, which was too much beer for me!! After that, we collected JT and walked to Mathew Street for a quick dinner - Scouce for JT and Bailey and a smash burger for me, but no more beer for today! JT and I walked back to the hotel to get packed and go to sleep, while Bailey walked to the dock to meet another Everton friend for a bit.

Tuesday May 19, 2026

Transition day. It all went very well, except for the pain of the 5am alarm. JT, Bailey and I were in a cab on our way to John Lennon Airport outside Liverpool by 5:45am, and onboard our Ryan Air flight by 7:30am, landing in Dublin about 8:45am. Ryan and Morgan flew from Madison to Detroit, and then to Dublin and landed shortly after we did. I had booked a bus transfer from the Dublin airport to Limerick, and all went well with that! Jeff and I started watching the Netflix series “House of Guinness” on our way to the UK, and we managed to watch another 5 episodes over the course of our travels today. It made the 2.5 hour bus ride go by so fast!!

We arrived in Limerick about 1:30pm and used my Uber app to book a ride to our B&B in Bunratty. I specifically stated 5 people with luggage, and a guy with a Prius showed up. I’d even messaged him that we were not going to fit into a Prius and he said, “we can try.” No, we could not. Jeff, Bailey and I and our 3 suitcases barely fit, so Ryan used his app and they booked a separate ride, arriving about 5 minutes after us. We had a “triple” room at the B&B, but we could not even get into the room with our three suitcases and shut the door, so I asked Delores if she had another room available. Unfortunately, two people on the trip had flight issues, but fortunately for us, Bailey got their room (complete with princess lights)! Having stayed at a B&B here three years ago, I expected tight quarters, but that would have been a real challenge!!

We were just here for one night, so we took a little time to get settled, and then Ryan and Morgan were interested in exploring so they didn’t crash and burn.  The 5 of us walked down to the shops at Bunratty where I bought a new hat, and JT bought a scarf and gloves, and Ryan bought a new rain jacket. We should be ready for anything now!

We walked over to the Creamery where the group would be meeting for dinner at 6pm. We sat at the bar and had pints of Guinness, except for Morgan who has not yet been converted to the dark side! Gradually, our tour-mates started coming and soon our heads were swimming with confusion and new names … it will take a while to get them sorted out.

We had a nice dinner and conversation with Debbie (Florida) and her friend Leslie (Iowa) - they are high school classmates of the guy who had flight issues. We also met Susan and Stan from Duluth. There was a duo playing at the pub, but Ryan and Morgan were so exhausted, and it was not yet dark, so the 5 of us paid up and walked back to the B&B. We heard as the others came back, and it sounded like a couple were in the lounge with a banjo and a guitar - nice background music for our backgammon match! They ended with a cover of Moor’s & McCumber’s “Leaving for Cobh in the Morning,” which then bounced around my head all night long!

Wednesday May 20, 2026

It was a great night’s sleep - so quiet! I set the alarm for 6am and got up for meditation and yoga. We headed to the breakfast room - so much food on the buffet and then they brought “Irish Breakfast” plates to us - fried eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, and several kinds of ham. We ate as much as we could, then went back to our room to finish packing and look for Jeff’s hearing aids (which were in his ears!). By 9am we were outside, waiting for the bus. We chatted with Sandra and Richard, a couple that splits their time between Santa Fe, Colorado and New Hampshire. They also met biking and like to hike, so we will have a lot of stories to trade!

At exactly 9:30am, our bright blue coach picked us up and we met our Guide: Elva Deegan and our Driver: Ray. The bus was quickly loaded, and we were on our way. Elva was very chatty and gave us her story about becoming a tour guide, a path that started as a chef, then a restaurant owner, then a banquet manager in a local castle. We headed southwards to County Cork.

Our first stop was in the beautiful town of Adare, a classic Irish village. The 2027 Ryder’s Cup will be here, so they are doing lots of work in preparation including building new roads and re-thatching some of the roofs on the cute little businesses on the main drag. We met James and Kort there in a gazebo in the park. They played their song “Sacred Ground” for us, and we had more formal introductions. Then we had about an hour to explore the town and grab a coffee if we were interested. Elva has a fun sense of humor, and she said before we get back on the bus for our 1.5 hour drive, we should all have a “Shakespearean Moment: To pee or not to pee!” As we were getting back on the bus, we met Jed and Kristi, the missing father and daughter duo from Iowa. They got into Shannon Airport this morning and a cab brought them to meet us, they were tired (having slept overnight at Newark airport and then on a plane the next night), but they didn’t miss much of the tour!

We drove through Ireland’s Dairy area - where the yummy Kerry butter comes from. Elva also talked about their high-quality cream and ice cream, especially the “99” which is a wafer cone with soft-serve ice cream with Cadbury chocolate sprinkles! We’re hoping it warms up enough that we want to eat ice cream!! We drove past Blarney and Blarney Castle, but didn’t stop. Elva said at the top is the “Blarney Stone,” and if you kiss it (usually after waiting in a two hour queue), you inherit the “gift of the gab,” a magical ability for great eloquence, flattery and persuasive speech! The history is the castle owners were supposed to be turning the property over to the British Empire, but they were always putting it off and coming up with some kind of excuse to do it later.

We stopped in Cork City, Ireland’s 2nd largest city. The area had been reclaimed from the sea, and previously, it had been a series of islands. St Patrick’s street is the main street. Given that he brought Catholicism to Ireland, every town has a St Patrick’s street! We had free time to see the city center area and a chance to visit the historic English Market and the Opera Lane shopping area. We popped into a small restaurant and each had a bowl of vegetable soup and soda bread to hold us over until dinner time. After that, I could not help but stop in the Starbucks we’d passed for a decaf latte. Cork Harbor is the second largest natural harbor in the world (after Sydney). Nearby is Cobh, a busy seaport, and the last stop for the Titanic on her last voyage.

Back on the bus, Elva gave us more condensed Irish history. The makeup of modern-day Ireland consists of 32 counties and 4 provinces. The counties go back to the days of kingdoms before the English took over and are now government bodies as well as sports divisions. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) revived traditional Gaelic sports. County Cork colors are red and white, and she said we will see a lot of athletic pride for the various counties as we travel through Ireland. The Gaelic sports are: Hurling, Gaelic football, handball, rounders and a women’s version of hurling called Camogie. Interestingly enough, they also have professional soccer teams and call it soccer like we do to differentiate it from Gaelic football. Rugby is also a big deal, and a new national song was crafted because they have members of the team from the Republic as well as Northern Ireland.

