One Holiday - Five Countries
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TOP: IRELAND TOURISM AUTHORITY PHOTO CREDIT
IRELAND
Ireland boasts a long literary
tradition, home to James Joyce,
William Butler Yeats, Oscar Wilde
and others. Wine bars, cafés and pubs
have long been the haunt of poets and
storytellers.
To indulge in this tradition, head to
The Brazen Head, Dublin’s oldest pub.
It offers storytelling, folklore, fairy
tales, traditional Irish music and fare.
For instance, legendary Irish stew,
merging lamb chunks, potatoes and
vegetables. Or Irish fish cakes mated
with pureed potatoes.
Sick of pub grub? Cheer the season in more elegant surroundings.
Chapter One — in the Dublin Writers Museum — has rated a Michelin
star since 2007 and been voted best
restaurant by the Restaurant Association of Ireland for the last seven years.
Indulge in roast pheasant melded
with smoked bacon, accompanied by
creamed savoy cabbage. Or organic
sea trout in a leek and mandarin vinaigrette and roasted hazelnuts.
To feel like a resident of Downton Abbey, vacation luxuriously
smoked fillet of Connemara organic
salmon, mated with pickled vegetables. Or a crème brulee of Irish goat
cheese in a port reduction. There’s
also a fine wine selection. On fine
days, when it’s not “misting,” indulge
in golf or horseback riding.
Take time to tour the Guiness Storehouse, to see how beer is made and pour
your own “Perfect Pint” for sampling.
Spiritually, Christmas mass is celebrated in numerous churches in this
Catholic country. Most spectacular is
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Ireland’ largest church. The present huge, Gothic
building dates from 1220. Besides
ogling the stunning stained glass
windows and statuary, check out the
outside the city, at the stunning 12th
century-lakeside Ashford Castle.
It’s frequently judged Ireland’s best
hotel. The limestone and granite
building, sporting crenelated towers and richly carved wall paneling,
nevertheless offers 21st century electronics. Its signature eatery is the
award-winning George V Restaurant,
built by the Guinness family to host
dinner parties for the 1906-visit of
the Prince of Wales. Emphasis now
is on fresh, local ingredients, such as
For that special
gift, travel to
Waterford headquarters and stop
at their shop, the
world’s largest
collection of
Waterford Crystal.
gravesites of famous people such as
author Jonathan Swift, who was dean
of the cathedral. Christmas is the cathedral’s busiest time of year for the
choir. On Christmas Eve, the Choral
Eucharist is sung by the Cathedral
Choir and the Bellringers present a
performance.
Wish to endow yourself with the gift
of gab? Kiss the Blarney Stone about
five miles from Cork. And if your ancestors emigrated from Ireland, visit
the Cobh Heritage Centre in Cork to
see the difficulties they underwent.
Outside stands the statue of Annie
Moore and her two brothers; she
was the first immigrant processed at
Ellis Island when it officially opened
Jan. 1, 1892.
WINTER 2013 | FOOD TRAVELER 139