Category: Ireland

A Taste of Ireland

I was with a tour group while I was traveling in Ireland. We had an excellent buffet breakfast every morning. There were scrambled eggs, perfect brown bread, ham, tomatoes, baked beans, sausages, fried eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit, fruit smoothies, mushrooms, and scones. We had a variety of different fruit juices to choose from. Our waitress came to our table with a choice of coffee or tea for us to drink. I tried the coffee, and it was excellent.

My friend and I stopped at an Irish Pub. I ordered their Irish Stew, and it was excellent. The Stew was made with lamb, and the lamb was cooked to perfection. Our waitress also came to our table with a big bowl of potatoes for us to eat. There were so many potatoes that we could not possibly eat all of them.

At noon my friend and I enjoyed a delicious fruit scone. We had the scone with clotted cream. We had a large pot of tea with our scones. We enjoyed a scone almost every day while vacationing in Ireland.

I ordered the hake that was on our menu. The hake was beautiful, and it tasted like cod fish. The hake was served with a vegetable medley, mashed potatoes, and more potatoes on the side. I was so impressed with the hake I ordered it twice while vacationing.

I ordered the chicken breast that was served in a wine sauce. The chicken was very tender and just melted in my mouth. The chicken was done over a bed of potatoes. Our waitress also came to our table with a big platter of vegetables and potatoes. I ordered the chicken breast again the next day of our vacation.

I was very impressed with all the food I ate while vacationing in Ireland.

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Ireland The Giant's Causeway located in Ireland

Giant’s Causeway located in Ireland

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date September 30, 2015
3 Comments on Giant’s Causeway located in Ireland

The Giant’s Causeway is a unique and wondrous masterpiece of science and nature. The rock formations were formed 60 million years ago by the cooling and shrinking of successive lava flows.

The Giant’s Causeway has a lot of myths and legends that go along with it. The code is that the coast was carved by a mighty giant, Finn MC Cool; he left behind a home full of folklore. The causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a geological masterpiece with over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. The causeway is the result of lots of volcanic and geological activity. The causeway became known in the late 1700s.

I truly enjoyed looking at all the volcanic formations that formed over the 60 million-year span. I liked looking at the buildings called the onion skins. They were covered with a white color that looked like it was peeling away from the rock formations. The rock formation called Giant Finn rock organ looked like the pipes of a real working organ. Legend has it that you can hear Finn playing his rock organ on a windy day. There is a formation that looks like a camel. One of the rock formations is called the Giant’s boot. It is said that the Giant was running and lost one of his boots.

I was fascinated by the different plant life growing between the rocks on the ground. I took pictures of many other colorful small flowering plants. The bed was very soft and boggy to walk on. Allow at least one hour to look at the rock formations and listen to the guided tour. I enjoyed looking at the rock columns and all the mighty acts of nature, science, and miracles.

I would highly recommend stopping at the Giant’s Causeway located in Ireland. I guarantee you will be impressed with what Mother Nature can form over the years.

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Ireland Irish National Stud and Gardens

Irish National Stud and Gardens

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date September 12, 2015
1 Comment on Irish National Stud and Gardens

I had a tour of the Irish National Stud and Gardens. I was very impressed with the Stallions and fouls and the Japanese Gardens. Horses have been bred and born on the 800-acre site since 1900. The site is called the Irish National Stud.

The best stallion stud fee was $450,000.00, and the lowest price was $5000.00. Their best stallion is insured for 80 million. The mares go back into heat 8 or 9 days after giving birth. The horse stalls are cleaned out thrice daily to ensure good health for the horses. They have bred up to 150 horses a day naturally. The mares have boots on their back feet so they won’t kick the stallion while breeding. They have a miniature stallion from Argentina that they put in with the full-size mares to ensure they are in season. If the mare is pregnant with twins, one egg is removed. Otherwise, the horse will be too miniature for racing. The stud fee must not be paid until the foul is one year old. Their oldest horse lived to be 40 years old. When a horse gets very old or is infertile, it will have them put to sleep.

Over 100 fouls are born at the stud every year, most between March and May. The fouls generally stand within an hour or two and nurse their mother. Most horses begin their racing career at the age of two.

Breeders worldwide send their mares to be mated with the stallions at the Irish National Stud. The price of the stud fee depends on that stallion’s popularity.

A famous racehorse can take in millions of dollars in its lifetime. Some famous horses at the Irish national stud are as follows: Moscow Flyer, Hardy Eustace, Kicking King, Beef or Salmon, and Rites of Passage. They have won essential races. The current stallion Big Bad Bob is making a big impression at the races and has bloodlines that span over 70 years.

The Japanese garden is gorgeous and in a tranquil setting.

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Ireland

Some of the Cats from Ireland

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date September 8, 2015
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The first cat I saw in Ireland was a pure white cat. I was leaving my farmhouse for an early morning hunt. I was walking in the ditch next to the field, listening for any movement a mouse might make. My family lives in a lovely stucco house. On my farm, several sheep and barley are growing in the field.

The next cat I saw was a large black and white cat. I am a town cat that lives in an apartment. I was looking out my window at my owner, walking the small fox terrier that shares my house. The houses where I live are older, but they are well-maintained. The area around my apartment is gravel, and my owner has planted beautiful roses around our apartment area.

I am a gray and white cat living in Ireland country. My owners live in a newer large brick home. My owners have a 70-acre corn field and 40 milk cows in the pasture. I was out among the cows hoping to find an early-morning mouse to snack on.

I am a black cat living in a small stucco house in town. I was looking out of my window and noticed rain pouring down. I hung my head in disappointment that I could not see much due to the rain falling. I live in the old linen district of Ireland.

I was a calico cat that always crossed the road for better hunting opportunities every morning. I did not cross the street this morning and was killed by a car. I am in heaven now with my cat ancestors from Ireland.

I am a small black and white farm cat. There are many farm buildings on the farm where I live. My owners had put up barely any straw for the cows living on my farm to eat. I was taking my morning walk down my farm lane. My farm has lush, beautiful green pastures.

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