A beautiful castle, a beautiful soft bed (every bed has been so hard), beautiful fully pillows (all pillows have been thin and hard) but another restless night for us both :s Oh well. I still feel pretty good but Tracy was feeling pretty rough so I took her driving shift.
We had our showers in the cool bathroom that had a direct view of the castle tower while showering !
And a coffee (filtered !) and a scone for breakfast (because I didn't find the castle until late in the day, the day we were arriving, Nikki - our host - didn't have time to sort out breakfast which we were more than ok with) (need to find a scone recipe - they are so yummy !)
First stop was the beach in Clogherhead to get our feet in the water. YaY ! We did it . . . four sides of Ireland and four bodies of water ! Celtic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, North Channel, Irish Sea.
Of we go to yet another stop on Tracy's list*. The Irish National Stud farm and Garden (horses). {She had a lot on that list and we did them all. I had one and missed my one chance because it was the day I wasn't driving . . . end of gripe, again :P}
I had no intention of going to the farm especially when I found out they charged €12 ! So I had her drop me off in Kildare (the farm was just outside of town). What a fun town to be left alone in ! I have learned about the Celtic goddess Brigid and I have a Cross of Brigid to bring home. She inspires poetry and smithcraft. She brought healing to humans and animals. She was a goddess of fertility, and a guardian of domestic animals. Long story short, she became a saint and Kildare is the home of Saint Brigid's Cathedral ! (Did not know until I talked to the info office lady) She gave me all sorts of things to do and see while in little Kildare.
First, I just wandered the main Street. Then I, reluctantly, went to the Cathedral. Omg, it was phenomenal . . . I was the only one in this big, beautiful church. It had Brigid's cross everywhere. I just find the Paganism and Christianity dynamic so fascinating. I spent a lot of time in there today. It was just me !
And then I found the hole in the Cathedral (outside) that is said to make your wish come true if you place your hand in it, make your wish and then hold your hand over your heart. It was hard to find and I only knew to look for it because of chatting with the info lady.
I popped my head into a burial vault (about 10 steps leading underground) Got scared and scurried back up !
Then I climbed the round tower (still just me on the whole grounds)
"The round tower, like most of those throughout Ireland, was originally built as a place of refuge from the ravages of the Viking (Danish) invaders. The Kildare tower is 108ft high and the second highest in Ireland. It is the highest in Ireland with access to the top."
It was a series of ladders to get up and down ! But so worth it ! ! !
I then went and had a spinach soup at a pub and started looking for tonight's accommodation. A little girl (6 or 7) asked me to sponsor her (I think she belonged to someone that worked there) for a hip hop camp. Her face was so cute when I said I was from Canada. Tracy and I planned to meet at the info office at 5, so I headed over at 5:15 (she is ALWAYS late, today she wasn't . . . heehee-oops)
We went back to the pub and had a Sticky Toffee Pudding with ice cream and a flat white coffee . . . Yum ! And I continued to search for a room. Two AirBnB's wouldn't accept our late request (but the response time was really good even if it was frustrating) Then found a room at McElroy's budget accommodation/hostel right in Dublin - perfect ! We get to pull up to another hostel in our BMW lolol. And, we want to spend our last day in Dublin . . . Our last day !?!?!?! WoW time flies.
The rooms have all been very clean. Towels provided, and when we have had "shared" bathroom (like this place) we have always had a sink in the room which is so handy.
I must say that Murphy has been a very dear friend for this entire trip, fortunately we have had some of the Irish luck along for the ride !
Ok, I think that's all.
Nighty night xox
*Courtney Pub in Killarney - her last name, Listowel - where she was born in Ontario, Donegal - where she went to school, the Titanic museum in Belfast, the Stud farm/horses.
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