After a great night's sleep in our quiet and secluded B&B, we woke up to clear blue skies,
planning to take most of the day driving through the Wicklow Mountains, along the Old Military Road, stopping at Glendalough, and continuing on along back country roads to our B&B near Kilkenny.
The Old Military Road through the Wicklow Mountains was constructed between 1800 and 1809 in the wake of the 1798 rebellion to open up the mountains to the British Army to assist them in putting down insurgents who were hiding there.
Back then, I'm sure it saw its share of ugliness but on this day, it's simply a beautiful, quiet drive with very few other vehicles around. Breathtaking scenery as far as the eye can see.
Though we did encounter some very tall, very lean, but friendly folks...
Note the Canadian flag in our rented car....
A few homes here and there...
and a moon over a loch, they are not just in Scotland...
huh?....really...it's the middle of nowhere....but now I can say "do not leave valuables in your car" in Irish...um, no I can't.
A purple middle-of-nowhere....and a Christmas Tree!
See, it really is a Christmas tree. (we found it later it was a actually a memorial to a victim of a car accident at that location).
And then an unexpected gem...a gorgeous farm valley, and the Glenmacross waterfall....
even the sheep like the view...
Edwards, Young, & Duhaime...we specialize in travel planning, hand-made greeting cards, broadcasting production, and laughing at anything and everything...and everyone....sometimes even ourselves!
After spending a good 30 minutes in the warm Irish sunshine admiring the waterfall, heather and gorse...and sheep...
It's time to continue our drive to the Moonarch Bed & Breakfast. But it's slow-going....I think they wanted a close look at the maple leaf....
Hmmm, the whole country...wonder what the asking price is....free Guinness for life though for the lucky buyer!
Time for a coffee at the Glendalough Cafe...
where there are strict rules!
Next stop...Glendalough...a place with an unconfirmed connection to the Young family...
"Glendalough is home to one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland. This early Christian monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and from this developed the ‘Monastic City’.
The ‘City’ consists of a number of monastic remains, and the most impressive being the Round Tower which stands 30m high. The main group of monastic buildings lies downstream near the Round Tower. The grounds were entered through the Gateway, which has two round headed granite arches.
Today the ruins of the ancient monastic site are scattered throughout the valley. Many are almost 1000 years old."
"This building stands at the entrance to the Monastic City, and is perhaps one of the most important monuments as it is now unique in Ireland. The building was originally two-storeyed, probably with a timber roof. Inside on the west wall, is a cross-inscribed stone. Visitors entering the Monastic City from the road still pass through this ancient entrance, walking on some of the original stone paving."
the 1000-year-old gateway.. with the 2 arches....always hard to understand just how these things got built so long ago...and how many people have walked through it over the centuries...or when the first retailer thought "location, location, location!"..
"Perhaps the most noticeable monument, the Round Tower is about 30 metres high. The entrance is about 3.5 metres from the base. Originally there were six wooden floors with ladders. The roof had fallen in many years ago, but was rebuilt in 1876 using the original stone. Round towers were multi-functional. They served as landmarks for visitors, bell-towers, store-houses, and as places of refuge in times of attack."
the "Round Tower", not much of a creative name but very much an impressive structure....
Speaking of a lack of creativity....Robert Roberts Tea & Coffee...
Old gravestones....but we found no "Youngs"....
but at least one Michael, Michael Kanna, died at age 25, on May 10, 1750....
St. Kevin’s Kitchen
"This church is most noticeable for its steep roof formed of overlapping stone, supported internally by a semi-circular vault. The belfry has a stone cap and four windows facing north, south, east and west, and is reminiscent of a round tower."
Time for a walk, got to make room for another Guinness..
Glendalough...."A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped sides"..
...and what a gorgeous glen it is on this day...
in the shadows of the trees across the lake...
time to head back to the "Monastic City"...now where could it be?
and to the car...though I'm not sure I'm a fan of John's choice of music...
A stop at the Cartoon Inn in Rathdrum...
for lunch and a, you guessed it....
The Cartoon Inn is a recipient of the James Joyce Pub Award...for being an authentic Irish pub...I guess the man knew his pubs...
which hasn't gone unnoticed in Hollywood...
Then after a long day, we get the old-style key to our room at the Moonarch Bed & Breakfast in Callan, near Kilkenny...
where we look forward to a good night's sleep...
but not before Margaret - the B&B owner - offers us each an Irish Coffee to end a wonderful day in Ireland. We all slept well.
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