Come Home to Ireland with Paul Byrom
I’m not certain if I can convey
in words what this trip meant but I’m going to try. First I have to back up a
bit and admit that I had some real reservations about signing up for a bus
tour, even one hosted by Paul Byrom. You
see, I’m not a tour kind of gal. I like to do my own thing, go my own way, be
pretty much in control of my schedule, and I really don’t like waiting on
people. On a group tour none of those
things are within a single person’s control, and certainly you will always run
into someone that is late all the time, so I really wasn’t sure about signing
up. But then my best pal Steph called and said we had to go and reminded me how
much fun it would be to tour Ireland with Paul, and oh by the way he was also
going to do 3 private concerts as well.
So, with fingers crossed that I wouldn’t be tempted to throw myself off
a cliff half way through, I went against my normal travel habits and booked my
spot on the bus. :)
Once the trip was fully
booked, Chris and Kelly of Travel
Concepts, did a really cool thing and set up a Facebook page for our group and
quite a few on the tour started posting.
This actually helped a lot because many of us got to know each other
over the months preceding the trip. This made introductions much easier once we
arrived in Ireland and many of us already felt like we knew each other. Kudos
to them for doing this. Obviously, this was not their first rodeo. LOL
The title of this tour couldn’t
have described the experience any better if it had been 1000 words long, as
that is exactly what occurred during the week long exploration of the beautiful
Emerald Isle. I can’t accurately
describe what the trip was like other than being on a continuous roller
coaster. There were many moments of
excitement as we explored the beautiful photo
opportunities provided by the
land that is Ireland. Those were coupled
with moments of extreme calm and peace as we entered the many ancient churches
and castles and were swept away to an earlier time. Then you have to add in all the people that we
traveled with and met along the way. As
the week progressed, bonds were forged among the group that I’m sure will last
a lifetime. The experiences on this trip literally make me weep when I think
back on them.
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| Picture is a little blurry but it truly shows the joy I felt on this trip! |
But most of all we all went
“home” with Paul. He took us to some places
he had never been but always wanted to go, but mostly he took us to places he
was familiar with and wanted to share with this crazy group of fans. And finally, he literally took us to the
early home of his grandmother and regaled us with stories about visiting her
there. He also introduced us to “cousin
Eddie” who was a complete delight. He then gave us a tour of the school he attended and
the Church he sang in every Sunday, stopped by the Church he and Dominique
married in, and finally to lunch with his family. This was truly a homecoming
for all of us.
I’ll share a bit more detail
about our varied locations and hope you will enjoy the journey through my eyes
but first I have to comment on the other professional (really?) members of our
tour that helped make the magic happen all week. We truly could not have had
more fun with them if we’d tried. First
we have Chris and Kelly from Travel Concepts.
These two are the best of friends and really the most fun to be around
that you can imagine. They love what they do and it shows 100%. Not a day went by that they weren’t joining
in the fun, all the while managing the myriad of issues that surely present
themselves on a week long bus tour. And
believe me we had a few issues, from late arrivals, to lost luggage, to car sickness, to broken
bones. At no time did they seem stressed or impatient with anyone and that is
remarkable when traveling in such close quarters with a bunch of
strangers.
Then we have Willie, our driver. He knows more about the history of Ireland
that you can imagine and was always giving us great information about the area
we were traveling through. He was the absolute best at giving us extra stops
for photos and getting us back on the bus in a timely manner. I never felt rushed but I never felt like we
were waiting for anyone either. Willie
managed to keep us herded up and on time without making it feel like we were in
the army. That takes a magical touch and
he has it in spades. Willie also joined
in the fun we were having and really made friends with everyone on the tour. We all know he’s a supporter of the Killkenny
Cats and when I last saw him he had one sitting in the front window as a
reminder of our tour group.The week wasn’t complete without a picture with Willie. Pictured below are Willie, Paul, Kelly, and Chris. What a gang!!
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| Our excellent crew!! |
Sunday, September 13th…
Many of us arrived on Sunday
before the tour started on Monday so we’d be rested up and ready to go. That pretty much went out the window as we
landed in Shannon because we were all so excited there was no rest to be
had. After making our way to the Park
Inn, which is literally within walking distance of baggage claim, introductions
were started among everyone as they arrived.
Funny thing about this is one person in particular and I had a bit of a
“harsh” intro, but by the next day were fast friends. Seems we both were bit testy after traveling
but are also quick to recognize a like-minded person so the beginning was
laughed off and fast friendships were formed.