We continued on, napping, and reading, then had a quick stop in the town of Ballinascarthy which is well known for its connection to Henry Ford. We arrived in Skibbereen to our accommodation at the West Cork Hotel, where we checked in for three nights. Jeff, Bailey and I were delighted to have a large “family room” for the three of us to share. It is an old hotel with multiple levels and an odd configuration of stairs to get us to Room 200, but we’ll be happy here.

We got settled and relaxed, then changed to meet our other two in the downstairs bar before our group dinner at 6:30pm in the hotel restaurant. Dinner was really good, choice of chicken or shrimp salad, and choice of salmon or roast beef - both with lots and lots of potatoes! Dessert was a brownie with ice cream and tiramisu … I meant to just take a bite of each, but it was so good!!

After dinner, we retreated to the bar and staked out a table about 45 minutes before tonight’s musical entertainment. We passed the time with a game of Spicy Farkle, which we didn’t finish before the music started, but Morgan was clearly going to be the winner. The band was a local group called Rubicon. Some of our trip-mates were familiar with them already. They were amazing - led by a woman with a wonderful clear and moving voice (who also played the Irish flute), a man with a banjo and mandolin, a man on the guitar and one on the bass, and a drummer playing the bodhran. They played for two hours without a break, break and led us through dancing a reel. Their music and their harmonies were so moving. It was a late night, but so much fun and great kickoff to this tour!

Thursday May 21, 2026

I woke up about 7am, and did some yoga while JT showered. We headed to breakfast about 9am, Bailey joining us a bit later (R&M were just finishing by then). We gathered in the lobby at 10am and headed across the street to the Skibbereen Heritage Center to delve into some Irish history on a guided tour with an emphasis on the tragic 19th century. Skibbereen is synonymous with the Great Famine, and our tour was led by Terry, a passionate and animated guide for an hour long talk on the history that led up to and through the famine.

In 1845, the population of Ireland was over 8.5M people (6.4M today). In the 100 years leading up to 1845, the population had increased by 1M people. Of the 8.5M, 4.7M (more than half) were extremely poor and subsided on potatoes. An average man ate 14 pounds of potatoes each day. The great famine was not just a bad year of potatoes, it was multiple years of little to no crop. I had wondered before why they didn’t just grow something else, and Terry helped us see the big picture. In the long history of Ireland, they were forever rebelling against England. After the 1641 rebellion, all the land was granted to primarily English landlords and the poorest of the poor (the landless laborer) ended up in clumps along the Atlantic seaboard. The landless laborers lived in a tiny one room cabin, usually with about 20 people and a pig (if they were lucky). They grew and ate potatoes and fed the leftovers to the pig. At the end of the year, they sold the pig, bought a new piglet, and paid 40 shillings in annual rent to Tenant farmer, who paid 32 shillings to the middle man, who paid 3 shilling to landlord.

Although they were poor, they developed a rich culture - music and songs, dancing and making babies (thus the population explosion). In 1846 - 90% of the potato crops failed. While it was an international famine, and the potato crop failed in other parts of the world, the tenant system in Ireland made it devastating for the poorest of the poor. They had nothing even to pawn - only their potato pot and their clothes, and many did just that. Over a million people died of starvation or disease caused by such horrid living conditions.

The British officials like Charles Trevelyan thought they were lazy or indolent and used that stereotype to blame the Irish for their own starvation, which allowed the government to justify minimal financial aid and adhere to harsh laissez-faire economic policies. The Prime Minister started projects to create jobs - hard labor, road relief without proper tools.  Yet even for those that had work, wages weren’t paid. Exports continued due to politics, and food prices exploded. In 1847, almost 4000 vessels sailed out of Ireland for Britain carrying exported food, yet there was no food for the poor people in Ireland. Society broke down, diseases spread.

In Victorian England, charity was unheard of, but three men in Skibberean started a Soup Kitchen which opened here in 1847 and fed up to 8600 people every day. Press reports and letters finally brought financial aid to Ireland, yet Britain did little. The Quakers helped a lot, sending 118 ships from America with food and clothing. By 1847, death by starvation had mostly ended. In the end, 1-1.25M people died and another 2.1M people emigrated.

It was a sobering visit, but educational as well. Back onto the bus at noon, we drove to the outskirts of town and visited the Abbeystrewery cemetery, where there is a mass grave of what is thought to be 9000 local people who died during the famine. James and Kork brought their instruments and played their song “Leaving for Cobh in the Morning,” which is about men emigrating during the famine. It was a very deep and moving moment.

This was written on a series of plaques there:

A million a decade!  Of human wrecks

Corpses lying in fever sheds - Corpses huddled on foundering decks

And shroud-less dead on their rocky beds - Nerve and muscle.

And heart and brain - Lost to Ireland. Lost in vain.

Pause - and you can almost hear the sounds echo down the ages

The creak of the burial cart

The rattle of the hinged-coffin door

The sign of spade on the earth. Now and again. All day long.

1845-1850 To the nameless dead Victims of famine and fever

Who lie here in the abbey and in other cemeteries

And in wayside graves here in humiliation and sorrow,

Not unmixed with indignation. One is driven to exclaim: O God!

That bread should be so dear and human flesh so cheap.

After that, we drove for about 30 minutes, along a beautiful inlet, on a very narrow road. Often times, Ray had to stop and back up to let another car or van go past. We stopped in the village of Glandore on beautiful Glandore Bay for lunch at the Inn. Today was cool and overcast, sometimes even foggy. The area is known for fishing and watersports, and it would be a fun place to visit on a hot sunny day! There were cafes with outdoor seating, mooring bouys for boats and lots of beautiful properties overlooking the inlet. We had delicious lunch - JT and I split a burger and we each had a bowl of soup that came with the yummiest bread I’d ever had (I slathered two extra pieces in butter and ate them as a snack later)! Bailey had Fish and Chips, Ryan and Morgan split a salad and chicken wings. I tried a Murphy Stout beer - the local answer to Guinness. With my not so sophisticated palette, it didn’t taste much different to me, but Bailey said it did to her.

We were given an option for a 2-mile walk up the road to our next stop, a Stone Circle, so the 5 of us headed out while others were still eating. It was a gorgeous walk - so many blooming plants along the way. I stopped to take lots of photos, then I would walk fast to catch the group (as usual)! Later, on the bus, Elva said that the Fuchsia are just ending their bloom time and the Celtic word for it that translates to “Tears of God.” She said the white blooming trees are called “Fairy Trees.”

