Ireland....Springsteen, Guinness, Jameson, and a Terrible Beauty

This picture comes close to visualizing the "Terrible Beauty" that Leon Uris used to describe Ireland.  These are the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare near Galway Bay.  These cliffs rise to over 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.  The walkways are so close to the edge of the cliffs that some visitors have plunged to their deaths when they got too close.

The other reason to visit Ireland...

An even better reason to visit Ireland...

And, our excuse for visiting Ireland - to see the Boss in concert in Dublin!

This was the start of our journey.  In Dublin at the historic O'Connell bridge built in 1734.

Mary next to the statue of Molly Malone, who as the anthem and legend goes, sold "Cockles and Mussels" on the streets of Dublin.  But that's not all...as her dress implies, she was a part-time prostitute at night.

Here's our gang of American expats living in Wiesbaden at the Guiness Brewery, founded in 1759.  The bar at the end of the tour is about 200 feet above ground with 360 degree views of the city.

This caption was written on the glass window in the direction of the Wicklow Mountains where the water comes from to make Guiness so special.  Thank God it's not from the River Liffey that runs through Dublin.

The harp in the logo is facing the opposite way of the Government's use of the harp logo - it was a calculated slam on the "Man" by Mr. Guiness.

Next stop in Dublin was the hallowed grounds of the Jameson Museum.  This is a chandelier made entirelyof Jameson bottles.  Mr. John Jameson's motto was "Sine Metu" - meaning "without fear." 

Ed and Pete after graduating from a whiskey tasting lesson.... Jameson won!

Pete in front of the distillery on Bow Street, founded in 1780.  Jameson was produced on this Dublin site for nearly 200 years, until 1971.

The Temple Bar area is home to most of the Irish music pubs - this one is the namesake bar.

The gang at Temple Bar.



The interior of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the largest church in Ireland.  The interior is 295 feet long, it acts as a tribute to Irish soldiers who died in the 2 world wars.  Ireland was neutral in WWII but over 50,000 Irish soldiers died fighting with the British.  Writer Jonathan Swift (author of Gulliver's Travels) is buried here. 



I have seen so many churches and stained glass windows in Europe, but this one is my favorite.  It's dedicated to feeding the children of Ireland.

This is Christ Church Cathedral known mostly because it's close by...

... Leo Burdock's famous fish and chips.  This hole in the wall, take-out only chipper, has been a Dublin favorite since 1913.  People wait in line for fish bought fresh that day along with good ole Irish potatoes.

And, our final act in Dublin was to see Bruce Springsteen at a local soccer field.  It threatened rain early but turned into a beautiful evening with a lot of sing-alongs. 



The six of us rented a vehicle and took off for the west coast near Galway.  We stayed in a small town called Ballyvaughn.  This picture is a classic view from that area looking over a stone fence towards Galway bay.



Nearby Ballyvaughn are the Cliffs of Moher.  Here I am in contemplation.

Everywhere you looked was an breathtaking scene.  It's difficult for pictures to capture the depth and size of these cliffs.



Another stunning view from near O'Brien's tower.



O'Brien's tower was built in 1835 for tourists to view the cliffs.




Walking home after dinner at a local fish restaurant near Ballyvaughn, this was the scene on Galway Bay.



This is Ireland's own mini-Stonehenge - an ancient Druid burial ground with impossibly huge stones sitting precariously on top of each other.  This is located in the Burren - a large area dominated by stone in the soil.

Here we stand in front of the Blarney castle just after kissing the stone.  We now have the gift of gab or blarney or better known as chatter.

A view from atop Blarney Castle

Our final stop in Ireland was at the House of Waterford Crystal where each piece is still hand made.  This beautiful piece was presented to the rescue workers of NYC in memory of "those who lost their lives trying to save others."