The weekend

Saturday, 13th July, 2019

On Saturday I took part in a trip organised by English Matters to Glendalough & Kilkenny. I had been looking forward to this trip because I had read novels set in these places so I was really happy to see them in reality.

Glendalough (Gleann dá Loch: “Valley of the Two Lakes”) is 69km south of Dublin, in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, which is considered the garden of Ireland due to its scenic treasures covering a range of hills and mountains, long beaches, rivers and lakes. Glendalough Monastic City is one of the most extensive monastic sites in Ireland, established by St Kevin in the 6th century.

Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh: “The Church of St Canice”), is about 130km southeast from Dublin, is the smallest city of Ireland both in size and population. Located on the bank of river Nore, Kilkenny is a famous destination for weekend escapes and it is well-known due to its medieval architecture and a sparkling cultural scene and nightlife. It is the home of Hurling, the national sport of Ireland. It is a really charming, quaint town.

Sunday

I took a short trip to Howth, which is a village and remote suburb of Dublin. The district occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, forming the northern boundary of Dublin Bay. The journey takes only 30 minutes from the center of Dublin.

Originally a small rural fishing village, Howth has grown to become a busy suburb of Dublin and it is also home to one of the oldest occupied buildings in Ireland, Howth Castle. It has been the location for many films. It was teeming with people, both tourists and Irish people, because Dubliners visit this place in order to get away from 'The Big Smoke', which is the nickname of Dublin.

As it is a fishing village there are multiple fishing restaurants so I had an opportunity to taste Ireland's favourite dish, the Fish and Chips.

After I had arrived back in Dublin in the afternoon I took another stroll in the town and visited some more statues and sights, for example the Famine Memorial.