Oh Darling, Let's Be Irish Adventurers: Solo Spelunking and Sightseeing

March 20

A few days after my return from Galway I was itching to get out of my apartment again. Since Kathleen had gone off with some other Saint Mary’s girls to Sligo, I decided it was time to do an adventure on my own. I booked a day trip of Kilkenny and the Wicklow Mountains with a tour company, and I was ready to go. Early the next morning I caught the bus to Dublin, and was waiting to board the tour bus by 8 a.m. Dark, brooding clouds were hanging low over the Irish landscape as we drove south towards Kilkenny. Adding to the gloom was the coming solar eclipse that morning, so even though it was almost 10 a.m it looked as if it was the middle of the night. However the dimness dissipated by the time we arrived at Dunmore Caves. Our tour guide had given us the option to go to either the caves or spend an extra two hours in Kilkenny; I opted for some spelunking. We had to walk down some 300 steps to get into the cave, and from there we hiked into the multiple cave chambers. The darkness crept in all around me, as I staggered through the rooms, following the tour guide, avoiding puddles, and waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dimness. With each step further into the caves the air became more frigid and damp. At one point, in the deepest part of the cave system, the tour guide turned off the lights and we were entrenched in complete darkness. It was the kind of darkness that your eyes would never get used to.

The descent into the caves

More stairs

Stalactites or is mites? I don't know

Once we resurfaced, we clambered back on the bus and were soon dropped off in Kilkenny city to explore and eat for an hour. I went off to see as much of the city as possible, including the Kilkenny Castle, St. Cancie’s Cathedral, and the Black Abbey. Although I did not have the time to go in and explore each of the sites, I got some pictures of the outsides of the places. Additionally, it was nice to walk around because the clouds had finally departed, allowing the sun to shine through and warm my face. Realizing that my time in the city was rapidly dwindling, I quickly went into a Dunnes store and bought some to-go food that I could eat on the bus, and made it back right as the bus was boarding. As we made our way into the Wicklow Mountains the tour guide played a variety of Irish themed music. With every song that she played she gave a background on its Irish influences and called it a “little diddy.” We passed through Irish towns and even the original Hollywood before making it to a mountain peak observing point. After a quick photo op in the bitter cold wind on the mountain top, we were on our way to Glendalough.

Kilkenny Castle, in all its glory

Selfie with a castle

Found a little bit of Texas in Ireland

Cathedral and round tower, never seen something like that before

Let's take a moment of silence for these beer connoisseurs

Pretty? I don't know what it is...

Black Abbey

Freezing at this observartion point

Although I had already been to Glendalough, it was still amazing to do it all over again; this time when it was warmer and sunnier. I strolled through the main cemetery again, and then made my way towards the lakes. It was nice to breathe in the cool, crisp, fresh air and bask in the afternoon glow by myself. It truly was a relaxing experiencing and a great way to find my peace of mind. I boarded the bus on time to return to Dublin, but there was one family that failed to return on time, and the bus driver was eager to leave them behind. It turned out that the lady had fallen while walking, but she was okay and eventually made it back to the bus. Finally I was on my way to Dublin and then back to the apartment.