There is a queue down the street at the Guinness brewery, however it moves quickly.  The tour is self guided, covers seven floors and ends with a pint on the top floor at the Gravity Bar which has floor to ceiling glass with a 360 degree view over Dublin.

From the brewery we catch the open top Dublin tour bus, hop on hop off style.

We first alight at the huge Dublin museum which has a true to size replica of a viking ship, The Sea Stallion. This replica was sailed/rowed from Denmark.

We hop back on the bus now for a full city tour including St Stephen’s green, Trinity college, Parliament house, the famous O’Connell monument & much more.

We hop off now by the Halfpenny bridge, a pedestrian walkway over the Liffey River.  Passing a hotel we hear Irish music and its on our list to experience an Irish band in a local pub.  We were not disappointed. The music was wonderful, especially when they included the fiddle. To complete our Irish experience Irish dancers appeared!!!

Riverdance in miniature! So talented!

The Liffey River at dusk is very pretty from the Halfpenny bridge. We have dinner in the bustling Temple Bar area.

We have been looking forward to lunch with Malcolm and June at the local chinese restaurant, The Lantern.  This is a popular spot with the local brothers. The food was delicious, light and fresh and as good as I’ve had anywhere.

This afternoon we take a long drive to the Nire Valley with a brief stop at a complex of shops showcasing Irish wares. For example, Blarney Woollen Mills and Tipperary crystal. It’s a very pretty drive to the Nire Valley, but then every drive is in this country. Parts of the drive remind us of the Yorkshire moors and then next thing you are down in pretty green valleys with patchwork fields. It has been a very enjoyable day and having Malcolm and June along with their local knowledge has been a real asset and great fun. A brother in the congregation that Malcolm studied with, and was baptised in July, has sent around two pieces of organic Irish beef for the Aussie visitors, so kind! Organic with no F & M (foot and mouth) he says.  Needless to say this beef melts in our mouths as we enjoy it for dinner.

Thank you Derek!

The congregation is small but sing with great gusto and are very welcoming.  There is a large English contingent who, in most cases came to serve, as families, where the need was great many years ago and have stayed. Most will tell you that Ireland was a third world country, the people and the brothers very poor as work was hard to come by. The pioneers introduced window cleaning as a business to Ireland and a lot still do this.  The economy has sure turned around now though and for many there is a new found affluence.  House prices have skyrocketed and cities, like Cork, have a skyline of cranes.

It is a long but beautiful drive home thru Middleton, where we stop at the Jamieson whisky distillery visitor centre. Lismore is on the way too, this is a sister town to our Lismore in New South Wales, so picturesque with its river, stone bridges and parks.

On to Clonmel and we have a drink at a little Irish pub where the locals are friendly and want to know all about us. “I have a brother in Melbourne” one says on the off chance we may know him. We then have dinner at a local Indian restaurant, lovely food but charged for the water!!! It’s pouring with rain so a rather slow drive home but as its still light at 8.30pm its picturesque through many green tunnels where the trees grow over the road.

It’s been a long day but we’ve seen a nice slice of the country.