Spill the Tea: An Capall Mara (The Seahorse)

I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to in September 2023, as my sister and I purchased a cruise trip around Ireland.

It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. But I was willing to put up with that, we were on a cruise after all.

However, we discovered that the “rough weather” was a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise line, it turned out Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation

We spent three days stuck on the ship, but were able to make our stop in the Killybegs’ port. 

We were up bright and early, ready to get off the ship ASAP! As soon as we got off the ship we saw a rainbow, and felt like maybe our luck was finally turning around.

After spending about 45 minutes in town we headed back to the ship to board our bus for our Sliabh Liag (pronounced Sleeve League) tour. The roads are small and tight and we had to switch to smaller buses before we headed up to the cliffside. Before going to the cliffs part of our package included stopping at the Tí Linn Cafe & Craft Shop.

Afterwards, we made ourselves up the cliffs and I had my Elizabeth Bennet Pride and Prejudice (2005) moment

After our hike, we headed back down the cliffside and stopped at Studio Donegal. It is a super cute craft shop that careies on started in the 1960s to preserve the Donegal cultural tradition of hand weaving. All items are homemade, handwoven, and use 100% Irish wool. We stopped by and said hello to some seamstresses and saw a little bit of a presentation by a weaver. I bought I few things but afterwards had wished I bought more as everything in there was so cute and so nice. A definite must visit!

After we returned to Killeybegs we walked around the city following a historic walking tour, visiting the church, my sister stopped to try a Guinness in a local pub, spotted a cat that looked just like Gareth in Time Cat, and we did a lot of shopping (just in case we weren’t able to stop anywhere else). After spending the whole day in Killeybegs we decided to head back and try and eat at the Asian Resturant that did not take reservations. As we headed back to the ship I spotted the tea cart On our walk back we stopped at a tea cart An Capall Mara (The Seahorse).

An Capall Mara is a converted coffee horsebox, and has been serving coffee, tea, and baked goods since May 2020.

All their products are locally sourced and they are located in Killeybegs Bay.

Besides baked goods and drinks, they also serve cute postcards designed by the owner’s 14-year old son.

I was craving a matcha latte as the ship only had bagged tea or you could pay $5 for a chai latte. I stopped and ordered one on our walk back and it was delicious, perfectly blended and definitely high grade matcha.

Delicious tea, friendly staff, a great place to get a nice cup of tea as you stroll the bay.

For more tea places reviews, go to Spill the Tea: Tí Linn Cafe & Craft Shop

For more tea posts, go to Devonshire Scones

For more Ireland posts, go to Hiking the Sliabh Liag or My Own “Liz On Top of the World”

Hiking the Sliabh Liag or My Own “Liz On Top of the World”

I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not just for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to in September 2023, and my sister and I made plans for a cruise around Ireland.

It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. But I was willing to put up with that, as we were on a cruise after all.

However, we discovered that the “rough weather” was a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise line, and it turned out Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation

What else?

We spent three days stuck on the ship, but were able to make our stop in the Killybegs’ port. 

Yay!

I was up bright and early, ready to get off the ship ASAP! We had planned an excursion to Sliabh Liag, but that was for later and I was ready NOW to explore and get on land.

As soon as we got off the ship we saw a rainbow, and felt like maybe our luck was finally turning around. 

Killybegs is the largest fishing port in Ireland and its Irish name is Na Cealla Beaga.

As you walk along the sea side they have little plaques that give you snippets of the history of Killeybegs port. Like Cork, Killeybegs wasn’t that cold temperature wise, but the wind was chilly and extremely strong. After spending about 45 minutes in town we headed back to the ship to board our bus for our Sliabh Liag (pronounced Sleeve League) tour. The roads are small and tight and we had to switch to smaller buses before we headed up to the cliffside. Before going to the cliffs part of our package included stopping at the Tí Linn Cafe & Craft Shop. After a cuppa and scone, we continued up the cliffs.

