Days 212-213, 10-11 Jan '15, Butler Trail (Saturday) & Packing (sigh... Sunday). Oh what a day. Whoever said "It's a Long Way, to Tipperary, It's a Long Way, to go..." was not kidding. We have been building up to this extravaganza of a day with all our shorter trips. On Saturday we continued on the trail of the almighty Butler clan and their castles and holiday houses. All the way from Caim, via New Ross and Waterford to Carrick-on-Suir (Ormond Castle - sh...

Days 210-211, 8-9 Jan '15, James's 50th Birthday Dinner in Enniscorthy then a Ferns, Gorey & Coastal Drive. Wow. Being "early retireds" is just so much more convincing when at least one of us is 50 - and now we're there! Had a restful day around the house and then we all got gussied up and headed out into freezing cold rain and wind for a fab 3 course dinner at Treacy's Hotel. Without a lot of fuss or hoo-ha and without a big crowd, the three of us agreed ...

Day 209, 7 Jan '15, Kilkenny Castle and lunch at Kytelers... our new "local". "Never, Ever, Pay Retail" would have to be one of our favourite expressions. So when we knew we were coming to Ireland we started researching heritage spots to visit, what was open and how much it would cost. Lots of places, not much open and a bit expensive if you visit a few - between €4 and €7 a pop. We researched the annual pass at €25. Hmmmm - would we find enough places o...

Day 208, 6 Jan '15, Waterford Crystal Visit and a meander around the Viking Triangle of Waterford. A couple of years ago on our first trip to Ireland, we flew from Paris to Cork and headed immediately to Blarney Castle. With limited time, we weren't able to backtrack to Waterford. Finally we made it there today and were super lucky to be the only people on our factory tour - which went almost twice as long as scheduled due to us all being so interested. It was ...

Days 206-207, 4-5 Jan '15, Rest Day... then Day trip to Kilkenny self-guided walking tour, lunch at infamous Kyteler's Inn & Cross Country Drive home. Incredible day out in lively Kilkenny. Super town about an hour from home on rural(ish) roads. We had fun heading the main way there via quaint Gowran and St Mary's Church. Possibly the only town in Ireland without a cafe. Also an abundant amount of clearly vacant new-build housing. We think the Celtic Tiger'...