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On the road to Drogheda…

by rucksackfoodieNovember 18, 2012February 7, 2022

TaggedDrogheda Ireland rucksack foodie

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Eat good, Live well, Enjoy Life!
Food-Whisky-Travel

📍SUD SARDEGNA , Sardinia Italy … From the mom

📍SUD SARDEGNA , Sardinia Italy … From the moment the vast fields and hills were out my window the journey became an immediate all-senses tour. The brightest blue skies and green all about, the intense floral and herbaceous smells wafting in, the curious hilltops with stone outcroppings, the quietness with only sounds of sheep bells or birds when the car stopped….
I headed towards the one of the most important nuragi sites out of the 7000+ on the island of Sardinia. Located in the commune of Barumidi, this UNESCO heritage archaeological site is the best-known example of the unique form of Bronze Age defensive complexes known as nuraghi. Nuraghi literally means “piles of stone”. These unique stone structures dating as far back as at least 2000bc are only found in Sardinia and their original inhabitants and purpose can only be speculated about from the study of structures such as Su Nuraxi di Barumini and the numerous artifacts found within the ruble. Although unique in vast heights and conical design, I did see similarities in design aspects to other ancient structures I’ve visited like the cairns & beehive huts found in Ireland.
The importance of Saints is also very evident in this region, as even the smallest village of 150 people will have 5 small chapels/churches dedicated to a various local Saint and used primarily only on Feast Days throughout the year, where they might parade a beautiful hand crafted life size statue through the narrow streets, but keep enshrined for reverence otherwise (see pic of draped statue in a small church I came upon)
And the postcard views are endless, with every hairpin, hilltop climb I couldn’t help but pull over to just breathe it all in.
My night ended, on one such hilltop where I found an ancient chapel (one used only for feast days), there I sat enjoying my local pecorino sarda (sheep’s milk cheese) & speck while watching the sun set and the occasional parade of sheep wandering by on the stoney path for evening milking, ending with sleeping under the dark star filled night sky.
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#sunuraxidibarumini
#barumini #nuraghi #nuraghic
#pecorinosardo
#sardinia
#roadtrip
#eatgoodlivewellenjoylife

You may think you know what “Farm House Cheese” means until you get to see & taste it up close - and it’s way better than you thought! A morning visit to @st.tolaqueen Irish goat cheese farm with Gráinne proved that ALOT of work & love for the process goes into making a delicious nibble. After a very interesting tour & much cuddling of goat kids, we got a mini lesson in the art of cheese making and then fabulous tastes of their multi award winners including their outstanding aged alpinestyle hard cheese which only is made when there is abundance of milk as well as a large amount of time commitment. We also got to savor their feta-style goat which was outstanding.
Makers like St Tola are rare! Every step of the process happens here on their small valley farm up in the Burren. The goats enjoy the life of Riley with much caretaking & management needed due to their frailty in the damp & sometimes harsh Irish environment. Their cheese making kitchen building, the milking barn, the climate controlled storage shed & the packaging shed are all 20 feet from each other, each step closely monitored. The team here are also very special… most everyone has been working here for over 15 yrs+ and all but one could walk to work. Just one more example of how Irish food & drink production is a passion that happens because of and within the community.
Scholars know that as far back as the 5th century monks were trading & exporting cheeses across the sea & numerous accounts of Irish cheese making can be found in 12th century writings. But over the centuries, between the Danes, the Normans & the English, traditional agriculture practices and the art of farm house cheese making in Ireland completed ceased in Ireland from the 1700s to about 1970. The 1970s & 80s saw a huge boom in the revitalization of Irish farmhouse cheeses coming to markets and eventually for export.Today Ireland is one of the world leaders in small batch farm house cheese making with over 70 Irish cheese makers producing over 500 styles of cheese from Irish cow, sheep & goat milk. And St Tola is definitely tops on that list!
#irishcheese #irishcheesemakers
#irishgoatscheese #goatcheese
#eatgoodlivewellenjoylife