Sliabh Liag is the prettiest place we viewed in Ireland. It is one of the highest cliffs in Europe, and at 601 metres (1,972 ft) the highest most accessible cliffs in Europe. They have a stone trail you can climb that takes you all the way to the top of the cliffs. Normally the hills look more purple from the heather, but they had had an early bloom last year and the heather had turned a reddish brown by the time we got there.

It was incredibly windy on the cliffs and the ground was covered in mud from the rain of the hurricane, along with sheep poop as their sheep are open range. I was hoping to see sheep, but none were out in the area. I tried to climb to the top but fell down twice (catching myself in time both times) and ended up going back down the cliffside while my sister went further.

The wind was so strong it knocked my bag out of my hand and broke my water bottle.

The cliffs were so beautiful and one of the highlights of the trip. If you ever go to Ireland they are a must see.

Being at the cliffs brought to mind many things. The first was one of my favorite paintings, Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, as seen below on my copy of Frankenstein.

But I didn’t get a chance to make it up to the top. Instead I channeled another broody stare while standing on a cliffside; Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (2005). I may not enjoy this film version, but I do think the scene when Elizabeth looks over the cliffs is extremely memorable.

This scene is after Elizabeth has returned home from Rosings and makes plans with her aunt and uncle to go North to the lakes. She wants to tell Jane all that has happened and what she learned about Mr. Darcy persuading Mr. Bingley from courting her; but withholds it as she wants to save her feelings.

I couldn’t go to the cliffside like Elizabeth as the winds were so strong it was an extreme risk. I was very happy for the railing keeping me up.

Beautiful place and definitely worth visiting if you are in the area. Our guides were great and I wish I had recorded all he said as they talked value history, mythology, and the culture of the area.

For more Ireland posts, go to Spill the Tea: Tí Linn Cafe & Craft Shop

For more Pride and Prejudice (2005), go to Jane Austen Birthday Party Music & Party Review

Spill the Tea: Tí Linn Cafe & Craft Shop

I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to in September 2023, and my sister and I made plans for a cruise around Ireland.

It however did not go according to plan. To begin with the waves were extremely rough with the ship rocking nonstop. But I was willing to put up with that, we were on a cruise after all.

However, we discovered that the “rough weather” was a lie perpetuated by the Norwegian Cruise line, it turned out Ireland had been attacked by Hurricane Agnes. The Captain planned to take us up to Belfast to shelter off the coast, but he warned us that we might not be able to get off the ship until we reached Southampton for the final disembarkation

What else?

We spent three days stuck on the ship, but were able to make our stop in the Killybegs’ port.

Yay!

I was up bright and early, ready to get off the ship ASAP! We had planned an excursion to Sliabh Liag, but that was for later and I was ready NOW to explore now and get on land.

As soon as we got off the ship we saw a rainbow, and felt like maybe our luck was finally turning around.

Killybegs is the largest fishing port in Ireland and its Irish name is Na Cealla Beaga. Under Queen Elizabeth I, she sold fishing passes to Spain to use the waters. When France wanted to use it, she allowed them to but charged them 10x as much. The English and French hatred is hilarious.

As you walk along the sea side they have little plaques that give you snippets of the history of Killeybegs port. Like Cork, Killeybegs wasn’t that cold temperature wise, but the wind was chilly and extremely strong. After spending about 45 minutes in town we headed back to the ship to board our bus for our Sliabh Liag (pronounced Sleeve League) tour. The roads are small and tight and we had to switch to smaller buses before we headed up to the cliffside. Before going to the cliffs part of our package included stopping at the Tí Linn Cafe & Craft Shop.

I’m not sure how long the cafe has been there as I couldn’t find it online, but Tí Linn Cafe is a beautiful cafe with locally sourced produce that has local and traditional Irish food; ranging from baked goods, to sandwiches, to desserts, and more.

Before we climbed the hill we were given current scones with clotted cream and jam, along with Irish breakfast tea. Everything was delicious! I don’t even like currents, especially baked currents; but this is one of the best scones I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious and a wonderful treat. This is definitely one of the best food places we ate at and worth stopping her on the way up the cliffs.

We were also given a mini acoustic concert by a local singer; our tour guide joining in.

