Touring Peterson?

[HawkeyeLinus]

I omitted the Roundstone Hotel. The proprietors are very personable with a rich knowledge of the area. The food is great, best Shepherd's Pie on the island, accorfing to my wife, rest her soul. My dearest friend, an Irish native, agrees. I based out of the hotel a few times and heartily recommend it. Unfortunately, health issues have kept me close to home these past few years. So, I can only speak from memory but, the West is slow to change.

Most neighborhood pubs have smoking areas, some heated, some roofed, some both, immediatly adjacent to the building. "Smerting" is an Irish term for smoking and flirting outside. It's an enjoyable activity, it is.

We stayed at the Roundstone a couple nights on @warren’s kind suggestion. The food was incredible, the hosts as well. Below is a pic of my first meal there (and in Ireland). We saved a couple days in Dublin for the end before we flew home. When we landed there we made a beeline for Roundstone with a stop in Cong and the Tuam area for all things The Quiet Man. Then made our way down the coast via Doolin, and then settled in the Killarney area for 9 days. Beautiful country!

 

[crusader]

I won't have enough time for a trip to England. However, I will be going to England next season to watch Everton in their final season in Goodison Park. Cheers.

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You will never walk alone 🫠

 

[vosBghos]

I'm pretty sure G&H doesn't do any public tour sort of stuff.

Yeah pretty small private operation plus the contamination factor , but I want to visit it even on the outside and see Kendal next time I'm that a way none the less

 

[warren]

Tuam is where some of "The Quiet Man" was shot.

Brain fart! Cong is indeed a town kinda morphed into a "Silent Man" shrine.

 

[NE Pipeteer]

I omitted the Roundstone Hotel. The proprietors are very personable with a rich knowledge of the area. The food is great, best Shepherd's Pie on the island, accorfing to my wife, rest her soul. My dearest friend, an Irish native, agrees. I based out of the hotel a few times and heartily recommend it. Unfortunately, health issues have kept me close to home these past few years. So, I can only speak from memory but, the West is slow to change.

Most neighborhood pubs have smoking areas, some heated, some roofed, some both, immediatly adjacent to the building. "Smerting" is an Irish term for smoking and flirting outside. It's an enjoyable activity, it is.

The idea of a place where a term, "smerting", is an enjoyable activity makes me think about getting a passport.
Thanks from SE Nebraska

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Brain fart! Cong is indeed a town kinda morphed into a "Silent Man" shrine.

It’s not far away from Tuam!

 

[TN Jed]

I agree that Dublin is a 2-3 night max stop. I recommend flying into Dublin and out of Shannon or vice versa. I really like Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. If you make it to Cong and want to spend a night in a castle, Ashford Castle is a short walk to Cong. They have all kinds of activities like Falconry and a boat trip to Inchagoill island where the ruin of St. Patrick's Church founded in 450 AD is. Beware it will dip heavily into your Peterson budget.

 

[warren]

Hawkeye, Cliffs of Mohr? It's wonderful shot with your feet in it!

It’s not far away from Tuam!

A matter of a few minutes driving if my memory serves. Well, with a proper Irish driver like my lady friend.

 

[EvertonFC]

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You will never walk alone 🫠

LOL

 

[EvertonFC]

Galway City is a good stop for shopping and basing out of for a few days. John Wayne fan? Tuam is where some of "The Quiet Man" was shot. Roundstone is coastal Ireland at it's best, in my opinion. I always spend a few days there, great scenery and a couple of the finest beaches in Ireland are close by, Belmullet has one of the world's great golf courses. Also, the lighthouse that gave General Eisenhower his window of opportunity (weather prediction) for the invasion. The first trans-Atlantic flight crashed landed in Connemara near Clifden. I could go on and on, ad nauseam.

The great pirate queen, Grainne (Grace) O'Malley, had holdings up and down the coast and inland in Connemara, some which still have standing ruins. "The West" is, loosely, the Provinces of Connaught and Munster. The Gaeltact is where Irish is still the predominent language.

I apologize for being so lengthy. The West is a favorite place for me, embedded in my heart.

Thanks for all of that. I very much appreciate it.

 

[EvertonFC]

Alas, I believe the Irish pubs no longer permit smoking, or so I've heard. A fine point, but an important one, order your Guiness anticipating a wait. A good barkeep will draw a pint with precision, allowing the head to develop, so don't be a damned tourist and inquire why service isn't more snappy. Often, there's a nice spread of food on offer while you wait. I've heard the Peterson store in Dublin is worthwhile.

I thought the library with multiple balconies and ladders to book shelves, and the exhibit of the Book of Kells, illuminated manuscripts, were remarkable. Trinity College where they are located has a wall around it, so you may have to walk a way to the entrance, but it is worth it. St. Stephens Green, Dublin's Central Park, is an escape on a pleasant day. By sheer luck, I encountered the 150th birthday of Oscar Wilde at Trinity College and heard a reading by his grandson who looks a lot like him. I waited with other walk-ins while they opened extra seating for the overflow.

St. Patrick's Cathedral where Jonathon Swift was the Dean is Irish-Anglican. The Dean is buried there, amazingly beside a longtime woman friend who perhaps was his consort. Imagine that happening today. Huh.

We also went up to Sligo to William Butler Yeat's grave where he also lived in a medieval tower with his new wife and children during the troubles in the 1920's. My late wife looked around their stone tower bedroom and said of his wife, "She must have really loved him."

Thank you for all of this.

 

[EvertonFC]

I did a factory tour about 2009 when they were in Sallynoggin, really enjoyed it. I emailed them in advance, which was a good idea because tours weren't a regular occurrence for them. I suggest you email the factory, or the Dublin shop, asap.

Since you have time, you could also check with the Dublin store about ordering anything you've been looking for, letting them know when you'll be there to pick it up. I hear there is a museum above the store, if so please post pics. Cheers!

Awesome. Thank you.

 

[EvertonFC]

I agree that Dublin is a 2-3 night max stop. I recommend flying into Dublin and out of Shannon or vice versa. I really like Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. If you make it to Cong and want to spend a night in a castle, Ashford Castle is a short walk to Cong. They have all kinds of activities like Falconry and a boat trip to Inchagoill island where the ruin of St. Patrick's Church founded in 450 AD is. Beware it will dip heavily into your Peterson budget.

Thanks for this well.

And thanks to anyone I missed. This forum continues to be an amazing resource. Truly appreciated.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Hawkeye, Cliffs of Mohr? It's wonderful shot with your feet in it!

Yes sir! My "dogs" were tired! We hiked up from our B&B in Doolin late in the day. If the OP decides to stay in Doolin, stay on one of the days that Christy O'Connor and his wife host people in his home - it's an intimate and incredible evening of stories and music from an Irish icon. More inspiration for the OP . . .

Christy on the right and the sketch on the far right is his father.
Next one is Maurice Walsh at his desk at the Kerry Writer's Museum.
Next is carriage waiting for last leg of tour of Gap of Dunlop.
Last is a scene in Cong, near the old church ruins (nothing special I guess, we were just under a very large tree waiting out the worst of a bit of rain).