Posted: Tue 5th Nov 2019

Just 80 miles up the A55 – Stena Line takes you to tour Ireland

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Nov 5th, 2019

Find out what happened when Wrexham.com photographer and videographer, Craig Colville was invited to the Emerald Isle to explore Ireland’s fascinating history and indulge in the country’s delights…

I’m a big fan of a good adventure, so when an email dropped asking if anyone from the office would like a three day press trip on behalf of Stena Line and Tourism Ireland, my first thought was who do I have to battle to get to the head of the queue?

The Stena Line and Tourism Ireland trip offered the chance from representatives from north east Wales and further afield the chance explore the history, landscape and culinary delights that Dublin has to offer.

Luckily for me I was the only person with the free time available so got to go without battling anyone!

Day One

Day one started with an early alarm to make it to the Stena Ferry from Holyhead to Dublin.

Check in was extremely easy, only needing a few digits provided on the booking form and ID ( I chose to use my driving licence.) I sincerely hope that this process remains as easy and red tape free in the weeks, months and years to follow.

A shuttle-bus takes us from the terminal and onto the Stena Superfast X where I make my way to the Stena Plus lounge.The lounge offers great views as we pass South Stack and head towards the Port of Dublin.

The crossing itself took around 3 hours and 15 minutes and I took full advantage of the comfy surroundings to take a snooze.

Just before rounding the headland into Dublin Port myself and another member of the press are invited to the bridge by Onboard Services Manager Colin Worthington and got to meet Captain Adrian Delaney and crew, quite a privilege.

The Port of Dublin is pretty much central Dublin so only a short minibus ride alongside the Liffey to my first location and a two course meal at Ely bar and grill, this small chain of bars were pioneers of the wine and wine bar scene in the capital.

Built above and into a former goods cellar, the building is often frequented at lunchtime by the staff of tech companies based nearby including Facebook and Google.

The a la carte lunch menu boasts a range of main meals including smoked burrata, Boyne Valley Ribeye and torched Irish Cod.

I opted for the Basil Courgette spaghetti as I once tried to cook said meal and wanted to know how it should actually look and taste.

The spaghetti included butter emulsion, sun dried tomato, Kalamata olives, basil, baby capers, pine nuts, a delicious balance of ingredients.

Next stop and conveniently located next door to the Ely was ‘EPIC’, The Irish Emigration Museum.

With the massive range of possibilities and things to do around Dublin and Ireland a visit to an emigration museum may not be on the top of the list. However there are several very good reasons why this museum was voted Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction for 2019 in the World Travel Awards, ahead of the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Buckingham Palace and more.

On arrival you are issued with a green Irish ‘passport’ that you can get stamped at every display to ensure that you have visited each part of the museum.

I did think that in a few weeks this mock museum passport may be more useful than my actual UK passport…. I kept it.

On descending the stairs you get the first feeling that this is unlike any other museum you may have visited.

Rather than relying on having ‘things’ on display behind glass cabinets this museum is fully engaging and interactive and makes great use of technology, design and lighting with very few glass display cabinets.

One of the information points is an interactive table/screen that looks closer to something Tony Stark would have in his office than what you’d see at a museum.

Visuals apart, the museum is in existence to create a sense of pride in Irish heritage and history with a modern view and it certainly does that.

On exiting the final room you are greeted with a sign that draws a big smile and encourages countless selfies ‘EPIC’ Every Person Is Connected, (see what they did there?)

To the left of the gift shop there are several computers to check your own family history and you can also book an expert to sit with you and help with your family tree.

I left wishing that we had something similar in Wales and I hope that anyone involved in the new Welsh Football Museum in Wrexham has a trip here to see how it should be done. One word..EPIC!

Next stop Roe and Co whisky distillery, based at the former Guinness Powerhouse.

Recent years have seen a resurgence in Irish Whisky production and Roe & Co are one of the companies responsible for this and bringing the drink to a new generation.

The tour incorporates an informative history of Whisky production in the area of the Libertines.

We peak at the whisky production room where there was definitely a farmyard aroma at this stage of production! I was reliably informed it was the malted wort and not as I had previously guessed someone on the tour.

Then onto the tasting room to gain a further insight into whisky production.

We are taken through to a u-shaped bar where we get to prepare our own cocktail before being taken to a plush bar area for a cocktail made by a professional.

The bar has windows at the back and in the ceiling displaying some of the architectural features of the former powerhouse.

We depart and head to the Marlin Hotel to check in – which is located in the heart of Dublin City centre and has one of the nicest and most quirky communal guest areas I have seen.