They also have adorable gifts made from locals. This was exactly what I was hoping to find as everything I purchased I wanted it to be things I could only get in Ireland. One item I picked up was a lucky rag doll as I thought my would like it, and because I was desperate for good luck on this trip.

For more tea places reviews, go to Spill the Tea: The Old English Market’s Three Spoons Stall

For more tea posts, go to Iron Rich Black Bean Soup

For more Ireland posts, go to Being Trapped on a Cruise Ship Full of Passengers Ages 60+ for Three Days Due to Hurricane Agnes, Gave Me More Insight to the Character of Emma Woodhouse and Why I Would Never Travel Norwegian Cruise Line Again

Crawford Art Gallery’s “Recasting Canova” Exhibit in Cork, Ireland

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a looong time but I haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to last year in September 2023, and my sister and I made plans for a cruise around Ireland.

It however did not go according to plan as we encountered a hurricane. 

But I will get to that later…

Day three we landed in Cobh and started the day by taking the train from the port town of Cobh to Cork. The train ride was really nice and all the Irish people we encountered were very friendly. Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and is known as the city of Steeples and Steps as it is full of churches and is a “walkable” city. Cork is built by the water and the city center is technically an island, surrounded by the River Lee.

Our first stop was the the Merchant’s Quay Shopping Center, with one of the shops we visited being Marks & Spencer (M&S).

Navigating the city was a little difficult as the street names were on the side of buildings instead of on the street, and Cork kept each street name from throughout it’s years (in some areas the streets had three names). Armed with a historic walking map and a modern map, my sister and I walked all over the city (and when I say all over the city I mean literally). We were on our way to the Crawford Art Gallery when we noticed we were right outside the Old English Market and decided to stop in as it was #7 on the list of things to see in Cork.

Afterwards we went to the Crawford Art Gallery. It is a free gallery that was once the Cork School of Art and now holds an expansive collection from historic Irish art to contemporary pieces.

The building was gifted to become the Government School of Design in 1850. Later in 1884, they added galleries, housing studios, and more-all at the expense of William Horatio Crawford; the name of the building being changed to the Crawford School of Art to honor him. The School of Art was relocated in 1979, the building then becoming the Crawford Art Gallery. Currently it is under renovation, so I was unable to take a photo of the building, borrowing this one from their website.

Exterior view of Crawford Art Gallery. Photo: Jed Niezgoda

The Crawford Art Gallery’s art collection was created in 1818, when a set of Greco-Roman and Neo-Classical sculpture casts by Antonio Canova were presented to the Cork Society of Arts.

Antonio Canova is one of the greatest Neoclassical sculptors of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Canova was born in Italy and began sculpting at a young age (using butter as a medium), and was heavily influenced by ancient works.

Throughout the 1780s and 1790s, Canova’s reputation as a sculpture continued to grow. With Greek and Roman aesthetics being in vogue during the Regency period and having patrons such as the Pope and Napoleon, Canova’s work was in high demand.

The Canova pieces that began the Crawford’s art collection of Greek and Roman casts were commissioned as a gift from Pope Pius VII to the Prince Regent in 1816. The Canova casts when completed were sent to London where they were stored at the Custom House, then moved to Carlton House, the residence of the Prince Regent. He offered them to the Royal Academy, who declined as they did not have enough room. They probably would have languished there, except that a porter had overheard that they “could be had for the asking” and informed William Hare, the president of the Cork Society for Promoting Fine Arts. The Prince agreed and they arrived in Ireland in November of 1818. The casts were used as as teaching tools from the moment they were placed in Cork.

In the last century, however, the plasters crumbled, were broken, destroyed by the elements, etc. The Crawford Art Gallery has begun restoring them and renovating their space. While we were not able to see all of them, the pieces we were able to see were amazing pieces and were definitely worth the trip into Cork. The Goddess Concordia cast was one of my favorites.

Canova’s casts were not all exactly the same and the Goddess Concordia is supposed to be a representation of Harmony seated on a thrown with sceptre (imperial staff), diadem (tiara), and patera (dish). The work is amazing, the clothing flows so realistically and is a powerful piece.

