So upon arriving in the evening on Day TWO, we came into the far outskirts of Lisburn, Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland to a little pub called Clenaghan's.Cleneghan's was the site of my very first real Irish Guinness back in 2004 when Katie and I made our first trip to Ireland. It's a cozy little place, and it's my favorite pub in the world. When planning this trip, I wanted to stop by for a pint, and I was pleased to find that they also had accommodations. Would I, Jobey, pass up an opportunity to stay the night at a 250 year old pub in Ireland? Nay, says I!!! Two please!
First, I have to say, that the pub keepers, Ivan and Clare, are amazing. Upon our arrival they made sure that everything we needed was at our disposal, even to the point of knocking on their door at any hour right there on the property.
The building we stayed in used to be a milk house for milking cows going back to the 18th Century. It had been amazingly restored to be the quintessential Irish quarters and really, a mini version of how I picture my dream house.
With its original rough hewn rock walls, slate floors in the front room, and aged barn reclaimed wood flooring in the bedroom and bathroom, it had the perfect setting for our first couple nights in Ireland. This is by far a place I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone who ever wants to visit Ireland. It was absolutely perfect.
Even down to the modern amenities, like the flat screen TV, attention to taste and tact was well executed. The TV didn't distract from the old world, original feel of the place because they did such a great job making it "work" with the room. The huge headposts over the doors and the vaulted ceilings really made the place feel, I don't know, sort of kingly in a 17th or 18th century kind of way.
The map of Ireland over the bedroom doorway, the old fashioned (and working) radio, the old style fridge (stocked with Irish breakfast, milk, juice, beer, wine, cheese, chocolate, bread, butter, you name it, and all on the house) were perfect accessories.
I included a picture of the bathroom, which is kind of odd, but I just loved the stained glass window and the great lighting that was incorporated throughout. Can you tell we loved this place?
So as we prepared for dinner, we walked into the pub, which is all candlelit, and ordered our first Irish Guinness in 5 years. The waitress - the owners' daughter - served us and shortly after brought us to our table.
"What table?" I asked. I thought we were at our table. I had only ever been in this tiny room before.
"In the back, of course," she answered back. Katie and I looked at each other confused, and as she led us through 200 year old maze of these rock walls, we entered into a charming back room dining room, that I had no idea existed.
We had an unbelievable dinner, the food was absolutely amazing, and it filled us nicely.
We hung out for a bit, as it doesn't get dark until about 11ish (the photo of the outside garden at Clenaghan's is at about 10pm).
It was a great start to our trip.
So, as we got into the ACTUAL Day THREE, we drove around the North, going to various historical sites for both the Irish and my own family.
We first stopped at Inch Abbey, built in 1180AD. We visited Inch before, but in its surreal environs, it deserved a second visit. It was, after all, a place where we renewed our vows together back in 2004, only this visit would be sunny and warm.
Inch is a peaceful place, with swans in the pond which is overlooked by the church tower at St. Patrick's in Downpatrick, the church where St. Patrick himself is buried under a large boulder with the name "Patric" engraved on it.
From Inch we did visit Patrick's grave, and from there made our way to the Ards Peninsula, a little stretch of land on the east coast in Co. Down where some of my family comes from.
In a fun little surprise, we happened upon a relatively old and isolated cemetery, where I found gravestones with last names that matched my ancestors (McMullen) from the area.
Further up the Ards you come to one of the coolest 12th century abbey ruins: Grey Abbey. Grey Abbey is home to one of the creepiest cemeteries I've ever seen (and I have seen my share). But it's surroundings and ruins are absolutely fabulous. The dining hall alone (or what's left of it) is absolutely incredible.
Seeing the architecture of these places is awe-inspiring. The detail, the ruggedness, it's simply unfathomable to even try to picture what it must have been like and how they went about constructing these works of art.
From the Ards we made our way into Belfast, an intriguing city due to its diverse culture as well as political history. I really enjoy Belfast, it has some amazing pubs, such as Kelly's Cellars, which claims to be the oldest pub in Belfast, going back to the 1600's, as well as Crown Liquor, an incredibly and ornately decorated Victorian style pub.
