Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland

Glendalough is about two hours south of the Dublin airport. Gleann dá locha literally means the ‘Glen of the two lakes’ as the ancient monastic community lies in a beautiful valley in the middle of the Wicklow Mountains.

If you are heading to Glendalough from Dublin I highly recommend printing off this map as we used a road map and went in a very scenic back way. We got terribly lost as we missed signs that were hidden in hedgerows or could only be seen from one direction. At least it was an adventure and getting lost in Ireland is one of my greatest joys.

Glendalough was founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin, a hermit priest. It was destroyed in 1398 by English troops. St. Kevin chose the site due to it's remoteness but was soon joined by several men wanting to follow his teachings. The site soon became an important school.

As you arrive at Glendalough you can begin trail walking or view the ruins without stopping at the visitor center. The visitor's center does have a great exhibition (with interactive round tower and depiction of that the surrounding village may have looked like), a short film about the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and wonderful carved stones found at the site. If you decide to enter the visitor center (and have other sites on your list) look into an OPW Heritage Card. This card covers many of Ireland's greatest sites and is good for one year from date of purchase. It can be purchased at any OPW site, the Dublin or Shannon airports and certain tourist offices.

Directly behind the visitor center is the Glendalough Hotel. Because we were hungry after our extra long excursion we stepped in for a hot drink and some food. In retrospect I would have rather eaten from the cart serving hamburgers. But the service was quite good and they were great with the girls.

The monastic site sits by the Lower Lake; you enter by climbing steps and walking through a wonderful gateway arch. Walk past the tents set up to sell trinkets. You'll be able to get souveniers like that anywhere.

Most people who come to the site wish to see the wonderfully restored round tower and "St. Kevin's Kitchen", located directly behind the visitor's center.

The round tower is 33 meters high and the entrance is 3.5 meters from the ground. The cone roof was rebuilt in 1876 using original stones. It once has 6 wooden floors connected by ladders and was mainly used as a bell tower and storage although it could be used for safety during attacks.

St. Kevin's Church, also called St.Kevin's Kitchen, is a small and charming nave built in the 12th century. The roof is stone (a center wall in a small chamber above the church prevents it from sagging). The small round tower was used as a belfry and was added after the church was completed.

The view from the monastic settlement into the valley is quite lovely, even on a cold and sleeting day.

On a lovely day there are dozens of trails to walk (there is some good information here) and many more sites to see near the Upper Lake. Bring sturdy walking shoes or boots. And a stroller if you have a little one- the main trails are paved.

The girls enjoyed Glendalough because it was really our first stop- after a 7 hour plane ride and about 3 hours of sleep in the car they were ready to run around. Brenna was astounded by the tower's door being so high off the ground so the village minature in the visitor center was a great visual for her.

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Dublin, Ireland

I have mixed feelings about Dublin. Well, it's more than that. I really wish we hadn't gone into Dublin. I wish we had explored other parts of Ireland instead.

That said, Dublin is a great city. It's vibrant, has great public transport and amazing history. It's just not a great city to explore with a one-year-old. Had it just been my husband and I, I am sure we would love it the way we love London. We had two days in Dublin.

Our final B&B was located outside Dublin in Dun loaghaire (pronounced leery). Lissadell Guest House was very nice. The room was spacious, with an ensuite bath and wonderful breakfasts. The owners are not on site but are only a phone call away. We spoke with John Goldrick at length one morning as we enjoyed our breakfast; he is a warm gentleman and exudes Irish Charm.

We were close enough to a DART station to leave the car at the B&B. Public transportation in Dublin is exceptional. We had no problem hopping on and off the trains or catching a bus or cab if we needed one. Dublin is a terrific city for walking; everything was closer than we thought it would be.

Because of Brenna's age she didn't really appreciate our attempts to view the Tara Brooch; we didn't even attempt Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. And DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) was holding their graduation at St. Patrick's Cathedral the day we planned to visit.

So we spent our time trying to find things that would keep her amused.

We visited the Dublin Zoo. Dublin has a wonderful zoo. And because we were there in November it wasn't at all busy. We were able to get up close to everything. And we timed our visit just right- the monkeys were being fed. It's great fun to see monkeys eat.

Dublin is full of parks, the most well known being St. Stephen's Green. If you're a shopper there is a mall right next to it. But we were there for the park. We wandered around for quite a long time. Brenna had great fun picking up leaves and watching the ducks in the lake.

But mostly our time was spent just wandering around the city, taking it in. And shopping on Grafton Street. Tip: go early.



Dublin is beautiful:
Ha'Penny Bridge: in the 18th century it cost half a penny to cross- now it's free. Which means that this is possibly the only thing in Dublin that has gone down in price.
Dublin's icon (whether they like it or not): Molly Malone
Old Dublin: It's a museum called Dublinia and has much about the Vikings and Normans.
The original wall of Dublin.
A bridge across the lake in St. Stephen's Green.

And I really look forward to visiting again... When the girls are much older.

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Eating Around Ireland

You can get anything you want in Ireland. But why would you want McDonald's, TGIFriday's or anything else you can get at home? Open yourself to Irish food.

If you stay at a B&B- and possibly even a hotel- you will be offered a traditional Irish Breakfast. There is enough food offered at this meal to get you through early afternoon.

You will be offered eggs along with sausage, bacon, grilled tomatoes, black pudding, and white pudding. On the side is Irish brown bread served with sweet Irish butter and the famous Irish preserves. Top off breakfast with a cup of Irish breakfast tea. Quite often oatmeal, cereal and yogurt will be an option, too. Which was terrific for our daughter.

Because breakfast was so filling we often just stopped at a market to grab yummy Irish cheese, bread and fruit for lunch and snacks.

At dinner we asked the B&B owners for their recommendations. We had delicious fish and chips, wonderful stews, amazing foods freshly prepared from local produce. Always ask a local where they like to eat. They will never steer you wrong.

We did plan to eat at one restaurant: Gallagher's Boxty House in Dublin. Boxty is best described as a thin potato pancake filled with meats, vegetables and sauce. So yummy.

Open yourself up to the traditional tastes of Ireland. Try the black pudding. Enjoy the brown bread. And take afternoon tea.

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