It was neat to arrive at Drombeg Stone circle before our bus or anyone else in our group. The mist was swirling around and obstructing what can be an awesome view we’re told, but it gave the place a very mystic feel. The air felt so clean and pure, and the mist made my skin feel so good - I tried to just soak up as much as I could! The stone circle was similar to one we’d visited in Ireland last time we were here. They are all over the UK actually, but no one really knows their origin story. Carbon dating shows it to be from 1100-800 BC; it has entrance stones and a flat stone that is aligned with sunset on winter solstice. There is no evidence of it being a burial ground, it is likely it was for rituals or sacrifices.

There was also a nearby ancient cooking place or “Fulacht Fiadh” which dates back to the Bronze Age. It is built around a natural spring. Water in the trough was heated by stones that were heated by the fire, then rolled into the water. Experiments conducted in 1957 showed that 70 gallons of water could be brought to boiling in 18 minutes using this technique! The water stayed hot for over three hours and they think it was used for cooking and bathing, and possibly for dyeing cloth and brewing too.

Back on the bus, we drove about 30 minutes (I napped) to the little village of Ballydehob, where we went to Levis’s Pub, built in 1911 as a tiny bar and general store. The former shelves of the store are now filled with eclectic “art.” The couple that owns the bar has had it for about 10 years, and they host 100 gigs a year there. James and Kort have a long history of playing there, and they played for us (and others) for about 90 minutes. It was great to hear old favorites, and also some new stuff. It is also very fun to be part of the banter between the two of them. They’re both so clever and appear to be having so much fun, which makes it fun for us too!

On the bus sometime today, Elva was talking about the time in history when the family property would only pass to the eldest son and the rest of the children were left to fend for themselves - it was a sign of honor in Ireland for the sons to become priests and the daughters to become nuns (unless they could be married off to someone who could support them). I cannot imagine living in those times!! We got back to our hotel about 7pm, and it was evening on our own. We freshened up, then walked a few blocks to “The Church” restaurant in Skibberean. It is in an old renovated Methodist Church, a really cool setting and great food and service. We were all a bit zoned out and headed back to our rooms afterwards. Bailey even went to sleep before me tonight!

Friday May 22, 2026

Lazy morning. We all slept until after 8am, then dressed and headed to breakfast. We met the group in the lobby at 10am for today’s adventure. Elva began her “history talk” on our drive this morning.

She began with the end of the Ice Age, when what is now Ireland was probably down under the sea near the equator. People probably came from Scotland and were hunter gatherers. Two thousand years later (3000 BC), Ireland became forested and was called the “New Stone Age,” and the people became farmers. They read the seasons, and this would have been the time the Stone Circles and Altars were built. Bronze Age: the people made tools, and lived in stone forts and communities. Celts appeared, alphabet established and symbols. 5th century - St Patrick brought Christianity. Before that Pagans and Druids. Used the shamrock as a symbol - 3 had a big significance (Father, Som and Holy Spirit; Faith, Hope and Love; Earth, Sea and Sky; Life, The Elements and the Interconnectedness of Life). Monasteries were where education came from - they were the teachers and historians. 800s – the Vikings came from Scandinavia, to rob the monasteries (although the Irish were robbing each other as well). Eventually they settled here, founding Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Dublin. 1100’s - English started coming into Ireland and gradually took over and claimed the land and built walls. 1500’s - King Henry VIII - started the religious divide as he wanted to divorce his first wife and the Pope said he could not do that under the Catholic Church. So, he founded the Church of England and decommissioned the monasteries (removed the roofs). 1700’s - series of laws to oppress Catholism. Huge divide between the rich and the poor.

As we learned yesterday, the poor were mostly dependent on potatoes. Many failed uprisings. The people worshiped in secret and met at the crossroads to dance and sing. Easter Uprising of 1916 - took over prominent buildings in Dublin. They raised the Irish flag and declared it a republic. The British started executing the leaders without trial. Sixteen were executed. The Irish people banned together and began to fight back in the first united manner. The British sent over the Black and Tan, who were brutal enforcers. Eventually a compromise was reached where England kept the northern six counties, which were the most prosperous. The result was a civil war which continued for many years. 1960’s - The Troubles / Bloody Sunday / IRA 1998 - Peace Treaty that stopped the fighting and opened the border. Divide is still religious and political. In Northern Ireland, there is a 50/50 split - Catholic area aligned with the Republic of Ireland, and Protestant are aligned with the UK. The Republic of Ireland has benefited greatly by being part of the EU. UK felt they were giving more than they were getting, thus “Brexit.”

It was a bumpy but scenic drive towards Mizen Head, Ireland's most southwesterly point. Today was still cloudy and moist, but the drive was gorgeous. After about 45 minutes, we stopped at an “Alter Stone,” a sacred place overlooking the sea. We continued driving down a mostly one-lane road to the Signal Station at the end of the road. It was fabulous scenery, but with very low cloud cover, we could not see much. We had two hours to explore the Mizen Head Signal Station & Visitor Centre and cross the iconic Mizen Footbridge. There were displays from when they used to man the lighthouse here (creepy mannequins!). There was also a display about the RMS Lusitania that was sunk by a German U-boat torpedo in 1915 just off the coast. It was an invigorating walk and climb that warmed us up, but mostly we had to look a photos in the visitor’s center to see what the view should have been like!!

From Mizen Head we drove into the classic fishing village of Crookhaven (known for the “Southernmost Pint in Ireland”  for lunch by the bay at O’Sullivan’s pub, a dog friendly establishment! The front door was open and dogs just came in and out. Bailey ordered a Guinness and was given a hard time by the bartender! He called her a heretic and said “you can get Guinness anywhere in the world! You are here in Cork where we have two better stouts, Murphy’s and Stag Stout.” He was sort of joking, but wasn’t.

Next, we were supposed to stop at the remote Barley Cove Beach for a lovely walk along the beach or even a dip in the ocean! I brought my swimsuit along and was prepared to take the plunge … but Elva said there should be a pontoon in place for us to be able to walk to the beach, and it wasn’t in place yet, so we scraped that stop - hopefully there will be another opportunity to jump in the Atlantic later in the trip!

Back to the hotel, JT went up to rest and Bailey and I walked through town looking for a place to buy a bottle of the local whiskey, which we found at the grocery store. Jeff, Bailey and I then spent some time watching the final Colbert show on YouTube, before meeting Ryan and Morgan to go to dinner, which was on our own.

After dinner, we drank our whiskey in our room and played some dice (21), until it was time to go down to tonight’s entertainment: a fiddle player named Dierdre Moynihan, brother Donncha Moynihan and and friend Clare O’Loreghlin. They played for us for about an hour, fantastic music (and one sing-along).

Back to the room for backgammon … Bailey was again sleeping before me tonight. All this fresh air must be wearing her out!!

