Trim

Departing Galway on a sunny day, we drove the “cow path” looking roads to Clonmacnoise. The stonework of this 5,ooo year old monastery were remarkable to see. I have never seen as many Celtic crosses as I did in the graveyard. The stood dramatic and intense against the blue sky. Pope John Paul II had even visited this place. The giant carved crosses inside the information center were thousands of years old and in pretty good shape. Through the countryside we traveled to the outskirts of Trim. Our little “eco-car” unfortunately uses a good bit of gas even though it’s tiny… and we were suddenly riding with the gas light on. This made for a stressful few minutes. After entering historic Trim, I asked a local the way to a petrol station. The first time we actually got accurate directions in Ireland was this time thanks to the Lord. We pulled into the Cranmore House B&B through a flowery gate. No, the directions to the house were not correct but we finally made it. This place was a fantastic looking country house with a bright red door, vines scaling the walls, sheep in the fields, and two ponies out back… not to mention a very relaxing and picturesque garden area. The sky was blue with only a slight chill, but warm in the sun. The proprietor, Anne, suggested that we head down to Trim Castle right away and take the tour before the grounds closed. Great advice! Got lost a little on the way to downtown Trim (go figure), but found that searching for the castle became easier when we looked up. In the search we past by Kiely’s  Pub (distant relative?). I didn’t get a picture but man, there are Kiely’s everywhere. Parking outside the main gate of the castle we realized the massive size of the medieval structure. Inside the gate and in front of the massive keep, the tour guide told us that the grounds and the castle were used in the movie Braveheart. In fact, a lot of the movie was shot in Ireland. I remember seeing a sign around Glendalough that indicated some scenes were shot in nearny fields. Aside from seeing “the rack” that Mel Gibson was drawn and  quartered on, the castle itself was amazing. It is without a doubt 100% haunted btw. The English castle was a brutal place and the vibes are still within the walls. My camera malfunctioned and shut itself off as Liza was taking a picture of me by a gate area. The wind was blowing hard and cold. Even with the sun it was hard to stay too long. We headed back to the Cranmoore House to relax a bit. A good amount of photography, filming, and songwriting went on for a time. We were advised to check out Brogan’s Pub for supper as they did something called a stone grilled steak. Great old time atmospheric pub and the steak did come out on a heated stone that cooked it through as it sat on the table. Excellent cut of meat as all the meat I’ve had in Ireland was. Last night for a live music pub experience so we headed down the street to James Griffin’s Pub. We opened the door to low lit rooms filled with people as a traditional session was in full swing. There were seats available in the back so we were on to a pint of Guinness Peter the bartender was having quite a time with his associate Lydus who seemed to be a little slower functioning in carrying out his instructions. A lot of confused looks out of Lydus.. This provided great entertainment on this last night. I wish we could have stayed longer but had to wake up very early. I did enjoy talking to Peter and found out that he to is a musician and producer. A great part of the evening was when Peter told his partner to pour some drinks for the folks at the end of the bar. Lydus answered,”Who are the folks?” Peter snapped back, “The people! Those people down on the end.” This was some classic comedy and great for a laugh. We returned back to the inn and packed for the next days journey back to the states. It was an amazing trip of a lifetime that I hopefully be able to repeat again. Until next time Ireland….