#CountryKids in Dublin and across the Irish Sea

On our last day in Ireland we had a couple of hours to spare before our ferry from Dublin so we headed into Dublin city centre. It is a pretty compact city centre so we had a chance to cover quite a but of ground (and get to plenty of Pokestops!). First of all we crossed over the River Liffey on Halfpenny Bridge:

The river runs through the heart of the city and is a central point for exploration:

With all that history and architecture the only thing my son was interested in was finding places to catch or battle Pokemon:

#CountryKids in Kilkenny - History, Pokemon and Pizza

On our last full day in Ireland we stayed closer to our accommodation and headed back into Kilkenny. It wasn't the best of weather and we soon headed into the newest museum in the city to take cover. The Medieval Mile Museum only recently opened to show case 800 years of the city's history in a restored 13th century church:

Inside there are exhibitions of artefacts and displays about the history of the local area:

My son wasn't as enthralled as his gramps and I were with the old books on display:

#CountryKids Virtual Vikings, Waterpark Fun, Windy Beaches and Rugged Coasts

After our busy history day we went for more of a fun-filled one and headed back down to Waterford to visit the King of the Vikings which is the world's visit virtual reality Viking encounter: 

As there are only 8 people in the attraction at a time we had to book and then wander around admiring the mix of modern and Georgian architecture around the Anglican cathedral:

We even had time for a very happy coffee:

#CountryKids Jerpoint Abbey, Thomastown, Inistioge and New Ross

Another day of balancing the pleasure of 3 generations on holiday. My son was not impressed with the fact that we started off at Jerpoint Abbey (using our English Heritage cards):

I think the lovely folks on the reception desk could see his lack of enthusiasm and so explained about their children's trail. He still had dragging feet as we started off out hunting for items in the carvings such as what a saint was holding or deciding which number a certain saint was in the line up:

#CountryKids in Tramore, Ireland

My son had been keen to leave Waterford as he had seen a leaflet about Pirates' Adventure and he was keen to try out the fun. First up was adventure golf which was partially glow in the dark:

Then he challenged me to a kid friendly game of 10 pin bowling:

Luckily for him there was another boy on the pirate ship climbing and soft play and he had lots of fun playing hide and seek with him. Then it was on to the bumper motorbikes:

#CountryKids Dunmore Cave

After the fun of Foot Golf it was Gramp's turn to choose an activity and he opted for Dunmore Cave which wasn't too far away. Its almost a tradition now to visit an underground attraction on our holidays! After a video introduction we descended into the cave following our guide:

It looked rather creepy as we were about to go in especially after hearing the story of a massacre of women and children in the cave by Vikings in 928 AD:

Once we had reached the bottom of the main steps we could still see the daylight reassuringly at the top:

#CountryKids in Waterford

A change of scenery with a drive down to Waterford which is the oldest city in Ireland and the only one still bearing a Viking name. We parked on the waterfront and then walked down to Reginald's Tower, this is a medieval structure built on top of a Viking one:

Each floor of the tower had an exhibition about a different aspect of its history from Vikings to Medieval to a Georgian prison. It still very much felt medieval with the low arched doorways:

There were peep holes to act like a scary Viking through too:

Exploring Kilkenny

For our first full day in Ireland we didn't fancy going too far after travelling the whole day before. So we drove the short distance to Kilkenny to explore what the city has on offer. The first thing we spotted was our very own bar (but we didn't go in!):

The one thing Kilkenny isn't short off are pubs and bars! We wandered down to the River Nore with its colourful buildings:

Luckily for us there was space on the terrace for a late lunch with a view of Kilkenny Castle:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Irish Eyes are Smiling #R2BC

A late arrival for the linky as we have been on holiday and this is my first chance to use my laptop since I got back! Obviously my reasons are all holiday based and here are the smiles from Ireland:
1) Crossing the Sea

I was away with my two top men my son and my dad. We enjoyed our ferry ride across the Irish Sea from Holyhead and then a drive down to Knocktopher near Kilkenny.

2) Holiday challenges

My son and I climbed up steep ladders to reach the top of the 900 year old St Canice's tower in Kilkenny. Well worth it for the view even when you are scared of heights:

3) Running

I managed to find a lovely (if hilly) route to run in a wood to keep up the exercise. It was a hot one but it put a smile on my face:

4) Smile!

How could this not put a smile on your face when you are given your coffee:

Hope you are smiling this week too!