13 March, 2023

Yes, it is raining yet again this morning. I get very wet loading the car but by 10:00 am we have checked out and on the road again for the 4-hour drive to Enniscorthy in County Wexford. Our drive takes us North East through Cork, then on to Youghal, Dungarvan and Waterford. We won’t actually go into the town of Wexford but instead go via the bypass around New Ross.

Our initial route off the Beara/Bere Peninsula along the R572 takes us through the delightful village of Glengariff and its imposing Eccles Hotel. A ‘must’ place to visit when we return to Eire!

We are only on the road about 30 minutes but it is still bucketing down with rain all the way. We notice that all the creeks and rivers are flooding so Lynn insists that we stop for a photo of a fast-running creek. Under protest I stop but on the condition that Lynn gets out to take the photo. I have no interest in getting soaked.

Lynn has walked down the road away looking for a suitable photo. What she didn’t realise is just how wet it is outside so she didn’t take her weather-proof jacket. By the time she returns she’s a tad wet.

At least the roads are starting to get a little wider as we head towards Cork but the weather is still cold, raining and windy.

It’s been years since either of us had been to Waterford and we’re quite surprised at just how big a town it has become. Perhaps it was because we had only visited the Waterford Crystal Factory and had not driven through town.

Driving east it becomes apparent that the roads are improving, both in width and surface quality – for example, the New Ross bypass and bridge (the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge) which opened in 2020 and has since won a prestigious international award for engineering excellence and design.

The International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering said the bridge was “a landmark structure” that has pushed the boundaries for the span of a “concrete extrados bridge”. The Kennedy Family’s ancestors hailed from nearby Dunganstow.

We stop in at Tesco just outside New Ross for most of our supplies for this week but we also intend to get some additional supplies after we check in to the cottage at Ballinure, just outside Enniscorthy, and head down town to see what places are available for meals and supplies, especially since Friday is St Patrick’s Day.

The cottage at Enniscorthy is perfect and very-well maintained for a change. It still has the dreaded “Power Shower” which is the usual powerless shower but the host had lit the fire ready for our arrival so the cottage is lovely and warm and welcoming.

We don’t bother to unpack. We just put the groceries from Tesco away then head in to Enniscorthy for some pre-prepared meals.

The driveway into the farm house is very narrow so it could be a problem for any renters with oversized RVs but with a little care we squeeze the Insignia down the driveway and in to town to the SupaValu store in the heavy rain.

The check out chick gave us some good advice about the St Patrick’s Day parade and where we can find good pub food in town.

The Irish never fail to amaze us with variations on food themes but battered rissoles is going a bit too far. “Good Food Matters” now that is a case of wishful thinking!

Back at the cottage we unpack and check out the place. This renovated farm house is quite isolated and very quiet. It is also quite large as a 4-bedroom house with a number of outbuildings.

We have just about completed our unpacking when our host (John) arrives to make sure that we have everything that we need. He also tells us that there is a wood shed out back that has a few years’ supply of cut wood for the fireplace and we should help ourselves to what ever we need. Since the weather report is for rain all this week we will certainly stay warm.

This is a very interesting restoration. Lynn notices that the “pebble dash” panels in the front fence include shards of porcelain. Interesting but it must have taken a great deal of patience to do this. Is it from the original building or the restoration? Whoda thought – a little bit of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia’s spire decoration in this little corner of Ireland.

We are spoilt for choice for bedrooms so we use the downstairs double bedroom as a dressing room so that we don’t have to drag the suitcases upstairs and we will use the upstairs double bedroom to sleep. That way we can have downstairs a lot warmer with the fireplace and upstairs a little cooler to sleep.

The cottage has all the mod cons as well as lots of character. We have a smart TV inclusive of access to Netflix and Disney channels. Who cares if it rains this week? We are all set.

14 March, 2023

We both slept very well in our king-size bed. We are surprised this morning to see patches of blue sky and a warm sunny morning. Straight after breakfast we head in to Enniscorthy to check out the town and grab a coffee. Parking is a bit difficult in town and it is all paid parking, although 1 Euro per hour is not excessive.

We notice how one local gets free parking but not sure he would survive being hit by a fast bicycle.

After a reasonable coffee we walk along the riverside and notice the river is flooded here also.

Enniscorthy is not without its idiosyncrasies. It looks like the old grocery stores catered for men and women when women did the shopping while men went to the pub.

