Ireland - unforgettable, friendly, fun, and beautiful

I was fortunate (soo-o fortunate) to be invited to Ireland by Tourism Ireland . With four other South African journalists, and Helen Fraser, from Tourism Ireland's Johannesburg office, we toured the south and north of Ireland (the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for purists) for nine giddy days. We started our whirlwind trip in the gracious Georgian city of Dublin, partying in Temple Bar, the city's hottest fun place, and picking out familiar landmarks such as the River Liffey, the Guinness Brewery, Trinity College university where the Book of Kells is on display, and newer ones such as the Rosy Hackett Bridge, named in honour of a trade unionist and only opened in June, 2014.

We then travelled south and west, first to the very imposing 15th-century Kilkenny Castle (Ireland is littered with castles of all ages, shapes and forms), and then down to Cork, where, in Cobv (pronounced Cove), we visited the docks and Queensland Visitor Centre where 2.5 million irish people left their homeland in the 1840s because of the devastating potato famine.

After watching the dedication, care, hard work and centuries of knowledge that go into the making of Jameson's Triple Distilled Whiskey (and enjoying a tasting) at Midleton in Co. Cork, I'll never down a whiskey again with quite the same nonchalance.

Ireland has some of the best food in the world - especially seafood. Think scallops, oysters, mussels, and all kinds of fish. At the award-winning Fishy Fishy restaurant in Kinsale I polished off the best Lobster Thermidor I've ever tasted.

After watching the dedication, care, hard work and centuries of knowledge that go into the making of Jameson's Triple Distilled Whiskey (and enjoying a tasting) at Midleton in Co. Cork, I'll never down a whiskey again with quite the same nonchalance.

Then on to Limerick (where we briefly watched the Opening of the Special Olympics), travelled on to the Famine Museum at Strokestown Park with its delightful gardens, and then into Northern Ireland, where the sun shone, and the beauty of the landscape is breathtaking.

Up to Derry and on to Giant's Castle  with its amazing new Visitor Centre, and then a long walk with scores of steps down to the challenging Carrick-a-Rede Rope bridge - certainly not for visitors with vertigo or wobbly legs. Next, my favourite castle in the whole world, Dunluce Castle, on the gorgeously scenic Antrim Coast road.

In Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, Titanic Belfast is one of the most amazing attractions I have ever visited. The building - as high as the ship herself - is a cross between an iceberg and a ship's prow, and the four galleries inside the building take you from the building of the Titanic (there's a wonderful ride up through the gantries), and then you enter the engine rooms, the lower decks, steerage and second class cabins, up to the opulent First Class cabins, and on to the bridge. It's an unforgettable experience.

Finally, on our last days we visit some of the TV series Game of Thrones locations, where I tried my hand at archery, cycled around Castle Ward on the lovely shores of Strangford Lough, and ate a medieval lunch of boar and berries.

There's so much more to tell...but you'll just have to visit for yourself.

 

 

 

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