Saintly Crystal

I spent most of my childhood and youth being educated by, or working with the Christian Brothers. I went to a Christian Brothers’ school and worked closely with the Edmund Rice Camps organisation to provide positive experiences for disadvantaged children. This association, with the Christian Brothers’, has meant that while I am no longer a religious person, I have always held St Edmund Rice (founder of the Christian Brothers) in the highest regard for his unparalleled commitment to disadvantaged children and providing education to them as a means for escaping the cycle. In fact, he was the inspiration behind my pursuit of education as a career. Knowing his story took place in Waterford I could not pass up the opportunity to visit the coastal city while I was so close.

Although Waterford is only 2 hours drive from Dublin, we woke early to beat the traffic and get a full day of exploration in. The drive was again spectacular and we couldn’t help noticing that the fields in Ireland have their own shade of green – completely different from the green found in England, Wales and Scotland. I became excited and disappointed in equal measure as we drove through County Kildare, home of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and discovered they too were closed for the season.

We were immediately attracted to the coastal town of Waterford as soon as we saw it emerge in front of us. Built on the river inlet, it was once Ireland’s busiest and most significant port. The town’s most significant feature is now Waterford Crystal so it was our first destination, once we found a car park.

On our walk from the car park to the home of crystal we stopped in at Reginald’s Tower which was offering free admission for the day. The Tower has played a significant part in the town’s history but the views from the top fell incredibly short of our expectation.

As we approached the crystal factory we were concerned to find a collection of emergency vehicles with their sirens blazing directly across the road. Our concerns were eased when we neared them as we discovered they were there for the kids to play in as part of the town’s Christmas celebrations. Our kids were invited to join in and given a gift from one of the officers.

After climbing on motorbikes and setting off sirens we walked across the road to the Waterford Crystal factory. At first, we explored the showroom with Harry (the rock and crystal collector) scouring the place for an affordable memento – he was extremely shocked by the prices and quickly disheartened. Although the pieces were exquisite, some were priced over $20 000.

While looking we heard a call for the next factory tour and were able to join the group without waiting. The tour started with examples of exemplary pieces (including the piece an apprentice must create to perfection before completing their apprenticeship as it contains every possible cut on the one piece), and a multimedia show before leading us to the factory floor. The initial process involves moulding the crystal into a rough shape at a very high temperature through blowing and shaping. Next, the excess used to join the crystal to the blow moulds was removed and the rough edges smoothed. The guidelines were then drawn on before the carving and etching was completed (sometimes by hand other times by machine and hand finished). The tour finished with a visit to the custom design area where pieces are made to order, including some of the most famous trophies in history.

We concluded our visit by purchasing a small hand carved seahorse (the company’s trademark) for “Yvette” that Harry could “borrow”. We were also tempted by coffee and cake at the café on the way out.

With more time having past than expected, I had to return and feed the parking meter to later meet up with Yvette and the kids at the St Edmund Rice Heritage Centre. On my way there, I stumbled across the site of the great man’s first school which literally gave me goose bumps.

I arrived at the heritage centre to find the others had just arrived also. The first site we were greeted by was his grave, where I spent a contemplative moment of admiration and thanks. His grave backed on to a bakery which he built himself to feed the town’s homeless children when they attended his schools. We then toured the Heritage Centre which gave stories of his life and shared accounts of his legacy. Reminding myself of how Edmund gave up his fortune by selling his merchant company to fund schools, food and housing for the town’s homeless children made me feel almost ashamed of what little I now do for others and inspired us as a family to commit to supporting the homeless when we return home.

It was now late, so after a brief walk through the town centre, complete with some fantastic street art, we set off home. We were so grateful we made the trip to Waterford because it was beautiful and inspiring and we preferred it to Dublin. When we did return to Dublin we made the obligatory trip to the Temple Bar area for dinner. Again, we were treated to some traditional Irish Fayre and Ales. Making Yvette and I think we may prefer Dublin more on a trip without kids.  It was then home for bed because we had an early ferry to catch in the morning.

Mark (on behalf of the wandering winrows)

We Wish You a Merry Guinness

Again we let the weather decide our fate today. With the rain falling, and the forecast for a better day tomorrow, we chose to explore the city today, leaving our drive deeper into the country for tomorrow.
It was clear early on, that Dublin was not a large thriving metropolis so we would not need any bus service. While we could have seen Dublin Castle, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College and the Book of Kels, with it raining we thought we would be better staying local and so settled on our first stop being Dublinia, a historical museum on the Viking and Medieval history of the city.

