This was our route in Ireland: our plane landed in Shannon Airport, we slept overnight in a hotel, but next morning we took a bus to Limerick. From Limerick, we did our runabout, then Cork, and runabout, then Kilkenny, and finally to Dublin.
Here is a map of Ireland. Kilkenny is located above Waterford and Wexford. We mostly took the irish rail (irishrail.ie) from city to city, and it can be booked in advanced. From Shannon to Limerick though, we only took the bus. Shannon is quite remote and buses are very few. The morning we were waiting for the bus, we didn’t see another single person and only saw sheeps and empty vast greenery. Although Shannon seems remote, it is quite popular among the big businesses because it has been a free trade zone for the past 2 decades.
Ireland is a very rich country, in part because of all the corporate tax perks they give to companies who set their businesses in Ireland, and also Ireland being in the middle of USA and Europe. Ireland is the entry and gateway towards Europe, and more advantageously, they speak English. Intel, De Beers, Lufthansa have set up their companies in Ireland, as well as their R&D, which benefits the locals as these companies provide high-paying jobs for the locals.
Irish rail comfortable and clean (irishrail.ie)
In Limerick, we visited churches, museums, and St. John Castle. Christianity arrived in Ireland during 5th century. Around 9th century, the Vikings arrived and looted the churches of metals and valuables inside. Some of the Vikings eventually settled in Limerick, Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Waterford, as can be seen in the map above. These Vikings were eventually called “Ostman” or “Ostmen”, as they became traders in Ireland. These Vikings originated in the modern Denmark and Norway.
We chanced upon an afternoon performance irish folk music (harps and bagpipes) in Cecilia church. Here is a link of their performance.
We also sampled on their local food, as well as hang out in a bar in the evening, where they performed their “Step Dance”. How is Step Dance different from Tap Dance? Step Dance require the torso to be stiff, while Tap Dance allows for torso movement to match the legwork. The leg work is quite similar though, plus the sounds they make with their shoes. It’s interesting that some of the bars allow the small kids inside, accompanied by parents, but they just cannot drink alcohol (kids). Such a chill and relax atmosphere.
In Cork, we saw a church who still hold mass in Latin.
Most of the Irish people in the south are Catholics, while Northern Ireland, that which belongs to UK are mostly Protestants like Britain.
In Dublin, we went to their National Museum and Trinity College. Trinity College Library is a must-see for those who love old books. It has an arched ceiling, wooden posts, hard bound books from floor to ceiling with Bust Sculptures of famous people like philosophers. This reminds me of my university days, spent sitting on the floor of Archive section of University library, just digging in on old stuff.
I will write a separate article on Newgrange.