Ireland Small Groups - Partial review and tips
As discussed in other threads, we got COVID and had to drop out of our tour halfway through. I wasn't going to do a trip review for that reason, but I decided that I did have some things worth passing on. Anyone who was able to complete the trip is welcome to add any info about the second half to this thread.
Dublin
The old part of Dublin is relatively compact. While there are hop on / hop off busses, most of the sights are an easy walk from the hotel, unless you have mobility issues. The furthest thing we walked to was the Guiness Storehouse which is 1.3 miles from the hotel.
The Tauck tour of Dublin stops at Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican not Catholic). The rest of the tour is on the bus.
Trinity College library (the long hall) and the Book of Kells is no longer included in the tour. It's a block away from the hotel. Book your tickets ahead, purchasing them on site is a bit of a hassle. The book of Kells was a bit disappointing for us. They have a nice exhibit about the book, but the book itself can be underwhelming. They change the pages on display every 8 weeks. When we were there, we saw two of what must be the dullest pages of the book. Just text with a few capitals with minor embellishment. It's luck of the draw as to what you will see. For a library lover like me, the long hall was worth the price of admission. The long hall is scheduled for renovation and is expected to be closed for three years after this season.
We did Rick Steve's audio tours in our spare time (download the free app and content to your phone). Part one is south of the river. We did it as far as the Molly Malone statue. After that it seemed duplicative of our Tauck tour. The part we did was worth it. The second (shorter) part covers O'Connell Street, north of the river. It mostly discusses the Irish War of Independence. Warning: Rick's tours are full of Dad jokes.
We enjoyed the Guiness Storehouse. While there is the "this is how we make our wonderful product" aspect to it, there is also a lot of interesting history. Guiness was a pioneer in industrial scale brewing and advertising and the exhibits were quite interesting. It's best to make reservations for your visit in advance on the website - entry is timed. We ate at the 1837 Bar & Brassiere. It was quite good with upscale bar food. Make reservations well in advance on Open Table. There is another bar (Arthur's) which is first come first served and a self service cafe. The view from the Gravity Bar where your get your free pint is the best in Dublin, but unfortunately the Dublin skyline is not very exciting.
We didn't hit any of the museums, although the new Epic Museum got good reviews. It's a modern museum covering the Irish emigration experience.
Belfast
Belfast is about the Titanic and the "Troubles". The Titanic museum is very well done. Lots of information about the political situation in Norhtern Ireland and the troubles.
Donegal
The Giant's Causeway was a bit of a let down. It looks more impressive in pictures. Donegal town is a small town with a small castle to visit. If you are Vegan or gluten-free consider having lunch at Simple Simon which has a choice of healthy salads and sandwiches. Also, the Food Hall at the Abbey Hotel is a good choice. Cafeteria style service with good sandwiches, salads and hot dishes. Look for the hot pink entrance to the right of the hotel. The Belleek factory tour is well worth the time, even if you aren't into fine china. The craftmanship is amazing, especially their woven basket pieces.
Weather
We lucked out with generally good weather, mostly sunny with highs in the 60s. However, everyone we talked to said that this was not the normal. Expect frequent rain showers and wind along the coast. Our TD said that when the previous tour visited the Giant's Causeway it was raining sideways.
Hotels
The first three hotels, The Westin Dublin, The Merchant in Belfast and the Lough Eske Castle were all great. Spacious rooms by European standards. We spent an extra week at the Lough Eske recovering from Covid and the staff was fantastic - friendly and supportive. I only wish they had a wider dining menu. We were getting pretty tired of the choices by the end. We were disappointed not to have made it to Ashford Castle. Reports from others on the tour were that the rooms were smaller there, but otherwise the hotel was incredible.
The Merchant Hotel has a dramatic dining area (The Great Room). It is the ornate hall of the former bank that is a part of the hotel The guest rooms are more modern with some unique decor in the rooms (although this varies a bit from room to room). I would describe the decor as Art Deco Spanish Bordello modern, with some mildly naughty photos on the wall. Our room had a glass door on the bathroom that looked like this:
Returning from Dublin Airport
Be aware that Dublin, like many cities in Canada, clears you for US customs and immigration at the departure airport. So when you arrive at your destination, it's like arriving on a domestic flight. This allows for shorter connection times if you have to change planes in the US. The Dublin airport has the new facial recognition kiosks for Global Entry. Much faster than the old fingerprint and passport kiosks.
Comments
Glad you are back home
Very nice review. Thank you. Glad you recovered from your COVID ordeal.
Worthwhile review Ken. I too was underwhelmed by the book of Kells ( crowded and can't see much) but the library is cool.
Disclaimer- You are not allowed to photograph the Book of Kells.
In the other thread, I posted a photo of a photo I took of the Book of Kells.
Thanks Ken, hope your next adventure is extra wonderful to make up for your disappointment!
Are sports jackets necessary?
Jackets are optional. However, if you want to eat in the George V dining room at Ashford Castle, you must wear a jacket. I suggest you review the dining options on the Ashford Castle website and decide for yourself.
I was on this trip recently. Most of the guys, including myself, wore a jacket to the welcome and the farewell dinner and to some of the other dinners as well. However, this is, as mentioned above, totally optional. Nobody cared much whether one wore a jacket or not. At the Ashford Castle, I dined at the George V on both nights. No need to worry if you do not have a jacket as the restaurant staff can lend you one. They are used to guests needing a dinner jacket for the night.
Update on Trinity College Library:
I read an article in The Times that said remodeling of the long hall (library) would begin in December 2023. So it should still be open in Summer 2023. It's expected to take 3 years. The Book of Kells exhibit will be relocated to another building during construction.
We thought our visit to Belfast was outstanding. Beginning with the Merchant Hotel and the Titanic Museum we could not have asked for more. The Merchant Hotel had very unique door coverings and the hotel and restaurant was very ornate as mentioned previously. We enjoyed our bus tour thru town seeing all the art works on the buildings and learning about the "Troubles" which was very educational. Our TD recommended the book "Making Sense of the Troubles" - a History of the Northern Ireland Conflict - by David McKittrick and David McVea which we purchased and read during the trip. The book is very compelling. Another more recent book is "Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe - a true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland that is also great reading. Both books are very focused books for reading before, during, or after the trip! They give you a great perspective of what went on for some years.
Perhaps our favorite moments were at Ashford Castle. Before the trip we called and we booked on our own a Falconry experience at the Castle that lasted about 45 minutes. The 2 of us were alone with the trainer and the birds walking through the grounds. Falconry is really a misnomer because when we went there was only 1 Falcon (the white bird) at the club. All the other birds including our 2 were Hawks but that certainly did not in any way alter the fun we had with the birds. It was a blast!
I second the recommendation of “Say Nothing!”