Hills and Kilkenny

Kildare County

WICKLOW and KILDARE COUNTIES

Morning at Sally Pass

While it's raining outside, a quick breakfast in the room accompanies the first glimpse of the green Irish landscape through the window. We spend a couple of minutes getting acquainted with the car, preparing everything needed for the journey, and then go shopping at a supermarket (we will choose the Centra chain as our reference), buying whiskey jam (of course, with... and ... (as well as some bread, ham, and sweets), and then immediately headed to ... Powerscout Estate; we are in the Wicklow county, characterized by soft hills and lush nature, a shame for the not very accommodating weather. We see the complex with golf courses from the outside, taking the beautiful R115 road, also known as Military Road, in fact, was built by the English to control the area during a period of strong independence claims. It runs along the crests of a mountainous area amidst a stunning landscape; it doesn't rain, but the sun is rarely visible; fields of purple heather alternate with ferns and a type of yellow gorse with a more woody stem and a tuft of flowers at the top, filling the surrounding environment with color. The road is narrow and we need to be careful because you drive on the other side, in addition to the fact that we don't yet have sufficient confidence with the vehicle. The discipline and respect of the Irish drivers will be very helpful; when they pass each other, they try to avoid the narrow section and find a space to cross. We passed the Sally Pass to reach a waterfall, powered by a river clear stream, even with its amber color. The soil probably gives the water its color due to the minerals present in it, but still allows for a transparency that suggests purity. Descending on the other side (the one facing south), we walk along coniferous forests, where there have been fires in some areas and new plantings are underway; it's interesting to notice how the slender trunks are placed inside plastic tubes, with only the top part emerging. 

Sally Pass's urban landscape.

Glendalough represents the main center of medieval monastic culture, with the remains of the convent Saint Kevin's, the tombstones, the old tower and various monuments covered in moss. We walk under a fine Atlantic rain, of the kind that even gets you wet with an umbrella open; we walk among many other tourists, and Italian is occasionally spoken. Many Irish people, with their children, stroll peacefully in the rain wearing baseball caps or makeshift kway hoods; it seems that the rain is not disruptive to their day. It stops when we arrive at Upper Lake, revealing a beautiful landscape. We descend to the opposite side to see the remains of the convent covered in moss, surrounded by a forest of stone crosses emerging from the green lawn and the first of a long series of cylindrical towers with conical roofs that look like an enormous pencil. This was the main center of medieval monastic culture, and even today, the ancient stones seem to tell the story of Christian colonization in Ireland.

County Carlow

CARLOW COUNTY

Altamont Gardens

A frugal lunch was prepared by unpacking the car's trunk and heading out to... Altamont Gardens along a road where there are alternating high plains covered with coniferous forests and meadows of ferns, as well as the usual green pastures where sheep and cattle graze. The sheep are not shorn, probably they have been recently sheared but they show that they have long hair and their heads are completely shaved. They are also more stout, meaning shorter in stature, with black heads and tails, while their bodies are entirely white.

One feature we start noticing in the Wicklow county but which will be a constant throughout the trip is the lack of land specifically designated for cultivation; what isn't forested is dedicated to grazing. The Altamont Gardens belong to a grand villa that undoubtedly deserves extensive renovation (see general notes), but the gardens themselves are beautiful and definitely worth a visit; the trees, whose branches reach almost to the water in the lake, create a scenery that is certainly not unique in Ireland. Many different species of trees and flowers coexist without difficulty.

Kilkenny County

KILKENNY COUNTY

Traditions and spirituality

Kilkenny is a beautiful town with the castle, the cathedral and several stone churches with smooth surfaces. We take a seat at the hostel, which is in an excellent central location, in Parliament Street And we go for a walk, with the umbrella open. Since it's Saturday evening, there is a lot of local activity and it’s not easy to find a restaurant that meets our taste, looking for typical local dishes. We enter a place that's half pub, half restaurant for young people where we watch a Gaelic Football match on a large screen – a kind of rugby with stricter rules regarding penalties and using a spherical ball instead of the classic oval-shaped ball. The cheering is very enthusiastic, even though the Dublin team is playing against the Limerick team. Surprised by the local support for the second team, we ask the waitress why, to which she replies that Dublin isn't well liked because it represents the dominant team in this sport. To better integrate into the atmosphere, I leave two empty Guinness pints on the table – a kind of baptism with the famous Irish beer. In the meantime, the rain has stopped, so we can take a long walk in this beautiful town, specifically around the castle, one of the oldest in the country, famous especially for its huge and well-maintained park. It overlooks Nore River, was built in the 12th century and remained inhabited until 1935. A few years later it was purchased by the Irish government for the symbolic price of 50 Irish pounds. There are not many people around at the moment; we can fully enjoy the scenery in complete tranquility. The town, apart from the main street, is very quiet: the streets are clean and orderly, bordering the manor house and exiting into the central area in a peripheral zone and returning to the center as an avenue lined with trees.

In confirmation of the friendliness of the Irish people, we meet a gentleman who sees us taking some photos in the city center. He draws our attention to the top floor of a public parking lot, where he gestures widely and shows us... beautiful view of the historic center, a very appreciated gesture. The gentleman lives in a house next to the parking lot and often goes up there to enjoy the view in complete solitude. We notice how pubs display empty beer bottles directly on the sidewalks, a way to save storage space and an effective marketing strategy at the same time; it's curious how some have dozens of them stacked together. We even manage to spot a quarter moon in the sky as we reach the hostel, which turns out to be simple but quiet and ideal for a good night's sleep.