Saturday May 23, 2026

Time for yoga and breakfast this morning, then we packed up and headed to the bus for our move on to County Kerry for three days and nights on the Dingle Peninsula, departing about 9:30am. The day was sunny, but still on the cool side, however it was fantastic the way the sun lit up the many shades of green in the countryside. I tried to take a few photos from the bus, but they just don’t do it justice! We drove about an hour through little villages and fields with many dairy cows and sheep. The road wasn’t the best but I was able to doze quite a bit anyway. We’ve been seeing blooming Rhododendron, and it is just gorgeous, but Elva said it is an invasive species here. Elva passed the time by trying to give us a lesson in speaking “Irish,” but I am struggling so much with Spanish, I didn’t even want to give it a try! It’s great that they’re retaining their cultural roots!

We passed by a beautiful lake, which must have had access to the ocean as there was a sign for boat trips with seal watching. Then we headed up into “the mountains.” There were many cyclists climbing up the mountain pass this morning. It was not clear if this was some kind of sanctioned event or a normal Saturday? With the blind curves, traffic and bumpy road – it did not look like a very fun ride!? Elva learned later that it is a big event, the “Ring of Beara” ride with over 4500 riders! You could tell that she was not a fan of cyclists on the road impeding traffic. She said they’re MAMIL’s (Middle Aged Men in Lycra)!

We went over the pass, and through two tunnels. On the way down, we pulled over at Molly Gallivan’s for our first stop of the day. Molly and her husband had 7 children before her husband died, and she sustained the family here off the farm. She supplemented her meager income by selling farm produce such as butter, eggs, and honey on the local market. Her renowned home baking and hand spun woolens were popular, but it was her illicit homemade “poitín” or whiskey, “Molly’s Mountain Dew” which she sold in her illegal pub that was the most profitable!

In the early 1840’s, a new mountain pass was built between Glengarriff and Kenmare, linking West Cork and South Kerry counties. The road, now known as Cana Pass, became a prominent tourist route as Killkenny was Ireland’s first tourist destination. Molly’s became a welcome stop-off along the way. The cottage and farm are now over 200 years old and are operated by a man named Stephen O’Sullivan (and his wife Frances) who is a great grandson, several times removed. He bought the place from an uncle, and you can tell it is a passion for him. It was hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction as he walked us through the farm and house and gave a demonstration of how the poitin was made. We met the black cow that is a Kerry Breed - the yummy Kerry Butter comes from this cow’s milk. They’re a special breed that thrives on poor land such as this (lots of rocks in the pastures). We also met a few donkey’s, a baby goat, a duck, some chickens and a large pig! Molly was a talented knitter, and sold her Aran sweaters and other handspun woolens. Today, several women from Kenmare still knit the sweaters. Each takes three miles of yarn and takes three weeks to knit! The patterns of the sweater tell a story and designate where they’re from. Stephen was a hysterical guide. It’s hard to tell how much what he was telling us was truthful, but he attributed many modern sayings to Irish Lore. For example, Wake - when they think someone is dead, they wait three days to see if they wake up; Dead ringer - someone who has passed out from drinking, they tie a bell to his toe, and if the bell rings, he isn’t dead; Gallivanting (gone to Gallivans); Hillbilly - Protestant followers of King William III (King Billy).

After much shopping at Molly’s, we were on our way about 1:30pm to the small village of Kenmare for our lunch stop. We soon learned this is where the bike ride ended, which made it extra crazy for a sunny Saturday afternoon! We were able to squeeze into a pub where we ordered food and drinks. We had previously compared Murphy’s Stout to Guinness and I didn’t think they tasted any different, but Bailey was sure that they did. She and I did a blindfolded taste test, and both picked out the Guinness which did taste like it had more substance while the Murphy’s tasted weaker or waterier. We will stick to Guinness from now on!

Back on the bus, we drove up and over another gap (pass) and into The Killarney National Park. We stopped at an overlook called Lady’s View. Killarney had established itself as a vacation spot in the Victorian era and the Queen’s attendants supposedly would walk up there to enjoy the view of the lakes. We drove through Killarney, which looked pretty crazy on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, with multiple weddings going on. It was definitely a higher end tourist place than what we’d previously seen - fancy golf courses and houses. There is a “Ring of Kerry” scenic drive, and we did a portion of it before turning off towards the Dingle Peninsula.

We had a brief stop at the beautiful Inch Beach - busy with swimmers and surfers, and lots of people on the expansive flat sandy beach. Apparently, it goes for three miles, and there is a similar spit of sand on the other side of the bay. From there, it was a short drive to the town of Dingle where we settled into the wonderful Skellig Hotel for the next three nights.

We had another group dinner, with really delicious food, and another private concert by some excellent Irish musicians: Eilish, Theresa, and Donogh Hennessy. Donogh played acoustic guitar and the two ladies sang beautiful harmonies, from Irish music to Paul Simon covers! The two ladies also played Irish Flute for a couple of tunes. Dona played a tune that was originally harp music - he said 400 years ago, poets and harpists were held in as high regard as Kings in Ireland (he also added there were a LOT of Kings in those days). Their songs and harmonies were an interesting contrast to the rousing Irish music we had heard from the previous two groups.

Sunday May 24, 2026

Up at 7 for yoga, our group breakfast was at 8am. The room in our hotel is on the small side, but the hotel is gorgeous and the views are out of this world! We drove the short hop into Dingle and got the layout of the town. Tomorrow we are on our own, so Elva was offering ideas for what we might do then (hiking, shopping, boat ride, cycling although she doesn’t recommend that). We have been blessed with another gorgeous sunny day. Elva issued a challenge to write a limerick to be read on the bus in the coming days. Here was her example:

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept all his cash in a bucket

 But his daughter named Nan

Ran away with a man

And the bucket of cash, she took it.

Challenge accepted (my best attempt):

We came from the states to hear the lads play

They never sounded better than they did today!

Their voices were sweet

They didn’t miss a beat

Oh Ireland! I wish we could stay!

Elva, our leader, was so much fun

She told us stories and brought the sun

We sang and we shopped

The fun never stopped

How lucky for us she isn’t a nun.

We drove about 15 minutes and picked up a local guide, Kevin, who spent the morning with us. He told us this area has the highest concentration of Irish speakers and explained the history of the loss of the language. As people emigrated out of Ireland, they’d write back and encourage people to learn English. Speaking Irish was thought of as lower class in those days, but it is now making a resurgence.