After an excellent Irish breakfast
with a pot of tea to fortify me, I set off to Bunratty Castle with my friend
Steph and several others from the tour. Eleanor, Connie, Sherrod, Sasha, and Judith were all crammed into cabs and off we went. Our driver proceeded to regal us
with some wild stories punctuated by more than one “f bomb”. I really can’t remember what he was telling
us but he did recommend a place for lunch so after we toured Bunratty we had a late lunch at the Creamery Bar and
headed back to the hotel. Everyone kind
of split up at this point but later a group of us met in the common room for
drinks (1st bottle of bubbly) and snacks and then later had dessert
before hitting the bed. This was one of
our last reasonable nights of sleep for the week as we had to be up and ready
to board the bus by 8 am.
Monday, September 14th…
The day has finally arrived and
it’s a bit of ugly Irish weather outside. The rain jackets come out and down
the stairs we go to find our tour directors Chris Celorier and Kelly Short in
the lobby to meet us with our name badges.
Another round of introductions and hugs are made as we hand over our
luggage to Willie for the first time, and it’s on to the bus as we wait for the
last few people to arrive. Of course
we’re also waiting for our fearless leader, Paul Byrom, to make his
appearance. As with most schedules,
there’s always a kink in the works and the tour is no different. Of course one person’s flight is late and
arrangements have to be made, but that is where Chris and Kelly start to
immediately shine. They sent the bus on its way to breakfast while Kelly stayed
to wait for the late arrival.
Before we took off to Durty Nelly’s Paul boards the bus and wishes us a very warm welcome. He gives a quick briefing of what to expect and then off we go to enjoy a great meal and get to know one another. Willie drops us right at the door so we don’t get terribly wet making our way in. His first gold star is earned!!
After breakfast we head back to the bus and are off to our first stop the Cliffs of Mohr. Willie is optimistic that the weather may break before we get there but it was not to be. As we arrive a gale force wind is blowing and rain is pelting down on our heads. Fortunately, I had packed my fleece lined jacket and hood so I managed to make the trek to the top with a few other fierce souls. Most of our pictures have rain drops obscuring faces, but the fun was not diminished. I have been to the Cliffs on a beautiful sunny day and wanted to experience them with the full force of the Atlantic Ocean showing its teeth. Mission accomplished!!
Once we arrived at the hotel
everyone got checked in and were to meet for dinner in a couple of hours. While everyone else went to one corridor, we
were directed toward the stairs opposite the reception area. Imagine our surprise when we opened our door
and found ourselves in a 2BR, 2B suite with a bar and a living room. No one knows to this day how this happened
but I’m thanking the “luck of the Irish” for our upgrade. We ended up in the
oldest part of the original building built in 1795 that had 4 rooms for lodgers
that had been turned into 2 suites. I
spent nearly an hour taking pictures of the rooms. Oh, and of course we had our 2nd
bottle of bubbly while we readied ourselves for Paul’s show.
Just gonna say now, a lot of bubbly was
consumed during this week. Needless to say, we were all in
high spirits as Paul began his show. He
really focused on Irish music for all 3 shows and sang some songs he hadn’t
performed before and surprised us all by having the wonderful Michael Casey there to accompany
him on the keyboard.
The show was
wonderful and such a great way to bring our first day together to a close. We then headed to dinner and really started
to get to know each other throughout the evening. Many new friendships were formed and old ones
renewed before the lights when out in Killarney that night.
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| The living room of our suite. The 2nd bedroom was actually a loft!! |
The day begins with, you guessed
it, another full Irish breakfast before we head back to the bus for a day of
sightseeing across the Dingle Peninsula. Paul had asked that we all meet in the lobby
of the hotel as he had something to discuss before we left. Now remember the previous day it had been
raining a lot and evidently some luggage had gotten damp in the bus. It seemed like no big deal but Paul seemed very
upset about it and told us he had ordered a new bus that had just arrived so
there would be no more wet baggage the rest of the week. He then took us outside and that’s when we
knew there would be no chance of getting on the wrong bus this week. The bus was fully wrapped with Paul’s
likeness and the Come Home to Ireland theme.
Now this was a bus, and it was OUR BUS!!! As luck would have it, when we
made our way out the door to the new bus there was a bit of sun peeping through
the clouds which made people’s spirits soar even more.
