Category: Ireland

The Emerald Isle has long been attractive to golfers, gardeners and Guinness lovers. Nutmeg is here to tell you that it is also a destination for foodies. With nine Michelin-starred restaurants in the Republic of Ireland, there is more to the food scene than Irish stew.
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Recipes & Travel:
Food, Ireland, Small tours, Tours, Travel

Regular G&N readers know Nutmeg cannot resist a market and certainly not if it involves coffee, lunch or both. That is exactly what a couple hours at the English Market in Cork served up. The name may seem a bit odd in the heart of Ireland, but it was the Protestant or “English” corporation, which controlled Cork at the time that created the market. The English Market first opened to the public on August 1st, 1788 predating the election of the first US president.

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Recipes & Travel:
Cork Butter market, Cork City, English Market, Good Food Ireland, Irish Travel, Travel Ireland

Nutmeg has been fortunate enough to visit the Blasket Centre on the Slea Head drive twice, but she has yet to see this view.

The Blaskets are a group of small islands located just off the coast of the Dingle peninsula in Ireland, the westernmost tip of the European continent. The largest of the islands is called the Great Blasket or An Blascaod Mór in Irish it was inhabited until 1953.
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Recipes & Travel:
Blasket Islands Heritage Centre, Dingle Peninsula, Irish History, Irish Travel, Travel Ireland, Wild Atlantic Way

The low-altitude, damp, misty, drizzle made for a cool Irish autumn day. Nutmeg was as the expression goes – chilled to the bone. However, Mother Nature’s blows vanished after her first spoonful of carrot-ginger soup. This core-warming broth and the classic brown bread were one of several choices on the market menu in the café at Louis Mulcahy Pottery located in Ballyferriter a remote part of the Dingle Peninsula.
Inch Beach, Slea Head Drive – Dingle Peninsula
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Recipes & Travel:
Ballyferriter, Dingle Peninsula, Louis Mulcahy Pottery, Slea Head, Travel Ireland, Wild Atlantic Way

Nutmeg does not really like beer, which may surprise some readers. If the truth were told, she may have consumed more than her fair share during her university days. So, a brewery tour was not high on her list of things to do in their short few days, in Ireland. The hook for Nutmeg is when an interesting product intersects with a unique history. That is certainly the case with the Dingle Brewing Company in County Kerry, Ireland; a story of water, a creamery, an explorer and a lager.

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Recipes & Travel:
Brewing in Ireland, County Kerry, Dingle Brewing Company, Dingle Peninsula, Irish beer, Irish Creamery History, Irish History, Travel Ireland

As Nutmeg looked out the window at the hotel, 8am in Dublin looked like midnight in Provence. Was it always this dark? Or were the low hanging rain clouds enhancing the depressing view?

David Cooke’s warm smile and hearty handshake quickly wiped away any gloomy thoughts that the tour group participants might have had. Cooke owner/operator of Dawn2Dusk Guided Photography Tours apologized several times for the weather on that October morning. The moist skies might have been beyond David’s control, but the rest of the guided trip ran like clockwork.
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Recipes & Travel:
Dawn2Dusk, Dublin Tours, Ireland photography, Irish Travel, Touring Ireland

The sun was baking the rolling hills, and the annual harvest of ruby-purple grapes was underway – Indian summer days were still gracing Provence. Visions of glasses of chilled rosé danced in her head…
What was Nutmeg thinking?

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Recipes & Travel:
City Highlights Jogging Tour, Dublin Tours, Irish Travel, Sight Jogging Dublin, Touring Ireland

Nutmeg toured only a small portion of Ireland with her family. The island is tiny, yet the number of potential attractions is enormous, and the roads are small. Rather than bore you with the specific itinerary, she decided to do another ABC list (this one abbreviated).

Aran Islands lie off the coast from Galway. These are three barren specs of land still occupied by native Irish speakers. Even if you have not heard of the islands you have most likely come across an Aran cable knit sweater, typically made from heavy, cream-coloured wool.
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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Touring Ireland, Travel Ireland

Nutmeg was invited to explore Ireland with her family. The dates for the Irish tour were selected, and the itinerary confirmed. The uncontrollable was the weather. The Emerald Isle teased the group on the first day with a cool, sunny day. During the balance of the trip the sun was elusive, the rain was not – it was GREEN.
The following is one of Nutmeg’s ABC lists to give you a view of this glorious place.

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Recipes & Travel:
ABC Travel Lists, Good Food Ireland, Irish Travel, Touring Ireland