We met Kevin at the Reask Monastic Site, an early monastery, probably from the 6th century. He recited a beautiful poem for us in Irish, with translation to English. He summed it up as “Irish Buddhism.” Little is known about the pre-Christian time in Ireland as there was no written word (Irish was an oral language before then). The monks wrote down some of the Irish history. Scientists have theorized around the following areas: Goddesses Sun Worship / Seasons Otherworldly - understanding outside of self / Kingdom / leader of society / Rituals.

After exploring the ruins of the site, we continued on, stopping to look at a “Ring Fort,” which are plentiful all over Ireland. It is thought back in the “wolf days,” livestock were herded into the rings for protection at night. Myth says the rings were protected by fairies, Kevin says they are now protected by the government and they’ll see which works better!

Next, we stopped at Kilmalkedar (Kil= church, therefore church of Malkedar), a Medieval church (ruin) and graveyard. Kevin said this site probably would have started like the monastic ruins we visited earlier, but was then added to over the years. The church, from the 12th century, was missing its roof, but the walls and the carvings in the sandstone are amazing. The church is associated with St Brendan, but was probably founded by St Maolcethair who died in 636. In the courtyard is an Ogham Stone - with etchings that would tell a story from the 4-7th century. There are 300 of these stones in Ireland, 60 on Dingle peninsula alone!

Our next stop was at Gallarus Oratory, and we said goodbye to Kevin there. There we saw an amazing stone building that is about 1300 years old. It is “dry rubble masonry” and the roof is formed by the gradual rise of the side walls from the base upwards. The way the stones are placed makes it waterproof, even after hundreds of years of buffeting by Atlantic gales (hard to think of that on such a perfect day however)! Apparently, invading Vikings and Normans destroyed a lot of these structures, but this one was intact. We saw photos of similar small dwellings called “bee hives,” where the individual monks lives, but we didn’t see any actual bee hives structures today.

Elva told us people walk pilgrimages here; we will have to check it out. The “Way of the Saints,” leads from the beach at Ventry to the summit of Brandon Mountain, following in the footsteps of St Brendan the Navigator. Indeed, we did see about a dozen middle-aged people with small packs and hiking sticks, no doubt on a pilgrimage.

We continued along the Slea Head Drive, of which it is suggested to be driven clockwise. We drove along the shore with gorgeous views. We got to a point with sharp curves and met an oncoming car there - yikes! Gorgeous views with blue water, green grass and sheep all over the hills. There were signs for tourists saying “Hold a Baby Lamb” and advertising “Bee Hive” huts that the monks loved in over 1000 years ago - we did not stop at any of those places! This is one of the roads built during the “Famine Relief” scheme. There were spots where I was afraid to look over the edge and hoped that today was not the day that the cliff would collapse!

We had a 90-minute stop at the Blasket Centre.  The Blasket Islands are just off the coast here and we had a beautiful view of them today. The history of the Blasket Island is interesting. It is famous for its rugged landscapes, rich wildlife and deeply preserved Irish literary heritage. The island was evacuated in 1953 when life on the remote Atlantic outpost became unsustainable. We had lunch in the cafeteria there, and while there were films and exhibits inside the Centre, it was so gorgeous to be outside walking along the cliffs and taking in the amazing views of the countryside, so we opted to be outside.

Kort and James have friends that own O’Sullivans Courthouse Pub in Dingle, and the owners are going to retire this year. James said they always wanted to record a live album and they made a plan to do it there this afternoon - and we were invited to be the audience! Donogh Hennessy was the recording engineer and he and Theresa performed and recorded a few songs as well. One of my favorite aspects of the experience is that everyone had to be totally quiet while they played the music - no talking or people clapping to the wrong rhythm! We spent two hours there and M&M played all my favorite songs. Can’t wait for the record to come out!!

The 5 of us headed to Dingle Pub for a quick dinner, then stopped at the grocery store to buy another bottle of whiskey as our first one went so fast! We paid more (E50) to buy a bottle from the local distillery, and it’s really delectable. Back to the hotel, we took our whiskey and the glasses from our room and found a quiet spot to play several rounds of “Uno - No Mercy,” with JT being the double winner (however, he thought he wasn’t shown enough appreciation for his accomplishment).

Monday May 25, 2026

Memorial Day Lazy day - we all slept until 9am! We had a late breakfast and took a walk along the coastal path. It was 60 degrees when we headed out with no breeze - first time we’ve felt hot this whole trip, and it felt wonderful! JT and I spent about an hour in the gym, then we showered and hung out in the room for a bit. I finished up yesterday’s blog and it felt good to veg out after such busy days. There were lots of options for additional tours we could have booked, but this felt just right for us.

We headed into town for some shopping - it was crazy busy in town with tourists!! And, without the breeze, we were actually hot and people were getting sunburns!! We did some shopping - I found the stained glass piece with the local logo of three guys portaging a canoe, which will be great in the office window of our lake home. I also bought another scarf which I did not need but they are all so beautiful, and a few pieces of Dingle Crystal.

We met up with Ryan and Morgan and went searching for a seafood restaurant for dinner, but alas, no luck. We ended up in an Italian place, which had outside seating but no liquor license (but they gave us directions to the store around the corner where we bought two bottles of red wine and a couple of canned cocktails for Morgan). It was a delicious dinner and a nice quiet location away from the chaos of the city.

Just before 7pm, we crossed the street to St. James Church for a concert by Moors and McCumber joined by Donogh Hennessy on guitar and Eorn Durgnan on Uileann Pipes (Irish bagpipes) and Low Whistle (flute). Donogh and Eorn played together about 30 minutes, then M&M played for about an hour - they all joined in for the last song, “Leaving for Cobh,” which is a M&M original, but apparently a lot of their Irish musician friends are playing it as well these days! It was an incredible concert - so much talent, and their passion for performing just draws me in like nothing else. We walked back to the hotel - it was nearly 10pm and it was still light - that is how far north we are! JT and I played a little backgammon and we got organized to leave again in the morning - heading to County Clare next.

Tuesday May 26, 2026

We slept with the windows open and the birds started singing at 5am. A little after six, I got up to do some yoga, and then breakfast at 8am. Just before 9:30am, we were all on the bus on our way out of Dingle for three days and nights in County Clare. We drove through beautiful countryside scenery, and Elva made a playlist with some input from us - world famous Irish artists such as Van Morrison, U2 and Sinead O’Conner. She also included some Johnny Cash and John Prine who married an Irish woman (Fiona) and they had a home in the town where Elva is from. She said one night JP was in a pub and joined in a session. The bar became very crowded. She said an American couple was wondering about the fuss over “some old guy playing John Prine songs!”

