My holiday in South East Ireland

The coach took us from Devon to Fishguard in Wales where we boarded the ferry. Here you see me waiting for the ferry to move out of harbour. We had a lovely smooth crossing and I wondered why people get sea-sick. We arrived at Rosslare and made our way to our hotel at Enniscorthy, a pleasant little town where we later one evening went to the castle and heard about the antics of the wicked English in the past, and true they were wicked but not I think perpetrated by my ancestors who were no doubt receiving the same treatment at home.

The first full day in Ireland we took a trip through the Wicklow mountains, not the highest mountains I've ever seen and I've only travelled round the British Isles and this bit of Ireland. However we eventually arrived at Glendalough which has a very mysterious, historic atmosphere as you will see in the video above. Here there were stone towers, tall and slender with lookout windows at the top. We had a wander around the sight not getting within view of either lough, the upper or the lower. We had coffee and a snack and then travelled on to Avoca, passing the river of which was written the song,"There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet, as the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet."

Avoca is famous in Britain as the place where the series "Ballykissangel" was shot. It is a charming village which would not otherwise attract much attention. We had coffee in the shop whose front was used as the front of the village pub. We posted a couple of post cards to friends and sat beside the river and walked around the outside of the church. We then drove back to our hotel and Enniscorthy and to dinner. This was followed by a display of Irish dancing, singing and music. I felt the dancers looked very uncomfortable with their heads held very high, but they gave a good display.

On the second full day we went to Dublin, the capital. It was quite a long drive through quite flat countryside with little homesteads at intervals along the road. We enjoyed the city seeing the bridges over the Liffey. We walked around shops and got ourselves some more Euros from the bank. If you are a British citizen you do not need a passport to go to Southern Ireland, however the coinage is Euros.Next we walked around Trinity College and various parks. From the coach we had seen the Guinness brewery which produces the famous drink. Also we saw the statue of Molly Malone, which the Dublin guide, who had come on board, assured us was of Molly who sold cockles and mussels during the day and an altogether different ware at night.

In the evening we were back at Enniscorthy and went to the castle to hear all that the wicked English had done. Wicked repression it was but I felt no remorse as I'm sure my ancestors were receiving the same treatment at home. Some sweet little darlings came along in their beautiful costumes and danced for us. One poor little mite slipped on the flagstones and hurt herself and had to be comforted. The guide rightly told their history but it was too much for two of our company who left before the end. What did they expect to hear deep in Ireland. Surely at home they have the right to put forward their viewpoint. Considering all that has happened in their history I thought they put their viewpoint very mildly.

For our last full day in Ireland we travelled to Waterford where we went to the famous Crystal Factory. We saw the glass being blown and then expertly cut. Many famous sporting trophies are made here. The work involved is skilled. The chandelier pictured is made from thousands of pieces of cut glass. They do not sell seconds, if a piece is not good enough it is melted down again.

From Waterford we travelled further West to Kilkenny where we walked around the town and walked in the gardens of Kilkenny castle. The sun came out and the fountain splashed.

And so Friday dawned and it was time so say "Goodbye" to the hotel at Enniscorthy. We ate a hearty breakfast and then piled on to the coach. The driver told us it was rough at sea. We travelled hopefully with not a care in the world. We boarded the ferry happily and set off for the open sea. I was completely confident in the captain and settled down in the lower deck at the stern and watched the tossing waves. I felt a little queasy and decided to visit the ladies, being tossed from one handhold to the next. Arriving at the ladies I discovered I felt fine and made my way back to my seat. I wasn't nervous, I wasn't frightened, but boy was I sick. Once that was sorted all I wanted to do was sleep and that is what I did until it was time to disembark. I wasn't able to change clothes for quite a while, which was unpleasant, but when the coach stopped next I got changed and was none the worse for my experience. We travelled back to Devon having had a good holiday all told. When I go again I shall be careful what I eat before the sea crossing and probably spend my time walking about the boat if the weather is rough. I can thoroughly recommend coach holidays, they certainly give value for money and are a good way of exploring new territory which you might wish to explore more fully, later on, with your own car. It gives you an overview of what attractions are available.