UK and Ireland - August 2018
London is one of my favourite city’s. With so much to see and do every time I go back I see a new part of the city. We stayed in Earls Court; the classic kiwi location being close to the tube station made it very easy to get around. Even with 4 days here we crammed in so much from the National History Museum, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Imperial War Museum, Camden Market, and let’s not forget the highlight – Warner Bros Studio Tour London (a must do for any Harry Potter Fan!).
I have always wanted to go to Ireland on a family history trip. I was so thankful to have the opportunity to visit thanks to Globus. We started off our trip by arriving in Dublin, picking up a rental car and heading straight into the country. We stayed in Monaghan for the night so I could visit the library to search through local records (unfortunately no major new finds here). The following day we took the morning to head to Scotshouse and visit the streets my ancestors would have roomed many years before. From here we continued
to Limerick to start our Irish Tour. 13 days may seem like plenty of time to explore the Emerald Isle, but it felt like a whirlwind. Every day we ticked off another bucket list site – the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Giants Causeway, Belfast,
Dublin, Waterford, Blarney Castle and Killarney. Places I had spent years
dreaming of visiting suddenly a reality. Northern Ireland was a huge hit for
me, the history in Derry and the vibrancy of Belfast making them highlights. As
we travelled around this beautiful country, the way Kathryn our Tour Leader
filled us in on History and Politics of the past it painted a picture for me and gave me an insight into understanding my family’s movements in the past. We made some great friends along the way and I’m surprised I remember any of it with the amount of time we spent at the pub!