Downtown has fairly steep streets that lead down to the river. Enniscorthy Castle is half way up the hill for great views over the river and bridge while the Cathedral sits at the top of town.

The town isn’t that big so we walk most of the streets in less than an hour. We stop in at the Castle which was built in the 12th Century and rebuilt a couple of times since. It is not that impressive but we may come back to take a visit in detail if it rains this week.

We head further up the hill towards the Cathedral checking out the local shops to see if there are any restaurants worth visiting this week.

The Cathedral is at the top of town so there are some great views from up here. Lynn heads inside to check out the interior.

From the Cathedral I can see the tower ruin on Vinegar Hill across the valley on the other side of the River Slaney.

Meanwhile inside the Cathedral Lynn checks out the stained glass window above the altar.

We head back to the car and since the weather is still fine we decide to visit Vinegar Hill.

The Battle of Vinegar Hill, which was fought on 21 June, was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Over 10,000 crown forces launched an attack on Vinegar Hill, overlooking Enniscorthy in County Wexford, which was then occupied by over 20,000 rebels and camp followers. This was the largest rebel camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irishmen and their supporters. It marked a turning point in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 as it was the last major attempt by the rebels to hold and defend ground against the crown forces and the army of King George III. The battle was actually fought in two locations, on Vinegar Hill itself and in the streets of nearby Enniscorthy.

There is a great view of Enniscorthy from up here so it would have had a commanding view of the opposing forces back in 1798.

Time to head back to the cottage as we can see black clouds approaching. Besides that we are inundated by a classroom full of school children on an excursion. Or are the teachers just trying to run them out of steam?

As soon as we get back to the car it starts to rain. Good timing, so we head back to the cottage and get a fire started to warm the place up for the night.

15 March, 2023

As usual it is raining this morning so after breakfast I spend the day updating the blog but found that we have run out of room on our blog account. It took most of the day sorting out the “bugs” in the new blog account. It is still not completely correct but I have no idea how to fix the last of the issues so went on to a forum but it may take a while to get the answers. I have a list of dates in the left hand margin in our past blog accounts for easier access but can’t find the widget to add to this account.

Tonight we are heading in to town for dinner. There is not much open and it is still bucketing down. Parking is also an issue in Enniscorthy. We drive around looking for open restaurants and finally locate an Italian restaurant called “Via Veneto”. Luckily we find parking right across the street so we don’t get completely drenched getting from the car to the restaurant.

In the restaurant reviews online it was noted that a couple of reviewers were unhappy about the apparent support for Mussolini by the owner/chef. We asked the waiter about the number of Mussolini tributes on the restaurant walls. It seems that the chef was born in the same town as Mussolini and a customer sent him a photo of Mussolini as a joke. Afterwards more customers did the same to try to “stir up” the chef so he hung up the photos to call their bluff. By the way, the chef is anti-Nazi.

The food is excellent and the story of the Mussolini tributes is a great marketing ploy.

On our way back to the cottage we stop in at the supermarket for some additional supplies (read chocolate) where Lynn notices a distinct Irish twist to Easter.

16 March, 2023

How unusual…. it is bucketing down again this morning. We are starting to run out of wood for the fire so I don the wets and head out to the woodshed to bring in lots of logs for the fireplace. We will now have enough wood to last the rest of the week without needing to go out in the rain for more.

I spend the remainder of the day working on the extended European itinerary and Lynn adds the places to visit in Scotland and the UK Midlands for when we get back from the Scandies in July.

We have a Skype call with our Philly, USA friends at 6:00 pm but 10 minutes before the call the Internet goes down for an hour so we have to delay the call until 8:00 pm. We have had very little little issues with the Internet since we have been traveling but this is just bad timing.

While the internet is down, our host, John, arrives to see how we are going and to see if we need anything. He also brought us an apple pie which we have for dessert and it is very yummy.

The Internet is all sorted for a rescheduled 8:00 pm call where we have a long chat with Becky & Jerry and put in place a plan to meet up with them in the Champagne region of France in late spring next year.

We first met Becky & Jerry in an Irish pub on St Patrick’s Day in Lecce, Italy, some years ago hence the timing of our Skype call to celebrate both our serendipitous meeting and St Patrick’s Day tomorrow.

