Ireland 2015

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Dublin

No trip is ever without its challenges. Everything was going SO well until we got to Dublin. First of all, the driver is seated on the right of the car and you actually drive on the left side of the road........adjustments number 1 & 2! Honestly, we had no idea how difficult this would be when traveling on roads that are VERY SMALL!

Dublin is like a small New York City and San Francisco combined. There are cars, people, taxis, strollers, buses, one way streets, no street signs that were visible and BIKES everywhere. I would never ride a bike in this city (actually, I'm a little nervous for our bike tour). DANGEROUS!!

By the time we got to Dublin, we had been traveling for 15 hours with very little sleep. You know how it is when you travel internationally, you are just exhausted. Well, I think we drove around Dublin for 2 MORE HOURS looking for our Hotel. Yes - remember that song, "Will it go Round in Circles," by Billy Preston? That was our theme song and it wasn't a pretty one! Good thing we've been married 31+ years and have a great understanding of our relationship- patience was a virtue! TIP #1 - It's very important to NOT get derailed relationally on the 1st day of your trip.

I know what you're thinking, "Why didn't you just stop and ask someone for directions?" Well, that was nearly impossible! There was nowhere to stop or pull over!!! We finally turned down some remote street and asked ANITA (the nearest pedestrian) for help. Gotta LOVE the Irish!! She hopped in our car and directed us to our hotel, personally! Needles to say, our car has been parked and we have been walking everywhere!! Thank You, LORD, for Anita!!

Our Hotel in Dublin - Buswell's Hotel

Walking in the Temple Bar Area

Porterhouse Pub was mentioned as one of the top 10 Pubs to visit in Dublin. It was awesome.....a little young....I think our kids would have REALLY enjoyed it!!

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Today has been the BEST! We went to bed last night (Dublin time) at 9:30 and we were woken up this morning (with a call from our Dublin travel agent) at 11:10am. I guess you could say we were TIRED! I didn't even know Mitch could sleep more than 6 hours at a time. HA HA!

We had a few places on our list to visit and we made it to all but 1. We'll save that last one for tomorrow! We began at Trinity College. Here we had the amazing privilege of viewing the Book of Kells.

Here we are in line. The weather was perfect today.....a cool 60 and sunshine mixed with clouds.

Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland or may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have been created ca. 800 AD. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.

This is NOT a good picture, but photos were not allowed. At least you get the idea!!

Some photos of the Library at Trinity College

After this self-tour, it was off to Christ Church Cathedral. On the way, we snapped a picture of The Dublin Castle.

Christ Church Cathedral (or, more formally, The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity) is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland.It is situated in Dublin, Ireland, and is the elder of the capital city's two medieval cathedrals, the other being St Patrick's Cathedral.

It was a short walk to St. Patrick's Cathedral from there.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, also known as The National Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Patrick, Dublin, or in the Irish language as Ard Eaglais Naomh Pádraig, founded in 1191, is the largest church in Ireland and one of Dublin's two Church of Ireland cathedrals. It has a 43-metre (140 feet) spire.^[1] Christ Church, the other cathedral, is the diocesan cathedral of the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough.

This church was very beautiful! However, Mitch was VERY upset that the gift shop was actually inside the church in the foyer .....he said that was in poor taste and completely irreverent. I agreed!

About a mile down the road was the Guinness Storehouse. One can't visit Dublin without seeing this goldmine! It reminded me of Disneyland....all the people and the lines.....unbelievable!

Irish Dancing at Guinness

Our final place to visit was the Brazen Head - Ireland's oldest Pub. I had traditional Irish Stew and Mitch had some awesome fish & chips. Everything about this pub was fantastic!

Lastly, a few sights on the way back to the hotel.

Good Night!!

Kildare

Ahhhh, the last 2 days have been a whirlwind! Not sure what day it is OR what time, but we are having a blast.

Jordan drove us to San Francisco early Tuesday morning. We had a 5 1/2 hour flight to JFK (New York) and then a 5 1/2 hour flight to Shannon Ireland. We picked up our rent-a-car and off to Dublin we went (another 2 1/2 hours). Couple of tips for future travelers to Ireland. DON'T RENT A CAR if at all possible. And if you do, make sure you get a GPS. More to come...........

Our wonderful travel agent, Susan Fetterly recommended we stop in Kildare on the way. FABULOUS idea! Here we made our first stop - St. Bridid's Cathedral.

