Bearbells by Leslie Noonan

August 26/24

Here we are, in beautiful Ireland, driving through heavy traffic with crazy and reckless drivers veering across lanes, and tall skyscrapers popping up everywhere. Oh, wait, that was driving in Toronto! Instead, our drive through Dublin was relaxing, with our driver making sure to take the scenic route to point out the Dublin Zoo and fantastic Pheonix gardens. Before you ask, yes, it was a flat rate, so those great detours did not cost more. Our driver was obviously proud of his city, and with good reason. After checking in at our hotel we went back to see more of those impressively large Pheonix gardens, being the largest enclosed city park in Europe at 1,750 acres. This is a stunning park, with paved walking trails, ponds, sports fields, the president’s residence and even an obelisk. I would come back just to see more of this park.

My mom and I had an early start the next day for the first train section of our trip. I was happily surprised to find out that our hotel offered a bagged breakfast of juice, muffin, banana and other items to those travellers leaving early. A short walk to the local train station to find our guide, and there we were, travelling across the south of Ireland in a train, and it is exactly like the photos, with bright green fields, green forests and green sheep. Ok, maybe the sheep were white, but everything else is a vibrant green. Once in Cork we transferred to a coach and headed out to the historic Blarney Castle, and yes, the Blarney Stone, which is found after climbing one hundred small and slippery rock stairs to the top of the castle, and leaning over, backwards, over a long drop to kiss that same stone. Well hell no! I did climb those stairs, assumed the position, but when told to tilt my head back and lean down into that abyss, nope. Shout out to my 75-year-old mom who has no fear of heights and gave that Blarney Stone a big old smooch!

There is no room here for me to describe our entire trip, as we saw and experienced so much. We traveled around the Ring of Kerry, along narrow roads looking down on picturesque seaside villages and through the Killarney National Park which I would love to see more of. We also toured Limerick, Bunratty Castle and stood atop the famous Cliffs of Moher. At just over 700 feet, these magnificent cliffs look out over the Atlantic Ocean and are comprised of layers of silt and sandstone. Yes, my readers, I walked along those cliffs and for some reason felt no fear. There is a chest high wall, lined with wildflowers and grass and a wind that would sweep you away if you let it. From here we traveled to Galway and out to one of my favourite areas, the Aran Islands. This is a land of stone walls, rocks and no trees, yet for all its barrenness this is a wild and beautiful area and has the bonus of less tourists. There is a peace here, in the windswept land, that I never felt anywhere else.

While I loved the Aran Island, the area of Ireland that captivated my heart was Connemara, an area of mountains, lochs and forests. Kylemore Abbey is a nineteenth-century castle now run by Benedictine nuns who offer a fabulous array of pottery and food items. The castle is nestled down between grey green mountains and on the banks of a still and dark loch. Waterfalls cascade down the granite cliff faces and tumble across black rocks towards that dark loch. All along the west coast of Ireland are hiking trials including many multi-day hikes. Bucket list indeed.

Our final destination was through Belfast and northward to the Giants Causeway. There are no photos that do this site justification. There is a stunning vista out and over the rugged coastline, as waves crash against the black rocks and the unusual rock formations that make this area Irelands only World Heritage Site. A truly stunning area but one that is also heavy with tourists. On the train back to Dublin, a spectacular rainbow appeared out the train window. A lovely way to end our trip.