Marlay Park to Enniskerry 10/2/26

Today’s route required a taxi to reach the trail's start.  I had to bring my luggage, and once I arrived at Marlay Park, a luggage-transfer truck picked it up and took it to tonight’s hotel. On the way, my driver was listening to a talk show on the radio.  To get a driver's license in Ireland, you have to take Driver's Ed, be at least 17 years old, and for the first six months you can't have any passengers. Then, you can only have one passenger until you turn 24. As a young driver, you can not be out in a car past 11:30.  That sure takes care of the curfew problem. They have special license plates for young drivers that must be on the car anytime a driver is under 24. I remember hearing “nothing good happens after midnight.”  So this might be pretty smart.

 In 1764, David La Touche, a French Huguenot and the first governor of the newly established Bank of Ireland, bought the land and built a fine Georgian Mansion here, naming it Marlay House after his wife, Elizabeth Marlay.  Robert Ketton Love purchased the house for £8,325 in 1927. Love was once Ireland’s largest tomato producer and a racehorse breeder. He lived here until 1972, when he donated it to Dublin County Council. The 300-acre recreational park has also become one of Ireland's most important outdoor music venues and is the official start of the Wicklow Way.

Marlay Park is a beautiful start to the first leg of the Wicklow Way, Ireland’s oldest long-distance walking trail,

Throughout the park, I could hear the soothing sound of bubbling creeks and waterfalls.

Art?

I had to cross two mountains today.  The first one was pretty steep.  This is looking back at Dublin.

I think I had every type of trail possible today.

Ttail Markers

Looking ahead at the trail at the top.

There was a flat rocky part across the top.  My legs are never long enough to just step rock to rock. I will say I had my sticks out for most of the day.  It had rained, which made the rocks slick. It only rained twice, for short periods.  Now it is pouring down, but I am safe and sound in my hotel.

The Glencullen Forest was so fresh-smelling with deep evergreen trees.   

The vistas were just gorgeous.

Queen of the rock. Sadly, there were no other sheep around. Poor lonely girl.

A doe is on the gravel road, and a buck is on the right.  Just as I was getting close, a red fox darted into the woods.

This was the toughest part of the trail, coming down on those big wet rocks.  It made foot placement a real challenge.

And it didn’t get any easier.

I stopped in Enniskerry for a Coke Zero.  Enniskerry is a quaint little town with a few boutiques and little restaurants.  My hotel was about 1/2 mile UP a mountain.  Of course it was.  There is always an uphill at the end.  It was a lovely walk with high stone walls on either side of the road. I could occasionally see a sliver of a mansion through ornate gates.  

I am staying at Summerhill House Hotel, a historic property that was once a 100-room Palladian house and the ancestral seat of the Viscounts Langford and the Barons Langford. Built in 1731, it is now a luxury hotel.

I had an incredible meal.  Grilled Sea Bass with Sautéed Mediterranean Vegetable Medley: Vine tomato,

Fresh Salsa Verde. I don’t usually eat fish skin, but this was crisp, and I ate it, skin and all. It was topped with herbs and capers.  What is not to like about capers?   It came with a vegetable medley of sautéed red bell peppers, onions, squash, tomatoes, and celery that was just as good as the fish.  I was really hungry, but I don’t think that had anything to do with it.  The meal was just that good.

So when I got here, I was so tired I was ready to fall over.

On about my fourth wind, but headed to bed very soon.

Good Night and God Bless!

 

Dublin Another Day Off 10/1/26

Maidin mhaith

My favorite photograph of the Saint Patrick steeple.

By the 19th century, the Cathedral was on the verge of collapse following years of neglect. In 1845, Dean Henry Pakenham attempted to raise funds to restore the Cathedral. However, his attempts coincided with one of Ireland's greatest tragedies, the Famine, which made fundraising impossible. Finally, in 1860, a solution presented itself. At his own expense, Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness restored the Cathedral. Under his direction, the walls were strengthened, new stained-glass windows were added, and some internal partitions were removed, a style which Guinness felt was more in keeping with worship at the time. Sir Guinness had a keen amateur interest in architecture and funded the restoration of the Cathedral himself on the condition that he had full control of the architectural decisions made during the project.

The cathedral was built around 800 years ago at a time of great change in Ireland. A new wave of settlers, called the Anglo-Normans, established themselves as the new ruling elite. They were excellent stonemasons and developed Saint Patrick's Church into an impressive Gothic-style cathedral. Construction began in 1220, and the Cathedral was consecrated on Saint Patrick's Day in 1254.

Saint Patrick, originally Welsh, came to Ireland as a slave. He became deeply religious during his captivity and managed to escape and return home. After training as a priest, he returned to Ireland to spread Christianity among the pagan Irish. 