Brigit of Kildare

Saint Brigit of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland is one of Ireland's patron saints, along with Patrick and Columba. Irish hagiography makes her an early Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries of nuns, including that of Kildare in Ireland, which was famous and was revered. Her feast day is 1 February, which was formerly celebrated as a pagan festival marking the beginning of spring and the lambing season. Her feast day is shared by Dar Lugdach, whom tradition says was her student and the woman who succeeded her.

St Brigid’s Cross

St Brigid also known as “Mary of the Gael” is an abbess and patroness of Ireland, and she is also the founder of the first Irish monastery in Kildare. Born in Dundalk in 450 A.D, St Brigid is accredited with first creating the unique cross that bears her name, which is normally made from rushes but occasionally from straw.
The distinctive St Brigid’s Cross design made from woven rushes is thought to keep evil, fire and hunger from the homes in which it is displayed, however the tale of its creation is somewhat confused, and there is not one definitive version.
The tale as we know it is as follows: There was an old pagan Chieftain who lay delirious on his deathbed in Kildare (some believe this was her father) and his servants summoned Brigid to his beside in the hope that the saintly woman may calm his restless spirit. Brigid is said to have sat by his bed, consoling and calming him and it is here that she picked up the rushes from the floor and began weaving them into the distinctive cross pattern. Whilst she weaved, she explained the meaning of the cross to the sick Chieftain and it is thought her calming words brought peace to his soul, and that he was so enamoured by her words that the old Chieftain requested he was baptized as a Christian just before his passing.
Since that day and for the centuries that followed, it has been customary on the eve of her Feat Day (1st February) for the Irish to fashion a St Brigid Cross of straw or rushes and place it inside the house over the door.

Just loved the little tid-bit above! The Bishop read the wrong formula!!!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Summer Shenanigans!

Working at a school site means 6 weeks of vacation in the summer! YAE FOR ME!

This past week, we took a family vacation to Shell Beach and I can't begin to tell you how much fun we had!

My sister and her family came out from South Carolina and they were able to join us for a few days.

Here are a few more pictures from our week!

Next stop IRELAND! It's a major countdown!

Our Parker Team Jerseys for Ireland!

Sunday, June 28, 2015

What's in a name: Maloney

Apparently, I'm Irish!

Meaning of "Maloney"
Gaelic name

In Gaelic, the name Maloney means - Devoted to God.. Other origins for the name Maloney include - Gaelic, Irish, Irish.

This notable Irish surname is an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic "O'Maoldhamhnaigh", descendant of Maoldhamhnigh, a male given name composed of the elements "mad", literally meaning "bald", but used here in the sense of "tonsured one"; hence, "devotee", and "domhnaigh", the genitive of "domhnach", (Patrician) church. The latter element "domhnach" translates as "Sunday" or "the Lord's Day" in modern Gaelic. Maloney, along with its more usual spelling Molon(e)y, is chiefly found in County Clare, and the adjoining Munster counties of Tipperary and Limerick, "O'Maoldhamhnaigh" being an ancient Dalcassian sept, that is belonging to Kiltanon near Tulla in East Clare. The "O'Maoldhamhnaigh" chief ruled over Cuiltenan in the Barony of Tulla, and his sept (along with the O'Gradys, the O'Quins and the McEneirys) is of the line of Cormac Cas, Monarch of Ireland. The name is seldom if ever found today with the original prefix "O". Fifty-five people bearing the name Maloney appear on a "List of Irish Famine Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York", during the years 1846 - 1851. On May 21st 1856, the birth of one Bridget Maloney was registered at Nenagh, County Tipperary. A Coat of Arms held by this family is an azure shield, on the dexter a quiver erect with three arrows, on the sinister a bow erect all gold, the Crest being a dexter arm embowed in armour, the hand in a gauntlet holding a dagger all proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Father Dongoh O'Moloney, which was dated 1601, in "Ecclesiastical Records of Killaloe", County Clare, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 of England, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Who would have known?

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Irish Proverb

It's serious countdown time! It's hard to believe we are 4 weeks away from our Ireland excursion! This proverb is so true. I see the truth of this in many areas of my life.......Faith, Family, Fun!

This year, Parker's Team trained for America's Most Beautiful Ride. Our team is comprised of people from all different walks of life....it's an amazing group! This year, we raised over $50,000 to help LOCAL charities! I love that we bike with a purpose!