Our first port of call was Dunmore East, a fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland. Since this is such a small harbor, we used tenders to get to shore. From there my sister and I took a bus trip to the picturesque small town of Inistioge (pronounced something like IN-ish-teeg) and the famous gardens of the Woodstock House estate. We passed through the town of Waterford on the way but did not stop; we decided to skip the shore excursion that visited Waterford Crystal because it's no longer a working factory (production has been moved to China). I was more interested in the countryside anyway, since part of my late husband's family was originally from the area. The Woodstock gardens turned out to be mainly exotic trees; the estate was at its height in the late 19th century, fell into disrepair after WWI, and is still in the process of being restored by the Kilkenny County Council. No local food was consumed during this excursion, except for a cup of hot tea each purchased at the small detached Woodstock House gift shop. (Note that several of these photos were taken from the bus. And yes, it rained off and on all day.)
Dunmore East:
Waterford:
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| Dunbrody Famine Ship (reproduction of an 1840's emigrant ship) |
Inistioge:
Woodstock House and Gardens:
"In 1921, the [Woodstock House] property was occupied by the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, which caused much local resentment, and then by troops of the Free State Army, who were withdrawn from the premises during the Irish Civil War, on 1 July 1922. The house, left unguarded, was burnt down the next day, and remains a derelict empty shell, overgrown with vegetation." ~Wikipedia entry for Woodstock Estate
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