Ireland Cruise Update

We are now under the 60 day counter for our upcoming Ireland Cruise aboard NCL Star.

I have researched the ports and we have booked some excursions.  Other than booking the hop-on-hop-off bus tickets, planning is shaking out nicely.  I has also been enjoyable to interact with the members of our Facebook group.  If you have booked a cruise, I highly recommend searching Facebook groups and connecting with others.  It not only builds excitement but you can get some really great tips and advise.  Here are the excursions we have booked through NCL (details and stock photos from their website).

Historic Dingle Drive - Dingle

Settle in for a leisurely drive along Slea Head, a circular route around the Dingle Peninsula that passes through traditional villages and presents one absolutely stunning view after another. Of the thousands of archaeological sites on the peninsula, the beehive huts may be the most remarkable. These cone-shaped stone dwellings were built without mortar and are estimated to date between the 8th and 12th centuries. Other medieval remains include standing stones with inscriptions, sculptured crosses and earthen ringforts – also known as fairy forts – which were used as family dwellings and to house livestock at night to protect them from wolves. You will eventually stop at the Gallarus Oratory, an even older dry masonry stone structure that may have been a Christian chapel. The building is still famously watertight. While passing Blasket Sound, you will hear about a Spanish Armada ship that took shelter there in 1588, but still sank leaving only one survivor.

Quiet Man Country & Cong - Galway

Explore key locations featured in the classic film The Quiet Man, which was shot in and around the village of Cong. Despite its intriguing, centuries-old past, Cong is perhaps best known as the primary location for the 1952 film that Academy Award-winner John Ford directed. The romantic comedy starred John Wayne and Irish-born Maureen O’Hara, who shot several memorable scenes in a Cong cottage that is now in ruins. To commemorate the film, the Quiet Man Cong Cottage was constructed as an exact replica of the original and filled with memorabilia from the movie. It makes for a wonderful stop during free time in Cong, as do other film locations such as the Danaher farmhouse, Reverend Playfair’s home and Pat Cohan’s Bar. Film buffs will also enjoy seeing the Ashford Castle Hotel, another backdrop for the movie. Although a hotel since 1939, the castle dates to the 13th century.

Have you seen the John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara movie The Quiet Man?  It was recommend to me by a gentleman I met at the Nampa Elks (oh right…l owe you a post on that update too).  Kenyon owned the movie so we watched it and thought the countryside was really beautiful and booked the subsequent excursion.  That movie was filmed 71 years ago.  Crazy eh?  If you have not seen it, it is worth a watch but is a bit long.  I also find the cinematography quite interesting when you realize how long ago it was filmed.

For our visit in Killybegs, I made contact with a tour group that provides a Walk & Talk tour of the town.  

About a dozen on our Facebook group are interested so we will be doing a walking tour in the morning.  The tour highlights the fishing industry as Killybegs is Ireland’s premier fishing port and home of the Irish pelagic fleet.  We will visit St. Mary’s Catholic church, built in 1843 and the tour ends in town with a brief history and some pubs and restaurants highlighted for a visit. 

We are considering another tour through NCL as w are in port for 12 hours each day.

Traditional Ireland - Killybegs

Observe the art of weaving, bread-making and a celebration of life in Ardara, a small town where traditions are still held in high esteem. Upon arriving, you will visit the John Molloy Woollen Mills, a family-run operation that produces exquisite knitwear. You will observe the artisans masterfully weaving wool and tweed goods using techniques that have been handed down through the generations. Following the demonstration, you may shop for merchandise such as Aran fisherman sweaters, scarves and Donegal tweed jackets. While snacking on scones at the Corner House, you will watch traditional Irish soda bread being made from scratch. Still, few traditions are as well-known as the Irish wake, a glorious send-off for the deceased. You will have the opportunity to take part in a re-enactment of a wake, complete with music, snuff taking and a tasting of poitin, a uniquely Irish spirit much like moonshine.

I am still not sure if I’ll book either a Jameson Whiskey Distillery tour for a guided tour and tasting or visit with Guinness Storefront where we can take a self guided tour and I can enjoy a pint from the observatory afterwards.  I may not book them ahead of time and just see how the day in Dublin shakes out.  We have to take a train from Dun Laoghaire to Dublin and it is a tender port.  I want to make sure we have enough time once we actually arrive in Dublin and also not miss out on the city sights as there is so much to see. 

The excitement continues to build…