The Emerald Isle: or, What I did on my vacation, part 2

 by Mary Jo

At the end of August, the Mayhem Consultant and I sailed from New York to Southampton on the Queen Mary 2 purely to enjoy the leisure and romance of a transatlantic crossing.  But once we reached England, we certainly weren’t going to waste being in Europe! 

We’d vaguely planned to go to Ireland some day.  I’d spent a week there many, many years ago when I was living in England, and the MC had never visited Ireland at all.  Clearly, it was time. <G> 

Neither the MC nor I have any known Irish blood, but no matter.  We loved Ireland for its beauty, wonderful friendly people, and deep sense of history. Rather than ramble on indefinitely, here’s a few bits and pieces, with a modest selection of pictures.  (Ireland is a very photogenic country!):

Travel the easy way:

We decided to try something new: instead of hiring a car ourselves, we’d hire a car with a driver/guide to take us around.  No stress, and a driver who not only knew the fun, off the beaten track places, but could tell us the history.  We worked through an agency recommended by a friend of a friend, and Ireland Chauffeur Travel turned out to be a good pick.  We worked out an itinerary, rooms were booked, and it worked as smoothly as silk. 

We were particularly lucky with our guide, John Daly. Besides being capable, welcoming, and knowledgeable, he’s a certified tour guide with a special expertise in Irish history.  Hog heaven for a historical novelist! 

Because my next book, Sometimes a Rogue, has a section in Ireland, I was particularly keen to see the southeast and Kinsale in particular.  Good choice.  Kinsale is a lovely little town with a small harbor perfect for my needs, lots of good B&Bs and restaurants, and a totally cool fort on the edge of town.  The MC also had a special request: as a native Baltimorean, he wanted to visit the original Irish town of Baltimore.  We did.  It was small. <G> (Above is an image of St. Bridget's Well, an ancient holy well turned Christian.  But it's not near Baltimore.)

Bed &Breakfast:

Most nights we stayed in B&Bs, which I love for their friendliness and quirky individuality, not to mention the great breakfasts.  The people of the British Isles really  know how to do a proper breakfast, which generally includes fruit, cereal, eggs, several kinds of pig meat, and such accessories at grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, marmalade, maybe fried bread or even baked beans.  There are regional variations among the breakfasts, but eggs, meat, and toast are pretty universal.  Even Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, has its Ulster Fry. 

No guest has to eat more than they want, of course, but for sure no one leaves hungry.  The Irish variation often includes black and white pudding—a form of blood pudding.  I tried it the first morning in the spirit of experimentation, but didn’t get very far.  One B&B owner said they no longer offered it for breakfast because only the Irish would eat it. <g>

But one thing we were served everywhere in Ireland and loved was the marvelous Irish brown soda bread.  It’s crumbly and tasty and goes well with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any other time you’re in the mood.  I have become one of the many Americans who would love to be able to duplicate it at home, but my research indicates that Irish whole meal flour is needed, and it’s a low gluten kind of “soft” flour that grows naturally in Ireland.  Good natural buttermilk is needed, too, not anything heavily processed.  I am on the hunt for the proper ingredients.  I am in danger of becoming obsessive. <G>

Irish Food:

The British Isles in general have had an unenviable reputation for the quality of the food, but that has changed a lot in recent years. Ireland is a great country for produce and dairy, and restaurants have taken enthusiastically to locavore cooking.  Most of the places where we ate were willing to give you the name of the chicken who laid your breakfast egg. (I exaggerate only slightly. <g>)  Lots of fresh fish and lovely little salads and potatoes.  (I may not be Irish, but I do love potatoes.) 

Memories in Stone:

In choosing pictures for this blog, I tried to avoid choosing too many images of rocky things.  It was hard because Ireland has so many old castles, churches, forts, famine houses, and more.  Not to mention the natural rock. 

We skipped the beautiful Ring of Kerry, a famous scenic drive, which meant many coaches on the same road.  Instead, we opted for the quieter Dingle Peninsula, which has been inhabited since the Iron Age.  John Daly pointed out “famine houses:” tiny stone houses that held too many people who had to survive on too little land.  We also visited a small but very intact Iron Age fort.  (Above)

The famous Cliffs of Moher (pronounced “More”) tower up to 700 feet in the air and are a grand sight.  We visited them by boat on a sunny afternoon, which was great fun, since the boat had occasional impulses to imitate a bucking bronco.  <g>  But more impressive was seeing them the next day from above in the haunting mists. 

“You must stay in a Castle!”

It was our Wench Anne Gracie who said that if we were to visit Ireland, we must spend a night in a castle.  Ever agreeable, I told the agency to find us one, and they booked us into the magnificent Ashford Castle.  It turned out to be a historical romance fan's dream.  <g>

The oldest part is Norman and dates back to the 13th century.  The condition was bad in the 19th century when the Guinness brewing family bought it and spend a million pounds restoring and adding to the castle.  (And that was when a million pounds really MEANT something!)