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| Chris & Kelly doing the bus impression |
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| 1st picture of the 3 amigos |
After a long morning of photo ops
and shopping we had free time to explore Dingle on our own which pretty much
amounted to finding a good place for lunch followed by ice cream. No one was unsuccessful in this enterprise! Back on the bus after a lovely time in Dingle
and we’re headed to the Dingle Brewing Company for a history of the brewery and
a bit of tasting and the delivery of our jewelry purchases. This small brewery is steeped in history and
well worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Once all the tasting is done we’re back on the bus to Killarney for
another lovely meal at the Muckross Hotel.
Tonight’s meal was followed by a bit of fun and conversation in the Pub
by several members of the tour, and there might have been one person a bit late
for the bus the next morning, but I’m not mentioning any names. Right Chris? :)
Wednesday, September 16th…..
Today it’s goodbye Killarney and
hello Cork. Along the way we visited the
village of Glengariff on Bantry Bay and I believe this is where I found my
Ireland bicycle jersey. We had a lovely
time wandering around the village before heading out to Cork City. The views and scenery we passed were
incredible and again we had many photo ops provided by Willie. It was always
nice to get off the bus and just wander along the countryside taking in the
beauty of everything laid out before us.
And again we had grand weather for our pictures. During one such stop one of the funniest
things happened. A guy came up to Paul
and asked him if he knew he was the spitting image of the guy on the side of
the bus. Naturally Paul said it was him and then the guy asked Paul about
driving it. He really thought Paul was the bus driver!! Oh the laughs we had over that. :)
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| Street picnic in Cork |
Once in Cork we stopped for lunch
and shopping on our own. We visited the
“English Market” that was actually a fresh food market right in the middle of
the city. Think fish, meat and produce, not to mention all kinds of small
vendors. Cork is a great city for
shopping and our bus was definitely more loaded down after our stop there. We also visited several beautiful churches,
St. Finbar’s Cathedral, Grand Parade and Shandon Church. If you don’t get your fill of Churches in
Ireland, you’re not trying hard enough. Truthfully, every one we visited was
unique in its own way, from the smallest to the largest and all in
between. After all the sightseeing we
were then delivered to the Kingsley Hotel, our home for the next 2 nights.
Unfortunately, there was no spectacular suite waiting for us here, but we did
have a very lovely room. Dinner was
served to us here with a beautiful view of the River Lee and again, another
grand night was had by all.
Thursday,September 17th….
It’s hard to believe but our tour
is now almost half over. Suddenly I
realize that we’ve experienced so much and yet have so much more to see and do
with so little time left. Our small band of travelers have become very close and they will all be sorely missed
once we go our separate ways. But today
we will focus on the task at hand…exploring Blarney Castle and beyond. I have been to Blarney Castle before but
didn’t actually do the whole kissing the stone thing, but this time I was
determined to give it a go. Again a few hearty
explorers made their way to the top and kissed the stone. Our leader Paul was one of the first in
line. I’m not sure he needs more gift of
gab than he already has, but now that he’s kissed the stone he’ll never run out
of something to say. Others explored
the grounds of Blarney Castle and were well rewarded with breathtaking
views. The grounds are immaculate and
filled with the beauty of Ireland in all its shades of green. We also had time to explore the town of
Blarney and have a bit more retail therapy at Blarney Woolen Mills.
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| View from the top of Blarney Castle |
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| Kissing the Blarney Stone |
Now every day so far has ended
with a fantastic meal and today was no different. However, first we were
treated to our second concert from Paul.
It was supposed to be outside but had to be moved indoors at the last
minute because of the rain. That didn’t diminish our enjoyment however as we
were treated to an hour of song from Paul accompanied again by Michael
Casey. I’m constantly amazed by how
emotional I, and others, get at Paul’s shows.
Most of us on the tour have seen him countless times and yet each time I
hear him sing it’s as if I’ve never heard the song before. I honestly don’t know how he does it, but he
does. Every single time!
After the show we had another wonderful dinner with a Titanic theme, and as always, everyone was laughing and joking throughout the night. I’m not sure where all the energy was coming from but nobody was slowing down. We did have a longer bus ride back to the hotel, but singing broke out along the way, and if I recall correctly, there was also some dancing from the back of the bus. Fun times for sure, and another late night!!
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| Bus dancing breaks out!! |
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| No comment at all! |
Friday, September 18th….
Luggage is out in the hall for
pickup and breakfast is on the horizon as we head to Waterford, and the House
of Waterford Crystal. Today is a bit on
the blustery side but the sun is peaking through the clouds and we’re headed
out with Willie as our intrepid guide.
