Around the World: Dublin, Ireland & Portadown, N. Ireland

On Sunday May 29^th we left Holyhead for Dublin. We decided to book the hotel in Wales for the two nights we were in Dublin because it would be such a hassle with all of our stuff. We had been in contact with some family in Ireland as we wanted to see if we could meet up with them but it turns out that they were coming to Wales for vacation. The ferry we were getting off in Dublin was the ferry they were getting on so as we got off we got to meet quickly before they got on. Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture with Diane and weren’t able to meet up with her when we came through Wales again. We stayed in a hotel in Dublin that was across from the Kilmainham Gaol which was a former prison and is now a museum. We walked into the city center and saw Temple Bar, Trinity College and walked along the River Liffey. The cab drivers were great because they would give us a tour of the city as we drove pointing out what certain statues signified and certain buildings. The next day we had decided to go to Northern Ireland to meet Diane’s sister Jacqueline and her family. So we rented a car in Dublin and made our way out of the city after only a few wrong turns and up the highway. We decided to stop for lunch in a place called Drogheda before we made our way to a place called Monasterboice. Monasterboice are the ruins of an early Christian settlement and is famous for its 10^th century crosses. The Muiredach’s High cross is supposed to be one of the nicest and most famous crosses in Ireland. Driving on back roads in Ireland is always fun...especially when you have to pull over to let oncoming traffic go by. The streets are very narrow and often covered overhead with trees. This cemetery was way off the main road but well worth the visit. After the cemetery we got back on the highway to head to Portadown where Jacqueline lives and where some of Grandpa Mullen’s family is from. We were able to meet Jacqueline her husband and two kids and visited with them for a few hours before we had to get back to Dublin. On the way back we stopped at the church where Grandpa’s father was baptized. Jacqueline and her husband couldn’t believe that we drove through Dublin and said that they would never do that. The roads outside of Dublin are not very busy and the highway at peak times would be comparable to the Queensway at its least busy time. We had a nice chat with our cab driver the next morning who on top of telling us some history (which included the names of the boats that use to take the Guiness from Dublin) also told us how he was starting to build bamboo guest houses in Bali and he was moving there next year with his wife. People were so friendly there and it was a different experience then first time we were there. Next time we will take a few day tours to see the sights we weren’t able to get to. We got onto our ferry at 9am and got into Wales just before 11 and spent most of the day on the train to Southampton...our final stop before we come home!