Now it’s owned by an American group that operates it as a luxury hotel, and it was fabulous.  By luck, we were upgraded to a suite that was remarkably like what one of my Regency heroines might live in, only with electricity. Most of the guests were average Americans like us who were enjoying the fantasy of living like lords and ladies.  I want to go back and do one of their falconry sessions.

Goodbye to all that

One of my favorite sites was these high crosses.  Ancient monuments to faith, the rich carving can include bible tales, and even carved cats. 

When John Daly left us at a Dublin airport hotel so we could fly home the next day, a rainbow appeared as we were going in.  Does that look like a good omen for returning to Ireland?  I’m taking it as such!

Have you been to Ireland?  Would you like to go?  Inspired by Scotland's "Homecoming" celebration, which invited people from around the world with Scottish blood to return, in 2013 Ireland is hosting "The Gathering," an open invitation for members of the world wide Irish diaspora to return (and spend money.) It's a good excuse for a visit! 

In the meantime—does anyone know how to make great Irish brown soda bread on this side of the Atlantic? 

Mary Jo's "you will return" rainbow

Comments

[HJ]

I love Ireland, too. I first went there about 15 years ago, and crossed into it near Enniskillen (having flown to Belfast, hired a car, and driven around Northern Ireland). It was like returning to an England of 20 plus years earlier - the roads were immediately narrower, quieter and even more bendy!

We had few set plans so just followed our noses and the the brown signs indicating interesting places. We became hooked on the prehistoric monuments we kept finding. But best of all, even over the wonderful scenery, were the people - so friendly and helpful everywhere we went.

[Cynthia Owens]

Thank you for taking me back to my heart's home for a few brief moments, Mary Jo! Your photos were gorgeous, particularly the rainbow. I lost count of all the rainbows I saw in Ireland 3 years ago. We rented a cottage for a week, and spent a few nights in B & Bs. The B & Bs were the best - wonderful hostesses, and GREAT breakfasts! At the B & B in Dublin, our hostess gave us suggestions for what to see in the city, how to get there, and where to have dinner, and wished us "God bless" every night. The castles were magical, particularly Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, Galway, which appears on the cover of my first novel - it was an amazing experience to visit the place where my characters might have lived. As you might guess, I can't wait to go back! I started planning my next visit about a day after I arrived home. Now I just have to get the budget to cooperate! And I'm REALLY looking forward to reading Sometimes A Rogue! :)

[Mary Jo Putney]

HJ--

You're so right about everything--the friendly people, the wonderful scenery, the prehistoric monuments--and the narrow, bendy roads. Not only narrow, but NO SHOULDERS in many cases! I was very glad someone else was driving.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cynthia--

Your instant reaction to Ireland was like mine to Scotland--it felt RIGHT. For me, Ireland comes very close to Scotland in the way it resonates.

Oddly, we saw only the one rainbow since we had generally lovely weather. People were explosing their pale Celtic skin to the sun all over the place. *G*

My characters don't experience Ireland as much as yours, of course--but it was fun imagining them riding hell for leather down the steep, narrow streets of Kinsale as they try to escape the bad guys!

[CateS]

You are in luck... there's tons of Brown Soda Bread receipes out there!! I love your photos....

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cate S--

I've found plenty of recipes, but I'm concerneed about finding the right ingredients. King Arthur, which does a lot of speciality flours, has one called Irish Whole Meal and I'm hoping that will be the proper low gluten variety. I'm currently weighing whether to use the lightly pasteurized buttermilk from a health food store, or go for King Arthur's butter milk powder. Decisions, decisions! I may paralyze myself before I start. *g*

[Donna]

Stunning pictures, Mary Jo! Thank you so much for sharing your vacation with those of us who cannot get there.

Following is a link to James Beard's Irish Soda Bread recipe with comments and instruction by Mark Bittman. In my opinion, there was no better bread baker than James Beard!

http://markbittman.com/irish-soda-bread

[Diane Sallans]

I've been to Ireland twice but it was many, many years ago - both times around the south. But my goal is to get to the north where my father was born (in Belfast). His family came to the US in 1920 when Dad was about 3. I don't think there is any family left there, unless rather distant cousins, but the daughter of a family friend reached out to me last year so I'll have someone local to visit with.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Donna,

thanks so much for the link to the James Beard soda bread recipe. I like the look of it--it seems to have the simplicity of what we ate in Ireland.

[Susan/DC]

I'm not of Irish descent, but I lived for a number of years in Boston, which has been home to many Irish Americans for a long time. I used to wonder why, even several generations removed from the home country, they were still so nostalgic about Ireland. But after my family visited a few years ago, I immediately understood. It is so gorgeous and green, the people are so friendly, and the whole country is so full of music and history and stories. It also made me understand even more the tragedies of the famine and the troubles, because it must have taken very powerful forces to get people to leave this beautiful land.

