The End is Here!

We were so sad to say goodbye to Ireland and the Shanahan's, but it's time to head back to reality. We had an absolutely FABULOUS time and hope to one day return! Next time it's Northern Ireland. We covered 2200 miles and visited numerous towns (not only the ones mentioned in the blog). Although we always seemed like we were on the go, it was a very relaxing trip! We highly suggest Ireland to anyone looking for a getaway. The scenery is spectacular and the people thoughout the country were extrememly hospitable. The Irish are definitely very friendly people! We hope that you enjoyed following us on our journey. We took over 800 pictures, so if your interested in checking them out, you will have to pay us a visit (or visit Kelly's Facebook page soon for additional pics - but not all 800).
Cheers!
Kelly & Gil

Cliffs of Moher, The Burren & Galway

After a restful night sleep at the apartment in Tralee we said goodbye to Tralee and headed off to see the Cliffs of Moher (AMAZING!!!), The Burren and then to Galway for a night. The sights are just unbelievable in Ireland, the beauty just doesn't stop. One amazing sight after another!

Ring of Kerry

The next morning we spent the whole day touring the Ring of Kerry. It was a nice drive with lots of beautiful scenery. We stopped in several quaint little towns along the way. The weather was thankfully beautifully that day and we were able to really enjoy the sights.

Tralee, Dingle & Killarney

On to the apartment in Tralee! It is very nice! It has everything we need, except internet. Internet is being set up once mom and dad are there long enough for someone to come hook it up. Dad can't live without the net!














At our first night in Tralee, we had some "Mexican Food" that was interesting to say the least, but an experience to remember. We then headed out to one of the local pubs for some cold brews and live Traditional Irish Music. Kelly forgot the camera that night, so no pictures to share of that. Oops!






The next morning it was back in the car and off to the Dingle Pennisula. Another beautiful drive with lots of green scenery! Dingle was a very quaint town where we "grazed" for lunch with fresh caught fish & chips, a hot dog from a stand and some really good hot soup to warm us up on another rainy day.



























From Dingle we headed off to Killarney to "Walk About". It was a nice town. We had a nice little dinner at The Humble Pie where no "real" pie was found and then walked around and tried to find a pub with some live music. We found a nice little pub that said there would be live music at 9ish, which apparently means 9:45ish. W got a seat around 9 and apparently we were sitting in the corner where the band was going to play. We offered to move but they said absolutely not! So, we were sitting with the band! It was nice, but a little tight, so we headed off to our next pub but couldn't find anything we liked so we found a new nice little pub in Tralee. Had a beer, listened to some music and then called it a night.

Carrigeen Castle, Cobh (Queenstowne), Cork & Blarney Castle

Well, we loved the Rock of Cashel (Castle) so much that we decided to stay the night in one! We headed for Carrigeen Castle in a town called Cashir. We had a lovely host, Peg who showed us to our rooms and made a wonderful traditional Irish Breakfast the following morning. From there we headed out to Cobh (Queenstowne) where the Irish set off for better land when the Potato Famine hit. This port was also the last stop for the Titanic before it met it's fateful end. We then took a quick walk through Cork and saw some interesting sights and then headed to the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. The Blarney Castle was absolutely beautiful (they get better every time). We toured the whole castle with lots of skinny sprial staircases. At the top of the castle, we finally made it to the Blarney Stone. We are very curious who came up with this whole "Kiss the Blarney Stone" gimmick! What an interesting thing to do! But you have to do it if you are coming all the way to Ireland, right? Well we did! You have to hang upside down and kiss it. Some cute little old Irish man holds while you make a spectacle of yourself! It was fun though.

Waterford, Carrick-on Suir, The Rock of Cashel

From Wexford we headed on our journey to Waterford. The Waterford Crystal factory has closed down and there wasn't much to see, so it was a quick stop. We then head to the Shanahan's homeland, Carrick-on-Suir. We learned that Kelly's great grandmother's name was Kehoe which is still a poplur name in the town. The town butcher was called Kehoe's! We came across a church that we believe to be the church Kelly's great grandparents attended and were even married at. We then prowled the grounds of the local cemetary and found several gravestone's with the name Shanahan on them. Off again to a tour of The Rock of Cashel, a beautiful castle in the green hills or Ireland. The scenery was absolutely beautiful!

Day Two in Dublin

Day 2 was a rainy day in Dublin, but that didn't stop us, nor anyone in town. We hopped on the city bus and headed to downtown Dublin. We walked along the streets of Dublin in search for ponchos to keep dry when Gil ran into a statue of one of his Irish Music Icons, Philip Lynott! We then headed to Trinity College to check out the Book of Kells. Due to the rain, we missed the big crowds, which was very nice. We had a great tour guide who made the tour very comical! We then wrapped up our time in Dublin (we will be back on our way out) and headed down the Irish coast to our next stop in Wexford. We stayed in a lovely B & B in Wexford (voted best B & B in Ireland every year since 1996) where our gracious hosts Seamus and Kate pampered us! We had a nice dinner at Taste in downtown Wexford and then headed out to find some traditional Irish music, but there was none to be found on a Sunday. The next morning, we woke up to a lovely homemade Irish breakfast!

We have arrived!!!

We left for our journey on Thursday morning from San Diego to a short stop in Philadelphia. From Philadelphia we were off to Dublin. We were greeted by Pat and Jeff at the airport with signs that read "Sir Gilbert and Queen Kelly". We wasted no time and headed straight out to see the sights of Dublin. We jumped on the public bus, hit up our first pub in Temple Bar for a quick bite (toasties, chips and a couple pints). Then on to the double decker tour bus to get to our desired stops in downtown Dublin. Our first day we saw the Guinness Factory Storefront and downtown Dublin. Freshened up at the hotel (maybe a little nappy) and then headed out for a fun night in downtown Dublin. We started our night at 9pm (which is very early there and still light out) and had dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant. We were just finishing up our meal when the lights dimmed and the whole staff broke out in a song and dance to ABBA. It was unexpected and a lot of fun! You apparently can't turn in for the night at 11pm in Dublin, so we were off to Temple Bar to find the best live traditional Irish music. We found a great Pub called Oliver St John Goharty's Pub and got a great seat right next to the band. What a fabulous first day/night! The band played all of the favorites and finished the night with the young drummer breaking into an Irish dance that rocked the house. On the way to catch the cab, we saw some great street musicians playing "Surf Music" and they drew a big crowd in the streets. We saw tons of Hen and Stag parties, complete with grown men in pink tutus. Off to bed for a much needed rest!