We got up fairly early and went down for our complimentary breakfast at the Croke Hotel. I expected some bread and cheese. What we got was a huge buffet with several cold cereals and enough to make a full Irish breakfast. What’s in an Irish Breakfast? It usually consists of an egg (fried or scrambled), bacon (actually slices of ham), fried tomato, hash brown, sausage link(s), and what is called black and white pudding. Both are kind of sausage patties of differing consistencies. I found that the black pudding was a little spicier and more to my taste. Add to this some toast and scones and you have breakfast. Needless to say, we didn’t eat lunch very often.
We left Dublin and drove northwest towards the little village of Trim. Here we visited Trim Castle (It is pictured behind Barb and I above). Trim Castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland and began construction in 1172. Mel Gibson used the castle and surrounding territory to film many of the battle scenes in the 1995 movie Braveheart. If you ask the guy at the ticket counter to see the “Braveheart Album” you can see some behind the scenes pictures they took during filming. You can see the grounds for a small fee, but for 1 Euro more you can get a guided tour inside the castle. This is one of the best values in Ireland! It was a great visit, even though the weather was pretty cool and overcast.
(View from atop the tower)
(Entry to the castle through the “Town Gate”)
After Trim we headed further into the Irish midlands. We traveled along the M6 for a while. Now Irish roads are named with a prefix that we assigned names for. Whether they’re right or not, I have no clue. “M” roads are like our Interstates. Wide, high speed expressways, sometimes with a toll involved. “N” roads are national and more like our state highways, only narrower with a little shoulder. “R” roads are regional and are like N roads only no shoulder. “L” roads are local and are kind of like a very narrow paved country road.
Along the M6. Not bad and speed limit usually 120 kph (74.5 mph).
This is an N road through a village. Notice there is room to park along the side of the road, but watch out when you get out of the car... you are in traffic!!
Another N road in the countryside. Notice the shoulder on the left side and no shoulder on the right. Speed limits here run from 80-100 kph! That’s upwards of 60 mph on this little bitty windy road.
Here is an “R” road. You can see the edge has some wicked drops and potholes and the “shoulder” is usually a stone wall or hedgerow. Either way they are not forgiving. Speed limits here also ran from 80-100 kph!!! I could never get up the nerve to get above 80 on any of them. Narrow and winding and when you turned a corner there was a good chance of coming up on a tractor or flock of sheep!
Then there’s this one... Single lane and you can’t see from here, about an 800 foot sheer drop on the left. Every so often there is a small turnout to help when you meet someone going the other way. Somebody has to back up to the closest turnout. And yes, there are flocks of sheep that frequent the highway here also!
Our next stop was the ancient monastery, Clonmacnoise. It was founded sometime around 545 to 548 by a monk named Cirian (pronounced like Keeran). It became a center of education, religion, and craftmanship. Many of the High Kings of Ireland are buried here. The buildings are fascinating to roam into and there are hundreds of Celtic Cross markers. It is thought that most of them commemorate a family member and not really a mark of a burial site. Some of the more intricate crosses have been moved into the visitors center to protect them from erosion and the elements. Copies have been put in their place outside where they were found. This place still is important in modern times. In the mid seventies, Pope John Paul held mass here.
From Clonmacnoise, it was a quick drive to the village of Kinnitty and our B&B, the Ardmore House. This is a quaint home in a small town at the base of the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
Inside was very cozy, with a nice sitting room complete with a peat fire going in the fireplace.
If you’re not familiar, eat is basically prehistoric organic dirt bricks that burn. They give off a distinctive aroma and produce a nice warm fire. You can see the peat bricks in the basket in the photo below. Peat production is a large industry in Ireland, harvesting done out in boglands with a special shovel, then laid out to dry before being burned.
(This is the sitting room near the Library. Very ornate and elegant)
Then it was back to the B&B where we read, relaxed and prepared for the next day’s journey.
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