Powerscourt, Wicklow Ireland

Powerscourt, Wicklow Ireland

Note from Bill: Mary and I were fortunate to be able to visit Ireland on vacation earlier in the month of May. This posting is the 2nd of a 4 part series on our adventure.

On our third day in Ireland, we left Dublin bright and early to begin our adventure through the countryside. When Mary and I travel, we try to keep our required daily driving times down to no more than 3 hours, leaving the rest of the day for sightseeing along the way. By the end of the evening, our target was the beautiful Foxmount Country House in Waterford. But between us and Waterford lay the Wicklow Mountains and the many lush gardens of southeast Ireland.

Pepper Pot Tower at Powerscourt Click to enlarge

About 1 hour southeast of Dublin you will find the Powerscourt Estate, know for it's opulent gardens. The house and gardens were commissioned in the 1730's by the first Viscount of Powerscourt to resemble the Chateau de Versailles in Paris.

The grounds of Powerscourt are beautifully laid out. Beautiful walking paths wind through the estate passing through traditional Irish gardens, Formal English Gardens, and Playful Japanese Gardens, all interspersed with castle edifices, old ruins, ponds, streams and fountains. As many people know, Mary is really into her gardening. Powerscourt was definitely a good first day stop in the irish countryside.

Japanese Gardens at Powerscourt Click to enlarge

The Foxmount House in Waterford is a beautiful 17th century country house set in the middle of a working dairy farm. The innkeepers, David and Margaret Kent were delightful to talk with. They gave us a lot of insight into being innkeepers in Ireland (they have been at it for 30 years), and also a lot of information about Waterford and the surrounding countryside. For our evening meal, they directed us to the Cottage Bistro in the seaport village of Cheekpoint in Waterford. Mary and I both had traditional irish seafood dishes oven baked in cream and served with lots of irish potatoes. It was a nice end to day 3 in Ireland.

Foxmount Country House In Waterford Click to enlarge

On day 4, we were on a mission. Our final destination was the Rivermount House, a little bed and breakfast in the irish seaport town of Kinsale. But between us and our next destination lay tours of the Waterford Crystal Factory and the Jameson Experience.

We arrived at the Waterford Crystal Factory not knowing exactly what to expect. We have been to many factories before in our pre-innkeeper, corporate America days, so we sort of had an idea what to expect. But what we saw was interesting, especially if you are familiar with American OSHA regulations. The tour of the crystal factory starts quietly enough on a bus, similar to what you would find in some airports. You are driven around the factory, where the guide explains the functions happening in the various buildings. At the end of the ride, you are let off the bus in the middle of the 40 acre factory site, where you are brought to the building where the crystal process begins.

Mary in the Waterford Crystal gift shop Click to enlarge

We were lead into this hallway besides large glass furnaces, where all of the raw components were heated to form molten glass. We thought, this was interesting, we were less than 20 feet from a furnace of molten glass. People were ladling glass into molds. Other people were walking under the molds while people were ladling the glass. Glass blowers were shaping glass. It seemed pretty wild. And we were right in the middle of it. But there was more to come.

The crystal makers at Waterford are true craftsmen, in the old school tradition. They are not paid by the hour, but by the piece they successfully make. Simple rules in the Waterford Factory apply..No Seconds.. and if it breaks, no pay check. So it was even more curious that when we left the furnace room, we were lead right onto the factory floor where craftsmen were physically cutting crystal into the various distinctive Waterford designs. Curious because we were shoulder to shoulder with the craftspeople as they worked. No eye protection, no ear protection, glass saws cutting crystal inches from everyones faces. It was truly amazing to see how it was all being done. And also a little weird because an American factory would have been shut down if it worked like that...so it goes!

From the Waterford Crystal Factory, we headed to Midleton Ireland and the Irish Whiskey Factory for Jameson's.

Mary hoisting a glass at the Jameson Experience Click to enlarge

The old distillery, as it is called, stands on the banks of the Dungourney River. It is steeped in tradition, with the tour taking you down the path from the distillers cottage, through the grain store houses, drying kilns, and huge copper kettles used to make Jamesons. After completing the tour, you spend some time in the tasting room sampling the delightful brown nectar produced by Jameson. While not as heavily produced as the Guinness Tour we took in Dublin, the Jameson Experience was quite instructive on the history and the process of making this world renowned liquor and well worth the stop.