After walking the 4 blocks huddled under our 2 small umbrellas, we arrived at the entrance of the building which was attached to St Michael’s Tower and in turn to Christ Church Cathedral by an old, enclosed stone bridge over the road. We bought a ticket which allowed us to explore all 3 landmarks.

The first floor documented the Viking history of Dublin with static, multimedia and interactive displays. The boys were surprised to learn, that although they did pillage and destroy villages, taking slaves back to Norway, the Vikings were not necessarily the merciless warriors that they are often portrayed to be. Rather they were farmers who only sailed during the Winter months when crops weren’t grown and worked on the element of surprise carrying crude weapons to pillage villages of valuables like religious artefacts.

The display gave us insight into the Viking reigns over Dublin, how they lived, their weapons and boats and their pagan religion. The boys played Hnefatafl, a strategy board game similar to chess, against a man in character as a Viking and he seemed genuinely surprised when they pants him at his own game. Audrey enjoyed the dress ups and they all were amused by the model demonstrating how peat was used as poo tickets.

The next floor documented the medieval history of Dublin, obviously starting with the fall of the Vikings. The static displays became even more elaborate with the centrepiece being a large scale model of Medieval Dublin which showed how the city has changed through an audio commentary with lights spotlighting the changes. Shooting off from the model were rooms that recreated significant elements of medieval Dublin life, like disease, working on the docks (the centre of Dublin life), religion, food, crime/punishment and entertainment.

We went upstairs and the kids were able to complete multimedia quizzes and archaeological experiments which they loved. After some important souvenir purchases, including a Viking drinking horn, we climbed the 96 stairs of St Michael’s Tower for a view over the city and my first glimpse of the afternoon’s destination at St James’ Gate. We also had a bird’s eye view of the floor plan of a Viking home that had been carved into the pavement below.

Our final part of the tour took us across the old stone bridge and a walk through Christ Church Cathedral. The kids weren’t initially excited to be entering another church but were handed a sheep trail when we arrived. The challenge of finding the names of all of the hidden crocheted sheep kept them entertained while we admired the intricate detail of the church’s interior. We were even able to explore the 11th Century crypt (the oldest intact building in Dublin) that housed some remarkably old tombs and other ancient treasures including a book of sheet music composed by Handel which he himself conducted a performance of in the Cathedral.

Originally our plan for the afternoon consisted of me at the Guinness Brewhouse and Yvette taking the kids somewhere of interest to them, but with it raining they decided to join me at the brewhouse for lunch at least. We had planned to eat first, but it was too close to my scheduled booking for the Guinness Academy to be certified in the famous 6-step perfect pint pulling process. Instead, Yvette and the kids explored the incredible information centre while I completed my training.

After pulling the perfect pint, and drinking it, I worked out a way for Yvette to complete the training also so the kids sat with me while Yvette worked through her certification. The instructor for Yvette’s group offered an additional free pint to the best pint in her group so she went into competitive study mode, asking for the criteria like a good student. The questions and attention to detail paid off though because she secured me another pint.

Next, we ventured to the eateries for Guinness inspired meals. We enjoyed the standard Beef and Guinness stew and a Guinness marinated beef burger with chips and a Guinness dipping sauce. They were unbelievably tasty and filling.

After our late lunch it was time for the main event. I was taken into a private bar with a small group for a connoisseur experience. The experience was facilitated by the head beer educator and involved tasting the entire Guinness range including beers unavailable back home. During the experience I matched Yvette’s earlier feats by winning a free bottle of my choice (Dublin Porter) for correctly identifying that the bottled Guinness Extra Stout is the same recipe as the draught Guinness with the only difference being the bottle is carbonated and the draught uses nitrogen.

A number of pints and bottles, and lots of beer Geek conversation later, I emerged from the bar with a pint of freshly squeezed Guinness draught to drink at the famed Gravity Bar which provides the highest and best views of Dublin. It was a cracking afternoon. I couldn’t leave without a visit to the gift shop where I was surprised to find the rest of the gang who had been totally entertained by the displays through the visitors centre. With some purchases in hand we headed home via the supermarket to gather supplies for dinner.