Our stop in the midlands of Ireland showed us how

Our stop in the midlands of Ireland showed us how important whiskey can connect & support community. Sitting upon the tranquil shores of Lough Ree, near the Bog of Corlea, you’ll find @loughreedistill a tiny family-run micro distillery with as much love for their community as for whiskey! For 60+ years this area had enjoyed a boom with a peat energy power plant providing 100s of jobs but closed in 2020. When one family in the community (siblings Peter, Sheila & Mike) started dreaming of producing whiskey, they saw an opportunity to share potential success with their neighbors & share the love of this region with the world.
Our visit with them was nothing short of a community showcase. Starting with a visit to their friend Noel, a witty & insightful docent at the Corlea Bog archaeological site & a renowned Irish flute player who after sharing the mysteries of the massive Bog Road preserved there, surprised us with a few songs while we took a wee nip upon that ancient pathway from 2000+ years ago.
Heading back to the village marina where two more of their mates took us on a fabulous historical boat ride around some of the 52 islands scattered in the Lough. The lore & legends of these islands flowed as smooth & interestingly as the golden nectar Peter poured from the renegade bottle brought along.
A delish traditional lunch & fabulous whiskey tasting followed in the local pub, with endless lovely locals greeting us with smiles of curiosity & appreciation.
As we strolled down the street, numerous locals honking hello to Mike & Peter as we headed to their tiny distillery, housed in what was once a butcher shop. A single pot combined with an enormous library of bottled essences & proprietary recipes, it’s astounding the amount of whiskeys & creative gins being produced here. As well as their very modern distribution processes they are thriving at with the direct distribution market.
A wonderful glimpse into an Irish family business, their inspiration, their challenges, and their successes.
What they are making here is special & sincere & deliciously creative.
#irishwhiskey #irishmidlands #loughree #loughreedistillery #corlea #corleabog #bogroad

The rugged & beautiful Mourne Mountains in Norther

The rugged & beautiful Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland are known for captivating the imagination, endless stories of legends & rebels and secrets hidden away between the summits and the sea. We discovered our own legend of an experience at @killowendistillery !
Squeezing our way up a narrow, farm road to a very small shed, where we found the lovely distillery team waiting in the one-car car park, sun sinning through the shed door, the small copper still welcomed us in brightly.
Yer man Danny regaled us with stories: of the mountains & the fairies to be mindful of, of the history of Uilleann pipes, of Poitín a historically Irish “moonshine” , and of the processes and inspirations behind the many spirits made here at Northern Irelands’s smallest distillery - @killowendistillery
An amazing tasting line up was poured by Shenda & Patrick the distiller, sharing with us some of the smoothest Irish Poitín you’ll find north or south, flavor packed gins made with botanicals collected right out their back door & off the mountain, and a coffee liqueur that was shockingly delish!!
With Danny treating us to melodic songs on the pipes, this most lovely whiskey in our glasses and the sun shining on us… needless to say we had a hard time leaving this sip of heaven tucked away between the Mourne Mountains & Carlingford Lough.
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#irishwhiskey
#irishgin #poitin
#mournemountains
#uilleanpipes
#northernirelandwhiskey
#irishfoodanddrink
#smallgrouptravel #irelandtours
#eatgoodlivewellenjoylife

We found ourselves in a magical moment yesterday.

We found ourselves in a magical moment yesterday. A visit to a small farm tucked up in the hills under the shadow of Slieve Foy, the site of the mythic Irish battle from the epic “The Cattle Raid of Cooley” (Irish: Táin Bó Cúailnge). Matthew’s family tree is rooted deeply here, at least 6 generations of farming this rough but beautiful terrain on the side of the highest point in County Louth. Life on a small Irish farm has changed dramatically over the last 100 years but Matthew and his lovely wife Clodagh are still working their land like their Grandfathers before them. And although a traditional farm, Matthew is very active in Ireland’s progressive Social Farming program. Social farming in Ireland, offers people who are socially, physically, mentally or intellectually disadvantaged the opportunity to spend time on a family farm. This alone speaks volumes about how wonderful this family is, to open their home farm and busy lifestyle to help others.
With a herd of traditional black faced sheep, they raise lambs for the meat since wool is no longer a money maker for the sheep farmer. They also have chickens, goats and pony’s. They buy their milk from the neighbor down the road and still make their own butter. And they have a small old cottage adjacent, where their tenant Christine lives. Herself being an expert bee keeper, with 10 hives, home to 40,000 bees EACH hive(!!) , up on the mountain. From them she is producing seasonal honeys, bees wax candles, body balms and the most delicious Mead !! (Wine made out of honey)
Clodagh and Matthew’s mother Carmen served us the most lovely fireside home cooked meal inside their restored 300 year old farm cottage while Matthew and his daughter sang us tunes and visited with us.
Seriously a magical day in the Cooley Mountains of Ireland!
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#irishfarming
#irishsheepfarm
#irishfarmer
#slievefoy #cooleymountains
#irishtraditions
#countylouth
#eatgoodlivewellenjoylife

When your special moment is a part of someone else

When your special moment is a part of someone else’s special moment… our visit to @oldcarrickmilldistillery could not been more idyllic! Steven & his wife Tracey welcomed us with open arms as their first official tasting tour and had worked so hard to prepare for our arrival 🤍. For a few years now they have been simultaneously producing whiskey as well as restoring this 300 + yr old historic mill in the far reaches of County Monaghan Ireland. With Steven’s geek/mad scientist level of engineering their unique distilling process to Tracey’s above & beyond delicious meal & hospitality!! The laughs were as plentiful as the delicious sips of whiskey and kudos for not only the fabulous live musics but for the strategic presentation of the full rainbow as we entered the old mill for dinner!! ❤️ Amazing humans making amazing Irish whiskey while preserving the past in rural Ireland!
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#irishwhiskey
#visitireland #irishproducers
#whattodrinkinireland
#irishrouge
#mayloag
#irishfoodanddrink
#eatgoodlivewellenjoylife