We made a quick stop in Tralee, which they say is well known for the Rose of Tralee International Festival. Not exactly a beauty pageant, but it has world-wide participation and one young lady is crowned “Rose” for the year … maybe it’s similar to Wisconsin’s “Alice in Dairyland?” We walked through the Rose Park, but the roses are just beginning to bloom. It was great to get out and get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine on this day of travel.

We drove back into the agricultural area with lots of dairy cows. Our progress was impeded a bit by the number of tractors out on the road. Elva said with the sunshine, every tractor in the country was out cutting silage today! We crossed the famous River Shannon on the Shannon Ferry - about a 20-minute boat ride, otherwise it would have been two extra hours of driving!

We stopped for lunch in Kilkee, a seaside town along the way. Jeff, Bailey and I opted for a picnic lunch at the beach. We bought pita bread, ham and cheese, pringles, cookies and drinks from the grocery store and found a picnic table overlooking the very active beach. It seems the record heatwave today and tomorrow in Ireland drove everyone to the sea! I could not believe how many people were actually swimming as the water was still so cold. We finished our lunch and walked the beach from end to end - about a half mile long by my estimate. While wading in the water, I heard some kids talking about Jelly Fish, and as I looked close, there were spots where many of them were washed up onto shore - including a few that looked like they had a pink flower on the inside - absolutely gorgeous.

We arrived in Ennistymon and checked into our hotel, the Falls Hotel. We stayed here in 2023, so from now on, things will be mostly familiar to Jeff and me. We were anxious to get back to Eugene’s Bar, where we had such a fun time interacting with Eugene on our last trip. We got settled into our rooms, which were hot - it had climbed to above 85 degrees with no breeze, and no AC in the rooms.

We met R&M and began the short walk into town - heading to Byrne’s for dinner. For the second night in a row, we dined outside - the deck at Byrne’s was uncomfortably warm, but we suffered through and had a nice meal. Then we headed down the street to Eugene’s. M&M are going to perform for us there tomorrow night, and we did not think it was large enough inside to hold us all. However, we did discover there is a back room, but the whole place is quite narrow - it will be an awesome place for the show nonetheless! Eugene’s was even cuter than I remembered with all the beautiful scenes in stained glass, and Eugene was fun to interact with again. I had to go back to my photo from September 2023 in order to find the exact location of where Eugene tacked up our business card, and then I didn’t see it until Morgan looked close and found someone had slipped a card in above ours and partly occluded it. We learned Eugene is putting the place up for auction next week, and entering his second retirement. Good timing that we got here for another visit!

We walked back up to the hotel where local musician, Lukka Bloom, was performing a private concert for us at the hotel. We’d seen him here three years ago too and enjoy his music. It is less Irish “Fun” music, more folk and ballads, but he had a few poignant tunes that really resonated with me. The room was uncomfortably hot however, and I thought Luka was being a bit dramatic requesting we shut the windows because the voices outside were distracting him, and about 45 minutes into the show, James discovered a wall AC unit and turned it on, which brought us some relief, but Luka requested it be turned off as the change in the humidity was messing with his guitar tuning (for the record, Bailey thinks I’m being a bit harsh in my judgement). By then it was after 10pm, back to our room where the open window was bringing in some relief and we think we will sleep fine tonight!

Wednesday May 27, 2026

I was awake at 6am, but I used the time to finish my book. I woke Jeff up about 7am and we went to the gym for 30 minutes while Bailey got ready. Then we headed to another buffet breakfast - getting tired of those! By 9:45am, we were on the bus actually waiting for some stragglers for the first time - it is a very punctual group! Many of the things on our agenda today we experienced when we were here in September 2023. On that tour, we started in Bunratty, then went to Sligo and Gallawy before ending up here in Ennistymon at the Falls Hotel!

 As we drove through the beauty countryside, Elva told us about Sir Cornelius O’Brien, the local wealthy landowner that owned all this land in the mid 1800’s. He developed the land around the Cliffs of Moher as a vacation spot for wealthy Victorian tourists. He built O’Brien’s Tower as a viewing point on the cliffs as well as pathways and stables. It is hard to reconcile that kind of wealth with the famine going on at the same time!! He also built a harbor in Liscannor where flagstones from the cliffs were exported. Before the event of concrete, these flagstones were highly prized for their ability to break naturally into thin sheets, which were easily quarried by hand. The highly textured surface patterns were formed by the fossil tracks of marine animals that lived during the Carboniferous period. Up to 500 local men were once employed in the business, and the stones were used to pave English streets and adorn building such as the Royal Mint in London and St George’s Hall in Liverpool, as well as the front steps and patio of our hotel!

Our first visit today was a stop at St Brigid’s Well. M&M have written as instrumental tune inspired by their visits here, and they sat on the wall and played it for us today while we walked around and took in the spiritual site. There is a lot of belief in Ireland about wells having mystic and healing powers. There are two “Pattern Days,” on February 1st and August 14th where people do rituals and leave their worries at the site. Cornelius owned this area as well, and he built a monument to himself that he could see from his estate across the countryside. He is also buried in the graveyard behind the well, in a grave that is overgrown with vines right now … apparently he did not leave behind anyone interested in caring for his legacy after his death?!

Next, we visited the Cliffs of Moher, as a place where came last time as well. We had about 90-minutes to explore, and headed up the hills, but somehow Bailey and I became separated from JT, so we spent about 30 minutes looking for him. I was using my phone to track him, but we got thrown off by the technology as he was hiking further along the cliffs, and Apple gave us his location as the visitor center that is built INTO the hill! All is well that ends well. We enjoyed the visitor center, a break from what became another very warm and sunny day!

Back on the bus, we drove to nearby Lahinch for lunch. The five of us went into the Elva recommended restaurant and had a great lunch there - I had yummy goat cheese salad, Bailey had - wait for it - fish and chips and Guinness! We egged Bailey into trying the “Split the G” challenge - where you drink a freshly poured pint and try to stop your first chug at the point where the beer is midway through the Guinness logo on the glass. She failed, but that’s an okay thing. Not good to be the winner of a drinking game especially at lunchtime!

After lunch, we had about 10 minutes to get an ice cream cone at Spooner’s and take in the sites at the beach. When we were here in 2023, it was evening and we took one of my all-time favorite selfies at the beach and the tide was out. Today, the tide was in and there was NO BEACH - or no sand, I should say! However, there were hundreds of teenagers and young adults sunbathing on the slabs of rock that were likely put there for erosion control. It was quite a scene!!

