We left about 10.15 after breakfast with Tony and Mags. On Tony’s advice our first stop was Adare, a lovely traditional village but again, like so many lovely places we have found in Ireland, traffic bound with heavy lorries right through the town. However we were seeking Adare Manor which is the venue for the 2027 Ryder cup. It’s a beautiful estate with a stunning Manor House, immaculate greens and a Michelin star in the restaurant. We blagged our way in, parked up and took a short walk around. All very beautiful!
We then had rather a long haul on mostly quiet motorways to Dublin. We were heading for Brooks Hotel, right in the centre. It made the last mile or two a bit busy but the parking was directly opposite the hotel with a generous discount (40 euros per day and we paid 16 in total for our two nights there). The hotel was super, and in a great location. We wandered to the old Parliament and Trinity College, and then a light snack (on my part a fabulous Seafood Chowder) outside at the Dakota just next to the hotel. Afterwards we wandered across the Liffey, saw the Spike and then wandered back to the Porterhouse Bar which turned out to be a microbrewery where Howard found a stout that wasn’t Guinness. A surprise in Dublín!
We had a bit of a chill back at the hotel and then dinner in a Moroccan restaurant near the hotel called Dada - felt appropriate given the Moroccan disaster, the earthquake in Marrakesh. The decor brought back memories of 1984!
