...to keep us from getting to Johnnie Fox's pub - the highest pub in Ireland! We were women on a mission as we navigated our way around the Dublin mountains to find our way there. Thank god we splurged on our car rental and were comfortably seated in a nice big Santa Fe (which yours truly drove the whole trip without any incident, pheww!).We were already on a high that day after exploring the GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall. OMG, some of the most amazing scenery ever! While you can't hike all the way up the Waterfall (Ireland's highest too!), you can climb all over the playground equipment at the bottom! Much fun was had by all! We'd worked up an appetite and after a trek that included a few false starts and a few cows in the road, we finally found Mr. Fox's and had a delicious late lunch.
From there we went down the east coastal route and stopped along the beach to take in the Irish Sea. From mountains to oceans to the Barrow River, we landed in Graiguenamanah in County Kilkenny, home to aforementioned Ballyogan House, the Duiske Abbey, and to my mother's family! Mom has an original piece of paper from the late 1800s confirming the christening of her grandmother at the Graigue Church, which, after some Nancy Drewin' at the town's library, we found is now the Abbey! The librarians, as well as everyone else we met in town, truly defined Irish hospitality and friendliness! Needless to say we'll be heading back at some point to track down more information and relations! Pics of all the above are now online.
