Ireland Pictures

The Trip to Ireland

The night before our trip we had a rehearsal to familiarize ourselves with the music we would be playing in Ireland. This is my view from the Percussion section.	Everything seemed to go very well during our rehearsal. We were all very excited about our trip.

We flew on Aer Lingus to Ireland.	Here's Carla, Paul and Ray about to get their seat assignments.

Here's Ray saying... "You take one more picture of me and I'll break that camera in a few thousand pieces." (not really...)	Here we are at the Dublin Airport attempting to try to figure out how to get all of those instruments and luggage on one bus. It turns out that another bus came by to pick up the instruments and deliver them to the Manor later in the day.
Life at Castledaly Manor

This is the front view of Castledaly Manor. The manor sits on 37 acres and is over 220 years old.	This is the Stable Block section of the manor. Ten guest rooms are located in the stables.

There is more than two miles of stone fencing on the manor's property. Speaking of stone fencing... Ireland is full of them. Every field you look at has several dry-set stone fences running through it. I overheard someone on the bus comment "If you removed all of the stones from Ireland, the country would surely float up to Heaven."	This is a very rare sight in Ireland. NOBODY is sitting at the bar! You wouldn't believe how early in the morning I had to get up to take this picture...

The Manor featured live traditional Irish music on Sunday and Wednesday nights. I was most impressed with the Bodhrán player. The sounds he got out of that drum were beyond belief.	We brought along a Dixieland Band to share the sounds of Jazz with the Irish people. L to R: Ray Wifler, Dave Ehren, Pete Runde, Ernie Broeniman and Bob Milanowski.

Here's Pete attempting to try a Guinness. He never got it to his lips.	Patti and me sharing a good time while listening to a few Irish tunes.

This is a group photo on the steps of the Manor. Unfortunately not everyone is in this picture. We never did get a complete group photo organized.
Galway City

There were a lot of opportunities to buy souvenirs in Galway.	Here's Evelyn and Rita looking at some traditional Irish china.

The band played it's first concert in John F. Kennedy Park in Galway city. A good sized crowd gathered to listen.	Here's Ray playing a Tribute to Artie Shaw.

The Dixieland Band played a few numbers while the rest of the band took a break. The crowd enthusiastically responded after each number. After the Dixieland Band finished playing its set, a gentleman came up to Ray to ask if the Group would be interested in coming back to Galway next year for their First Annual Jazz Fest. Who knows... maybe this band will make a return visit.
Dublin City

This is a statue of Molly Malone. This is a busy meeting place for many people touring and shopping in the area.	Dublin is a very busy city. One of the best ways of seeing a lot of the sites in a short period of time is to take a double-decker sightseeing bus.

After our long day in Dublin, many of us got off of the tour bus in Moate to have a leisurely dinner in one of the pubs. L to R: Gerry, Wayne, Eileen, Ray, Carla, and Sandy.	Here's another group that ate dinner that night in Moate. L to R: Dave, Sandy, Josh, Paul, and Greg.
Clonmacnoise

Clonmacnoise was founded about 548 by St. Ciarán. It developed as a major center of religion, learning, trade, craftsmanship and political influence. The site contains a number of churches, a round tower, a castle, three stone crosses and a large collection of early grave-slabs.	This is the South Cross that is being preserved in an enclosed building. This cross dates back to the 9th century.

Here's Lisa looking over the ruins of the Cathedral.	The group took a guided tour of the site.

I couldn't pass this up. Everyone was trying to get a picture of the remains of the building, so I took a picture of them.
Shannonbridge

We ate lunch in the small village of Shannonbridge. Here's a picture of the bridge over the River Shannon.	L to R: Tom, Lisa, Rita, and Evelyn.

Here is some of our group mingling outside of Killeen's Pub.	The Dixieland Band played a couple of hours in Killeen's Pub. This was definitely my top playing experience during this trip. As we played, more and more people jammed into this small pub to listen to our music. The end of every tune was greeted with overwhelming applause and cheering. What a blast!
Pub Crawl
I did not go on the Pub Crawl... I think it had something to do with all of the free Guinness I drank at Killeen's Pub that afternoon. If anyone has a couple of digital pictures I can post on this site, please send me them. Thanks!
Birr Castle Demesne

Birr Castle is the private family home of the Parsons family. It overlooks an expansive grounds that the public can tour.	Our second concert was in the courtyard at Birr Castle. An appreciative crowd gathered to listen to our concert.

The Millennium Garden is a formal garden that was designed by the present Earl's mother to mark her marriage in 1935.	Here are George and Ann in the Fernery. When I took this picture I didn't notice all of those floating orbs. This place really made me feel at peace.

This is the Sculpture Garden which is not yet complete. These faces were huge. All I can ask is... Why?	Paul and Greg relaxing on a beautiful afternoon.
Leap Castle

Leap Castle is a private castle owned by Sean Ryan. He and his family are in the process of refurbishing it. By the looks of things, they will have their evenings and weekends filled for quite some time.	Sean's daughter entertained us with a couple of numbers played on her harp.

While Sean played his Whistle, his daughter danced a traditional Irish dance. My favorite part of this picture are the faces of the little girls watching as their friend dances.	Paddy (our tour guide) and Sandy entertained us with a wonderful version of " When Irish Eyes are Smiling."
Kilkenny

Saint Canice's Cathedral has been a site of Christian worship since the mid sixth century.	At times, the card playing got pretty intense. Here Dan, Sandy and Brian take turns winning hands.
Cliffs of Moher

The ride out to the Cliffs of Moher was definitely one of the most scenic and challenging treks we took. On several occasions everyone broke out into applause to show our appreciation for Paddy's fine driving skills. This is a view of the Atlantic Ocean.	Here are Robin and Steve on the shores of the Atlantic.

The Cliffs of Moher are an incredible sight. At over 700 feet, these cliffs are a part of Ireland that shouldn't be missed.	The weather for our Cliffs tour couldn't have been better. There was hardly a cloud in the sky

This is my most favorite picture from my Ireland trip. The deep green colors of the grass against the dark blue color of the ocean and the light blue sky is exactly what I pictured Ireland would look like. Our trip to the Cliffs of Moher was definitely my favorite sight seeing moment.