Dublin , Ireland (Last day)

Overall impressions of our bus tour of Ireland


Ireland as a travel destination.


We were astounded at how busy this country is. Here we are in the supposed offseason (coastal holidayers are absent, kids are back in school, weather is deteriorating, etc.). But the motorways and streets are jammed. Even very rural areas seem to have traffic and something going on. Given that the country only has a population of 4.9 million (as opposed to neighboring England which is 60 million), what is going on?


I suppose the explanation may partially have something to do with the fact that we were on the tourist route. But that would not explain the near gridlock we were seeing on the streets and roads in many towns and cities. This probably has something to do with the road systems being unable to accommodate modern traffic. We travelled many 2 lane roads which are narrower than a typical one lane road in North America. There are no shoulders. Stone walls and utility poles in some areas are literally inches from the travel lane. In the country a road building crew could easily fix a lot of it at the expense of some stone walls and strips of farmland. Would this detract from the Ireland travel experience – perhaps a bit we think – but it could make it more relaxing as the worry of whether the bus is actually “going to fit” is alleviated. In the cities, private vehicular traffic needs to be limited (and it is in some areas of Dublin). We did see two accidents which happened just before the tour ended – one involving a service van and another a motorcycle, which looked serious.

Roadside mishap

We saw some unusual objects including some newspaper sticks at a restaurant (we don’t think the handheld devices used by most Irish will fit in them very well). Also check out the pattern on the surface of Norma’s cappuccino – obviously prepared by an artistic barista.

Newspaper sticks

Artistic Capuccino

Ireland has fascinating history, beautiful verdant scenery and good tourist facilities. The down sides are the rainy, cool weather and in Northern Ireland, an unsettling recent history. The fact that the Peace Walls are closed at night says there appear to be individuals roaming areas of Belfast and Derry that are criminals. Maybe murals depicting violent activities should now be removed. 

Belfast Mural

The New IRA has admitted carrying out the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.  Ms McKee, 29, was shot in the head on April 12, 2019 while observing rioting in Londonderry's Creggan estate - more than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at police and two vehicles were set on fire. The police were carrying out a search for illegal weapons. One reporter who was at the scene said a masked gunman "came round the corner and fired shots indiscriminately towards police vehicles". Taken from the Irish Times.


Bus touring as a mode of vacation travel.


Our group was for the most part veteran bus tourers (Brian, the British fellow has been on “too many to count”). They were punctual (with a couple of exceptions) which made the schedule run smoothly.  Overall we were pleased with the whole operation and definitely would consider taking another one in certain travel situations. It certainly is a good way to travel if you have any type of disability. On our tour we did have people with mobility issues who were able to manage fine. When we are on our own in the future and arrive at a destination after a tour bus we will have a better appreciation of their mode of transport. We now realize that a lot of the tourist infrastructure is supported by the tour bus trade. It is a great way to see lots in a short time while not worrying about driving and securing accommodation. It is a good value for your travel dollar as well.

Harpist at a popular scenic stop

Not too far from the hotel is the Grange Castle Golf Club which has an 18 hole course and a 7 hole course (no typo: seven holes). We decided to walk and golf the 7 hole course due to concerns about the weather. It was a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, Doug even managed to get one birdie. Now we can say we have golfed in 4 different countries.