The Royal Visit

I collected mom at Dublin airport at 8 a.m and we went to a nearby restaurant for a proper breakfast before driving to the lovely wee village of Enniskerry. I regret taking no photos there--there was a lovely clock tower in the centre of the village surrounded by a shamrock-shaped garden. And a Guinness brewery gate from the 1700s. Here’s the photo by someone called Kristof on Wikipedia Commons. Mom was full of news and we were too busy getting caught up to stop for photos.
We then went to the luxurious Powerscourt Hotel, where we were allowed an early check in. The concierge looked like my cousin Bill and was as charming as could be. This is at the entrance.

Our room could only be described as sumptuous. Mom gave me a large check last time I saw her and I think taking her round Ireland in style is good use of it. After a nap, we visited the nearby Powerscourt House (the latter built in the 1700s, the hotel built 10 years ago). Powerscourt House is mostly a ruin, after a fire in the 1970s that I don’t see attributed anywhere. IRA? Dropped cigar? Anyway, the massive house has been backfilled with an Avoca shop and cafe, a furniture/interior decorating store called Neptune, and a large room filled with Irish artists (textile, paint, photography, ceramics). In addition, there’s Tara’s Palace, a 1:12 scale model of one of Ireland’s great houses. Here’s a side view:

You can read more about it here.

The rooms have teeny tiny Waterford decanters and goblets, ivory-carved whatnots, petit point rugs, musical instruments. It’s amazing. There were also collections of christening gowns, one of mom’s many specialties.

Back to the hotel for a nap which turned into a 12-hour sleepfest. We were both knackered.
One last: a bog oak basket of apples at the hotel:

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