As we roll through the country side Willie gave us some history of
Waterford and Waterford Crystal. It
seems the original factory was closed a few years back with the loss of many
jobs. However, while the new facility is
up and running and producing crystal pieces every day, it’s kind of sad to know
that most of the Waterford labeled crystal production is now outsourced to
other countries. We had a fun tour of
the factory and Paul even got to try his hand at cutting a piece of crystal.
Not quite sure of the results, but I think he did pretty well, and it was very
interesting to see the crystal being produced and cut first hand. As I went through I stopped to watch one of
the craftsmen working on a large vase and when he was finished he just handed
it to me. It was so heavy I thought I’d drop it right there. Thankfully I
managed to get a picture and then place it properly on the table with no harm
done.
The showroom had some of the most
spectacular pieces on display and Steph and I found a giant champagne flute.
Sadly there was only one and since we didn’t want to fight over it, it remained
in Waterford. After the tour, Steph, Eleanor
and I had a great lunch at the Munster Bar and then back to the bus for the
trip to Kilkenny.
As I mentioned before Willie is a big supporter of the Kilkenny Cats Gaelic Football and Hurling teams so he was full of stories about the teams and the history of the Cats. He kept us mightily entertained on our journey until we arrived at Kilkenny Castle. This place is magnificent and even though I toured it a few years ago, I was still enthralled by the care taken to restore this to its original glory. It truly looks as if you could go and live in it at any time. The grounds are also breathtaking and we actually got to witness a few school boys practicing their pretty impressive hurling skills. After the tour we got checked into our hotel and then explored the town a bit more before another delicious dinner with the whole gang. Tonight I realize that the end of our tour is near, but also that Steph and I are facing a very busy day on Saturday so we set to packing our bags for a mini adventure, aka "stealth trip", within our Tour of Ireland.
Saturday, September 19th…..
This is the day that means the
most to Paul and I’m sure to most of us as well, as today we are going “home”
with him and meeting his family. As we
head toward Blackrock, Dublin where Paul grew up, we stop by “Paulstown” where
his Grandmother lived when Paul was a child.
We stopped to see the place he visited so many times as a boy and met
his “cousin Eddie” who gave us a history of the place and showed us around the
cemetery including Paul’s great grandparents burial sites.
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| As you can tell from Paul's expression, even he was entertained by Eddie! |
Next we headed to Blackrock
College where Paul went to school. This was a real treat for us as we got to
tour the school, see the trophy case chocked full of trophies, and of course
see the church where Paul sang for the priests each week. This is one of my favorite pictures with Paul this week.
After getting back on the bus we surprised Paul with a little shrine we’d been working on all week featuring all manner of craziness but basically a nod to the bus covering with Paul’s face on it. You see, from inside the bus, when the light was just right, you could see Paul’s face looking in at you, and it just inspired us to develop a little “you raise me up” shrine for him. With a week’s worth of planning it went off as expected with a “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you’re all mad!!” quote from him.
Following the school we visited the church Paul
and Dominique were married and where Paul sang every week. It really is a
beautiful church and since there was a christening taking place we didn’t stay
long. Next up, it’s meet the family for
lunch.
What can I say? We had a lovely
lunch at Gleesons Pub and met Paul’s mom, grandmother, sister, brother-in-law,
and nieces and nephew. Now, having been
a fan of Paul’s for quite some time I felt like I knew all these folks already
but to actually meet them and talk to them in person is very special. They all spent time chatting with those of us
on the bus and getting to talk to Kathleen was just a joy.
I love that they were willing to give up their time and privacy to spend time with Paul’s fans. They are all so supportive of Paul it’s just incredible. This was truly one of the highlights of the tour, and as you can see from their faces, his Mother and Grandmother couldn't be more proud of Paul.
I love that they were willing to give up their time and privacy to spend time with Paul’s fans. They are all so supportive of Paul it’s just incredible. This was truly one of the highlights of the tour, and as you can see from their faces, his Mother and Grandmother couldn't be more proud of Paul.
"Stealth Trip".... After lunch, the rest of the gang
ventured onward to the Guinness factory for a tour and tasting. However, at this point my adventure takes a detour
as Steph and I hop a cab for the airport and pop over to London for a very
special evening at Her Majesty’s Theatre.
As we were planning the Ireland trip I received word that one of our other favorite singers, John Owen-Jones, was doing a very limited return engagement
to the London stage in Phantom of the Opera.
John has played the Phantom in London and the recent UK tour over 2000
times but neither Steph or I had ever been able to see him in the show. He left the main company
a few years ago and had stated many times he had no plans to return. Imagine my delight when I realized he would
be performing when I was already overseas.