We drove back to the hotel, with an option to get out, or stay in for a tour of the Burren region of County Clare. The Burren is a unique limestone karst landscape with plenty of history encapsulated in ancient tombs, stone forts, old churches and graveyards. We made a few stops, one at the ancient Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, which Elva said is one of Ireland’s most iconic archaeological monuments. Then Ray drove us up the “corkscrew pass” and we stopped at the top and took in the unique limestone from a distance, which created an amazing view all the way to the sea.

We returned to the hotel and we decided to eat in the hotel bar tonight. We met there about 6pm, and it was warm and stuffy in there. I asked the bartender if we could eat at the tables outside and he said yes. We ordered the food and grabbed drinks and headed out. In the distance, we had been hearing rolling thunder and it was quite breezy. We decided not to risk trying to have a picnic in the storm, so we found a table inside off the lobby where it was much cooler than it was in the bar, and they brought us our dinner there. After dinner, we played a round of Spicy Farkle with Bailey being the winner. It did rain pretty hard, just after we had received our food.

It seemed to be between storms, so we headed to town as the lads were going to perform at Eugene’s tonight. I didn’t grab my umbrella or a rain jacket, so of course, the rain came again when we were about halfway there. I tried to hold my scarf over my head as I ran, which kind of worked. We were the only ones in the bar for our first 15 minutes, and we were glad to have the time to visit a little more with Eugene.

Connie and Al came in with their guitar and banjo, and they played 4 tunes to “open” for Moors and McCumber. We had commandeered the back booth, which was a great place to hear the music, but kind of awkward to watch the musicians. It was too claustrophobic for R&M, so they stayed mid-bar, but said the people in the front talking drowned out the music … not a pub for musical entertainment, but we were glad to have one last chance to experience it before it goes up for auction in a few weeks. R&M had left early; JT and I said goodbye to Eugene and left after the music ended. Bailey stayed until closing time and had a fun time and said the lads ended up playing more tunes after we’d left.

Thursday May 28, 2026 (S and J 21st Anniversary)

Usual morning routine - yoga and trying to not eat too much from the breakfast buffet. Today is our last full day together, and we were rolling by 9:15am. It was overcast and in the 60’s again, a welcome break from the heat of the last two days (never thought I would be saying that)! We drove to the Doolin pier and caught the 10am ferry ride over to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands, about a 45-minute boat ride.

Elva suggested we check out “Father Ted,” a sitcom based on this island. The island is quite small, and we had options for the couple of hours we had on the island: hire a horse-pulled wagon, rent bikes, or walk around the island. Morgan and Ryan ducked into a coffee shop and they were going to walk the beach and hang out. JT, BEA and I headed out on foot using a map from the bike rental company brochure to try and navigate! We climbed to the castle ruins which were fascinating. There was a group of young boys that had cycled up there and they were captivated with the dark chamber of the castle. Almost like they were afraid, but trying to be brave in front of each other!

The view from up there was beautiful, even in the low clouds and slight drizzle. The island is broken up into small plots, each with a stone fence. Perhaps they originally held sheep? Most were just small pastures now, a few with cows. We wandered a few different roads, past their modern church and past a 14th century church ruin. The houses were quite simple, some with gardens (looked like they were growing potatoes). We entered “town” from a different direction and found the pub there. We had pints of Guinness, I had soup and JT and B had salad and sandwiches. Before long, most of our group showed up, including R&M. As usual, Ryan had a pocket of sea glass he found on the beach!

After lunch, we walked along the shore and to the beach. They are extending the pier by another 90m, and it was enthralling to watch that construction process. The sun had come out while we were having lunch, and it warmed up enough that I removed a layer. We got good seats on the boat for our return trip. Seas were calm, but the ride was cool and I put my Gore-Tex back on. Jeff added his new gloves and scarf!

It was a great day for a boat ride. The cliffs span about 5 miles, and the view is so different from the sea. On the return trip, we dropped a few passengers off at Doolin, and then went back out to get a different view of the Cliffs of Moher from the sea. It would be great to be on a zodiac and get closer to the sea caves and be able to watch the hundreds of birds swirling around. Some people claimed they saw puffins, which nest on the cliffs at this time of the year, but with the naked eye it was tough to know what kind of birds we were seeing. It was a bit claustrophobic with people jostling to get a perfect shot with their phones. The sky had clouded up again, but last time we tried to do this I think it was pouring rain … so at least we didn’t have that!

Elva led us through a quiz on our drive back to the hotel - Team Ray behind the driver vs Team Elva behind her. She did not really keep score, and called it a draw, but it was a fun way recap to our tour and realize how much we’ve learned about Ireland. She really was the best guide for this trip - very quick wit and so knowledgeable about history, culture and the natural world. How lucky we were to have her as our leader!

We returned to the hotel about 4:30pm and had a few hours of downtime before our last group dinner together at the hotel. Most people met in the bar about 6pm. For me, it was hard to believe the trip was over already as the days flew by so fast.

We had a nice dinner, James and Kort sat across from R&M, Susan and Stan sat down by my end and it was so fun to learn more about them. Jed sat across from me and next to Jeff. We had a funny moment as earlier in the day, Susan was wondering when would be the next time we’d see M&M perform. She’d looked at their schedule on the website and asked me if I knew where Gleason WI was, and I said “that’s my friend Bills house.” Jed said, “Bill Zorr?” and I laughed at the small world - apparently Bill and Jed had already connected through the M&M network! We’re making plans to meet there again in August.

After dinner, we went back up to the room off the front entrance for our closing circle - sharing our thoughts on the tour, many hugs, and possibly a few tears. I always choke in those situations and can’t seem to find the words to articulate and express my thoughts about the trip (I should write it out in advance). I feel I learned so much more about Irish history and culture on this trip, and it was so fun to share it with Bailey, Ryan and Morgan. What a privilege it is for us to travel like this and see how wonderful most people in the world are and how interconnected we all really are.

Friday May 29, 2026

Up at 7 to get ready and finish packing. We had our last breakfast and, while some of the group had already left very early this morning, there were quite a few that we saw again at breakfast. Feels a little odd after saying our good-byes last night … what else is there to say?!

I had booked a private ride through an app I discovered called Mozio, and our driver, Priscila picked us up right at 9am as scheduled. Having never used the app before, I was a little nervous, but it worked out perfectly. It cost about $600, a bit pricey, but it was the quickest and easiest way to transport the 5 of us plus luggage to Dublin and maximize the time we had there today.