It does not get any fresher than this! 🦪🤍 We

It does not get any fresher than this! 🦪🤍 We had a fabulous start to our morning visiting Kian at @carlingfordoysters . Low tide and sun shining as we walked out to the beds where he shared his knowledge and passion for producing the finest Class A Irish oysters !! Meaty and shockingly almost a sweetness to them.
When you’re an oyster farmer you’re playing the long-game. It was mind blowing to learn about the tedious amount of hands-on hard work and time (3 years) it takes to grow the desired market product. Their system involves oysters grown in special designed mesh bags fixed to steel trestles on the seabed, allowing water flow and natural plankton to reach them. Their ingenious processes allow for numerous natural steps to be included in the bed management.
It was also endearing to hear how they are always mindfully improving process on this 50 year old family oyster farm.
Part of their success is their perfect location here in Carlingford Lough, actually a fiord/ estuary on the north east coast, with steady tides and nutritious run off from the Cooley Mountains making for ideal feeding conditions.
Oyster cultivation in Ireland actually dates back to the 13th century but consumption of oysters in Ireland has been a tradition for over 4,000 years.
And no better place to find them than from @carlingfordoysters ! Also sold under the label @louet_feisser_oyster

🤍🦪 Thanks to Kian and his entire team for their hospitality, education and fresh delicious Irish oysters & Guinness for 2nd breakfast today!!
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#irishoysters
#boynevalleyflavours
#oystersandguinness
#irishproducers #irishfarming
#carlingfordoysters
#secondbreakfast
#eatgoodlivewellenjoylife

📍 Slane, Ireland … what a perfect way to kick

📍 Slane, Ireland … what a perfect way to kick off a week of “work” helping lead an Irish Food & Drink Tour.. a beautiful stop at one of my favorite places on the ancient Hill of Slane with a tasting picnic of Irish cheeses (@boynevalleycheese ❤️ 🧀!) AND a few sips to warm us of locally produced @slanewhiskey !
This week I’m helping my friend at @heathenwinetours show this hilarious small group of “heathens” some of the best eats and drinks in Ireland!

TRAVEL TIP: The village of Slane is not only historic and charming but also perfectly located to base yourself for a few nights and explore the numerous ancient sights around County Meath & County Louth and even an easy day trip into Dublin on the bus! And only a 40 minute drive to the airport from here!

WHERE TO SLEEP: Stay 3 nights in Slane
@hardingsslane (a.k.a The Village Inn Pub) has a comfortable little BnB above the pub and the @conynghamarmshotel has a gorgeous little boutique hotel.
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#hillofslane #slaneireland
#irishwhiskey #irishcheese
#tasteofireland
#traveldirectorlife
#lovemyjob
#eatgoodlvewellenjoylife

📍Marsh Library, Dublin Ireland… an amazing li

📍Marsh Library, Dublin Ireland… an amazing little spot of history whether you’re a book lover or not, a visit to @marshslibrary will fascinate & delight. Tucked away in a garden setting behind St Patrick’s Cathedral 300 hundred + years ago, Arch Bishop Marsh established the first public library. His story alone is interesting but there is so much more of a story here to be discovered amongst the shelves of 20000+ books. Today the multi roomed library is still an important resource of research with their complete catalog available on line and viewable by appointment, as well as their preservation efforts of this remarkable collection.
The moment you step through the garden wall you feel transported to someplace special. If you were able to travel back in time, here you would find yourself sitting next to Johnathan Swift reading in the afternoon light or bumping into Bram Stoker scouring the shelves for the atlas of Transylvania maps or spotting James Joyce researching banned books unavailable in the University libraries and only found here in this, even then remarkable public library.
Curious bits of story & incident are still to be discovered today- bullet scars from the 1916 rising, doors leading to no where, ghosts roaming shelves for a lost love letter.
You will leave intrigued and inspired.
Put The Marsh Library on your Dublin visit itinerary! TIP: tours are fully self guided and only €7 per person, and read up a little before you go. You’ll also find wonderful library attendants there who will answer questions during your visit . Unfortunately right now, guided tours are only for prearranged private groups, see their website for more info on visiting and check out their daily social postings of historic book snippets.

A special thank you to Deputy Director Sue for the impromptu visit sharing information and the sneak peek into the private reading room!

AND you must stop across the corner to Fallon’s Pub after for a fresh pint and and bag or crisps in a charming old pub!
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#thingstodoindublin
#dublinhistory
#marshslibrary
#bibliophilesunite #bibliophile
#historiclibraries
#librariesoftheworld
#neverenoughbooks
#librarylove
#placesilove

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