Thatch Roofs

Adare, County Limerick, Ireland  2023

The village of Adare is said to be the most picturesque village in all of Ireland.  It is famous for a number of well preserved and maintained thatched-roof buildings, like these businesses here.  

 

Trinitarian Abbey Church, Adare, Ireland

Adare, County Limerick, Ireland  2023

 

St Mary's Cathedral - Kilarney

Kilarney, Ireland  2023

St. Mary's Cathedral is the cathedral church for the Diocese of Kilarney.  Compared to a number of other churches we saw on this trip, this cathedral is very young, having been built in 1842-1855.

 

Ring of Kerry Scene II

County Kerry, Ireland  2023

Ring of Kerry Scene

County Kerry, Ireland  2023

We spent an entire day traveling along the famous Ring of Kerry, a 111 mi circular route in southwest Ireland.  The tourist route is famous for some of the best scenery in all of Ireland along with a number of quaint Irish villages.
 

Blarney Castle

County Cork, Ireland 2023

Blarney Castle was originally built sometime before 1200.  The current castle dates from 1446.  This is the  site of the famous Blarney Stone, which if one can kiss it, will give the "The Gift of Eloquence", more commonly referred to as "The Gift of Gab".  You can reach the stone after climbing 120 steps to the top of the castle and hanging upside down out a window over 80 feet above the ground.  You can see the opening in the center of the photo below.  I made the climb, and did my best to kiss the stone.  It's not for the faint of heart.  I'm still waiting to receive "The Gift of Eloquence".

 

River Nore, Kilkenny, Ireland

Kilkenny, Ireland  2023

 

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny, Ireland  2023

Our first castle on this trip.  Kilkenny Castle was built in 1260 and after a few changes in ownership was occupied by the same family for 500 years.  The last occupant was the family of George Butler, Earl of Ossary who sold the contents in 1935 and moved to London.  The castle fell into disrepair  and in 1967 was sold by then current heir of the property to the Castle Preservation Committee for the ceremonial sum of £50.

Ruins at Glendalough, Wicklow, Ireland

 The ruins pictured here were built by a monastic community, in the 6th Century, founded by St. Kevin.  The buildings that remain date from  10th  through 12th centuries.  It was destroyed by the Normans in 1214.

Round Tower

Cathedral

Priest's House and Round Tower

Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland  2023

Jameson Distillery - Bow Street

No trip to Ireland would be complete without a visit to the Jameson Distillery on Bow St in Dublin.  This original distillery site is now a tourist center/museum celebrating the history of Jameson's Irish Whiskey.  Jameson's is now made in a modern distillery in Middleton, Ireland.  

Dublin, Ireland  2023

Part of the tour included learning about the process to create Irish Whiskey and of course there were samples provided.  Jameson's makes about 80 different varieties of their whiskey.  

 

Dublin Street Scene

Dublin, Ireland,  2023

 

The Long Room - Trinity College

Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland  2023

The Long Room is the main chamber of the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin.  It is normally filled with 200,000 of the oldest books in the library.  It was undergoing a renovation during our visit.   Also housed in the Old Library is the Book of Kells, an Illuminated Manuscript written and decorated ca. 800.  I did see the Book of Kells, but photography was not allowed.  I did get a picture describing the history of the Book of Kells.

 

St Patricks Cathedral

Dublin, Ireland,  2023

St Patrick's Cathedral is the National Cathedral of Ireland, founded in 1191 as a Roman Catholic Church.  The building with this general shape and form dates from 1220-1259 and replaced an earlier church.  Changes to the cathedral were made after the English Reformation with a final restoration being completed in 1865.  It's the largest cathedral in Ireland, and is part of the Church of Ireland.

 

Government Buildings

Dublin, Ireland  2023

 

Four Courts

Dublin, Ireland  2023

This is the center of law in Ireland and has been for over 200 years

River Liffey

Dublin, Ireland  2023

The River Liffey is one of two rivers that flow through Dublin.

 

Travelers

Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Cleveland, Ohio  2023

We had some time waiting for our flight to Dublin.  I tried my hand at some focus tracking with various travelers passing by.  

 

Cleveland Hopkins Airport

Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Cleveland, Ohio  2023

 

Vacation

Cleveland Hopkins Airport, Cleveland, Ohio,  2023

My wife and I recently spent some time touring Ireland.  The tour lasted 10 days, and we were able to see a lot of both the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland.  I'll try not to bore everyone with all my pictures, but will try to show the best.  The trip left from Cleveland.

 

Battlefield Memorial Stone

Buford, SC  2023

 

Mass Grave

Buford, SC  2023

The bodies of 84 patriots are buried here.  Another 25 bodies are buried nearby, although the location of that grave has been lost to time.  The fence was put in place after the obelisk was defaced.  The original inscription on the obelisk is perserved on a memorial stone near by.

 

Buford Massacre Battlefield

Buford, SC  2023

 The Battle of Waxhaws took place at this site on May 29, 1780.  About 350 patriots under the command of Col Abraham Buford met with a similar number of British soldiers under the command of  Col. Banastre Tarleton.  The battle lasted only 15 minutes but 115 patriots were killed and another 150 wounded.  The battle gave rise to the battle cry "Remember Tarleton's quarter!" and rallied patriots in the south to fight the British.  South Carolina claims about 200 battlefields, which included a number of skirmishes.

Family Plot

Lancaster County, The Waxhaws, SC  2023

While walking through the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Cemetary I came across this family plot with no apparent markings on the outside.  On one side of the wall were stepping stones that would allow someone to climb inside.  While I didn't climb inside, I could peek over the top of the wall and see grave markings embedded in the inside wall.  I've never seen a plot like this before.  It's almost as if somebody doesn't want anyone to know who is buried here.

Andrew Jackson Sr Grave

Lancaster County, The Waxhaws, SC  2023

Andrew Jackson Sr died at the age of 29, shortly before the birth of his son Andrew Jackson Jr who would go on to become the 7th President of the United States.  There must be some meaning to the horseshoe placed atop the gravestone, but I'm not sure what it means. 

 

Elizabeth Jackson Memorial

Lancaster County, The Waxhaws, SC  2023

This memorial was erected to remember Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, the mother of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States.  She is flanked by the graves of two of her sons,  Robert and Hugh, both who fought and died in the Revolutionary War.  Elizabeth contracted small pox while aiding Waxhaw patriots near Charleston SC and died November 1781.  She is buried somewhere near Charleston, but the location of her grave has been lost to time.  

 

Historical Cemetery

Lancaster, The Waxhaws, SC  2023

This cemetery belongs to the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Chruch, which dates from 1755 and organized by Scotch-Irish immigrants.  There are a number of historical people interred here.