Ireland for Spring Break and Summer
by Candyce H. Stapen
In Ireland the castles are real, the countryside's green, the cities
are manageable and the people like kids-a good combination for a
different kind of spring break or summer getaway. On the Emerald
Isle you and your children can explore lively towns as well as bicycle
back roads, hike hillsides and horseback ride through centuries-old
woods. The relative lack of traffic makes it easy to drive from
area to area and if you're lost, the language is the same as ours,
once you get accustomed to the lilting brogue.
Dublin
Teenagers, especially, will be taken by Dublin. The once "tired"
city along the banks of the River Liffey has morphed into one of
Europe's trendiest towns. Along with browsing the Temple Bar neighborhood,
home to cafes, funky boutiques, galleries, and clubs, walk with
your teens to Grafton and the adjacent streets for finds on clothing,
jewelry and crafts.
Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College, houses the Book of
Kells, one of the nation's treasures. The illuminated manuscript
of the four Gospels with its detailed and beautiful ornamentation
dates to 800 A.D. A tour of Dublin Castle, first built in the thirteenth
century, takes you through the state apartments, the Royal Chapel
and the Undercroft, site of an early Viking fortress. St. Patrick's
Cathedral, begun in 1190, contains the tomb of Jonathan Swift, who
served as dean from 1713 to 1745. Merrion Square and St. Stephen's
Green bloom in the city's heart, and sprawling Phoenix Park, two
miles west of center city, houses the Dublin Zoo.
Waterford
A main seaport in southeast Ireland, Waterford City is best known
to tourists as the home of Waterford crystal. On the factory tour,
you see artisans blowing glass, hand-cutting crystal and working
on new designs. But there's much more to Waterford City than just
crystal. A good way to discover it is with Jack Burtchaell's walking
tour in which he twines humor and history to introduce the "rogues,
rakes, reprobates and revolutionaries" that took root in Waterford
since its Viking beginnings in A.D. 850.
The Waterford Treasures at the Granary Museum cleverly employs
interactive and multi-media exhibits to display the Viking and medieval
artifacts found in Waterford, or "Vadrafjordr" as the invaders called
the city. Peruse such Viking must-haves as antler combs-great for
catching lice-a copper dog collar and a flute made from the leg
bone of a swan.
Be sure to walk the Quay--the streets bordering the harbor--and
browse the shops. Along with exhibits by local artists, the Garter
Lane Arts Centre contains artists' studios. The Munster is a popular
pub housed in a 300-year-old building.
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Great Places, Great Deals
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Irish Castles and Cottages: Choose your
fantasy, with Cross Country
International's Kinnitty Castle vacation, available
from January 2 through April 15, 2006, stay in
an 11th century castle, including breakfast, from
$89 per person, per night based on two people
in a room. You can horseback ride through forests
and valleys for an additional fee. With CCIıs
Live the Irish Country Life Ride, a family rents
a cottage in Adare with five bedrooms and two
baths plus horses for a week. Rates from $1,495
per person include seven nights lodging, a horse
and four hours of lessons or trail riding each
day (800-828-8768; www.equestrianvacations.com).
Irish
Country Hotel: Built in 1897, the antiques-filled,
five-star Park Kenmare in Kenmare, about 20 miles
from Killarney, appeals to families with older
teens and twentysomethings who want an upscale
Irish hotel experience that comes with a postcard-pretty
town plus a posh spa. Conde Nast Traveler rated
Samas, the propertyıs $6-million spa, as one of
the top 25 spas in the world. Winter rates from
$316 Euros, or about $370 (353 64 41200; www.parkkenmare.com).
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Kilkenny
Kilkenny is known for its well-preserved medieval buildings, including
Kilkenny Castle, built in the 12th century and remodeled in the
19th century. Equally as impressive to kids as the formal rooms
found on the tour are the 50 acres of grounds, now a public park
with a rose garden, riverside walk and lots of room for romping.
While it's fun to stroll Kilkenny's narrow alleyways and learn
the tale of the town's Dame Alice Kyteler (accused of witchcraft
in 1324), Kilkenny's crowds make it hard to envision the city as
it existed centuries before bus tours. But all you have to do to
enjoy the picturesque Irish landscape is to get off the main roads.
Adams & Butler, luxury travel experts, offer a driving ghost tour
of the region that winds you along scenic lanes past rolling hills,
ruined castles and horses in green pastures. You pause at cemeteries,
grand country house hotels, overlooks and other spots where spooks
have been "documented." Adams & Butler also arranges customized
trips in Ireland, including creating itineraries and scheduling
day outings and overnights at castles and country houses (800-894-5712;
www.irishluxury.com).
– Candyce H. Stapen, author of National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family Vacations, won the award for Caribbean Travel Writer of the Year for North America.
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