Mark (on behalf of the wandering winrows)

Narnia

We had expected to be on the road for 11:00am today giving us plenty of time to beat the meter.  However, a much needed trip into town for coffee put us behind schedule and forced me to run down the street with a backpack, bag of souvenirs and 2 large suitcases to beat the parking inspector on his morning round.  I arrived 1 minute before our expired time to stop the inspector mid parking ticket miraculously.

The drive to Dublin was to be short so we planned 2 stops along the way.  The first was another Game of Thrones site and the second was a surprise for Jack.  He was given the clue “something living, something magical and something practical”, which he quickly assumed to mean The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Our first stop was Castle Ward which is where the Game of Thrones Series began.  This was the filming location for Winterfell in the pilot.  Although the scene was heavily altered with CGI at Titanic Studios, it was possible to picture the Stark Family home standing in front of us.  There were other sites within the castle grounds used for filming but the grounds were so vast (and lovely) that we chose not to explore them but rather head for our surprise destination.

On route to our mystery destination we made a completely unexpected detour.  There would be few people living worldwide who haven’t heard of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, just as there are few people who don’t claim Irish heritage on the day we celebrate the said Saint’s day in March. So when we saw a sign to his church and grave we had to stop.  We were surprised the wonder seeing the site created.

Our mystery destination was Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor in the Mournes mountain region.  It was widely documented that this area inspired CS Lewis to write the Narnia Chronicles.  In honour of this, a Narnia Trail has been created at the park which we figured would be a must visit for Jack, a lover of Narnia.

The directions we had to the trail were vague at best so it took a while and a lot of luck to find it.  We admired the park as beautiful in itself as we walked down to the trail, and in a rare event Jack led the way.  As we approached the wooded area of the park we found the ceremonial wardrobe door showing the way to the trail.  Through the door we could see the lamppost where Mr Tumness first appears.

Following the trail we passed the beavers’ house, the tree people, the citadels, the thrones and other crafted sites key to the stories.  Jack was so excited, in another rare event, he had to be slowed.  Harry and Audrey enjoyed finding the sites weaved into the trail but they had not read the books and therefore the significance was lost on them.  I, on the other hand, remember the books being amongst my first chapter books so was silently in my element too.

With all detours out of the way, it was time to head for The Republic of Ireland, and its capital Dublin.  Again it wasn’t a long drive but we did arrive in the heart of the city during peak hour which added spice to the drive.  After some careful navigation of one way streets we found our apartment and were overjoyed to find a washer/dryer and kitchen.  While we bought some supplies for breakfast and snacks, we were too tempted by a meal and pint at the historic Brazen Head pub around the corner.  The oldest pub in Dublin, once home to many rebel meetings through the years, served us up the most exquisite beef and Guinness  and Irish stews and seafood chowder – oh and as a beer tosser I can confirm that the Guinness does taste better in Ireland (its the local ingredients).  With our craving for hearty Irish food satisfied, we headed home for a good night’s sleep.

Mark (on behalf of the wandering winrows)

W5 out of 5

After the long day yesterday we had a restful morning researching our trip to Disneyworld. It was so restful in fact that we completely forgot the need to feed more cash into the parking meter which led to my mad dash down the street, fingers crossed the inspector hadn’t been. Luckily he hadn’t because I was over an hour late. I fed in enough coins to see us through until check out time tomorrow.

With the meter fed, we made a very brief stop at the markets for Harry to purchase a rock he had been eying off to add to his collection (and the weight in our bags).  While purchasing said rock he also found a diamond which he had been desperate to add to his collection.  The diamond was a Herkimer Diamond, which isn’t actually a diamond but a double terminated crystal (but if the price wasn’t enough of a giveaway to him we didn’t have the heart to crush his excitement, figuring he would find out eventually).

A quick stop to the information centre put us on the right bus to the Odyssey complex which housed the W5 interactive science and discovery centre.  On entering, we were told that we could catch a Christmas chemistry show if we hurried.  We made it in time to be given some of the scientific theories behind Santa’s magic, for example how, by using the Earth’s rotation, there are actually 36 hours on Christmas Eve for Santa to deliver presents to the world.

When the show finished, the kids wanted desperately to try the enormous climbing frame.  They loved it, especially Harry who begged us to time his climb to the top and back down again each time with the aim of getting faster.  I used the time to view the city from a different angle and see sites like the Titanic Museum.

