I had hoped the first day on the tour bus would have been just as special as the night before but it really wasn’t quite as spectacular. Steve, our tour bus guide, seemed nice enough but quickly informed us he wasn’t a big fan of Dublin and was more of a country guy than a city guy. As a full-fledged city guy, I wasn’t particularly thrilled to hear that. The country life was not for me.
My nephew Chris and I were definitely the youngest group of the 15 or so people on the tour. Everyone seemed nice enough, though. Well, there was one gentleman who equated Chris’s heavy metal concert shirt with two bald guys and asked if we were skinheads. Um, no!
I had always wanted to go to Dublin since I was a little boy. I was really excited to see the city I’d heard so much about. Friends who grew up in Ireland had told me how they came into the city as teenagers and saw street musicians or buskers. It turned out our trip was mostly a ride through the city with stops at the exquisite Phoenix Park and the touristy Grafton Street. We passed Trinity College, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, and O’Connell Street, Europe’s widest street.
Later that night, we dined with our traveling companions and got to know them better.
Day Two
If the first day on the bus was disappointing, the following day was anything but. As soon as we got out of the suburbs we saw the true beauty of Ireland. Everywhere I turned was a postcard just waiting to be photographed.
However, nothing prepared me for seeing my first castle! The Rock of Cashel was the first photo op of the day and we clicked away with our cameras like excited schoolboys. The magnificence of this castle poised on top of this beautiful landscape peering through the morning haze was breathtaking!
The next stop was Blarney, which was far cooler than I imagined. The grounds were enormous and begged to be walked and photographed. Many lined up to traverse the numerous and narrow steps worn by countless visitors over the years to kiss the famous stone known to gain the gift of gab. Having worked in radio for twenty years, and as anyone who’d ever grabbed a pint with me can attest to, I didn’t need the “gift.”
Also, I’d heard from my Irish friends that the local boys liked to sneak in, party at the stone and relieve themselves on it as a special treat for the tourists. I know they washed the stone down every morning but I still opted to pass.
We spent the night in Killarney, one of my favorite places in Ireland! I couldn’t wait to tour the Ring of Kerry the next day.
Duke of Dead Air 