Dublin, Dublin Castle and St. Patrick's Anglican Church

We went to the Dublin Abbey Theater last evening and saw Sean Casey's Juno and the Paycock and it was a wonderful experience in Irish story, humor and history.  When I returned to the hotel, I had a message to call Mary Prendergast, sister of Peter, and I had a delightful conversation with her.  We won't have a chance to meet due to the busy last two day schedule but we will exchange some pictures and emails when I return home.
1. Georgian door in Dublin.  It was related to the British period of early King Georges and many houses in Dublin show this style.
2.  Georgian homes:  beautiful ivy growing on the building
3.  Courtyard at Dublin Castle:  This is not a typical castle, more of a working government center.
4.  View of the courtyard at the castle:  snake pattern in brick
5.  Close-up of the snake
6.  Table in hallway outside of the hall of mirrors:  the Irish/British were going for a Versailles look
7.  Long hall:  reception area
8.  One of many pretty rooms
9.  Pretty window in a hallway
10.  Hall of mirrors::  dances:  women waited along the wall to be asked to dance--hence the name wall flowers, Viscounts entertained here
11. St. Patrick's Church (Anglican) in Dublin
12.  Spiral staircase to a private balcony area
13. Chairs in St. Patrick's:  harp is the symbol of Ireland--Guiness harp is reversed to make it not identical to Irish symbol
14.  Lunch at Doyle's with a tour member, Pam.

Dublin, Dublin Castle and St. Patrick's Anglican Church

Wexford and the Prendergast Connection

1. Peter Prendergast:  3rd cousin met us in Waterford along with his wife Madeleine and we spent the day with them.  Many thanks to them both for the lovely day and history lessons!
2.  New Ross:  coffin ship in harbor
3.  Wexford city wall:  Peter and Madeleine live in Wexford and Peter's father and grandfather did also.
4.  Beautiful flowers on hillside overlooking Wexford.
5.  Statue of John Barry:  Irishman who started the US navy
6.  Mud flats during low tide with a docked row boat
7.  Peter's grandfather's home:  would have been a storefront or pub on ground floor and living quarters on two floors above, 3 rooms deep each floor.
8.  Passageway from the sea to the city
9.  Enniscorthy Castle:  built in 1100's.  Anglo-Norman Phillip de Prendergast and wife (son of Knight Maurice de Prendergast) lived here 1190-1229.  Descendants continued to live there until 1490 until forcefully taken by Kavanagh.  This castle is now a museum and open to the public but had been a private home until 1950.
10.  Peter and Madeleine in front of the castle.
11.  Dublin harbor with trains running along the harbor
12.  James Joyce's tower:  inspiration for Ulysses
13.  Forty foot bathing place:  beautiful area where formerly nude male bathing was allowed until the women protested the custom.  Now "togs must be warn" sign there.  People were actually swimming there today

Wexford and the Prendergast Connection

Cork, Cobh and Jameson

Pictures are a little out of sequence today!
1.  Cork Center City:  the steps up to the doors are because the buildings are on reclaimed land and you used to be able to boat up to the doors.
2. Jameson Whiskey Distillery:  Barrels show the change, left to right, from clear first barreling to 20 year old in a barrel when the color is rich.
3.  English Market in Cork
4.  Harbor view of prison for political prisoners and others waiting to be sent to Australia:  Cobh Harbor (pronounced Cove)
5.  Cobh Harbor view:  Supposedly the second largest natural harbour in the world, next to Sydney Australia
6.  St. Colman's Church in Cobh
7.  Colorful buildings along the street/harbor of Cobh
8.  Memorial to the people on the Lusitania who drown after the German U Boat torpedoing and to the people who help rescued them.
9. Building where people boarded the Titanic (last port of call before going to sea and sinking 3 1/2 days later)
10. Titanic Gate for second class passengers
11. Annie Moore and her brothers:  Annie was the first person to be processed at Ellis Island in 1892
12.  Disembarking center for those emigrating:  now a heritage center with marvelous display
13. Water wheel that powered the grain crushing for Jameson Distillery
14.  Windows of one of the Jameson buildings
15.  As the British would say:  Mind your head!

Cork, Cobh and Jameson

Killlarney in the morning and on to Blarney Castle

Excuse the size of the pictures again.  I seem to have no control over this!  Click to see individual ones smaller.
1-3 Jaunty Car ride through Killarney National Park to Ross Castle.
4-5 Decorative thatched roof and detail of roof
6.  Ross Castle
7.  View of stream in the park
8. Lunch at Blarney Woolen Mills Shopping Area:  shepherd's pie
9.Blarney Castle entrance and a really neat tree:  Pat and Pam
10-11 Blarney Castle where you kiss the Blarney stone for the gift of eloquence:  no we did not do it!!!
12.  Pat climbing the tower stairs to the top.  Supposedly 100 steps.
13.  Tower steps
14. One of the tour group kissing the stone!
15.  M on the top level of the castle
16. View of the turret and tower from the top:  not the blue skies and sunshine!
17.  Central view of interior of the castle where the different levels of the floor would be:  Floors removed for viewing the interior
18.  Thatched roof with partial thatching: note the peak of the roof
19.  An Irish crow:  playing with a stone--picked up and dropped repeatedly.  There are 7 kinds of crows in Ireland.
20.  This ones for Jennifer:  Thought of you when I saw this store!