After a snack in the cafe we split up.  Yvette took Audrey into the Under 8’s area while I took the boys to a science of flight show.  The boys learned a lot at the interactive demonstration about drag, lift, weight and balance and were able to explain how the planes we have been travelling in fly.  They then consolidated that knowledge by exploring the permanent experiments on show which further demonstrate these concepts.

With Audrey totally captivated in her area, which provided wonderful opportunities for various role play (like shopkeeper, dancer, mechanic etc), the boys and I explored more of the experiments and displays in the centre.  We built our own slot car to race, tested our reaction time, balance and strength, created seismic activity to be measured on the Richter Scale, built structures, animated short films and many more.

Before we realised, it was late and dark outside and the place was closing up.  So we nipped downstairs to control the robot before catching a bus home (after a 20 minute wait in the rain).  We ate in town and headed home to pack for our journey over the border into the Republic of Ireland.

Mark (on behalf of the wandering winrows)

Giant’s Causeway to the Throne

With news that the weather would be better today than tomorrow we decided to drive out of Belfast today to visit Giant’s Causeway and seek out some of the filming locations for Game of Thrones.  The drive would take us through the heart of Northern Ireland and back down the famed A2 which hugs the rugged Eastern coastline.

Our first stop was the Dark Hedges in County Antrim, aka The King’s Road.  This remarkable road flanked on either side by centuries-old Serpentine trees is the eerie location used in filming the scene where Arya Stark leaves King’s Landing.  Obviously some CGI touches were added and the bitumen road was covered in dirt, but it was easy to picture the scene at this location.

The next stop was a must do detour for me as a whisky drinker.  It was impossible to be so close to Ireland’s oldest distillery without stopping.  The Old Bushmills is also one of Ireland’s most known distilleries and creates some fine examples of single malt.  Unfortunately, with the kids in tow it was a bit to ask to indulge in the tour and I was driving so couldn’t even have a wee dram. Nonetheless it was nice to visit the place that created the first whisky I ever tasted many years ago.

From Bushmills we had a very short, but breathtaking, drive to the Giant’s Causeway.  We had seen numerous images of the seemingly hand carved rock formations over the years so we were excited by the opportunity to see it for real.  After a lengthy conversation with the parking attendant about United’s chances that afternoon, we entered the visitors’ centre to purchase tickets and collect our audio guide.  Inside the centre we learned of the mythology of the Causeway and the science behind the formations.

We had the option of catching a bus down to the Causeway or a self-guided walk.  Our choice was to walk down and catch the bus back when we had finished.  It was a good choice because the audio guide explained some of the formations on route both in science and mythology which intrigued us all.  It talked of camel rock, the haystacks, the pipe organ and the chimney.  Each was aptly named and the resemblance was close enough for us to match.  The scenery around the Heritage Site was stunning also making the walk very pleasant.

Eventually we arrived at the site of the famed hexagonal rock formations that supposedly remain of the mythical Finn McCool’s Causeway from Ireland to Scotland.  No pictures prepare you for the beauty of the site.  The symmetry of the shapes and perfection of their tessellation defies belief.  I could have spent hours capturing the many unique angles and images but for the throngs of people with the same idea.  Instead I opted for a few shots and we walked on further in search of the Giant’s Boot and a closer look at the chimney and pipe organ.

With the days getter shorter we were forced to cut short our admiration of the area and catch the bus back to the visitors’ centre because we had a few more stops to make, and wanted some daylight to enjoy the A2 journey home.  Luckily a bus was waiting and delivered us to the gift shop before we were on the road again.

We followed the A2 along the rugged coastline bound first for Ballintoy Harbour, known as Pyke Harbour to Game of Thrones Fans.  Again it was easy to see the resemblance even without the CGI added extras.  We were then bound for Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge, also used, with the help of CGI, as the home of the kingdom of Pyke in the HBO series.  Unfortunately, we arrived minutes after closing time so had to settle for admiring the views of the rugged coastline around the area rather than walking the bridge (leaving Harry and I a little disappointed).

For the next couple of hours we followed the A2 to Larne before heading back to Belfast.  The views along the whole drive were stunning but the fast fading light meant we had no chance of capturing them.  Instead we have the memories and the regret we didn’t set off earlier.  When we returned to Belfast we found a local pub and tucked into a hearty meal and pints of Guinness and local craft ales before retiring for the night.

Mark (on behalf of the wandering winrows)