We visited some of the south coast of Ireland in the fall of 1999 when Verna’s brother and sister-in-law (Jack & Anne) came to visit us for a short vacation. Waterford is a fairly large city on the south coast on the River Suir, just off the large Waterford Harbor. As a main port on the south coast, it has always been a strong commercial center and was once the most powerful political center in Ireland.

On that trip we had our first of many visits to the Waterford crystal factory in Waterford. The tour is quite interesting as you are able to watch the glass blowers at work - we saw them forming goblets and pitchers on the day we were there. We had never really thought about all the pieces and how they get fitted together, but now have a much better understanding. Neither one of us were much interested in working in this hot environment for 8 hours a day. Later the tour takes you to the rough cutting area where the final shape is made, then marked for cutting in the designs, the actual cutting of the designs, then the final polishing. A very labor intensive process. Above is a bowl that was in the process of having the design cut in. At left is a different cutter working on his bowl, making each cut precisely. We noticed the lack of safety equipment being worn (goggles, ear plugs, etc.). When Jack asked the guide about it, she indicated that they provide all the safety equipment and encourage everyone to wear it, but as we saw in practice, it was rarely done. 

After the tour, the visitors are taken into the showroom which displays almost all of their current lines. While it is no less expensive here than in the many shops throughout Ireland, you do get to see a much greater variety here in one place. Also, they have many designer pieces, signed by the artists, that are not available in the shops. There were also decorator pieces made just for the showroom that are not for sale, but are absolutely gorgeous and it is a pleasure to view it all. 

We continued west along the coast toward Cork. On the way, we stopped for lunch in a little town called Youghal (pronounced “yawl”) where we walked several blocks trying to find a restaurant. Just when we decided this town didn’t have any, we stumbled on a little place at the end of town. It turned out to be the best meal we had all trip! The food was all excellently prepared and tasted wonderful. And the dessert (a sampling of 3 different desserts) was a meal in itself. Definitely worth the stop.

Near Cork is the town of Blarney where we visited the ruins of the Blarney castle just as the sun was setting. It was a gorgeous view from the top where Jack took the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone (which is no easy task as you have to lay on your back and drop your head into an area which is open to all the way down to the ground to reach the stone).

Once finished there, it was off to the Blarney Woolen Mill for a little shopping. It was an hour before closing, so we didn’t manage to get into too much debt, though we did close the place with a few other last-minute shoppers. Anne was the last one out of the store, arms full of gifts for the kids!

We returned to the south coast in the spring of 1999 with our friend Nancy Haynes. Near Cork, we visited the the small port of Cobh on the Great Island in Cork Harbor (above, right). It’s a colorful town, but is best known as the port from which the Titanic last sailed. The interpretive center there takes you through the experience of what it would have been like boarding the ship with your fellow travelers, and what life was like aboard this and other ships that left the port. A large portion of the exhibit told of the numerous prisoner ships that left this port for Australia, a 6 month tortuous journey at the time.

Just south of Cork is the small port town of Kinsale (left), often referred to as the gourmet capital of Ireland and an important trading town. It is a quintessential Irish seaside town where people come for the coastal scenery, the food, and the sunny weather (by Irish standards!). We happened to be there on a sunny day and it was quite pleasant. We had a good lunch in a garden restaurant, then enjoyed strolling through the lively town. At right are the ghostly remains of the interior of Charles Fort, a star-shaped fort just east of Kinsale. It was built in the 1670's by the English to protect Kinsale harbor against foreign invaders. However, it was very vulnerable and was taken by the forces of William of Orange during the siege of 1690. It remained in service until 1922 when the British left and gave it to the Irish government. It remains one of the finest examples of a star-shaped fort in Europe. From here, we continued west to Mizen Head, the southernmost point of Ireland (right). The fog was coming in, but we managed to get a few pictures before it totally enveloped us. At left you can get an idea of the type of rock formations found in this area. There is a lighthouse out on the point and to get there, you have to climb down 99 step then cross a 45 meter high suspension bridge. Once we got to the lighthouse, a young man asked us if we would like a tour, which we agreed to. He treated us to a personalized tour of the lighthouse, one of the last manned lighthouses in Ireland.

On our return journey, we made a brief stop at the Drombeg stone circle (right), about 10 miles west of Clonakilty. The site dates back to around 150 BC. There are 17 standing stones in a 30 ft. diameter circle. At the winter solstice rays of the sun fall on the flat altar stone. Just west of the circle are the remains of 2 cooking huts dating from between AD 368 and 608.

It is not entirely clear how these stone circles were used, but it is expected they had some ritualistic purpose. Whatever the use, we find it fascinating to wander around, imagining what life was like those many thousands of years ago.

If you find typographical errors or have any other problems when looking at the site please contact the Webmaster describing the problem and the page involved.