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Pirate Adventures
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"Live from Ireland" travel blog

Travelers Beth Cocco and Joette Rosato recount the highlights of each day in Ireland. Each day was filled with many more small town stops and local sightseeing. They will recount their experiences with other Pirate Adventure travelers in an upcoming issue of Seton Hall Magazine.

To get involved in a future Pirate Adventures travel opportunity click here to view a list of upcoming excursions.
 

Wednesday, April 25
Shannon and Limerick

Into the Green Wide Open

Ireland greeted us in her usual way. Green patches, Irish mist, and friendly Irish faces, especially that of our tour guide, County Cork native, John Fitzgibbon. Ireland is not what we initially expected, looking more like a trip out to Flemington, NJ with it's open fields and farmland. Tired as we were, we participated in a banquet at Knoppogue Medieval Castle, and our own Mike Garcia and his wife Marie were crowned King and Queen for the evening.  The Medieval banquet is something everyone should treat themselves to, the singing and dancing was wonderful and a great way to start our journey.

Sounds of Silence

Doesn't it always rain in Ireland? Not when the Pirate Adventurers are in town!  This morning, we awoke to clear blue skies and our first real sightseeing adventure to the Cliffs of Moher. This trip was unbelievable -  the cliffs are breathtaking, postcards and tour books don't do them justice. On this clear day, the Atlantic Ocean could be heard 700 feet above the sea. It was quiet on the Cliffs except for a swift breeze, waves below and our Pirate Adventurers' sounds of awe as we took our first look over. We were all tired but our jetlag faded away at this sight.

Friday, April 27
Killarney

Not Enough Time

Today we experienced many 'things Ireland.'  When in Ireland, replicate this day.  A visit to the Molanna Dairy Farm was our first stop.  The Fenton's, an Irish family, let us in to their home, fed us delicious homemade jam and cream scones, Guinness Porter Cake and tea.  Then the homeowners, Margaret & Paddy Fenton gave us a tour of their dairy farm and the house where the prior three generations of Fenton's lived.  Paddy showed us the room where he was born and the room where his family members were laid out in when they passed away, he said it was better to be of the 'older' generation at the local wakes, the food and drink are better in the parlor room, than in the barn where the younger lads must go.  Paddy was a brilliant story teller, and we teased him that he must has kissed the Blarney Stone many times.  He left us with a wonderful poem, "What is all, When all is told".  This region is beautiful with mountains, colored by greens, yellows, sheep and cows.  After the visit at the dairy farm we arrived in the wonderful city of Killarney, some say it's touristy, but we all enjoyed it's people, pubs and lanes and would say, it's a stop you should include on your next trip to the Old Sod.  A jaunting car ride with a jarvy driver that offered his own Irish shtick and a tour of the famed Muckross House, the imposing mansion that was built in 1843 boasts they had a visit from Queen Victoria, it took them six years to prepare and she was only there for two days!   After an extensive tour of the house, we enjoyed a walk around the breathtaking gardens and a night on the town in a local pub was the end of what was a busy but fascinating day.

Saturday, April 28 
Killarney and Ring of Kerry

They’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain

We were up and out early to enjoy the Ring of Kerry.  It was going to be a bus ride that we would not soon forget.  The Ring is not just one place, as one might think - it is miles and miles of beautiful mountain and coastal routes.  You would have to dust off your thesaurus to think of all the words you could use to describe its beauty.  We stopped off in the charming town of Sneem for a little “Retail Therapy” as John Fitzgibbon our tour guide would say and it was a quaint town with brightly painted cottages with a village green and charming locals.  Once we returned Father Nicholas Gengaro celebrated Sunday Mass for the group and then we enjoyed the city of Killarney once again.

Sunday, April 29
Blarney Stone, Midleton, and Waterford

Just Kiss the Stone… 

… and be bestowed with the gift of eloquence.  If you are brave enough to wind your way up the 127 stone (very claustrophobic) steps to the top of Blarney Castle and take part in the long-standing tradition of kissing the stone.  One may not realize that they must take off their glasses and empty their shirt pockets, as you are grasped by your feet and suspended backwards to kiss the stone that is set in the wall of the 15^th century castle.  The view from the top of the castle is breathtaking, as are the grounds, but the favorite spot for some was the Blarney Woolen Mills – the famous retail store.  After lunch and shopping in Blarney we took a short bus trip to the Old Midleton Whiskey Distillery in County Cork.  Larry McCarthy, our Seton Hall expert and County Cork native, reminisced during the factory tour after spotting a picture of a task that he once had to complete during a summer job for the distiller.  After the tour we were treated to a sample of the whiskey – some enjoyed it others did not.  But everyone loved the Butler’s Chocolate that they sold in the gift shop!

Monday, April 30
Waterford, Kilkenny, and Kingscourt

Crystal Clear

When we arrived in Waterford we experienced an hour long walking tour of the city and learned more about its lore and history. After the tour we were witnesses to the final of the Hurling Championship in which the local team won, the pub inside of the hotel erupted with cheers and the fans traveled up and down the main drag beeping their horns and waving their blue and white flags.  After what was thankfully a peaceful night, we were privileged enough to have a tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory.  If you are lucky enough to own any Waterford, you should now be honored to have such a magnificent piece of craftsmanship.  The training programs to become a glass blower and craftsman are seven and ten year apprenticeships.  When one of the men was asked how long he had been working there, he promptly responded – “since 8 o’clock this morning”, he was being modest as he has worked for Waterford for 29 years and was one of the master engravers.  They must memorize over 250 patterns and do not use any type of tracing to create the patterns; it all has to be memorized.

Silent Night

As we prepared to depart our castle for what began our last few days in Ireland, we all told tales of what we did or didn’t hear the night before.  We were lucky enough to stay in Cabra Castle in Kingscourt on Monday night.  The castle and the grounds were beautiful and also haunted as the story goes.  John, our tour manager, told us the story of how the castle was haunted prior to our arrival and we convinced him that he should have told the story after we departed, as not all of us slept very well that night, some left their lights on and other talked to their roommates as long as they could so they would not have to go to sleep.  Others said they slept like a baby, but everyone looked a little more tired than usual on the bus the next morning. When we arrived at the castle we offered Mass in the Abbey and we enjoyed dinner in the main ballroom and had a nice surprise with entertainment by some local Irish Step Dancers.  We took a short ride to Dublin and once all of the travelers woke up from dozing on the bus we have a wonderful local tour guide join us on the bus for a very informative tour of Dublin. 

Sweet Molly Malone

In Dublin’s Fair City we were set off on our own but luckily we had our resident expert Larry McCarthy offer a tour to some of our travelers through Trinity College and the Book of Kells.  Some decided to take the tour, others opted for some last minute shopping, or to take in the museums and some had their picture taken with the statue of Molly Malone, the celebrated street trader, on the corners of the world famous Grafton and Nassau Streets.  One spot not to miss on Nassau Street is the Butler’s Chocolate Café, their hot chocolate is out of this world and second to none - after a day in Dublin it is just what is needed. 

Thursday, May 3

Homeward Bound

After a group dinner in the hotel restaurant our Pirate Adventurers exchanged email addresses and contact information with new friends but it seemed that everyone was ready for the long journey home.  On the bus ride to the airport we all talked about who was going to travel to DC, Mexico, Spain and California on future alumni trips.  More Pirate Adventures to look forward to…

For additional information on future Pirate Adventures, please contact Beth Cocco in the Office of Alumni Relations at coccoeli@shu.edu or 973-378-9849.
 

Seton Hall University Alumni Relations • 457 Centre St. • South Orange, NJ 07079 • (973) 378-9822 • alumni@shu.edu