Howth, Hubcaps and Heading Home

There were no fireworks, just a tremendous view and a bit of a drizzle as we spent our July 4th with cousins Andrea and John doing another cliff walk around Howth Head.  Howth is a fishing town on the most northern edge of Dublin Bay.  In the past it was the main harbor for Dublin.  Seemed like a good opportunity to say some goodbyes as well as to get some much needed exercise.  John has been doing hill/cliff walks for the past 20 years.  He was a wonderful leader in spite of not having done this trail in about 5 years.  

Putting my hiking faith in John 

The Howth trail winds in a loop around the whole peninsula, starting near the calm waters of the town and rising to rocky cliffs above crashing waves

On the trail Andrea spotted a sign indicating that Yeats had lived in this house from 1880-83  No doubt he was inspired by sweeping views of the coast.

Bailey Lighthouse (1814)

At times the trail became very narrow and dense with ferns.   A machete would have been helpful.  Not sure if it was due to it being a weekday, or the bit of drizzle, but we had the trail mostly to ourselves.  John and Andrea did say that during the weekends the area is packed with people.

The town itself did seem to be a tourist stop - we noticed some tour buses and student groups.  Apparently, the area is also a very exclusive place to live for the Irish rich and famous.  We did pass a few very large homes - quite secluded and with spectacular views.

Wild flowers were also present in abundance.

Irish Thistle

As at Cliffs of Moher, these coastal cliffs were also filled with nesting birds.

It occurred to Jim while we were on this 4 hour hike, that the day (July 4th) would have been his mom's 85th birthday.  Quite special that we were spending it with her maternal first cousins.

Andrea, John and Jim (in Ireland, he is James)

Break time

Jim was appropriately cautious at the Cliffs of Moher, but now he had his opportunity to climb some coastal rocks and up he scrambled.

The trail continued around and we had views of Dublin and Dun Loagharie (where we had been at the start of the trip to visit the James Joyce Tower).









After 4 hours we were back to the town, passing by this field of daisies and poppies.

The other discovery made at the end of the hike was Jim's "find" of these three hubcaps buried behind the shrubs.

Significant in that our primary task for the next day was to try and replace a hubcap on the car.  In one of those moments when I had to lean away from the left side of the car as Jim made a too-tight left turn (one of my "Jim, you are veering left" warnings), he had clipped the curb.  As he would tell you himself, he does the same thing at home on left turns - its about the peripheral vision...Anyway, he made the too-close turn and off popped the hubcap and rolled down the street!  We were able to put it back on, but it looked pretty banged up.  With the house-trade/car trade, you want to  do the right thing and replace things you use, and deal with anything that you damage.  Unfortunately, none of these abandoned hubcaps would do the trick!  So, without hubcap in hand, we settled on a lovely, well-deserved lunch in Howth, and more conversation and laughs with Andrea and John.  

We headed back to Skerries with Andrea to have a last visit and dinner with everybody - almost all.  Mick had headed back to England earlier in the day as he needed to deal with the sale of their house there; Eimer and crew couldn't make it over as kids had gone to bed early.  But Barnie was visiting from Longford, and Dee and the two little ones put together a dinner of salad and pizza.  James and Chloe kept running into the room asking us about each item we might like on our pizza - so cute.

On Saturday, we headed off to order the hubcap, but to no avail.  The dealership did not have an open service department.  So, we are setting aside the 50 Euro to leave here to cover the expense.  With the day free, we decided to head back in to Dublin one last time: visit a few museums, eat boxty, and shop on Grafton Street.

It was a good day for in-door stuff as it was drizzling on and off, which had not been predicted by Accuweather, so we were in the city without jackets or umbrellas.  

I had decided that we needed to give modern art in Dublin another chance after the "hanging turd" display at the Museum of Modern Art.  

The Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art was SO much better.  The design and architecture of the inside of the building (a former town house) was as interesting as the collection.  A very bright/light museum.  The collection rotates between here and the National Gallery in London.  One of the more interesting exhibits was the recreation of  Francis Bacon's London studio - in all its chaotic mess.  A video-taped interview played continuously providing first person insight into his creative, if not chaotic process: “This mess here around us is rather like my mind; it may be a good image of what goes on inside me, that’s what it’s like, my life is like that.” We also enjoyed a visiting exhibit of Eva Rothschild sculptures.  Yes, there is a good modern art museum in Dublin!

Early in the trip, Jim had noticed "The Gallagher Boxty House" restaurant in the Temple Bar section of Dublin and had wanted to go there.  Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake - and one of  Jim's favorite Irish foods in his mother's repertoire.  

Boxty appetizer - not as good as "mom used to make"

Not quite how Jim's mom used to make it, but still good.

Some of you may have seen Jim's comments on Facebook about the "shopping" part of the day, but will post here as well:

Travel Tip #86: Don't shop at the END of
a four week diet of bread, butter, potatoes,
stout and NO gym

Travel Tip #87: Console yourself with the best
Gelato in Dublin.  Thanks Deirdre Walls
for the suggestion

Travel Tip #88:  Find an exclusive, classy
upscale men's clothier to accommodate
one's newly acquired regal bearing

Heading back to the bus stop, we passed the National Museum (Archeology) and decided this would be our FINAL tourist stop of the trip.  Another beautiful building - domed rotunda, marble pillars, mosaic tile floors.  It housed mostly items found in Ireland as well as an Egyptian collection.  What was most interesting was the "Bog Bodies".  When we were in the gardens at Kylemore Abbey, we had noticed some piles of peat.  Then, driving around the Connemara, we had passed many "peat" farms.  While our understanding was that the value of peat its use as a fuel, it apparently is quite a preservative as well. The museum had several Iron Age (600BC) bodies that were found in bogs very recently.  The level of details preserved (finger nails, hair) made them both fascinating and creepy.  Many other items in the museum were taken from bogs - including clothing.  

That brings us to the end of our trip.  We head out tomorrow morning (Monday), so today has been about getting organized, packing, etc.  I had booked a cab to take us to the airport, but Andrea texted this morning and insists on taking us even though it is not at all convenient.  But we cherish another hour of these wonderful cousins.

On Friday the cousins were asking what has been the high point of the trip.  That is too impossible to answer.  It has been filled with such special moments, incredible sights, impressive views, absorbing history, warm and friendly people, and connecting with family and culture.  We didn't do everything on our Ireland bucket list - we didn't make it to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains, or travel to the north beyond New Grange or Connemara, or go to the Aran Island, or....Ah...next time!

Bye for now ... 

"Slan abhaile!" (means "safe home" in Irish)