...I am by Ireland after our little jaunt there -- by its countryside, coastline, cities, villages, and especially, by its people who charmed me in a big way with their warmth, helpfulness and, to be sure, their infectious sense of humour... If it wouldn't be for missing my children a whole lot, I would have loved to stay on longer and keep roaming through this wonderful country; I definitely want to go back, perhaps with my children this time, to explore more of its many bewitching corners... But for now, let me share with you some of my favourite pics from there:
We started off in Dublin and, even though our stay was short there, I really liked the look of this vibrant city with all its simple but beautiful Georgian brick facades, subtetly decorated by lovely wrought iron details like the window guards and lamp posts you can see above.
Our first stop after leaving Dublin was such a treat for me as it was at the Avoca Mill Store in Co.Wicklow, just about one hour south of Dublin; Avoca, for those of you who've never heard of it, is an Irish family-run business which started when the Pratt family purchased a rather run-down handweaving mill in the 70s that was first established in a rural Irish village back in 1723. A second generation of the family is now involved in the business and they have grown it into a wonderful enterprise with lovely shops and cafes all over Ireland (including one that I visited in Dublin filled with yummy goodness!), where they sell their beautiful trademark handwoven blankets and throws (which they ship worldwide from their online shop) as well as items such as perfumes, candles, ceramics, clothing and deliciously packaged food products. Now, the Mill Store which we visited in Wicklow has a lovely shop and café and is right next to the original handweaving mill from which this very contemporary business evolved. The great part about visiting this particular Avoca location is that there's a visitor centre which tells the story since 1723 and a mill tour where you can actually view the whole weaving process first hand. Check out how lovely this visitor centre is...
Isn't that sock display just perfect?! Now, for a few shots of the shop and café (where I had a scrumptious steak and Guinness pie) and lovely grounds...
I loved everything about this place (so up my lane, don't you think?!) and, well, their woolly blankets which come in so many appealing colour palettes are absolutely gorgeous! ( I will show you my Avoca loot in my next post...)
Next, we headed further south to Cork... Now, as you've probably heard, parts of Ireland as well as the UK have recently been devastated by floods, and we were definitely witness to this when we arrived in Cork in the evening and drove right next to the River Lee which looked like it needed just one more drop of water to break its banks. All we could think about at that point -- and I'm not joking -- is to head for the hills or any higher ground! The next day, we visited the nearby and very picturesque Blarney Castle where we saw further evidence of extreme weather damage...
We then made our way to the spectacular Ring of Kerry...
Need I say more?!... Our next stop was the very charming fishing town of Dingle in Co. Kerry; I took a bunch of photos of houses here because I loved the way their walls, doors, window frames were painting in all sorts of brilliant colours -- take a look...
As you can see, no colour is barred in this town! Before leaving the Dingle Peninsula, we did a lovely walk along the coast where we met these sweet creatures...
We did another walk at the stunning and must-see Cliffs of Moher, but before getting there we overnighted in this modest-looking inn in Liscannor which, luckily for us, was the only place to stay at this time of the year (Liscannor is a very, very sleepy town at this time of the year) as it turned out to be quite the little gem; our room on the second floor was very sweetly decorated (looked quite recent) and the food, well, the food was glorious in a very gourmet kind of way (yum, I can almost still taste it...)
A walk at the Cliffs of Moher was definitely in order after our delicious (and very plentiful) supper and breakfast (amazing blood pudding!) and it did not disappoint despite the high winds and dark clouds that had started to move in...
We spent our last night in Clifden, Co. Galway, before heading back to Dublin and then home. Ireland has seduced me in so many ways and I would, as I said earlier, go back there for another holiday in a heartbeat! I hope you've enjoyed my little travelogue and I will be back shortly to show you the goodies I brought home with me... I'm still answering the mail I received from the time I was away so please be patient with me... Thanks for the visit and talk to you soon...
I have never seen a tree look quite so flat before! It is almost like it has been squashed. I love your pictures, it looks like you had a marvellous time. I would love to go to Ireland but I'll have to wait a few more years until the kiddywinks are a bit older.
Posted by: Helen | February 18, 2014 at 02:53 AM
Your photos almost brought a tear to my eyes! And now I'm off to plan an Irish road trip because 13 years is too long to stay away!
Posted by: Clare | February 18, 2014 at 05:59 AM
Ah the charms of Avoca, I am very fortunate in living only 20 miles from an Avoca shop, it's a very tempting place.
Aren't the Cliffs of Moher breathtakingly amazing!
Posted by: greenrabbitdesigns | February 18, 2014 at 07:55 AM
So got to visit here one day, looks just the sort of place I and my family would enjoy x
Posted by: joy | February 18, 2014 at 01:49 PM
What an amazing time you had. Great photos! Love the flat tree x
Posted by: found and sewn | February 19, 2014 at 03:15 AM
merci beaucoup pour cette merveilleuse balade
rose
Posted by: rose victorien | February 19, 2014 at 08:01 AM
I loved reading about your vacation in Ireland. Thank you for sharing your lovely pictures.
Posted by: Melissa Casady | February 19, 2014 at 10:21 AM
Oh my goodness, it's all so charming!!! What a great trip! And the colors in that visitor's center, oh my. I'm glad you had fun! ~Angela~
Posted by: Angela @ Cottage Magpie | February 19, 2014 at 05:39 PM
Thanks for the beautiful photos of your trip! I live in the north west of Ireland but I love Dublin. I'm definitely going to plan a trip to Cork and Kerry! Love reading your blog.
Posted by: Sheila | February 20, 2014 at 03:15 AM
You've captured Ireland so well in your photos. I'm from Galway but live in Dublin and Avoca is my favourite store. Your beautiful work would fit in well in their store! Do come back and visit.
Posted by: Dervla Monaghan | February 20, 2014 at 04:28 PM
Lovely, colourful photographs! We had a dreamy camping holiday in Ireland, travelling around in my beloved first car - Miriam the Renault 5...
Posted by: mrs robinson | February 21, 2014 at 12:48 AM
OMGoodness, Love it all!The mill, wow, I'd find it difficult to leave, what a gem! Now if I could only talk the hubby into painting our house like that first photo. lol Dingle looks like my kind of town! Ireland has always pulled at my heartstrings, would dearly love to visit. The grass photo looks like an ocean wave, except in green. :)Glad it was a fun trip,thanks for sharing. Look forward to seeing your loot!
Posted by: Angela-Southern USA | February 21, 2014 at 08:13 AM
Brings back happy memories of childhood holidays... thank you! Did you kiss the Blarney stone? Do people still do that even? It's supposed to give you the gift of the gab! x
Posted by: Whimsycate | February 22, 2014 at 05:32 PM
Wonderful reportage,I wish I were there!
Posted by: simona | February 24, 2014 at 08:44 PM
I'm glad you enjoyed your trip . . . oh what memories !! I lived in Dublin for 7 years and still work for an Irish company so I'm lucky to still go there at least twice a year. . . and I'm going again next week !!
Did you visit the AVOCA store in Dublin ?? and its Cafe ?? Huummm, Avoca has to be one of my favourite stores on earth !! Just love everything they have. . . and the food in Ireland is a ready to be discovered by the world. . .completely underrated !
xEva
Posted by: Eva Martin | March 12, 2014 at 04:11 AM