Ireland Trip - Day 7

This will be the final post about my Ireland trip! I was very sad to leave Ireland because we were having such a blast, but we had to come back to the real world eventually. I hope that we will be able to return to Ireland again sometime :)

March 23rd - Avoca-Glendalough-Dublin, Ireland

Our last day in Ireland began with a drive through the Wicklow Mountains. I cannot get enough of this Irish mountain/ocean/countryside landscape all mixed together. It is just breathtaking.

We passed through the town of New Ross, where John F. Kennedy's family hails from, on our way to Avoca.

Avoca is home to Ireland's oldest hand-weaving mill. Sheep farming is a huge industry in Ireland, not just for meat, but for their wool as well.

While in Avoca, we took a tour of the old hand-weaving mill and got to see the weavers hard a work. They make beautiful scarves, blankets, etc. and it was very impressive to watch. I really enjoyed our visits throughout the tour to the various places where we got to experience how the Irish people live and work.

The final leg of our journey brought us to Glendalough, the site of an early Christian monastery.

Glendalough was founded by Saint Kevin in the 6th century. All of the original structures were made of wood and have obviously since rotted away. Some of the churches and the round tower were rebuilt using stone in the 11th century. Those structures still remain on site today. A local guide took us on a tour of the grounds where we got to explore the stone ruins of the monastery, as well as the cemetery. The site is situated in a valley between two lakes and is surrounded by beautiful scenery. It is easy to see why St. Kevin chose this peaceful valley to build his original monastery all those centuries ago.

We spent the last night of our trip back in Dublin. As a proper farewell to our Irish adventure, we spent the evening pub-hopping. We simply walked around the city, taking in the historical sites and local culture.

It may have taken me a solid week, but I finally found a place that served corned-beef. Yes, every "Irish" pub in America has corned-beef on their menu, but I sadly discovered that they don't actually eat it in Ireland. The whole Irish corned-beef thing actually originated in New York from the Irish immigrants. Once they arrived in the New World, they were so poor that they could not afford the good cuts of beef, so they ate corned-beef all the time because it was cheap. So corned-beef isn't really Irish at all...I know, it crushed my dreams as well. However, that didn't stop me from wanting some while in Ireland, since I expected to find it everywhere. In the midst of our pub-hopping, I managed to come across a pub that was advertising corned-beef as the daily special, so we absolutely had to eat there. I'm so glad that we did because #1: it was the best corned-beef that I have ever had in my entire life, and #2: there was an awesome band playing. Not only did they play traditional Irish music, but they also played American country music. I know, country music in Ireland? Who would have thought. Apparently, me finding this pub was fate.

Overall, we had an amazing time in Ireland. The Irish people are some of the nicest and most hospitable people that I have ever encountered. Everything about their country was fabulous and I loved every minute. I hope that sometime in the future we will be able to return to Ireland again. Sláinte! (which means "cheers" in Gaelic)