17 March, 2023

It is St. Patrick’s Day today so the plan is to go into town this afternoon to see the parade. In fact, although we religiously celebrate St Patrick’s Day wherever we are in the world, this is the first time that we will celebrate it in Eire! It will be a very damp affair as it is raining yet again and due to continue all afternoon.

At 2:00 pm we drive in to town and park at the top of the hill across from the SupaValu supermarket. It is only about a 10-minute walk to the river and we plan to stop in at The Bailey for a coffee before the parade starts. We will stand near the start of the parade so that we know when the end passes by and we can quickly get back to The Bailey for an early dinner.

Amazingly enough there is only the occasional mizzle as we walk down to The Bailey and even less mizzle during the parade, in fact there is momentary brightness!

Lynn finds us a spot to stand with some elevation but I try to warn her that we won’t see a thing as all the people would be standing as close as possible to the parade. She suggests I go and stand where I want but I refuse as I don’t want to push in.

Just as the parade starts Lynn discovers that I am correct so she scurries down to the road to get a front seat.

Hint: She’s closer to the ground than usual to take photos of the parade.

After a few speeches from the organising team and the Mayor the parade gets underway just after 3:00 pm.

At least Lynn has a bird’s eye view.

Even St Paddy himself appeared in the parade.

All the local clubs have joined in the parade.

The local ladies’ “Delightful Doilies” club crocheted a tea cosy for a car. How very Irish.

Despite a prize of Eu10,000 for the best display there wasn’t a lot of effort put in by any of the organisations and the parade passes by in less than 20 minutes.

We head back to The Bailey at a fast pace to get a table for a Guinness and a very early supper. On the way Lynn starts up a conversation with an elderly gentleman who is also heading to The Bailey from the parade for his coffee.

It turns out that Paddy walks to the The Bailey every day to buy a coffee and they throw in a second one for him for free.

Lynn strikes up quite a conversation with Paddy and as we finish our supper I also pay for his two-for-one coffee.

On our way back up the hill to the car park we notice a plaque that commemorates the fact that Enniscorthy was the starting point for the 2nd leg of the 1998 Tour De France. At the car park there is a monument to the occasion as well.

Overall it has been a fun day and Lynn now has a new friend. Any excuse for some craic on St Patrick’s Day 2023.

18 March, 2023

There is only a light drizzle (or mizzle as Lynn calls it- a mix of drizzle and mist) this morning so after breakfast we head out for a short walk down the lane. We stop at the old stone bridge and check out the fast-running creek.

With all the rain lately everything is flooded and this creek would normally be just a trickle.

By the time we reach the end of the lane the rain starts again. We scurry back to the cottage to keep working on the travel itinerary.

We have sheep in the paddock next door but one of the lambs has escaped and it is making a racket calling for its mother. Lynn heads outside to shepherd it back through the fence.

This afternoon Ireland is playing England in the 6 Nations Rugby so the fire is set and we turn on the TV. We can’t believe it! The sun is shining and the sky is clearing but will it last?

Great news – on this St Patrick’s weekend, in Dublin, Ireland win the Six Nations tournament with a clean sweep or Grand Slam (winning all 5 games) and its captain, Johnny Sexton, retires after becoming all-time highest scorer.

19 March, 2023

We wake up to a beautiful sunny day with an expected maximum of 9 Deg C. However, rain is predicted for this afternoon so after breakfast we head out for a walk to the Monart Church which is about 3.3 km away. The route will take us along a number of country lanes past farm houses and fields.

Lynn can’t help taking photos of unusual signs along the way.

There is not much traffic about so we mostly walk down the middle of the lanes and only have to move over a few times during the walk. There are a few other hardy souls out this morning and we exchange greetings as we pass.

By the time we reach the church the clouds are getting darker but we had a wander around the church yard checking out some of the older graves.

We pick up the pace on the way back as the drizzle threatens to transform in to rain. All the creeks are running fast so we stop by a stone bridge to listen to the water flow.

The creeks are full of crystal clear but very cold water.

The walk takes us about an hour-and-a-half for the round trip but we manage to get back just before the rain starts to come down heavily. Looks like the fire will be started in the fireplace this afternoon while we sip a cup of tea and consume a hot cross bun.

It is going to be difficult to leave this place tomorrow but we are moving on in the morning to head to our next cottage, ‘Corriebrack’, at Corragh, County Wicklow, about 35 minutes’ drive NW of Glendalough.