Steph and I tried every which way to work out seeing the show either
before or after the tour but it wasn’t happening. But when we realized Saturday night was a
“free night” on the tour we saw an opening and jumped at our chance. We booked flights and scored front
row, center stage seats to see our favorite Phantom in his original home.
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| Front row center stage. The only place to be! |
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| Her Majesty's Theatre, London |
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| London, here we come! |
Sunday, September 20th….
After yet another breakfast we
boarded the bus for a tour of Dublin that included a visit to St. Patrick’s
Cathedral and many other sights just too numerous to mention. Willie dropped us at Trinity College for some
exploring on our own and everyone scattered like monkeys. Everyone seemed to have something specific in
mind they wanted to do. As Steph,
Eleanor, and I had all been to most of the significant places nearby, we chose
just to relax and stroll around till we found a good place for a nice long
lunch. Steph and I were a bit on the
tired side and Eleanor wanted to hear all about our adventure and of course we
wanted her to catch us up on what we’d missed at Guinness. All in all it was a lovely way to spend an
afternoon.
Next it was back to the hotel to
get ready for our last evening together and Paul’s final performance of the
trip. We all thought it would be at the
hotel, but Willie told us to be down for the bus because we had another little
trip ahead. After preparing for the
evening we joined Willie for a ride to the country and Bellingham Castle where
we
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| Bellingham Castle |
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| Big crowd at the merchandise table! |
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| Paul with Brendon Monaghan |
Show over, and on to dinner with a few surprises from us to our leaders. We had all signed a card for Paul and gotten him a small thank you for sharing so much of himself with us, and Cheryl presented it to him with a beautiful speech thanking him for taking us on this adventure. And that was just the beginning. We had several very talented people on the tour, led by Sherrod and Sasha, that prepared a little song to recall the fun times on the trip set to the tune of So Long, Farewell, from Sound of Music. We had practiced once but even with lyrics in hand I have to admit our singing was not going to win any prizes. That said, what we lacked in pitch we made up for in enthusiasm. :)
After dinner, Paul made time to
meet with each and every one of us again and to sign merchandise and take
pictures one last time before it was back on the bus and to the hotel. Most went up to pack and prepare for the
trip home the next day but some of us met in the hotel bar and were joined by
Paul, Chris, Kelly, and even Willie for a while. It seemed like nobody really wanted the week
to end. I know I didn’t even though I
was completely exhausted.
Monday, September 21….
5 am is really an ungodly time to
leave for an airport but that’s what it takes when flying out of Dublin if you
have an early flight. As I headed down
to catch our shuttle I knew I would see the few people that also had early
flights but most of the goodbyes had been said the night before, and some only
a couple of hours before. Our hotel had
prepared a breakfast snack for us as well so we didn’t leave without some
nourishment. Imagine my surprise
when Chris and Kelly both showed up in
the lobby before the crack of dawn to see us off. Since I had only left them a couple of hours
earlier I was really impressed. They are
truly the best and I look forward to traveling with them again in the
future. Anyone that has travel needs you
only have to look to Travel Concepts and they will take great care of you. Just tell them Pat B. sent you. :)
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| New hat makes a great eye shade on the plane |
So that’s the end of my Ireland
travels. I know it’s been a bit lengthy,
but I wanted to remember all the things we saw and shared. I can't possibly relate all the fun we had
but you can use your imagination to add to the travelogue. The fun factor came from all the people on
the trip, through the trials and tribulations, and through the crazy stories on
the bus. I won’t ever think of donkeys
again without thinking of Ireland, and anytime I see an animal on 2 legs, I
assure you I’ll chuckle inside and may even laugh out loud. Shout out to Rosie for the Anzac biscuits and never forget the potential for "accidental photos". Thanks to everyone on the tour: Steph, Eleanor, Connie, Sherrod, Cathy, Barb, Debbie, Suzanne, Joanne, Linda, Julie, Lillian, Bob, Janice, Jim, Alice, Beth, Lila, Jim, Eileen, Jeff, Carol, Cheryl, Sasha, Judith, Betty, Robin, Denise, Gerrie, John, Marion, Suzie, Rosie, Danielle, and Sheryl, and especially to Paul, Chris, Kelly, and Willie. The memories shared and the bonds forged on
this trip will last a lifetime, and I look forward to adding more on the next
trip, Paul’s “Come Home to Ireland II”. Who's coming?
ciao for now....
P.S. Here's a link to my photobook if you'd like to see more pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1ActHLJu5cs3RA
