Ireland - Last Full Day

We are still on the west coast of Ireland and have to drive back to Dublin for flights tomorrow morning. Brynn and I talked at breakfast about how much we had seen over the past week. I mentioned that the only thing I never saw was a thatched roofed cottage. I expected to see them in the country; away from the highways.

Brynn, being herself, arranged a route back to Dublin that would bring us to some thatched roofed cottages!

First, there was Bunratty Castle; a 15th century tower house. On the grounds leading up to the castle, there are thatched roof cottages. This is a living museum park.

A couple of thatched roof cottages

Brynn and Matt in front of another thatched roof cottage

The thatched roof cottages have a sod roof tied to wooded braces and slats. The thatch is then attached to the sod by weaving the bundles of thatch to the sod with straw, reeds or twine. "Musty" would be a gross understatement of the smell when you enter the building! I can't imagine what it would be like with a peat fire going in the fireplace.

Bunratty Castle

A couple enjoying the view of Bunratty Castle from the garden

The nicest thing about this castle was the interior. It has been restored. So you can see exactly how the interior was arranged!

Brynn and Grace sitting at a table in the main dining hall

Main Dining Hall

An old tapestry hanging from the wall

The Solar Room where business was conducted

A merman hanging from the ceiling

View from the top of one of the towers

Since this was a living museum with a lot of tourists, Brynn decided we should stop in Adare. It's just off the highway on our way back to Dublin, and the village is known for its thatched roof homes that people are still living in.

We caught a glimpse of some thatched roofs as we drove into the village. The streets, the roads, the shops were all packed. This is definitely a tourist town. First order of business was lunch. So we took a stroll looking for a suitable place.

Even without the thatched roofs, this is a very pretty village.

After lunch we walked back to where we saw the thatched roofs.

First, we came to a very nice park. It had a sign stating this was originally a washing pond where the women of the village came to do laundry.

Now, it's a very nice park. There were several painter's plying their craft.

After the park, we came upon the cottages. All had thatched roofs. Even some of the business establishments like restaurants had thatched roofs.

Lovely gardens in a small space

A personalized roof-top

One more stop for coffee. We stopped in a small village of Port Laouise.

Now, back to Dublin. We fly out in different directions in the morning: Brynn and Matt go one way, Grace and I another. It was a great vacation where we saw a lot in a short bit of time.