As for stones, visit the Burren -- it's a fairly surreal landscape, and I can easily imagine a hero (and maybe a heroine) trying to escape a villain on a dark night without becoming lost or injured.

You did not go to the Ring of Kerry, but one of my most vivid memories is from there. As you note, the roads are narrow (I figure only about 1 1/2 lanes wide), and in passing a car my husband clipped a curb. We did not realize it until miles later, surrounded only by hills and sheep, that he'd grazed a tire and it was now flat. Luckily it was summer, daylight lasts a long time, and my oldest son and a passing cab driver changed the tire before it was completely dark (the sheep did not offer to help).

[Mary Jo Putney]

Diane--

How nice that you'll have the family friend to visit! Nice for both of you. Going to Ireland in the off season can be a real bargain--I drool at the Aer Lingus newsletter with winter specials. I hope you can go sooner rather than later.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Susan/DC--

We did visit the Burren and I took several pictures, but decided not to include one in the blog because there just wasn't room for everything! It's a really strange, moonscape look.

As for the sheep and the flat tire--they're just so useless about such things. *G*

[margaret evans porter]

Kinsale is one of my favourite places on the planet. County Clare is another. We often stay in Ennis and do day trips to the Burren, of which I'm very fond, although my spouse gets a bit creeped out by it! But he's always happy for a day-trip through those swathes of stone, because they inevitably conclude at a choice pub in Ballyvaughan!
Sounds like you had a delightful trip, and looks like spells of lovely weather, too.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Margaret--

The Burren is definitely rather creepy in a moonscape sort of way, but fascinating. ANd yes, we had unusually fine weather both on the QM2 and in Ireland. The Mayhem consultant, who has a nice sideline in weather magery, spend weeks programming to get us good weather for the trip. When people in Ireland talked with wonder about the fine weather after a grim, wet summer, the MC would quietly murmur, "You're welcome." *G*

[Hannah Lee]

Thanks to your reader for the link to James Beard's recipe; I'll compare it to the one using King Arthur's wholemeal flour.

My Better-Half has agreed to my raising chickens (at last!), so maybe next year, we'll have eggs from our own chickens with names. He has declined to build a coop for me, though, and the girls have firmly told me they're not getting involved. Let's see if they could resist the cute, downy chicks.

If I ever get to Ireland, I'd want to try to visit Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery School, which is located on a 100-acre organic farm.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Hannah--

Your girls might find the chicks adorable without having a desire to build a coop and take care of them. *G* The organic cookery school sounds wonderful. I've day dreamed about other cookery courses in interesting places, such as the Greek Isles and Italy. Fun!

[Susie]

AMAZING. What a trip. Now I'm on fire to finally go to Ireland. And QM2 crossing is a life goal too. Good for you.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Susie--

I'm hear to say that combining an Atlantic crossing with Ireland totally ROCKED! I hope you can do it soon

[Colleen /Cailin]

Mary Jo, I loved hearing about your trip to Ireland. Not many people get to Cong in County Mayo! (Ashford Castle) - that's really in the boonies. But a lovely place to stay, and great for family gatherings - people can go out on the lough or go through the dry canal or visit family (our Mayo relatives).
You are in Baltimore, as am I, so you should know that you can get Irish soda bread at the Irish Festival in November. ( IrishFestival.com). My sister will be serving tea and bread-and-butter at one of the booths. Real brewed tea like they serve it on Bewleys, not hot water and a tea bag. I guess I'm lucky that I have relatives over there and can visit on a whim.
Yes, a romance writer's dream. Misty canals at twilight, warm wood-paneled pubs with tea (for me) and craic, B&Bs where the mistress of the house just wants you to settle in, have tea and biscuits, and give her the news - as if you've known her all your life. And the weddings - marvelous! They go on until the hotel needs the reception rooms for meals the next day. Little kids dancing with their grannies, farmers cutting the rug now that they're off the farm for the weekend, aunts (me) getting caught up on all the gossip.
Lovely place!
I'm so happy that you could experience it up close and personal with your driver smoothing the way.

Slan!

[Colleen /Cailin]

Did I mention the fairy fort? An ordinary field for grazing cattle becomes magical when you approach the fairy fort (ring of stones) on one of the rolling hills. Not one of the guidebook attractions, just a ring of stones protected by law, known only to the family and the local planning permission board. Someplace where a weary visitor of the male persuasion could be found by one of the daughters of the house with a disgraceful predeliction for walking abroad.
magical.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Colleen/Cailin--

As you may know, Cong is having a 60th annivesary celebration of the filming of THE QUIET AMERICAN. I've not actually seen the movie, but it's a VERY big deal there. We took one of the lough cruises from Ashford Castle, and on the wall was a picture of John Wayne with the father of the boat captain just behind him in a crowd scene. *G*

It was a wonderful visit, and there is so much more to see. In the meantime--I'll have to check out the Baltimore Irish Festival! Thank you.

And thanks for the Fairy Fort. There's a story in there, I'm sure!