Hidden Gems of Ireland

November 1-6, 2019

Dun Laoghaire

The accommodation prices in Dublin increase on the weekend.  A hostel room that is normally $18 during the week can go as high as $87 for the same bed beginning Friday night.  So it makes a lot of sense to get out of town for the weekends!  

Dun Loaghaire is a small fishing village just a 20 minute train ride southeast of Dublin.  I booked an Airbnb with a young couple from Russia.  Like most of my adventures, it was not like I expected!  My GPS took me 40 minutes out of my way – which is a very long walk with two heavy packs in the pouring down rain.  You might think I have gotten used to walking in the rain (and I have!) but it was exceptionally cold and I arrived, in the dark – very cold and wet much later than I anticipated.  

However, I received the warmest of welcomes from Olga and her husband Igor and their 4 year old son, Marc.  Olga was baking gingerbread cookies when I arrived.  Not just a batch or two, but hundreds of cookies! She is an artist and ices these cookies and then paints them in great detail for the Christmas markets.  The cookies took up every flat surface in the house.  They were all in different stages of cooling, drying and packaging.  It was quite the operation.  However, it was wonderful to be greeted with a warm cookie, a towel and my own pair of house slippers!  

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My room was huge by Airbnb standards.  Their home was brand new and I had the best of everything.  I was one of the first guests since they had moved.  The bed was new, the duvet was clean and warm, the bathroom was bigger than any I had come across yet and there were so many extras like a blow dryer, shampoo and a WASH CLOTH! You can’t imagine how you come to miss those little things we take for granted in the States.  

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There were parks everywhere and only a ten minute walk to the ocean.  I spent Saturday morning at the town square where there is a weekly market.  Every kind of food you can imagine was being prepared and sold.  Cuisines of every kind and from more than 20 different countries.  It was an adventure just in smells alone! 

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Olga was 37 weeks pregnant and Igor’s parents had come to stay with them to help with Marc and the delivery of the baby.  I really enjoyed speaking with his mother.  She lives in Russia and she was learning English and was so excited to practice on me.  We went for long walks together and although her husband couldn’t speak or understand us, we all became fast friends.  I really love to learn about other cultures and customs and enjoy the chance to have meaningful conversations with people from other countries.  

Glendalough

My new friend Siobhan (from Belfast post) is a psychiatrist.  She had a break in her schedule and asked if I wanted to join her on an overnight trip to a small town called Glendalough for a day of hiking.  Hmmm…. Let me think for a second – YES! She picked me up at my Airbnb in Dun Laoghaire and we headed South.  

We stopped at Powerscourt Gardens in County Wicklow – one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland! Unfortunately, it was raining and the tours we had planned along the way were interrupted. The gardens were still magnificent – even in the rain.  Here is a link if you are interested in seeing the beauty of these gardens.  My pictures would only disappoint.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal in the Avoca Terrace Cafe and  headed to our accommodations because of the storm.  However, the next morning proved to be a great day for hiking.  

We woke early and headed out to explore the trails and outlying hills of the Wicklow mountains.  We visited the ruins of an ancient monastery.  

The most famous of all the landmarks in Glendalough is the Round Tower which stands 33 meters above the ground. It was built almost 1000 years ago by the monks of St. Kevin’s monastery. The conical roof had to be replaced in 1876 when it was struck by lightning. The towers were called “Cloigtheach”, meaning bell tower, suggesting their main use. The towers were sometimes used as a place of refuge for monks when the monastery was under attack. They also served as both as lookout posts and as beacons foe approaching monks and pilgrims.

We took the Glendalough Woodland Road. This was a pleasant walk through one of the more secretive areas of Glendalough. It weaves through mixed woodlands into neighboring Glendasan Valley. The trail follows the Glendasan River back towards Glendalough, where it then joins up with the boardwalk which runs through the Lower Lake wetlands. 

This was a beautiful hike.  We passed waterfalls, a multitude of  moss covered trees, sheep, and an upper and lower lake.  The vistas from these trails were beautiful and quiet – free from tourists. 

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This was one of my favorite days in Ireland.  I love to get outside of the city to experience the true essence of the people and the country. I enjoyed having Siobhan’s company.  It was so nice to have a travel partner – if even for a day or two.  She drove me back to Dublin where we said goodbye until our next adventure!