Friday, June 29, 2018

32nd Birthday in Ireland

Good afternoon my dears,

Around the same time we were planning our trip to Ireland for my 32nd birthday, we found out several other friends of our were also going to be there around the same time. Our friends Vicky & Paul, and Autumn &  Daniel. What a coincidence! Also a coincidence, author Susan Branch celebrated her seventy-first birthday in Ireland this year too, which you can read about here



Susan Branch, at Beatrix Potter's Garden in May, 2018


The Green Hen
Delicious dining in Dublin, Ireland





 Dublin
We were so fortunate to be in Dublin during a heat-wave, with sunny 70 degree days. 




Dublin Castle 

Dublin Castle is one of the most important buildings in Irish history. From 1204 until 1922 it was the seat of English, and later British rule in Ireland. During that time, it served principally as a residence for the British monarch’s Irish representative, the Viceroy of Ireland. [1]



Just your average tourists. 



Clontarf Castle Hotel
We stayed in this charming historic castle from 1172. George Frederick Handel, the composer, was also a regular guest of Clontarf Castle. 






 The Dark Hedges
 Our attempt at a selfie. We need practice as you can see. 



Carrick-a-Reed
One of our favorite places in Northern Ireland.


It is said fishermen, fishing for Atlantic salmon, first erected a rope bridge here more than 350 years ago. My maternal Welsh ancestors were fishermen, so maybe that's why I always enjoy the coastline so much. 



Cory discovered a cave to go and explore.








Giants Causeway 
40,000 basalt columns, dating back to the volcanic age around 60 million years ago.



Trying to balance.




Dunluce Castle 
Built on the dramatic coastal cliffs by the MacQuillan family around 1500. The lady of the castle was hosting a dinner party one night and noticed none of the servants had come to serve dinner. So she sent a staff member to go and check. The staff member came back to tell the lady of the castle that the whole kitchen had fallen into the Atlantic Ocean. Shaken up, the family left shortly after and never looked back. 




32nd Birthday Dinner
Dressed up for dinner at Fahrenheit Restaurant.





 Hill of Tara
The stone of destiny from the Neolithic era, is where high kings were inaugurated in Ireland. 


There's a lot of mythology and folklore surrounding the hawthorn tree, also known as the may tree. Supposedly fairies meet here, and bad things happen to anyone who tries to cut it down, so they grow everywhere in the Irish countryside.



Bective Abbey
Founded in 1147, the abbey and its estate lands were confiscated during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1530. It was also used for scenes from Braveheart. 



Trim Castle
Ireland's largest Anglo-Norman castle, with beautiful views of the River Boyne. It was also used for scenes from Braveheart. 






Loughcrew
This hill may not look that steep, but our legs definitely got a good workout. This is an area of great historical importance, as its home to a group of megalithic tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC.





 Uisneach
The mythological and sacred center of Ireland. 






Knights Bar
Dinner on the last night at our hotel. 




You can watch our video below. 



Sending you some Irish luck 🍀

Kiki Nakita

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7 comments:

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

Wow! what a way to celebrate your birthday. Such beautiful pictures!

Pamela said...

Beautiful photos - what a wonderful trip!

Nadia Marie said...

First of all, what lovely photos of your birthday trip! Ireland looks amazing and I love the look of the hotel you stayed in! And I am glad you had such a good time. :D Loved watching the video at the end of this post too! Any new adventures planned for the summer?

Carla from The River said...

WOW! What a great trip.
I enjoyed your video.
Carla

Artsy VaVa said...

We love Ireland and have been 3 times. You showed me beautiful places that we missed, so I guess we'll need to go again! Looks like you had a great time. Your pictures are beautiful.

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

What a wonderful birthday! Ireland is on my bucket list. Hope to get there some day! Everything looks so green and gorgeous. Cute pics of you and your hubby. I laughed about the selfie. Hubby and I aren't the best either. :) Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann

Pam Richardson said...

Happy 32nd birthday. Your trip to Ireland looks amazing. We were there in 2015 and we loved it. There is so much to see and take in. Happy Weekend!

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