Erin Go Bragh: Dublin to Cashel via Kilkenny

A Knock at My Door...
After a late night Friday( I finally made it to Coppers, gang!!) I was in rough shape. My plan was to get some breakfast, shower, and rally to meet my Mom and Dave who were arriving in Blackrock around 1:00pm. Little did I know who was waiting outside my door...

Around 10:30 I heard a knock and, thinking it was one of my neighbors, I casually opened my door. This is my little buddy who was waiting for me!!! (He even brought me treats! )Why is he so perfect?

It's Colin!!!!!

Opening the door and seeing Colin was so unexpected, but so perfect. He had been communicating with my mom all semester about the trip. Just like that, 3 became 4.

Kilmainham Jail
After an early night, we headed into the city to meet my mom and Dave at their hotel in West Dublin. When they had visited Ireland previously, one of the things that my mom really enjoyed was the Kilmainham Jail ( or "Gaol" ) In her eyes, it was worth visiting again- I think she was right:

Painted by one of the female political prisoners

Guinness Storehouse Round 2:
Although I already toured the Guinness Storehouse earlier in the semester, it is one of those attractions that is worth a second look. This time, much of the tour was lit in festive green for St. Patrick's day. There were also additional tour guides throughout the exhibit ( although it was essentially a self-guided tour). Whether it was his intense passion for their product, or the curiosity of a Chem E., Colin would never miss a brewery tour (the sample at the end was my main incentive...)

St. Patty's Day Swag

Food Science...nbd

Colin with his buddy

Gravity Bar never gets old

Kilkenny
Tuesday morning we got an early start from Dublin and traveled southwest to Kilkenny. Since their last trip to Ireland in 2008, the roads in the country have greatly improved. The journey from Dublin to Kilkenny was only about an hour and a half. We quickly found parking and began taking in the sites including the Kilkenny Castle:

Kilkenny Castle

Mom and Dave rested at a pub while Colin and I continued exploring. At St. Canice's Cathedral we were able to climb the bell tower. Luckily, we arrived a few minutes before close and were the last two in the tower for the day.

St. Canice's Cathedral. Check out the Round Tower that we climbed

View from the top of the round tower

Climbing Colin

Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey
From Kilkenny to Cashel was only about a 45 minute drive, but we arrived in Cashel around dusk. We could see the "Rock of Cashel" from the road. It was completely illuminated and although partially covered in scaffolding for repair was a beacon on the hillside:

Rock of Castle at dusk

It was too late to tour the castle, so we checked in to our Bed and Breakfast called O'Brien's.

Our fabulous accomodations

view from our room to the Abbey

Hore Abbey in the background

We first explored the Hore Abbey located adjacent to the Cashel Lodge.

Typical

Next stop was Rock of Cashel! We decided to take the 45 minute tour offered with admission and it was well worth it. Although the weather wasn't cooperating (rain, wind, cold) we still got a lot of information about the castle's history as well as the ongoing restoration.