After flying in early Wednesday morning on Ryan Air, Aarti and I had only the most general of itineraries. Luckily, she bought a travel book two days before and we were able to educate ourselves while on the plane. Despite growing up mostly in the US, she was born in Belfast and had been to Northern Ireland a few times so we were content to explore the Republic of Ireland and skip the north.
Good thing too because our initial itinerary was far too ambitious for the amount of time we had to spend in Ireland. Even driving, it felt like we were always trying to catch up.
Sword
We just drove through here very slowly, no stopping so soon after leaving the airport. There was a very strange looking castle on the end of the high street – it had only been partially rebuilt, so it was also part ruin.
Tron
This castle and village was our first real stop. According to our trusty guidebook, this castle was used for the filming of Braveheart so it has a celebrity connection.
The sun was out and we managed a quick walk over to the other side of the river to check out the nearby tower and manor house– not part of the castle. While walking around the castle, the importance of the river came into sharp focus. Land has since been reclaimed making the river side more accessible but at the time of its construction, it would have been a powerful fortress.
Also, I was misbehaving a little so was put in the pillory for a while.
Hill of Tara
This is apparently the ancient seat of power in Ireland. Ditches all around mark the place of ancient wooden fortresses and outbuildings. Apparently, there is even a spiritual connection to the place because of its early connection to celtic and druid ritual.
The ancient history was interesting, but I was much more impressed by the view of the surrounding valley. The visitor centre was closed when we arrived, so it was basically just us and a handful of others standing atop a windy hill. However, it started to bustle as we were leaving as people were coming to the teahouse in droves.
Kells
Should have skipped it. There was almost nothing to see here and no one really around. This is the original location for the famous Book of Kells, which is now under a locked display case in Trinity College.
Galway
Very short time here – mostly a drive through because it was already starting to get very late.
Spiddal
We camped in Spiddal for the night. Very nice beach.
Wright After Reading 