The phrase "to chance your arm" is often used to describe someone taking a risk. Yet many people do not know the role this medieval door played in its origin. In 1492, two feuding families, the Butlers of Ormonde and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare, fought.  Fearing defeat, the Butlers fled the battlefield and took sanctuary in the Cathedral's Chapter House. The Fitzgeralds followed in pursuit, but instead of fighting, proposed a truce. Calling to the Butlers through the Chapter House door, Gerald Fitzgerald, head of the family, guaranteed them safe passage from Dublin. However, the Butlers refused, believing it to be a trap. To prove his sincerity, Gerald Fitzgerald ordered a hole be cut in the door. He thrust his arm through it, offering it in peace. Convinced, the Butlers shook his hand. Today, the story lives on in the famous expression, to chance your arm.

What fascinated me about this photo were the helmets above each seat.

So many beautiful stained glass windows.

I went to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, or the IMMA, and had lunch.  I had this scrumptious bowl of potato and leek soup.  It came with four crumpets.  Delicious.  

I will be the first to tell you that I do not always get modern art. For instance, this piece is called “Woodpile.”  Just doesn’t look that hard.  I would have called it sticks.  Maybe that is the difference.

Here is another.  "Geo-Political Cheese & Onion Crisps” that looks like I emptied my backpack.  

Okay, I sorta liked this one that was etched on tin.

I definitely liked these two fiber arts pieces.

Liberty on the Barricades reminded me of Les Misérables and the French Revolution.

And I will go out on a limb, even though this is kinda weird, I kinda liked it.

And of course, I had to find the start of the official start of the Irish Camino de Santiago. Unfortunately, the church was closed to visitors.  Only the Camino office was open.

For dinner, I decided to go old school and eat at Darkey Kelly’s Bar.  It was dark and crowded, and the later it got, the louder it got.  I only stayed until about 8:30. What a party girl I am!

I ordered Guinness Beef Stew.  It was good, rich, and filling. Wasn’t like I could order French food here.

We had a lively Irish Folk Singer, and the crowd was really getting into it.  He sang Molly Malone.

So Tomorrow, I hit the trails again. 

Good Night and God Bless

Dublin Day Off 9/30/26

Top of the morning to ya! Nobody has said that to me, but it sounds so Irish. Too many old U. S. Movies.

I relaxed this morning and then bought a multi-day ticket for the Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off. I rode all the way around, which took almost two hours.  It was a beautiful, relaxing day. It gave me an idea of the lay of the land and where I want to go tomorrow. We had a delightful bus driver with a heavy brogue. He told us many funny things about Ireland, including the fact that there are 772 bars in Dublin and only 336 churches. 

After I left the bus, I walked through Páirc Fhaiche Stiabhna, also known as Saint Stephen’s Green. The name St Stephen’s Green originates from a church called St Stephen’s in that area in the thirteenth century. A leper hospital was attached to the church. Around this time, the area was a marshy piece of common ground where city citizens grazed livestock. Today it is an exquisite park open to the public.

John's Lane Church, officially named the Church of St. Augustine and St. John the Baptist, is a historic Roman Catholic church built in 1874 on the site of St. John's Hospital (1182 AD), which was served by the Augustinian Order of friars, who are still serving this Church. The steeple is the highest in Dublin, standing at over 200 feet. I thought the facade of this Gothic church was the most intriguing church I have seen.

Look at the gorgeous iron work.

A statue honors Molly Malone, a character from a popular song. The song tells the fictional tale of a fishwife who plied her trade on Dublin's streets and died young of a fever. In the late 20th century, a legend grew that a historical Molly lived in the 17th century. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and a part-time prostitute by night. But she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street hawkers of her day. No evidence suggests the song is based on a real woman in the 17th century or any other time. The name "Molly" originated as a familiar version of the names Mary and Margaret. Many such "Molly" Malones were born in Dublin over the centuries, but no evidence connects any of them to the events in the song. Nevertheless, the Dublin Millennium Commission in 1988 endorsed claims about a Mary Malone who died on 13 June 1699, and proclaimed 13 June "Molly Malone Day.” The song has become Dublin's unofficial anthem.

I had an incredible dinner at Chez Max. I started with an excellent Pouilly-Fuissé, a dry, full-bodied white wine. It is made exclusively with Chardonnay grapes, and I intensely dislike the oak flavor of American Chardonnay.  French Chardonnay has no wood taste, and it was delicious.

I started with Soupe à l'Oignon

French Onion Soup, served with Emmental Cheese and Croûtons on the side. It was sweet, savory, and rich, balancing the natural sugars of slow-cooked onions with a robust, aromatic beef broth. Yum!

For my main course, I ordered the Suprême de Poulet & Légumes Provençaux, which was described as

Slow-roasted Chicken Supreme, Provençale vegetable tian, sarladaise Potato, Olives & Basil dressing.   The pan-fried chicken supreme had crispy, golden, perfectly seasoned skin and soft, succulent white meat.  Every ingredient added another layer of balanced flavor. The basil sauce had just enough tartness to make me want to lay my face in the dish and inhale. This was the best chicken dish that I have ever eaten.

I waddled back to my room in bliss.

I bid you good night and God Bless!