I loved the the Crawford Art Gallery as getting to see casts of artwork I had studied in college was amazing. I may not be able to see the real pieces, but I was able to see the next best things. The piece Laocoön and His Sons was a piece we often studied in art history, depicting how after Laocoön warned them about accepting the “Trojan Horse” he was punished by Athena to be attacked by sea serpents; along with his sons. When the Trojans witnessed this, they believed that they should take this as a warning to listen to him and accepted the Horse into the city and bringing about their destruction. The original sculpture had been lost to history, but was discovered in 1506, inspiring many Renaissance artists, such as Michelangelo.

Besides the Canova exhibit, I also loved their textile exhibit that had a combination of older art (such as lace and tapestries) with modern art projects from photos weaved on tapestries, embroidery hoop art, and other modern art pieces. The entire Crawford Gallery was a wonderful place to visit and I highly recommend it if you are in Cork.

Afterwards, we continued around the city and went back to Cobh. In Cobh we went to the White Star Officer and went on the Titanic Experience which focuses on the Irish passengers that boarded in Cobh (at the time called Queenstown in honor of a visit Queen Victoria had made during her reign). Every attendee of the tour is assigned a real life person who boarded the Titanic in Cobh (the last place it stopped before meeting its watery grave) and at the end of the tour you discover if you survived or not. The experience utilizes videos, photographs, a tour guide, and items from the survivors or one donated by the families of those who went down with the ship. One thing that particularly struck me was that we had the same amount of passengers on our cruise as was on the Titanic. Hearing that I had a bit of a shiver come over me and hoped it would be a bad omen.

Creepy…

I shrugged it off as I don’t believe in omens…but little did I know what was coming after we boarded the cruise ship.

For more art posts, go to Paris Street; Rainy Day

For more Ireland posts, go to Spill the Tea: The Old English Market’s Three Spoons Stall

Spill the Tea: The Old English Market’s Three Spoons Stall

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have been wanting to take a “real” vacation, (not just a couple days and not for family reasons) for a long time but I just haven’t been able to these past few years for various reasons. I was finally able to this year and made plans to go abroad to Ireland this past September.

It however did not go according to plan as we encountered a hurricane.

But I will get to that later…

Day 3 we landed in Cobh and started the day by taking the train from the port town of Cobh to Cork. The train ride was really nice and all the Irish people we encountered were very friendly. Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and is known as the city of Steeples and Steps as it is full of churches and a “walkable” city. Cork is built by the water and the city center is technically an island, surrounded by the River Lee.

Our first stop was the the Merchant’s Quay Shopping Center, one of the shops we stopped at was Marks & Spencer (M&S).

Navigating the city was a little difficult as the street names were on the side of buildings instead of on the street, and Cork kept each street name from through the years (some areas had three names). Armed with a historic walk map and a modern map, my sister and I walked all over the city (and when I say all over the city I mean literally). We were on our way to the Crawford Art Gallery when we noticed we had ended up outside the Old English Market and decided to go in as it was #7 on the list of things to see in Cork.

The English Market opened in 1788 and was designed after the ones built in England. It has been open since the 18th century and has stalls that sell almost every food: from fish to beef to herbs to tea to bread and more.

I wanted to buy so many things from the stalls but the cruise had given us a paper the night before warning us against outside food being brought on the ship (although later we found out they just hold it and give it back to you at the end of the trip).

We stopped at a lovely tea stall called Three Spoons, drawn in by the delicious smell of their Pistachio Truffle Tea.

From their website as it turns out I didn’t take a photo of the shop.

The Three Spoons shop opened in 2017 and sells loose leaf tea, coffee beans, tea accessories, truffles plus more

There were so many things I wanted to purchase in the tea shop but again I didn’t for fear the cruise ship would confiscate it. My sister bought some truffles from them and they were to die for.

The mojito mint and milk chocolate truffle was one of the best things I have ever tasted.

You can check out their website here, but they are a definite must visit if you are ever in Cork.

For more tea posts, go to Spill the Tea: Mark & Spencer’s Everyday Tea

For more Ireland posts, go to Stop in Southampton But No Time for Jane Austen 😦