Cobh was known as Queenstown from 1849 to 1920, named for Queen Victoria who visited in 1849.  The name was changed to Cobh during the Irish War of Independence.  Cobh is a Gaelicization of the English word cove (and is pronounced the same).  Cobh was one of the major transatlantic Irish ports; 2.5 million of…

Who would have ever thought we would be waking up in Ireland a little bit sunburned! We have been having the most amazing weather so far. And in addition to being out on the water yesterday, we are both looking a bit rosy! The Castle in Kilkenny is a restored fortress filled with Celtic and…

Happy Anniversary!! The Saltees are a pair of small islands lying 5km off the southern coast of County Wexford.  The islands are privately owned and largely unoccupied and are now a protected habitat home to more than 220 bird species. Visitors are allowed on the larger of the two islands for a few hours each…

We visited the Glendalough Monastic site this morning before heading out of town. Glendalough (the Glen of Two Lakes) is one of the most important sites of monastic ruins in Ireland.  Before the arrival of Saint Kevin, the glen would have been remote and lonely, ideal for a secluded retreat.  St Kevin was likely born…

Conveniently, Trinity College is right beside our hotel.  The Trinity College library was founded by Queen Elizabeth I and has received a copy of every book published in Britain and Ireland since 1801!  Due to a major rehabilitation and conservation project, many/most of the books in the Long Room have been temporarily removed.  Some cool…

The Luas is Dublin’s tram system.  Luas is Irish for ‘speed’, which is funny, because the tram is pretty slow! Our first stop of the day was at the Guinness Storehouse to take the iconic photo in front of St James Gate.  Guinness is the national drink, called the “Dublin gargle” and might be the…

We have arrived in Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland.  Our taxi driver from the airport was quite chatty and gave us a few pub recommendations.  We arrived just before lunch, so we have the day to wander around and get our bearings.  Our first stop was the docklands area where the River Liffey…

We are on our way to Ireland, making up a trip that was cancelled at the beginning of the CoVid pandemic.  The Motto of Ireland is IB4UD – Ireland Before You Die.  Our Uber was early but our flight is now 3 hours delayed. At least we can spend our time in the Air Canada…