For our third and fourth days we rented a Land Yacht to drive around to some sites farther afield from Dublin. In retrospect perhaps a Land Dingy would have been more appropriate given the width of the roads in Ireland, but we definitely rode in comfort. Our first stop was Glendalough, which is located in the Wicklow Mountains just south of Dublin. It was at the lakes here where St. Kevin decided he wanted to be a hermit and live in a cave and a bunch of other people then decided they wanted to learn how to be hermits from him and followed him there. It’s a pretty ironic turn of events, but nonetheless the site itself is beautiful. The drive took around an hour, with me driving and Connor navigating and Allie relaxing in the back seat. When we arrived we parked in the parking lot for the lower lake and forewent the visitor center because I had read that it wasn’t worth it. We took a three kilometer loop trail up to near the upper lake and then back around to the lower lake parking lot again. The scenery was magical to say the least, with brilliant green moss covering the trees and birds chirping away.
Next we needed some sustenance so Connor navigated us to a nice restaurant in Glendalough proper where we got hearty Irish food. Connor and Allie got bangers and mash and I got some lamb stew. Our plan was then to travel up to the upper lake parking lot (which we then learned has a €4 fee) and has a road type that we grew to love in Ireland… the road wide enough for one car but is two lanes and immediately on either side of the road are stone walls. We took the blue trail which ostensibly is a loop that climbs up one of the hills which forms southern shore of the lake and then comes back around through the forest. However they were cutting the forest down for timber, so we had to go up and down the steep part.
Allie got a lot of accolades from people walking by for making the hike in her walking boot. The trail reached a ridgeline and then continued on along the length of the lake. At the far end Connor and I continued onward until we reached the highest point that also offered a view of the lakes. On the way down I went ahead a little bit because it took Allie a little longer to go down the really awesome yak-trak infused wooden walkways they have set up. Once I was almost at the bottom the sun started to come out! So I made my way to the lakeshore to try to get some pictures of the upper lake in the sun.
Allie decided she needed some ice cream and after seeing her cone I decided I wanted some ice cream too. We then stopped at a local store where Connor completed his Irishman ensemble by buying a cabbie hat. Our next destination was a tavern/pub on a hill south of Dublin (on the way home! kinda) – Johnnie Foxes – where we had reserved seats for a Hooley Show. The drive there was terrifying but incredibly scenic at the same time. Parking the Land Yacht was a little stressful, but Connor successfully guided me to backing into a spot. The night began with a three course meal where I got butternut squash soup (which was amazing), braised lamb shank (which was okay) and whiskey cake (which was really good). After dinner the Hooley Show began. It consisted of three acts, the first and third were a group of musicians playing Irish songs and tunes and the second was Irish dancing! The music was good and the dancing was absolutely amazing. It’s hard to capture in picture form but I tried.
After the show we made our way back to Dublin and found a sweet end spot to moor the Land Yacht in for the night. We woke up a little early for Saturday morning because everything I read said to get to Newgrange (where we went next) as early as possible. The drive there took about forty five minutes and we threw an anchor down in the parking lot and walked through the a spectacular walkway to the visitor’s center. Also… it was sunny! At the visitors center we were greeted and told that we were just in time for the 9:45 tour (it was 9:37)! We had Allie go on ahead while we paid. We loaded up on some safari buses to take us to the site and drove about five minutes or so to get there. Newgrange is one of three neolithic passage tombs built in the local area somewhere around the year 3000 BC, give or take two hundred years. They predate Stonehenge by about 1000 years and consist of a giant mound of rock, dirt and sod built on top of and encasing a central chamber. The structure itself is oriented so that the entrance is aligned with the sunrise at winter’s solstice. The light from the sun passes through a small open and illuminates to floor in a narrow band that then reaches the back wall. Interestingly enough, nobody knows what it was for! Connor thinks it is a prison for a forgotten being of fell power. I think it was a way for some to ascend from their mortal form. Or, you know, it’s a really big calendar.
After seeing the site we ate some yummy lunch at the visitor’s center and then went to the Hill of Slane. It was here on this hill that St. Patrick lit the fire on some sacred pagan day to show the power of Christianity vs the local religion. Currently there are the ruins of an medieval friary there, but it has been the site of something important for thousands of years. We were able to climb all over the ruins (not OSHA approved) and snagged some good pictures of the surrounding landscape, which was absolutely gorgeous. When we were there we saw an older couple with a picnic which looked like the best idea ever.
Next we drove to the Hill of Tara the a site of ancient pagan power and ritual as well as where kings would be crowned in Ireland. We left the Land Yacht in the marina and walked onto the site. There wasn’t a lot of information, but the sites were obviously important for rituals or tombs or some combination of stuff. The one other thing of note was a phallic rock, which everyone stopped to take pictures of/with. We cast off from the Hill of Tara and made out way back to the rental car place to return the car and take a brief respite before finishing up our Saturday!
After our respite we walked through St. Stephen’s Green and read all the signs about the Easter Uprising there, then headed to the statue of Oscar Wilde. We made our way over to the Molly Malone statue then ate some good ol’ American food for dinner because the Whitesels were craving a burger. Our stroll home took us past Christchurch Cathedral and the River Liffey. We finished up our trip with a few beers and some Dresden Files board game!
