Ireland’s Ancient East, September 2016 (PART ONE)
Last week’s blog saw Travel Bureau Destinations exploring Northern Ireland. This week we’re sticking with the Emerald Isle to tell you all about our recent journey around Ireland’s Ancient East. In fact, there was so much to see in this historic area that we’ll be treating you to a special two-part blog.
Never having been to Ireland before, I was particularly excited about this trip and it did not disappoint. I kicked off the visit with what seemed to me to be an excellent omen: having just landed in Ireland, the first thing I saw upon leaving the airport was the bright, shining vision of a Guinness lorry! At which fantastically fitting sight I promptly asked my taxi driver where I should go to get the best pint of Dublin’s finest. Arriving in Dublin and heading straight to the Palace Bar on Fleet Street (via the iconic but perhaps slightly less authentic Temple Bar) I enjoyed my first pint of the finest Dublin Guinness.
Feeling that I’d already accomplished the most important task on any Dublin checklist, I was able to enjoy what remained of the day exploring the city at my leisure. I was instantly enchanted by the charming Georgian terraces of Dublin: the iconic red-brick town houses with their famous coloured doors and half-moon windows give the city centre a hint of nostalgic romance which complements Dublin’s vibrant atmosphere delightfuly. A quick stroll through St. Stephen’s Green brought me past pleasant ponds, over quaint bridges, under old trees and by a bandstand around which locals lazed in the last of the late summer sun, to a statue of James Joyce.
Dublin, of course, is famous for its literary history – unfortunately I didn’t have time to explore more of it on this trip but if you’re interested in getting some literary inspiration for your travels in Ireland, see our Writing with Whiskey suggested itinerary.
Our first stop outside of Dublin was at Castletown House, a magnificent 18th century Palladian mansion in Kildare. Up the grand steps of the house and through the front doors is a gorgeous entrance hall: the eye is drawn from the exquisite, original, black and white marble floor up to the bright white walls and golden staircase.
It would be the perfect space for a champagne reception before an intimate repast in the beautiful dining room. In the dining room is a lovely marble fireplace in one of the stones of which there happens to be a crack. It is said that the crack was made the night the Devil came to dine at Castletown: the story goes that Tom Connolly, grandson of the house’s original owner William, invited a stranger whom he had met at the Hellfire Hunting Club to dinner. When this stranger was discovered to have cloven hooves in the place of feet, he disappeared in a puff of smoke through the fireplace, cracking one of the stones.
Tom Connolly’s wife was the Lady Louisa whose letters detailing the intrigues and gossip of her friends and acquaintances in the aristocracy became the inspiration for the BBC’s period drama Aristocracy. Louisa is also to thank for the Print Room in Castletown, where her favourite prints were selected and pasted onto the walls with decorative frames. It is a beautiful sight to behold and the only original, 18th century print room remaining in Ireland. The final room that we visited in Castletown House was the Long Room. This room was remarkable not only for its sumptuous decoration which fittingly reflects the grandeur of Castletown in its heyday, but also for the dazzlingly beautiful and valuable 18th century Venetian Murano glass chandeliers.
After our visit to Castletown we continued south-west through County Kildare to the Irish National Stud. The Stud is the home of some of the world’s greatest racehorses; it is awe-inspiring to see these amazing creatures up close and witness their power, beauty and grace first hand. It’s also fascinating to hear the story of the horses and the stud itself from the extremely passionate and knowledgeable guides. However, if you’re not particularly interested in horses or racing, this is still a lovely place to visit. The Stud has beautiful gardens; an interesting Japanese garden which guides you on a journey from cradle to grave, and a beautifully tranquil space dedicated to St Fiachra, the Patron Saint of gardens.
I particularly loved hearing about the Stud’s founder and his eccentric ways. Colonel William Hall Walker had a fascination with astrology and chose his horses based not on their breeding but according to the stars under which they were born. There are numerous statues around the Stud which pay homage to this quirk of the Stud’s founder.
One final note about the Irish National Stud, if you pop into their lovely, light and open café, you’ll be guaranteed very tasty food and a slice of cheesecake as big as your head! One thing I learned in Ireland is that they don’t mess around with their puddings and their portion sizes.
En route to our final destination for the day, Kilkenny, we stopped to have a look around the Castle Durrow Hotel. From the enchanting, vine-covered façade to the dazzling, crystal chandeliers, this place was pure class through and through.
Castle Durrow is a hotel of refined luxury and elegance with an extra special personal touch. We were shown around by the daughter of the hotel’s owners, they bought the property as a family home before turning it into a hotel, the whole family works here and their passion and pride in Castle Durrow is clear to see. We were lucky enough to see their Italian-style gardens just as the sun was about to set when the soft light of the early evening sky was tinged with rosy pink and dusky purple hues. I would love to come back and stay in this beautiful hotel one day.