The remaining passengers from our tour were getting on the Blue Bus also at 9am, so more good-byes, and then we followed the bus for about 30 minutes along the windy roads and through the villages. It made us appreciate Ray’s great driving even more, seeing from behind that the lane is so narrow that one of the buses tires is on the left line and the other is on the center line. That does not account for the width of the mirrors! We followed the bus to Ennis, and when we got on the Irish version of the autobahn, Priscila pulled around them and we left them in the dust - Dublin bound. Ray was taking the others to the airport in Shannon - most flying out today, some others making their way to Dublin via bus, taxi and train.

Priscila dropped us off at our Dublin hotel around noon. Our room wasn’t ready so we checked our bags with the front desk and used their lockers to store our backpacks and valuables. Then we headed out in search of lunch, which we found in the dining room of the Arlington Hotel with a view of the busy street out front, although watching the two technicians troubleshoot the security camera proved to be the most entertaining.

After lunch, we walked along the River Liffey about a kilometer, before heading back into town to the Jameson Bow Street Experience. We were a little early, so I ducked into a linen shop and bought a table runner embroidered with pine trees for our lake home, and Morgan hit a souvenir shop for a few more gifts for her kids. We checked into the Jameson tour and had a complementary cocktail, all choosing the Jameson with Ginger Ale and Lime - refreshing on what was again a very warm day!

Jeff and I had done the tour before, but I still found it interesting. Our guide, Jack, was very animated … he must be studying acting! After the tour, we tasted 3 whiskeys’: Original, Black Barrel (my favorite) and Distillery Edition (most aged). On top of that, we’d paid for the “Cask Draw,” so we also tasted some of their whiskey that is brought back to the small room at Bow Street to age (the other millions of barrels age out at County Cork). The whiskey we tasted has aged about 17 years and was at cask strength - about 60% - wowza!

Even though we hadn’t done much today, we were all feeling pretty exhausted by that point in our day. We walked the mile back to the hotel, through a busy shopping district which was just crazy on a hot Friday evening. We got the keys to our room and removed our luggage from storage, then said goodbye to R&M. They are flying out tomorrow, so they took a taxi to their hotel near the airport, while the three of us will stay in town for two nights.

We got settled into our room, cranked the AC just because we could, and rested up for a bit. Dublin is a bit overwhelming after the serenity of the Irish countryside … last time we did this trip in reverse!

About 6:30pm, we headed back out. We walked across the river and through Trinity College, then through the Grafton Street shopping area that was alive with buskers and young people dressed up for an evening out.

Jeff and I had stayed in this area in 2023, so I was familiar with it and knew it had a lot of restaurants. We browsed a lot of options - overwhelmed by the choices!! We walked by two pubs and each had about a hundred loud patrons on the outside, some sitting on the curb, all having some “craic” after work on a gorgeous Friday night. We came upon a restaurant called Bailey’s and knew we had to eat there … not only that, Bailey and I had to buy hats! B had Fish and Chips (not the greatest she said and you know if you’ve been following, she’s a connoisseur by now!), JT had Beef Pie and I had a delicious goat cheese and beet salad. None of us had room for the Bailey’s Cheesecake, or even ice cream on our walk back to the hotel. Quiet evening, JT won as backgammon after 5 consecutive match losses and we all were sleeping around 10pm.

Saturday May 30, 2026

We were awake around 7am. I did some in-room yoga, then we went out for breakfast. We decided to forgo the buffet at the hotel and walked around the corner to Starbucks. They did not have any breakfast sandwiches, so we brought our Starbucks drinks next door to McDonalds where we bought Egg McMuffins. After breakfast, we walked along the River Liffey towards the Irish Emigration Museum. The morning was cooler, with a chance of rain today, but there were a lot of runners and walkers out this morning. We stopped along the way to watch some crew boats with teams of 4 … they looked a bit unorganized, but now that we know rowing form / technique from our Peloton Rower, we have more interest in watching rowing!

We spent two hours browsing the Emigration Museum, and that was at a pretty good pace. Even though I’d been there before, I found it so interesting. That Ireland has had such unrest and conflict even in my lifetime, is mind boggling to me. The museum walks through the history, but it also points out how emigration has brought Irish culture and traditions all over the world: music and dancing, innovation, whiskey, storytelling, innovation, political leaders in other countries (JFK is a major hero still), etc.

As I said yesterday, being in Dublin after being in rural Ireland was a major culture shock! Besides the busyness, it had such an international vibe. Our taxi driver on Friday was Spanish, and there were many other nationalities represented in businesses we visited and just people we saw on the street. Immigrants to Ireland now represent 23% of the population, and those reside primarily in Dublin. However, Elva told us about one small town in County Clare that took in many Ukrainian refugees, to the point where it has nearly destroyed the town. There were four hotels in town, and they are full of refugees, so tourism died in the town, as has a large folk festival that went on for centuries. Without tourism, there are few jobs for the refugees, so it is a bit of a downward spiral.

Anyway, after the museum, we walked towards the Guinness Storehouse, stopping at a pub for lunch along the way. We drank a lot of water for lunch, hydrating before we started drinking Guinness. JT and I had been to the Guinness tour too, but I found it enjoyable again. It is a self-guided tour, and Bailey found it to be a bit lacking in substance. On the fifth floor, we did the extra event where they take your photo and paint it onto the surface of a Guinness pint. On the sixth floor, we tasted Guinness 0.0, their non-alcoholic offering, which to me was a lot sweeter than regular Guinness and I did not care for it. We ended up on their rooftop and had another round of pints. I noticed a table with two families with bored kids that appeared to be nearing the end of their drinks, so I hovered and scored a nice table with 360-degree views of the city. After a stop in the shop (dangerous after 2+ pints), we left there just after 5pm.

We stopped at “Arthur’s Pub,” named after Arthur Guinness and had our last great pub meal: fish and chips for B, beef pie for me and sea food pie for JT, with another rounds of Guinness!! From there, we walked back to the hotel for backgammon, final packing and early to bed. We ended up with a heavy shopping bag that we’ll be carrying on the plane containing Dingle crystal, a Guinness sweater, a candle holder and two jigsaw puzzles!

Sunday May 31, 2026

Easy travel day.  We flew Delta directly to Detroit, where we had four hours to walk and hang out in the Sky Club.  The Delta airport is one of 12 in the world that have a US Customs in the airport, so we “cleared customs” before we left Ireland.  In Detroit, we just got off the plane at the gate as if we had just arrived from anywhere in the US.  We arrived back in Madison about 5pm, and Bailey’s dad picked her up while Ryan picked up JT and me.  The jetlag is so much less for me when we travel back from Europe.  We got home, did laundry, browsed the mail and got back into real life, happy to be there!

As I said earlier, we realize it is a privilege to be able to travel like this, and to share it with our kids was really special.  We are eternally grateful for this life we are living!