Day 62 – July 20, 2025 – Westport to Dublin, Ireland
Great breakfast again and Michelle and I split the oatmeal with Bailey’s, and I also had bacon and an egg. We chatted with Angela a bit and then headed out about 9:30. Angela is a wonderful host and while the beds were small, I would stay here again as it is a great location with beautiful views.
Our first stop was to Athlone to visit the Athlone Castle. Athlone Castle dates to the 12th century and was originally a wooden fort until it was replaced with a stone castle around 1210. It was built to control a key crossing point on the River Shannon and to protect the western frontier of the Anglo-Norman territory. It played a central role in military campaigns and was a key defensive point against Gaelic Irish forces from the west. One of the most notable events was during the Williamite War in Ireland where in 1690 the Williamite forces were repelled and in 1691 it was breached, and the castle was captured. This was a turning point in the war, leading to the defeat of the Jacobite forces. (The entire experience is done with exhibitions, so we didn’t really take the time to get pictures. )
Our next stop was to Sean’s Bar, which is the oldest bar in Ireland. It is traditionally dated to 900 A.D. and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in Ireland, and possibly in Europe. It is located near the River Shannon, right beside the Athlone Castle. The Brazen Head, which is in Dublin, is not the oldest, but one of the oldest.
The next stop was Tullamore Distillery, home of the Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, is in the town of Tullamore. It was founded in 1829 and became prominent under the management of Daniel E. Williams (D.E.W.) who started as stable boy and rose to become general manager and then owner. It’s known for its triple-distilled, triple-blended whiskey. John got some sample bottles as we did not have time to do a tour.
We went looking for lunch and found the Old Warehouse restaurant and split the feather blade of beef with mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Yummy! It reminded us of our Sunday roast we had in Dublin. The Old Warehouse was the original home of Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey which dates to 1829.
After lunch, we had an hour’s drive to Dublin and checked into the Hilton airport hotel. The guys took the rental car back, which gave us girls time to chill, and then we met for drinks in the lounge after the guys got back. Michelle and I managed to get two mahjong games in, so we were happy!
We had dinner at the hotel, and it was ridiculous because John had asked for a scotch earlier and they didn’t have it. We asked for the pizza margherita, and they didn’t have it. We ended up getting a bowl of soup and a Ceasar salad with prawns to split. He asked for a glass of red and they didn’t have it; it got to be funny after a while. Not our best meal, but we didn’t feel like catching a bus to go downtown after the drive in.
We plan to meet for breakfast at about 8:30 and then we have a shuttle picking us up at 10:50 to take us to the airport. Really enjoyed Ireland and all its beauty! On to the last part of our adventure!