From Belfast we drove back to Clenaghan's for what became a highlight for us. We got to meet up with old friends who we had met way back in 2004. Fra, Andrea, and Damien came out to have a couple pints, a cigar, and have some craic (Irish for "good times") until the wee hours of the night. It was an incredibly fun time hanging out with them, and we really, really hope to see them soon somehow.
Day THREE...complete.
Next Post....Day FOUR...Touring the North Coast
First, I have to say, that the pub keepers, Ivan and Clare, are amazing. Upon our arrival they made sure that everything we needed was at our disposal, even to the point of knocking on their door at any hour right there on the property.
The building we stayed in used to be a milk house for milking cows going back to the 18th Century. It had been amazingly restored to be the quintessential Irish quarters and really, a mini version of how I picture my dream house.
With its original rough hewn rock walls, slate floors in the front room, and aged barn reclaimed wood flooring in the bedroom and bathroom, it had the perfect setting for our first couple nights in Ireland. This is by far a place I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone who ever wants to visit Ireland. It was absolutely perfect.
Even down to the modern amenities, like the flat screen TV, attention to taste and tact was well executed. The TV didn't distract from the old world, original feel of the place because they did such a great job making it "work" with the room. The huge headposts over the doors and the vaulted ceilings really made the place feel, I don't know, sort of kingly in a 17th or 18th century kind of way.
The map of Ireland over the bedroom doorway, the old fashioned (and working) radio, the old style fridge (stocked with Irish breakfast, milk, juice, beer, wine, cheese, chocolate, bread, butter, you name it, and all on the house) were perfect accessories.
I included a picture of the bathroom, which is kind of odd, but I just loved the stained glass window and the great lighting that was incorporated throughout. Can you tell we loved this place?
So as we prepared for dinner, we walked into the pub, which is all candlelit, and ordered our first Irish Guinness in 5 years. The waitress - the owners' daughter - served us and shortly after brought us to our table."What table?" I asked. I thought we were at our table. I had only ever been in this tiny room before.
"In the back, of course," she answered back. Katie and I looked at each other confused, and as she led us through 200 year old maze of these rock walls, we entered into a charming back room dining room, that I had no idea existed.
We had an unbelievable dinner, the food was absolutely amazing, and it filled us nicely.
We hung out for a bit, as it doesn't get dark until about 11ish (the photo of the outside garden at Clenaghan's is at about 10pm).It was a great start to our trip.
So, as we got into the ACTUAL Day THREE, we drove around the North, going to various historical sites for both the Irish and my own family.
We first stopped at Inch Abbey, built in 1180AD. We visited Inch before, but in its surreal environs, it deserved a second visit. It was, after all, a place where we renewed our vows together back in 2004, only this visit would be sunny and warm.
Inch is a peaceful place, with swans in the pond which is overlooked by the church tower at St. Patrick's in Downpatrick, the church where St. Patrick himself is buried under a large boulder with the name "Patric" engraved on it.From Inch we did visit Patrick's grave, and from there made our way to the Ards Peninsula, a little stretch of land on the east coast in Co. Down where some of my family comes from.
In a fun little surprise, we happened upon a relatively old and isolated cemetery, where I found gravestones with last names that matched my ancestors (McMullen) from the area.
Further up the Ards you come to one of the coolest 12th century abbey ruins: Grey Abbey. Grey Abbey is home to one of the creepiest cemeteries I've ever seen (and I have seen my share). But it's surroundings and ruins are absolutely fabulous. The dining hall alone (or what's left of it) is absolutely incredible.
Seeing the architecture of these places is awe-inspiring. The detail, the ruggedness, it's simply unfathomable to even try to picture what it must have been like and how they went about constructing these works of art.
From the Ards we made our way into Belfast, an intriguing city due to its diverse culture as well as political history. I really enjoy Belfast, it has some amazing pubs, such as Kelly's Cellars, which claims to be the oldest pub in Belfast, going back to the 1600's, as well as Crown Liquor, an incredibly and ornately decorated Victorian style pub.
From Belfast we drove back to Clenaghan's for what became a highlight for us. We got to meet up with old friends who we had met way back in 2004. Fra, Andrea, and Damien came out to have a couple pints, a cigar, and have some craic (Irish for "good times") until the wee hours of the night. It was an incredibly fun time hanging out with them, and we really, really hope to see them soon somehow.Day THREE...complete.
Next Post....Day FOUR...Touring the North Coast