Before coming to Kilkenny, I had been reliably informed by numerous sources that I could expect a good night out… I was not disappointed. We spent the evening eating, drinking and being entertained at Kyteler’s Inn, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland and one with a sensational history.
The Inn was established in the 13th century by Dame Alice de Kyteler. Dame Alice was married several times, and each time her husband would perish in mysterious circumstances and she would become richer and richer. Eventually this suspicious pattern became so conspicuous that the Bishop ordered her to be arrested for witchcraft. However, such was Alice’s influence that the Bishop was arrested for a short time instead – just long enough for her to be spirited out of the country. Dame Alice de Kyteler had escaped with her life and was never seen again in Ireland but tragically her faithful maid, Petronella, paid the full price for her supposed crimes and was burned at the stake.
You can rest assured though there are no witches and grizzly, gruesome deaths and disappearances at Kyteler’s Inn today, just great food, great music and a fantastic atmosphere.
We were extremely fortunate to be given a Bodhran lesson while we were at Kyteler’s. the Bodhran is a traditional Irish drum and our lesson was thoroughly enjoyable, mostly thanks to the famous Irish wit and charm of our teacher, Damien, whose story-telling skills were just as sharp as his Bodhran playing.
After the lesson, we were led down to the ancient-feeling dining space, complete with low ceilings and age-worn, stone floors which have been smoothed by centuries of footsteps. A delicious traditional Irish dinner – who knew boiled bacon and cabbage with parsley sauce would be so good!? – was followed by yet another enormous slice of cheesecake, this one large enough to feed a small family for a week. My favourite part of the meal was the wonderful Irish coffee we were served after the remnants of desert had been cleared away. So often, in England, Irish coffee is made badly and ends up being too rich, too sweet or not strong enough but this was the perfect blend of flavours and the perfect way to end our Irish meal.
Once we’d finished our meal we headed back upstairs to listen to the music being performed in the bar while we let our dinner digest. When the players began to wind down we decided to head for home but we couldn’t resist one last stop along the way.
The Field had been recommended to us by our fantastic guide as the best pub in Kilkenny so of course we had to see for ourselves. The Field pub in Kilkenny is named after an iconic Irish film starring Richard Harris and it certainly fitted its namesake well, as pubs go I’d imagine this is about as Irish as they come. Absolutely jammed full of punters drinking and talking and singing, the bar had good beer, great whiskey and fantastic traditional music. After an evening spent out and about in Kilkenny, I felt like we’d soaked up some real Irish culture.
The next day we awoke to a Kilkenny that was crisp, cold and bright, dew on the grass and a slight misty haze in the air signalling one of the first Autumnal mornings. A few lungfuls of frosty air was the perfect way to clear our heads of any lingering remnants of the previous night’s whiskey fog.
Before our tour of Kilkenny Castle we were able to take a relaxed stroll around the beautiful gardens of Butler House. This lovely guest house, named after the family who once owned Kilkenny Castle, is in a fantastic location in the city, opposite the entrance to the castle itself and right behind a small courtyard of arts and crafts exhibitions and shops.
Kilkenny Castle is a wonderful place to visit, the intimidating exterior of the building and its grounds, overlooking the city from a position of power, are both stunning.
The interior of the castle is just as beautiful, with tapestries and paintings and décor to marvel at. The castle’s long history was fantastically brought to life by our incredibly knowledgeable guide. I believe it is no exaggeration to describe him as a fountain of knowledge, the amount of information he managed to impart to our group was truly impressive and highly deserving of praise. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful light that illuminated the Long Gallery in the castle, shining on all the wonderful features of this beautiful and historic room.
Our last appointment in Kilkenny was, perhaps aptly, a brewery tour. Smithwick’s is an extremely popular Irish beer which is exported all around the world and we were given a guided tour of the Smithwick’s Experience.
The attraction, conceived by the creators of the Guinness Storehouse experience in Dublin, is a high-quality, high-tech experience full of fun quirks. Once again credit must go to our great guide, a local lad who is the 3rd generation of his family to work in the Smithwick’s brewery. It wouldn’t be a proper brewery tour unless it ended with a tasting session and I’m happy to say we did not miss out at Smithwicks. The experience ends at the pub (purpose-built for the experience) with a pint – if the fresh air hadn’t sorted out everyone’s hangovers by now then this certainly did the trick!
In PART TWO we’ll be visiting the ancient site of Glendalough, going on an adventure in Powerscourt estate and having a final hurrah at the Irish House party in Dublin. Stay tuned.