The main entrance contains a wooden tree sculpture, a re-claimed horse box that is now a coffee bar ,a communal working area, a Vespa scooter as well as a vinyl record area complete with turntables and headphones! There’s no reason why a communal area can’t be fun, functional and look fantastic.

Such a full day but no time to sleep yet. To end the day we head out to Fallon and Byrne, Dublin, just a stone throw from the hotel.

The top floor of the building features a more formal dining experience, the entrance level floor is a food hall stocked full of fabulous looking fresh produce and we descend into The Wine Cellar, a less formal dining area, probably best described as Irish Tapas?

Still quite full from the day we share stories and nibbles and are all quite taken by the Basil Aioli.

A quick walk back to the hotel and just after lights out I realise the thing I like most about the room is the lack of bright LED’s that are a blight of any modern hotel room.

Day Two

Day 2 starts with an early morning coach trip to Belmont Demesne estate to try a Fatbike adventure.

A Fatbike is a bike with large wheels originally designed for use on snow but they are now used anywhere and are opening up the countryside.

The Fatbikes used also have a motor on them that aids peddling and makes climbing hills much easier and can make these tours more accessible to people who are less confident, less fit or not able to do so on a non powered bike.

We quickly ascend a nearby hillside thanks to the motor and stop at the top to take in the views of the East Coast.

After a quick pit stop in the Bak’d cafe ( the main building was used as part of the set for King Arthur) we head to Ballyknocken cookery school.

Ballyknocken House and Cookery School is located on a 280 acre farm only 29 miles from Dublin City Centre in County Wicklow, Ireland.

The school is owned and run by celebrity Chef and award winning food writer, Catherine Fulvio, who is a household name in Ireland.

Catherine along with her team provide cookery classes and cookery short breaks to visitors.

Not being a great cook I thought I would be left behind a bit – but that’s not how the place works.

Working in a team under Catherine and tutor Adele Proctor’s guidance, between us we manage to create a three course lunch, picking up lots of tips along the way before devouring it and heading to our next location.

Asides from some great cooking tips I experienced here what a real Irish welcome and hospitality is and it was fabulous to see the passion Catherine has when talking about local produce cooked well, all explained with an infectious smile.

Onward then to Powerscourt House and gardens to walk off lunch and look around their No 3 in the world top 10 gardens as voted by The National Geographic.

Powerscourt, set in the shadow of Sugarloaf mountain has an fascinating 800 year old history that is worth researching before attending as there have been so many twists and turns including tragically a large fire in 1974.

There are also self guided tours around the house and grounds to learn more.

A short walk from the main house in the former estate mill The Powerscourt Distillery has been set up, under the watchful eye of Master Distiller Noel Sweeney.

We are taken on a tour by head tour guide Adam Holt who’s knowledge and enthusiasm shines through.

Smelling the ‘angels share’ in the storeroom was quite a treat. The ‘angels share’ is the created by the evaporation of alcohol through the wooden casks leaving a pleasant oakey, whisky smell in the air.

Day Three

Day three is a comparatively chilled out affair compared to the last couple of days. At 10am we meet our Fab Food Trail guide Roisin Fallon.

Roisin has a passion for food and a knowledge of independently owned food and drink businesses around Dublin.

As a tourist you would be very lucky to find some of the places on the tour as many are off the beaten track or hiding in plane site.

Irish soda bread and County Clare salmon at The Pepperpot

We sample Irish Cheeses at Sheridans cheese mongers, then head to The Pepperpot, a now established cafe that was opened during the last recession on zero budget by 2 friends including now owner Marian Kilcoyne. An inspiring story for any entrepreneur, a great just do it attitude.

Then onto Meet In The Morning run by Kevin Powell.

Definitely not a place you could find just by chance but with an ever evolving menu, dependent on what is seasonally available, this place is well worth seeking out.

We end the food trail at Three Twenty Ice cream lab.

Your ice cream order is made in front of your eyes using industrial mixers and liquid nitrogen. Part science, part theatre wholly worth a visit.

Then back to the port and head back to Holyhead, just wondering how soon can I come back? The trip was a fabulous experience but it’s the people that made it so special.

Thank you to everyone I met on the trip and special thanks to our guide Tanya Jordan who was just brilliant, Jill Kelleher, everyone aboard Stena X, Roisin Fallon, Tony O’Riley, Catherine Fulvio, Adele Proctor, Ian Boltt, Ciara Kinkead and the guys at Tourism Ireland.



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